“If Anyone Does Not Like Us to Follow Our Religion, He Does Not Deserve To Live In This Great Country, He May Go To Pakistan," Says Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind; Passes Resolutions on UCC, Gyanvapi and Mathura
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 May 2022
Prominent Muslim cleric
and president of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani | Photo Credit:
Anuj Kumar
----
• ‘Interference in Islam Won’t Be Tolerated’: Muslim
Bodies Pass Resolution against UCC
• Using an Oscillating Fan as Part of Prayer
Congregation a Mockery to Islam: Mufti
• Shouting ‘Death to Arabs’, Israelis March through
Muslim Quarter
• Supreme Court of Canada Ruling Devalues Lives of
Most of Mosque Shooter’s Victims
India
• Muslim Clerics Stress on Need for 'Communal Harmony
with Hindus' At Deoband Meet
• Uniform Civil Code Not Against Muslims: Uttar
Pradesh Minister
• Minority Certificates to Six Religious Communities,
Including Muslims, In Assam
• BJP’s National Spokesperson Nupur Sharma Booked over
Remark on Prophet Mohammed
• How long will Muslims carry burden of temples razed,
says Ram Madhav
• Yasin Malik, hijab row, Pakistan: A look at times
when OIC hit out at India
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Jakim to send halal team to conduct audit in
Australia
• Small conflicts ‘grow into world wars’, warns Dr M
--------
Mideast
• Yemen’s Parliament to Criminalize All Forms of Normalization
with Israel: Prime Minister
• ‘Flag March’ Grave Provocation against Palestinians,
Muslim Nations: Hamas
• Iran, Pakistan Entered Negotiations to Enhance
Religious Tourism
• Extremist Jewish Settlers' Raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque
Will Not Go Unpunished - Liberation of Palestine
• Flag-Waving Israelis Take to Streets, Skirmishes
Erupt In Al Aqsa Mosque
• Yemeni minister warns against Houthis recruiting
child fighters
--------
North
America
• UNSC Report Says Presence of Jaish, Lashkar Camps, Narcotics
Outflow from Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
--------
Pakistan
• Imran Says Rulers ‘Tasked With Recognising Israel’
• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Militant Group Persistent
Threat to Pakistan's Security: UNSC
• Ashrafi seeks action against those who visited
Israel on Pakistani passports
• Haqqani-brokered talks between TTP, GHQ stuck
• Notices be issued to Musharraf, successive rulers:
IHC
• Islamabad reaffirms pledge to keep working for
global peace
--------
South
Asia
• Shia Scholars, Tribal Elders Call On 1st Deputy PM,
Mullah Akhund of Islamic Emirate on Peace, Security, and Self-Determination
• Al-Qaida and Islamic Emirate Relationship 'Remains
Close’: UN
• Protester Women: The Taliban Intervenes Private
Affairs of the People Instead of Addressing Economic Issues
• The Taliban in Kandahar Stops Arms and Ammunition
from Being Smuggled into Pakistan
--------
Arab
World
• Turkiye ‘Neutralizes’ 18 PKK Terrorists In Northern
Iraq
• Egypt court sentences Muslim Brotherhood’s
Aboul-Fotouh to 15 years in prison
• Turkey’s Syria operation could happen ‘suddenly’:
President Erdogan
• UAE President receives Egypt, Jordan PMs in Abu
Dhabi to sign agreement
• Rocket attack targets military base housing US
forces in eastern Syria
--------
Africa
• Sudan Lifts State of Emergency after Deadly
Anti-Coup Protests
• UN envoy decries Sudan violence after 2 killed in
protests
• Trial begins for Sudanese protesters accused of
killing police officer
• Tunisian court bans travel for Ennahda party chief,
33 others
• At least 31 killed in church stampede in southern
Nigeria
• Tunisia calls for solving Libyan crisis via dialogue
--------
Europe
• Erdogan Says Turkey Will Not Allow
‘Terrorism-Supporting’ States Join NATO
• France denounces Iran’s seizure of two Greek tankers
• Pope Francis hails President Erdogan's efforts to
end war in Ukraine, says Turkish envoy
• Turkish president receives foreign ministers of UAE,
Poland, Romania
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
“If Anyone Does Not Like Us to Follow Our Religion, He
Does Not Deserve To Live In This Great Country, He May Go To Pakistan,"
Says Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind; Passes Resolutions on UCC, Gyanvapi and Mathura
Prominent Muslim cleric
and president of Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani | Photo Credit:
Anuj Kumar
----
Anuj Kumar
GHAZIABAD
MAY 30, 2022
Prominent Muslim cleric and president of Jamiat
Ulema-i-Hind, Maulana Mahmood Madani, said on Sunday, May 29, 2022, that “if
anyone does not like us (Muslims) to follow our religion, then he does not
deserve to live in this great country.”
Addressing a two-day meeting of the governing body of
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in Deoband, Madani said every citizen had the right to
freely abide by his religion and “any attempt to abolish Muslim Personal Law
will not succeed.”
The governing body meeting of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind
passed several resolutions, including on Uniform Civil Code, the Gyanvapi
mosque and the Mathura Idgah. The Jamiat said that the present government
intended to abolish Muslim Personal Law by enacting the UCC, sidestepping the
true spirit of the country's Constitution.
A declaration was also issued in which all Muslims
were advised to refrain from fear, despair and sentimentality and work for the
betterment of their future.
The resolution on Gyanvapi and Shahi Idgah expressed
deep concern and disgust over the ugly attitude of forces hostile to the peace
and tranquility of the country as well as political parties patronising them
for repeatedly raking up controversy regarding historic places of worship.
“Gyanvapi mosque, Mathura Idgah, and other mosques are currently under a hate
campaign. This will result in disturbing peace, order and integrity. of the
country,” the resolution said.
The Ayodhya issue, the resolution said, had already
severely damaged social harmony. “Now, these conflicts will provide fresh
impetus for further confrontation and negative politics of majority
domination.”
On the Uniform Civil Code, the Jamiat said that Muslim
Personal Law on marriage, divorce, khula, inheritance, etc. are not framed by
any society, individual, or group and that “they are essential parts of Islam
like prayers, fasting and Haj, etc. derived from the Holy Qur'an and Hadiths.”
Therefore, the resolution said, any change in the rules or regulations
sanctioned by Islam or preventing anyone from following them was against the
basic principles of Islam and sheer interference in the provision guaranteed in
Article 25 of the Constitution of India.
In his last presidential address, the Madani
highlighted the importance of sacrifice for the motherland and said “even if
our lives are lost for the protection of this country, it will be a matter of
pride for us.”
He said Muslims will continue to fulfill their
responsibility to the country. “If they do not like us to follow our religion,
they do not deserve to stay in this country, they should migrate from this
great land whose nature is unity in diversity.”
Source: The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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‘Interference in Islam Won’t Be Tolerated’: Muslim
Bodies Pass Resolution against UCC
Maulana Arshad Madni, president of the Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) Arshad faction, addresses the meeting of Islamic bodies in
Deoband on 29 May. (ANI Photo/ANI Pic Service)
-----
Shikha Salaria
30 May, 2022
The Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) on 29 May passed a
resolution against the attempts being made by the BJP government in several
states to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), saying it “clearly interferes
with Islam’s laws”, and called out the “negative and divisive politics” being
employed by the “communal forces” which are raising old disputes over campaigns
against the Gyanvapi Masjid and Shahi Eidgah.
Passed on the second day of a gathering of Muslim
bodies in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, the JUH resolution, that ThePrint has seen,
said that Islam’s laws on issues “like marriage, divorce, khula (through which
a woman can divorce her husband), inheritance, etc, have not been created by
some society, community, group or person, but come from their religious texts….
They are part of our religious directive, just like the namaaz, roza, haj, etc,
mentioned in the Quran and Hadees. Hence, any changes to them or attempts to
stop someone from following them is a clear interference with Islam and the
guarantee [of freedom to practice and propagate religion] given in section 25
of the Constitution,” reads the resolution.
It further states: “Despite this, the government in
power is determined to implement the UCC with the intent of bringing an end to
the personal law followed in several states and is trying to neglect the real
spirit of the Constitution by neglecting its assurances and the promises of old
governments. This congregation of the JUH wants to make it clear that no Muslim
accepts any kind of interference in Islamic laws.”
Speaking at the congregation, Maulana Arshad Madni,
president of the JUH’s Arshad faction, said: “Our fight is not with any Hindu,
but with those in the government who are trying to damage the country by
dividing it.”
On the issues of Gyanvapi Masjid and Shahi Eidgah, the
JUH expressed “deep resentment and dislike” towards the “forces trying to spoil
the peace of the country by raking up disputes on ancient religious places and
the attitude of those political parties supporting them.”
Going against India’s Constitution
The resolution mentions these campaigns against the
Gyanvapi Masjid and the Shahi Eidgah, and says that these can seriously harm
the peace and integrity of the country.
“By raising such disputes, they [the government in
power] are looking for chances of communal clashes and negative politics.
However, it is clear that the campaigns being run in the name of rejuvenating
old disputes and correcting the so-called historical wrongs and excesses, do
not benefit the country in any way. It is sad that the orders of lower courts
have helped this divisive politics and shown a clear disregard for the Places
of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991,” states the resolution.
“Rising above religion, we need to take forward the
Islamic message of humanity and if we do it, Inshaallah, the situation would
definitely change. Those trying to fuel the fire would themselves perish in
it,” said Madni.
He recommends that Muslims should appeal to the
majority communities to understand the functions of a madrasa. “We should fight
the situation with love and should explain to them about madrasas and the
tenets of education,” he said. “If Muslims don’t understand the situation and
take to the streets, then they too would strengthen the communal forces. Our
fight is not with any Hindu but with the government which is damaging the
country by dividing the people in the name of religion.”
At the meeting, Maulana Mahmood Madni, president of
the JUH’s Mahmood faction, also came down strongly on those subjecting the
Muslims community to “go to Pakistan” taunts. “If you can’t bear our religion,
then you should go elsewhere. You don’t have to send anyone (to Pakistan). They
say ‘go to Pakistan’ over the smallest things. Brother, you weren’t given the
choice to go to Pakistan. We were and we rejected it. So, we will not go, those
who like the idea of sending us can go themselves,” he said.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Using an Oscillating Fan as Part of Prayer
Congregation a Mockery to Islam: Mufti
Credit: Twitter/@bernamadotcom
----
05- 29- 2022
The actions of individuals who use fans as though they
were part of the congregation when performing prayers show that they are
ignorant of Islam.
Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor said
their actions clearly showed that they were deliberately ridiculing and
disrespecting Islam.
“The authorities need to investigate whether the
perpetrator is a sane person, suffering from mental problems or otherwise, I
hope the authorities immediately investigate and act in accordance with the
results of the investigation.
“If the perpetrator is found to be deliberately
mocking religion then he or she should be tried in a Shariah court and punished
accordingly,“ he said in a statement today.
He said the act was an insult to Islam and mocking
Islam was clearly a great sin and could damage one’s faith.
Wan Salim said if the perpetrator intended to ridicule
the act of worship, then he was considered an apostate and should repent.
“Society needs to be aware that the act of ridiculing
or mocking the act of worship is sinful and can damage the faith of a Muslim,“
he said.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
(Religious Affairs), Datuk Idris Ahmad was reported to have asked the public to
report to the religious authorities if they come across Muslims praying along
with a fan and making it as though it is another worshipper.
It follows a recent viral video in which young
individuals were seen performing their prayers with an oscillating fan, making
it as though they were praying with a make-believe spouse. – Bernama
Source: The Sun Daily
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Shouting ‘Death To Arabs’, Israelis March Through Muslim
Quarter
Palestinians and Israelis
wave their national flags outside Jerusalem's Old City as Israelis mark
Jerusalem Day on May 29, 2022. | Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo
-----
May 30, 2022
JERUSALEM: Thousands of flag-waving Israeli
nationalists marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City on
Sunday in a deeply divisive parade that Palestinian factions warned could
reignite their conflict with Israel.
Police earlier fired stun grenades at Palestinians who
pelted them with stones at the Al Aqsa mosque compound as record numbers of
Jews visited the holy site, some of them appearing to pray in defiance of a
long-standing ban.
The annual Jerusalem procession marks Israel’s capture
of the Old City in the 1967 Middle East war and draws thousands of cheering,
chanting participants to its narrow, stone streets.
“Death to Arabs,” some youths shouted as they entered
Damascus Gate, the main entrance to the Old City’s Muslim neighbourhood.
2,600 Jews visited Al Aqsa esplanade before the
Jerusalem march
Ahead of the march, police said 2,600 Jews toured Al
Aqsa esplanade, a record number for a single day. Some of the visitors wore
religious garb and prostrated themselves. A few held up Israeli flags and sang
the national anthem.
The preacher of the mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri,
denounced their behaviour. “What happened today in Al Aqsa mosque hadn’t taken
place since 1967,” he said, accusing the government of deliberately looking to
escalate tensions.
The Islamist group Hamas, which governs the Gaza
Strip, also condemned the scenes, which went viral on social media.
“The Israel government is fully responsible for all
these reckless policies and the following consequences,” senior Hamas official
Bassem Naim said.
In recent years, Hamas has cast itself as a defender
of Muslim Jerusalem. After weeks of confrontations last year over Palestinian
evictions in the city, Hamas fired rockets into Israel during the march,
triggering an 11-day war that killed at least 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13
people in Israel.
As nationalists draped in Israel’s blue and white flag
gathered at Damascus Gate, a drone flew overhead trailing a Palestinian flag. A
man rushed up to the crowds and waved another Palestinian flag at them before
being dragged away.
Inside the city, small fights sporadically broke out.
One Israeli youth was videoed using pepper spray on a Palestinian woman,
leading to an exchange of punches and kicks. However, some marchers said they
had come in peace.
“I know my neighbours aren’t so happy that we’re here,
but we didn’t come to annoy them, we came to be happy for Jerusalem,” said Yair
Sussman, 17, a Jewish seminary student who studies at a school in the occupied
West Bank.
Clashes were reported across the West Bank on Sunday,
injuring at least 30 Palestinians, medics said.
Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal and
indivisible capital, while Palestinians want the eastern section as capital of
their future state. Hamas sees all of modern-day Israel as occupied.
Palestinians view Sunday’s march as an Israeli show of
force and part of a broader campaign to bolster Jewish presence across the
city.
However, Israeli Minister Naftali Bennett defended his
decision to let the march go ahead, arguing that it had become an annual event.
“Waving the Israeli flag in the capital of Israel is perfectly acceptable,” he
said on Sunday.
Israeli police repeatedly clashed with Palestinians at
the Al Aqsa compound in April, during the holy month of Ramazan, with Muslims
angered by the rising numbers of Jewish visitors to the mosque esplanade.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692205/shouting-death-to-arabs-israelis-march-through-muslim-quarter
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Supreme Court of Canada Ruling Devalues Lives of Most
of Mosque Shooter’s Victims
Photo: Toronto Star
-----
By Rosie DiManno
May 29, 2022
If cruel and unusual punishment were defined as beyond
what is normal or natural, then that is the life sentence exacted from those
who’ve lost their most beloved to an act of wanton violence.
At the murderous hands of a stranger. In a tableau of
mass butchery.
Like the 19 schoolchildren and two teachers massacred
in Texas last week. Or the six Muslim worshippers slaughtered at a Quebec City
mosque in 2017.
There will be no judicial reckoning for the teenage
gunman who murdered those mostly nine- and ten-year-old kids in their
classroom. He was shot dead by a Border Patrol officer. But Alexandre
Bissonnette, who burst into a house of God during evening prayers wielding a
semi-automatic rifle and a pistol, firing away, he can glimpse daylight —
deliverance from prison — at the end of a 25-year life sentence.
The Supreme Court of Canada has blessed him with that
daylight: Eligibility for parole at age 54.
On Friday, the highest court in the land released a
seismic decision — striking down as unconstitutional a Criminal Code provision
passed by the Stephen Harper government in 2011 that let judges impose
consecutive life sentences and consecutive periods of parole ineligibility,
rather than concurrent sentences, in cases of mass murder. Essentially a death
sentence by incarceration.
All mass murderers sentenced to life without parole
under the 2011 law — deemed “invalid immediately” — are now entitled to seek
parole, retroactively, after serving the mandatory 25 years behind bars.
Terrorists. Bissonnette. Alek Minassian, who deliberately
targeted pedestrians with the rental van that he pinballed down Yonge Street,
killing 10 and injury 16 — his sentencing upon conviction of first-degree
murder and attempted murder having been on hold, while the trial judge awaited
the top court’s ruling.
Dellen Millard, who murdered his father, a 23-year-old
former lover as well as a man who’d merely crossed paths with him while trying
to sell his truck (the bodies of the latter two were burned to ashes in an
animal incinerator). Justin Bourque, who killed three RCMP constables during a
2014 rampage in Moncton, hoping to spark an anti-government rebellion by
singling out only police officers. Douglas Garland, who killed a five-year-old
Calgary boy and his grandparents that year in what the trial judge described as
playing out a violent fantasy.
Upwards of a dozen convicted multiple murderers, the
most heinous of criminals, whose stacked sentences — delivered or pending —
have been nullified, pared down to a maximum quarter-century, unless they’re
designated dangerous offenders, who draw the indeterminate sentences reserved
for the most violent criminals and sexual predators such as Paul Bernardo,
who’s been imprisoned since 1995, his second parole bid denied last June.
Eligibility for parole is not a right to parole, to be
clear. That hasn’t changed. The parole board can still withhold release, even
for those not designated dangerous offenders.
Of significant note: The Justice Department in Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government had asked the Supreme Court to
uphold the law. This wasn’t partisan.
Chief Justice Richard Wagner, who wrote the decision,
asserted that Section 745.51 of the Criminal Code infringes on Section 12 of
the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right not to be
subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Consecutive life sentences are, in
effect, now cruel and unusual punishment because it authorized imprisonment for
life with no realistic possibility of parole.
“This punishment is, by its very nature, intrinsically
incompatible with human dignity,” wrote Wagner. “It is degrading in nature in
that it presupposes at the time of its imposition that the offender is beyond
redemption and lacks the moral autonomy needed for rehabilitation.”
Life without hope of parole “shakes the very
foundations of Canadian criminal law,” said Wagner.
The Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous, a 9-0
concordant meeting of the wisest judicial minds in Canada.
I am not so wise. I am not a constitutional expert.
But I say, with respect, the esteemed justices are wrong.
The long-awaited decision arose specifically from the
sentence received by Bissonnette, after he pleaded guilty to 12 charges,
including six of first-degree murder. Forty years with no parole imposed by the
trial judge, Superior Court Justice François Huot. Technically, under the 2011
legislation, Huot could have locked him down for 150 years, but he deemed that
would indeed constitute cruel and unusual punishment. So he opted for five of
the six murder convictions to be served concurrently, then added on 15 for the
sixth count.
Duelling appeals, a finding of judge’s error for the
40-year sentence by the Quebec Court of Appeal, and further appeal by the
province’s attorney-general, who was actually seeking a 50-year sentence
brought the matter to the Supremes.
And here we are.
The 92-page decision throws a purely rhetorical sop to
the relatives of Bissonnette’s victims, claiming 25-year parole ineligibility
“must not be seen as devaluing the life of each victim.”
Except it does precisely that. A quarter-century for
one victim and everybody else is a throw-in.
“Everyone would agree that multiple murders are
inherently despicable acts and are the most serious of crimes, with
consequences that last forever,” Wagner writes. “This appeal is not about the
value of each human life, but rather about the limits in the state’s power to
punish offenders, which in a society founded on the rule of law must be
exercised in a manner consistent with the Constitution.”
After the decision was issued, the mosque’s leadership
released a statement expressing disappointment in the court’s failure to “give
due consideration to the atrocity and scourge of multiple murders as well as
the hateful Islamophobic and racist aspect of the crime.”
Simultaneous to these events, the federal government
intends to pass Bill C-5, which will reverse some aspects of the Harper’s
“tough on crime” legislation, primarily repealing 20 different mandatory
minimum sentences, mostly for gun and drug crimes, while re-establishing
conditional sentences such as house arrest for some offences. The bill is
strongly driven by the previous legislation’s deleterious impact of mandatory
sentencing on Indigenous people and Black people, so horribly overincarcerated
relative to their percentage of the population.
With no minimum terms, sentencing will revert to the
discretion of trial judges. Which is proper. But why then should judges be
prevented from imposing a maximum sentence of more than 25 years — proportional
to the offence — in the small number of ultra-“despicable” crimes involving
multiple and mass murders?
If consecutive life terms are cruel and unusual, why
is 25 years the prison cap? It’s an arbitrary figure, after all. Frankly, it’s
not denunciation enough for a Bissonnette or a Minassian. Because incarceration
isn’t exclusively about rehabilitation and a felon’s right to dignity. It’s
also about deterrence, condemnation and protecting the public.
The Supreme Court has left that door open, which would
mean rewriting the law and allowing judges to extend parole ineligibility
beyond 25 years, outside the prohibition against consecutive life terms.
That’s the purview of Parliament. It, too, could
demonstrate wisdom.
Source: The Star
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
India
Muslim Clerics Stress on Need for 'Communal Harmony
with Hindus' At Deoband Meet
May 29, 2022
DEOBAND: Hundreds of Muslim scholars and clerics
assembled for a two-day convention in UP's Deoband to participate in a session
over "contentious issues facing the country and Muslims in prevailing
times" and "how to react to these developments".
During the meeting, most clerics stressed on the need
for "more communal harmony with Hindus" and claimed that the
"government was turning a blind eye to Muslims' hardships".
The event is being held by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and
attended by representatives from the Darul Uloom, apart from several other
Muslim organisations.
Those attending are deliberating on recent controversies,
including Gyanvapi mosque, Uniform Civil Code and matters related to the Waqf
Board.
Making an emotional appeal before the large gathering
on Saturday, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind chief Mahmood Madani said, "We are going
through a very difficult period. However, there is no need to despair. It is
true we need strength to face the difficulties. We are messengers of peace and
will tolerate the oppression, and won't allow any harm to our country. This
strength was given to us by the Quran and the Prophet. We can compromise with
everything but not our faith."
Without naming anyone, Madani said, "They talk
about unity and integrity, about 'Akhand Bharat', but make it difficult for
Muslims to walk the streets. What kind of integrity is this? A majority of citizens
are silent but they understand well that those who are spreading hate are
traitors. We cannot reply hate with hate. Love is the only answer."
Source: Times Of India
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Uniform Civil Code Not Against Muslims: Uttar Pradesh
Minister
May 29, 2022
Lucknow: Hours after Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH) passed
a resolution to oppose the Uniform Civil Code, Uttar Pradesh Minority Welfare
Minister Danish Azad Ansari on Sunday clarified that the UCC is not against
Muslims and no one's constitutional rights are being violated.
The Jamiat had passed three resolutions-- the measures
for taming the growing tide of hatred and animosity against Muslims in the
country; a resolution regarding the eradication of Islamophobia; a resolution
over strengthening the Sadbhawana Manch.
This comes after the Uttarakhand government announced
the formation of a 5-member drafting committee to implement the civil code.
Speaking to ANI, Mr Ansari said, "No one's
constitutional rights are being violated. UCC is not against Muslims. We have
to listen to the voice of common Muslims. Today, they want to progress that was
not done by previous governments, like SP BSP, and Congress. They only used
Muslims as a vote bank."
"Muslims are getting every right and Muslim women
have also been given the rights which they demanded, so we are working for the
progress of Muslims in every way. We will bring positive changes in the society
by implementing UCC," he stated.
The minister further said that the BJP-led Central and
Uttar Pradesh government have been continuously talking about minorities.
"We have provided all the direct benefit to the
minorities. Today, the government thinks about their progress," he added.
Earlier in the day, Jamiat held a meeting at Eid Gah
Maidan in Deoband on Saturday with the aim to prevent the spread of
Islamophobia in the country.
The meeting was attended by nearly 2,000 members and
representatives of organizations from across the country and was presided by
JUH president Maulana Mahmod Asad Madani.
On being asked about the Gyanvapi mosque case and
Mathura Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi case, he said that the matters are still in
the court and everyone will respect the decision taken by it.
Source: ND TV
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of the original story:
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Minority certificates to six religious communities,
including Muslims, in Assam
29th May 2022
GUWAHATI: Minority certificates would be provided to
six religious communities, including Muslims, in Assam, Health Minister Keshab
Mahanta said on Sunday.
The state cabinet decided that the minority
certificates would be issued to Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains
and Parsis and the modalities will be worked out accordingly, Mahanta said at
the media briefing after the cabinet meeting here.
The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta
Biswa Sarma also decided to pay a total of Rs 12.63 crore to 1,263 families of
workers of the Doloo Tea Estate as a goodwill gesture for their cooperation in
the development of the Greenfield airport at Silchar.
Each family will be provided Rs one lakh as
compensation for their cooperation, he said.
The state government had earlier announced a
compensation of Rs 50 crore for the acquisition of the land at Doloo Lalbagh
and Mainagarh tea gardens for setting up the greenfield airport and had already
released Rs 2.37 crore as the first instalment.
The Cabinet also decided to pay Rs 142.50 crore against
the outstanding Provident Funds dues of workers of the state-owned Assam Tea
Corporation Limited (ATCL), Mahanta said.
In the interest of the tea garden workers, the cabinet
also approved the rationalisation of valuation and fair compensation for acquisition
of land.
The zonal value for tea land will be determined on the
basis of registered sale deeds of preceding three years in the district with
the floor value being 10 per cent of the nearest agricultural land, he said.
The cabinet decided to bring an amendment to the Assam
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation
and Resettlement Rules, 2015 which will equate tea garden lands with those in
urban areas to calculate the compensation payable when tea lands are acquired
for public purposes.
Tea garden workers, both permanent and temporary, will
be eligible for receiving 10 per cent of the compensation amount payable to the
tea gardens towards acquisition cost of the land, Mahanta said.
The Cabinet also decided to bring in an ordinance to
enable the extension of tax exemption on green tea leaves for a further period
of three years from January one, 2022.
The meeting also decided to give an ex-gratia relief
of Rs two lakh each to 288 seriously injured persons and 57 women victimised
during the Assam agitation against foreigners between 1979-85 with a total of
Rs 6.9 crore to those injured and victimised, Mahanta said.
The cabinet also approved the Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP) for implementation of the Assam model of Mission Amrit Sarovar
which seeks to introduce a source of water for small and marginal farmers and
income generating assets by integrating pisciculture and commercial plantation.
Source: New Indian Express
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BJP’s National Spokesperson Nupur Sharma Booked over
Remark on Prophet Mohammed
29th May 2022
Mumbai: A case has been filed against BJP national
spokesperson Nupur Sharma in Mumbai over her alleged remarks on Prophet
Mohammed during a television show.
A case has been filed at the Pydhonie Police Station
area in Mumbai under sections 295A, 153A and 505B of the Indian Penal Code
(IPC) after a complaint by Raza Academy, a Sunni Barelvi organization of Indian
Sunni Muslims, for her “remarks on the Holy Prophet on a National channel”.
Earlier on Friday, Sharma had alleged that she has
been receiving death and rape threats on social media after a “so-called
fact-checker” circulated a heavily edited video from one of her recent debates
on a TV channel on the Gyanvapi mosque case.
“There is a so-called fact-checker who has started to
vitiate the atmosphere by putting out a heavily edited and selected video from
one of my debates last night. Ever since I’ve been receiving death and rape
threats, including beheading threats against me and family members,” Nupur
Sharma told ANI on Friday.
Sharma alleged that an Alt News proprietor, Mohammed
Zubair posted an edited video to encourage trolls against her and said that he
should be held “responsible” if any harm befalls her family.
“I’ve tagged the Police Commissioner and Delhi Police.
I suspect there’ll be harm done to me and my immediate family members. In case
there’s any harm done to me or my family members Mohammed Zubair, who I think
is a proprietor of Alt News, is completely responsible,” she stated.
“If I was wrong, then the fact-checkers should rectify
the facts, rather than sending death threats to me. Please come forward and
correct the facts. It’s not right, it’s completely illegal. He (Zubair) is not
a fact-checker, he is a fake-spreader,” she added.
Further, Sharma said that she is collating all the
threats against her and will file a complaint in the matter.
Complaint lodged in Hyderabad
In Hyderabad too, a complaint has been lodged against
Nupur Sharma. It was lodged by a delegation of Mushtarika Majlis-E-Amal.
The delegation met the Hyderabad commissioner CV Anand
at Commissioner Office and submitted a complaint against both the BJP
spokesperson and Times Now TV channel.
In the complaint, it has been mentioned, “She used
abusive, false and hurtful words against the Prophet and religion of Islam and
hurt the feelings of Muslims. By derisively insulting religious beliefs
mentioned in the Holy Quran and stating that Prophet Mohammed married a
6-year-old and was having sex with her at age 9, she not only hurt the feelings
of Muslims but also created enmity between different sections of society.”
Source: Siasat Daily
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How long will Muslims carry burden of temples razed,
says Ram Madhav
May 29, 2022
The Muslim community in India needs to think “how long
it wants to carry an albatross around its neck” in the context of “breaking
temples”, RSS leader Ram Madhav said here on Saturday.
Addressing a gathering organised by the Veer Savarkar
Smruti Kendra in Vadodara to mark the 140th birth anniversary of Savarkar,
Madhav, speaking on the topic ‘Hindutva and Nationalism in the New Century’,
maintained that discord in a mixed society would remain, as the Hindu community
in the country is “anguished” that fellow Muslims “do not value the country as
much”.
Source: Indian Express
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Yasin Malik, hijab row, Pakistan: A look at times when
OIC hit out at India
May 29, 2022
Asking it not to “justify terrorism in any manner”,
India on Friday condemned the statement made by OIC-IPHRC (Independent
Permanent Human Rights Commission) criticizing the country for its court ruling
against Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi
said the world has “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and called the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s statement unacceptable. “Through these
comments, OIC-IPHRC has implicitly expressed support for the terrorist
activities of Yasin Malik, which were documented and presented in the court,”
he said.
The OIC, in its statement, had expressed “solidarity
with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for their rights
including their right for self-determination.” It also urged the international
community to ensure that the struggle of Kashmiris for their rights should “not
be equated with terrorism”.
However, this is not the first time that a statement
by the OIC has invited sharp reactions from India. A look at some of the
matters on which the organisation has expressed its concerns and how India has
reacted to them. Read our explainer on what OIC is and its relations with
India.
On Jammu and Kashmir
In the past, the OIC has been supportive of Pakistan’s
stand on Kashmir, and has issued statements criticising the alleged Indian
“atrocities” in the Valley. During the 48th session of the Council of Foreign
Ministers of the Organisation in March this year, Pakistan’s Prime Minister
Imran Khan offered a despondent assessment of the its failures in Kashmir, and
regretted that the West did not take the grouping seriously.
India reacted to this by calling it all “falsehoods
and misrepresentation”. “The statements and resolutions adopted at the meeting
demonstrate both the irrelevance of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation as
a body and the role of Pakistan as its manipulator,” MEA spokesperson Arindam
Bagchi said.
In May this year, India slammed the organisation for
its “unwarranted” comments on the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir.
It further asked the group to refrain from carrying out its “communal agenda”
at the behest of one country, in an oblique reference to Pakistan.
On ‘continued attacks on Muslims in India’
The Organization in February also expressed deep
concern over recent public calls for “genocide of Muslims by the ‘Hindutva’
proponents in Haridwar”.
The continued attacks targeting Muslims and their
places of worship, the recent trend of anti-Muslim legislations in different
states and rising incidents of violence against Muslims on flimsy pretexts by
‘Hindutva’ groups with impunity, are indicative of the growing trend of
Islamophobia, OIC had stated
On the hijab row
After the Karnataka High Court had pronounced its
verdict on the hijab controversy, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation had
highlighted and expressed concern on the banning of Muslim students from
wearing hijab in Karnataka. It also talked about the reported incidents of
harassment of Muslim women on social media sites.
Reacting to this, the Ministry of External Affairs, in
a sharply worded statement, had said: “The communal mindset of the OIC
Secretariat does not allow for a proper appreciation of these realities. OIC
continues to be hijacked by vested interests to further their nefarious
propaganda against India.”
On ‘anti-Muslim prejudice over Covid-19’
In 2020, the OIC had talked about the media accounts
of what it called was “rising anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobia within
political and media circles” where Muslims were blamed for spreading the
coronavirus in the country.
On LoC violation
In February 2019, when India and Pakistan were at
loggerheads after a terrorist attack in J&K’s Pulwama district, the
organisation reacted to India’s “violation” of the line of control with
Pakistan.
Its statement condemned the “Indian incursion and
aerial violation and dropping of four bombs” on 26 February 2019 and urged New
Delhi and Islamabad to exercise restraint and avoid any steps that would endanger
peace and security in the region. It further called upon both parties to act
responsibly and encouraged them to seek peaceful solution to current crisis
without resort to use of force.
Source: Indian Express
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Southeast
Asia
Jakim to send halal team to conduct audit in Australia
May 28, 2022
TAIPING: The Department of Islamic Development
Malaysia (Jakim) will send a halal team to conduct audits at all abattoirs and
at the Supreme Islamic Council of Halal Meat in Australia Inc (SICHMA) in
Australia, which supplies meat to Malaysia.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious
Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad said the team would be dispatched immediately after
Sichma, as the halal certification body, confirmed the Thomas Foods
International Lobethal abattoir in Australia had violated halal protocols in
the slaughtering process.
"Before Sichma's admission, we had taken action
to cancel and stop the abattoir pending an investigation and today it is proven
that Sichma, as the halal certification body, admitted that the plant had
violated the terms of the halal certification," he said at a press
conference at the Hari Raya Asnaf Assistance Programme QSR-SPE at KFC Simpang
near here today.
On May 13, Malaysia's approval granted to
halal-certified company in Australia, Thomas Foods International Lobethal, was
suspended immediately pending a thorough investigation.
Idris said since May 13, products from the plant were
not allowed to be imported into Malaysia and products from the plant that were
still on the market were handed over to the Veterinary Services Department.
He said his department would not compromise on matters
involving halal status and any plant with dubious slaughter processes could be
reported to Jakim for investigation.
"Before this, we have never received information
through letters and attachés about abattoirs in Australia.
"Thankfully, Malaysians are very sensitive about
it and if there is a report, we will act. As the Minister of Religion, I am
firm in this matter," he said.
Source: NST
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/800294/jakim-send-halal-team-conduct-audit-australia
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Small conflicts ‘grow into world wars’, warns Dr M
Nikkei
May 27, 2022
TOKYO: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine risks escalating
into another world war, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned at
Nikkei’s Future of Asia conference today.
“I am afraid that wars have a habit of beginning small
and then grow into world wars,” he said on the second day of the event in
Tokyo.
The veteran politician emphasised the need to resolve
the conflict through dialogue, while criticising Nato’s supply of weapons to
Ukraine, suggesting Western allies run the risk of pushing Russia into a
decision to expand the war and other countries may be involved.
The Russia-Ukraine war should not have happened “in
our age”, Mahathir said.
In a call to learn from history, he said the
international community witnessed the destruction of World War II but said the
lessons are “almost forgotten”. Now 96, Mahathir was 20 years old when WWII ended.
The Future of Asia is Nikkei’s flagship annual
conference. This year’s theme is “redefining Asia’s role in a divided world”,
with other speakers on the second day including Indonesian President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Bangladeshi Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The annual event opened on Thursday with addresses
from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri
Yaakob, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and others.
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd said in a
video link that in the face of China’s increasing clout in the Asia-Pacific
region, other countries should seek better engagement rather than lecturing
small island states.
His appearance came as Beijing makes its presence felt
in the Pacific, after sealing a controversial security deal with the Solomon
Islands in April.
Rudd said Pacific islands are sovereign states and
have a right to “do as they wish”. The way forward for Western allies like
Australia, New Zealand and the US, he stressed, is not to deliver them a “moral
lecture” but to offer different, better, development-friendly proposals.
He warned that China is showing “a much more assertive
leadership style and intends, therefore, to change the status quo by adopting a
more assertive foreign security policy in the region and the world”.
The growing tensions pose dangerous risks, suggested
Rudd, who led Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013.
“The US-China relationship reflected in multiple
theaters across Asia is one of push and shove, without any guarantee that this
pushing and shoving will not result in crisis escalation, conflict and war,” he
said.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited
the Solomon Islands as part of a 10-day trip that also included six more
Pacific Island nations and East Timor.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Mideast
Yemen’s parliament to criminalize all forms of
normalization with Israel: Prime minister
30 May 2022
The legislature of Yemen’s National Salvation
Government is going to introduce a bill that will criminalize all forms of
normalization of ties with Israel, in a great show of solidarity with the
Palestinian cause.
Yemeni Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor told
Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that the parliament will soon
pass a law that makes it a crime to normalize relations with the Tel Aviv
regime.
He said that the measure falls within the framework of
the Yemeni nation’s aspirations as Palestine is the foremost and principal
issue of the Muslim world.
“We stand by the side of the Palestinian nation and
their struggle in the face of Israeli threats to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound
and the occupied al-Quds city,” Habtoor noted.
He noted that blatant Israeli provocations and
violations at al-Aqsa Mosque are part of the Israeli regime’s attempts to put
itself in a victorious position in the aftermath of normalization deals with a
number of Arab states.
This comes after Iraqi lawmakers last Thursday passed
a similar bill criminalizing any normalization of relations, including business
ties, with Israel. The legislation says that any violation of the law is
punishable with the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The law was approved with 275 lawmakers voting in
favor of it in the 329-seat assembly. A parliament statement said the
legislation is “a true reflection of the will of the people.”
Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose party
won the largest number of seats in Iraq’s parliamentary elections last year,
called for Iraqis to take to the streets to celebrate the “great achievement.”
Hundreds later gathered in central Baghdad, chanting anti-Israel slogans.
‘We must boycott products made in pro-Israel
countries’
Meanwhile, a senior member of Yemen’s popular
Ansarullah resistance movement called on Sunday for a ban on products made in
countries supporting Israel as a step to potentially end the regime’s illegal
occupation.
“As Arabs and Muslims, we must enforce the boycott of
products made by countries supporting the Zionist regime,” Mohammed al-Bukhaiti
told Lebanon’s Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network on Sunday
night.
“Zionists have made a gross miscalculation in their
assessments due to erroneous information compiled by traitors. The Zionist
regime did not expect a firm response from Palestinians and ensuing stiff
resistance. Palestinians’ resilience has had a great impact on the feelings of
Arab and Muslim nations,” Bukhaiti said.
He argued that the United States, Britain, and the
countries that are the main supporters of Israel will suffer a great deal
through an embargo campaign.
Source: Press TV
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‘Flag march’ grave provocation against Palestinians,
Muslim nations: Hamas
29 May 2022
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has warned that
the so-called flag march in occupied East al-Quds is a grave provocation
against the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations, stating that
the resistance “will not hesitate to perform its duty” of defending Palestinian
sanctities and people.
The warning came on Sunday before Israeli settlers
held their annual "flag march." The march was held later the same day
despite prior warnings by Palestinians resistance groups and officials of the
West Bank-based Palestinian Authority who saw the parade as provocative and a
cause for further escalation across the occupied territories.
Speaking in a statement ahead of the march, Hazem
Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, said the flag march could set off “unexpected
explosions,” warning Israel not to cross the red lines or resistance will not
remain silent.
The flag march marks Israel’s occupation of the West
Bank and East al-Quds in 1967. The annual march is organized by far-right
Israeli settlers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East al-Quds.
The march, staged through al-Quds flashpoints, is an
attempt by extremists to slam what they call the Tel Aviv regime’s failure to
deal with the Palestinians and affirm their presence in the occupied
Palestinian city and its holy sites.
It was originally planned to be held on May 10, but
was later rescheduled to be held on Sunday.
Qassem also said that Hamas is pursuing all the
developments surrounding the situation and is firmly determined to defend
Palestinian “sanctities and people” unwaveringly.
“We are following up on all the details and
developments of the situation in [al-Quds] and the resistance will certainly
have its decisive position to defend our sanctities and our people, and it will
not hesitate to perform this duty,” the spokesman said.
Qassem added that Palestinians are ready to defend
al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque and make sacrifices to preserve the Palestinian and
Arab-Islamic identity of the mosque and al-Quds, warning that the response will
come from every corner.
The movement’s leadership notified all parties that
what is happening in al-Quds is a real provocation against the feelings of the
Palestinian people and is intolerable, he said, adding that Palestinians “will
do everything they can to protect al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic and Christian
holy sites in [al-Quds].”
He urged Palestinians in the West Bank to mobilize and
raise their flags in al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque to stand up to the settlers’
incursion into the holy site.
Rallies were also held in other parts of the world,
including in some European capitals, in solidarity with Palestinian people in
their confrontation with the Israeli occupation.
In the German capital, Berlin, dozens of cars took
part in a pro-Palestine rally. The vehicles were draped in the Palestinian
flags as the drivers honked their horns.
Similar solidarity rallies were also held in Jordan,
the UK, Austria, South Africa and Lebanon.
Israeli settlers attack, injure several Palestinians
in al-Quds
According to the Palestinian Information Center and
Wafa news agency, during Sunday rally at the Bab al-Amud entrance to the
occupied East al-Quds, Israel settlers taking part in the so-called flag march,
attacked Palestinians protesting at the extremist rally, injuring a number of
them.
Palestinian sources reported that several Palestinians
were injured after being attacked by the Israeli security forces and settlers.
Two Palestinian girls were also brutalized by Israeli security forces in the
Old City of al-Quds.
Other Palestinian citizens were also attacked by
Israeli security forces in different areas of the Old City, especially in Bab
al-Amud, and a number of them were also arrested.
Israeli forces also attacked Palestinian protesters in
the town of Bazzariya to the northwest of Nablus as well as in the village of
Taqou to the east of Bethlehem. Israel's forces fired tear gas canisters to
disperse protesters, causing many protesters to suffocate.
Two Palestinians were also shot and injured by
rubber-coated steel bullets and one by shrapnel during attacks by Israeli
forces in the towns of Burin and Huwwara to the south of Nablus.
Several other Palestinians sustained burn injuries,
while at least seven others suffocated due to tear gas inhalation.
Israeli forces also attacked Palestinians who rallied
to the east of Tulkarm city, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas
canisters against them. Dozens reportedly suffocated due to tear gas
inhalation.
According to the latest figures by Palestinian Red Crescent,
at least 40 people have been injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers
on Palestinian protesters in the occupied al-Quds.
‘Battle with occupation will only end with liberation’
Fawzi Barhoum, another Hamas spokesman, also said that
Palestinians’ sacred battle against Israel will not be over unless they
liberate their lands.
“Our battle for [al-Quds] and al-Aqsa is sacred, and
open against the (Israeli) occupation and will not stop unless the goals of our
people are achieved in liberation, return, and the establishment of a
Palestinian state with [al-Quds] as its capital.”
Barhoum hailed Palestinian youths who have displayed
solid steadfastness and heroism inside the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque and in
occupied al-Quds.
He added that the resistance and the people are
prepared to “pay the price” to “purify the blessed Mosque” from the “impurity
of the occupation.”
“Unswerving positions of the Palestinian resistance,
its messages to the occupation, and the great sacrifices of our people in [al-Quds],
which are embodied in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque and at its gates,
reflect the readiness of our people and the resistance to defend the blessed
mosque and to pay the price of purifying it from the impurity of the
occupation,” the spokesman said.
Recently, there has been a sheer escalation of
atrocities by the Israeli regime against Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa
Mosque compound.
Palestinian resistance groups, who are outraged by the
Israeli barbarity, have intensified their operations throughout the occupied
territories.
In a statement on Thursday, Hamas called on all
Palestinians “to thwart the occupation’s plans” by heading to al-Aqsa Mosque in
the occupied holy city at dawn on Sunday.
The escalations in al-Quds had sparked fears of another
armed conflict similar to an 11-day war in May last year between Israel and
Gaza-based Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas.
Hamas has also warned Israel it risks another war if
it allows the right-wing groups and extremist settlers to march through the
occupied Old City of East al-Quds.
Jordan condemns Israeli ‘flag march’, storming of
al-Aqsa
In a related development on Sunday, Jordan’s Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned the storming of al-Aqsa mosque by
Israeli settlers and a Knesset member.
The ministry added that allowing the so-called flag
march to go ahead on schedule today will lead to further escalation in the
occupied al-Quds, Jordan’s Petra news agency reported.
“The Israeli raids, protected by the Israeli security
forces, are a violation of the historical and legal status quo and the
international law,” Jordan Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Haitham Abu Alfoul.
He stressed that al-Aqsa Mosque is purely a place of
worship for Muslims and that the Jordanian-run Waqf (Endowments) and al-Aqsa
Affairs Administration in al-Quds has the exclusive jurisdiction to run all the
affairs of the holy site.
Source: Press TV
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Iran, Pakistan entered negotiations to enhance
religious tourism
May 30, 2022
On Sunday, Pakistan media reported that its Minister
for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Mufti Abdul Shakoor urged the
Iranian government to finalize a draft agreement named ‘Ziarat Policy’ to
promote religious tourism.
“There were many people who pay homage to the
mausoleums of sacred religious figures located in Iran every year. In this
regard, the government of Pakistan had forwarded a draft named ‘Ziarat Policy’
in a bid to enhance religious tourism between the two brotherly countries but
it was still pending,” the Express Tribune reported on Saturday.
Talking to a delegation led by Iran's deputy director
of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) Hossein Rouzbeh, Abdul
Shakoor said proposed establishing offices in Iran including Pakistan House and
facilitating religious pilgrims during their stay in Quetta and Taftan under
the policy.
Rouzbeh said the cornerstone of the Iranian foreign
policy was to maintain cordial relations with neighboring countries.
He invited the minister to attend the forthcoming
conference being held in Iran to discuss the promotion of religious harmony and
other common issues prevailing between the two countries.
Moreover, Abdul Shakoor noted that the two nations’
relations are based on common values and brotherhood. Both the countries have
been desirous to resolve bilateral issues by devising a joint strategy, he
said.
The dignitaries of both sides agreed on promoting
bilateral relations, interfaith harmony, and cooperation in Hajj arrangements,
the report said.
Based on available data, some 700,000 Pakistani
pilgrims annually traveled to Mashhad to visit the holy shrine of Imam Reza
(AS) before the coronavirus outbreak. Mashhad is the prime destination for
Pakistani travelers who come to go on pilgrimage to the shrine of the eighth
Shia Imam.
According to official data, the holy shrine of Imam
Reza (AS) hosts an average number of 500,000 pilgrims each day.
Source: ABNA24
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Extremist Jewish Settlers' Raid On Al-Aqsa Mosque Will
Not Go Unpunished - Liberation Of Palestine
May 30, 2022
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP) said on Sunday that the Jewish settlers’ raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque
which was protected by the Israeli police is a grave violation that will not go
unpunished.
The PFLP said in a press statement following the
settlers’ raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque that the Palestinian people must unite and
respond to the provocative Israeli settlers’ desecration of the holy site.
“The repeated raids on the Palestinian holy sites and
the attempts to divide them constitute brutal crimes aiming at oppressing the
Palestinian people,” the PELP charged.
Source: ABNA24
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Flag-waving Israelis take to streets, skirmishes erupt
in Al Aqsa mosque
29 May 2022
Tens of thousands of flag-waving Israeli nationalists,
some chanting “Death to Arabs”, marched through the Muslim quarter of
Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, defying threats of retaliation from Palestinian
militants.
The annual parade celebrates Israel’s capture of
Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, but has increasingly become a show of
strength for Jewish nationalists eager to extend their influence in a city
which has a large Palestinian population.
Many marchers sang and danced as they found their way
through the narrow, stone streets. Others sought confrontation.
Adding to the tensions, police said a record 2,600
Jews had toured Al Aqsa esplanade ahead of the march. Looking to halt the
visits, Palestinians hurled stones and set off fireworks, before being pushed
back by police firing stun grenades.
Some of the Jews wore religious garb and appeared to
pray, ignoring a long-standing ban on Jewish worship in the compound. A few
held up Israeli flags and sang the national anthem.
The preacher of the mosque, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri,
denounced their behaviour. “What happened today in Al Aqsa mosque hadn’t taken
place since 1967,” he told Reuters.
Al Aqsa is the third holiest site in Islam. It is also
revered by Jews as the Temple Mount — a vestige of their faith’s two ancient
temples.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip and has cast
itself as a defender of Muslim Jerusalem, condemned Sunday’s mass visit, which
went viral on social media.
“The Israeli government is fully responsible for all
these reckless policies and the following consequences,” senior Hamas official
Bassem Naim told Reuters.
Hamas fired rockets into Israel during last year’s
march, triggering an 11-day war that killed at least 250 Palestinians in Gaza
and 13 people in Israel. Despite threatening violence this year, the Gaza
border remained quiet as night descended.
By contrast, clashes were reported across the occupied
West Bank on Sunday, injuring more than 160 Palestinians, including 20 people
hit by live bullets, medics said.
Palestinian shopkeepers in Jerusalem shuttered their
stalls hours before the parade was due to start and fights broke out sporadically
as the marchers penetrated the Muslim district. One Israeli youth was videoed
using pepper spray on a Palestinian woman, leading to an exchange of punches
and kicks.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the vast
majority of marchers had come to celebrate.
“Unfortunately, there is a minority that has come to
set the area ablaze ... trying to use force in order to ignite a conflict,” he
said in a statement.
Palestinians view Sunday’s march as part of a broader
campaign to bolster Jewish presence across the city, which has seen tensions
tick up in recent weeks.
Source: Khaleej Times
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Yemeni minister warns against Houthis recruiting child
fighters
May 30, 2022
DUBAI: Yemen’s minister of information warned against
the Houthi militia’s continued operations recruiting child fighters through
so-called education centers.
Muammar Al-Eryani told the Yemeni news Agency, SABA,
that the militia recruited children as they join so-called “summer (education)
camps,” deploying them on the battlefronts.
He said the Iranian-backed terrorist group mobilized
tens of thousands of children in areas under its control, and spread propaganda
among them that promoted hatred, violence, and terror.
Eryani said this sectarian rhetoric was being imported
from Tehran.
This will pose “dangers to the social fabric, civil
peace and the values of coexistence between Yemenis.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2092471/middle-east
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North
America
UNSC report says presence of Jaish, Lashkar camps,
narcotics outflow from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
May 29, 2022
A key United Nations Security Council(UNSC) report has
said Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in August last year increased narcotics
outflow and there is presence of anti-India foreign terror groups like
Jaish-i-Mohammed (JiM) and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) in the country.
It is the thirteenth report of the Sanctions
Monitoring Team under the Taliban Sanctions Committee established pursuant to
resolution 1988 (2011).
The report submitted last week said,
"Afghan-origin drugs have increased significantly in the second half of
2021" which suggests "less effective counter-narcotics efforts within
Afghanistan or heightened activity in anticipation of a ban."
It pointed to the seizing 3 tons of Afghan origin
heroin in India in September of 2021 and smuggling via Iran to Turkey and
Europe which has "increased by up to 50 per cent since the Taliban assumed
power."
On the presence of foreign terrorist fighters, the
27-page report said, "Taliban victory in Afghanistan has inspired
terrorists around the world" confirming the presence of Jaish and Lashkar
terror groups.
Both the Pakistan based UN-designated terror groups
have been responsible for a number of terror attacks in India including
Pathankot, Uri and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The report said both groups
along with Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement(ETIM) and the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan have fighters "each numbering in the few hundreds."
The report specifically said Jaish-i-Mohammed (JiM)
has appointed Qari Ramazan as the new head of the grouping in Afghanistan.
The terror group was founded by Masood Azhar who was
listed as an international terrorist in 2019 after Pulwama terror attack in
India.
The report said, "according to one member state,
JiM maintains eight training camps in Nangarhar, three of which are directly
under Taliban control". Previous UNSC report has pointed to the support
given by JiM to Taliban. The report details that in October 2021, LeT leader Mawlawi
Assadullah met Taliban deputy interior minister Noor Jalil. Later in January
2022, a Taliban delegation visited a training camp used by LeT in the Haska
Mena district of Nangarhar.
Elaborating on the linkage between JiM and Taliban,
the report highlighted that, "The group was said to maintain three camps
in Kunar and Nangarhar. Previous LeT members have included Aslam Farooqi and
Ejaz Ahmad Ahangar (a.k.a. Abu Usman al-Kashmiri), both of whom joined
ISIL-K".
It is the first public confirmation of these two
terror groups in Afghanistan by any multilateral body since the Taliban's
takeover. Fears of Afghanistan becoming a terror safe haven have always been
there since the Taliban's takeover.
With mentioning of the ETIM, Bejing will also be
worried over terror safe haven in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. ETIM is an Uyghur Islamic extremist which has
called for the establishment of East Turkestan in China's western province of
Xinjiang.
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan(TTP) forms the largest
component of foreign fighters with Sirajuddin Haqqani Taliban appointed acting
interior minister being "relied upon more than anyone else" to act as
an "intermediary between TTP and Pakistan".
The report explained that, "Haqqani mediations
have not led to a sustainable ceasefire, but are a further indication of
Sirajuddin’s central role within the Taliban as a mediator and figure of
authority among rank-and-file TTP".
The report also said that the core leadership of Al
Qaida remains in Afghanistan with its chief Aiman al-Zawahiri in the
"eastern region from Zabul province north towards Kunar and along the
border with Pakistan".
It mentioned the recent appearance of al-Zawahiri in a
video released on April 5 this year by Al-Qaida’s As-Sahab media foundation in
which he referred to the Hijab issue in India.
The video provided the first conclusive current proof
of life for al-Zawahiri in recent years. The report explained, "the pace
of recent communications suggests that he may be able to lead more effectively
than was possible before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan."
The Taliban sanctions committee or the 1988 Security
Council Committee is chaired by the Indian envoy to UN TS Tirumurti. The
committee comprises all 15 members of the Security Council and makes its
decision by consensus.
Source: WIO News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Imran
says rulers ‘tasked with recognising Israel’
Faiz
Muhammad
May
30, 2022
CHARSADDA:
Vowing to continue his struggle till the ouster of ‘imported government imposed
on the people through an international conspiracy’, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
chairman and ex-premier Imran Khan said on Sunday the rulers were a security
threat for the country, alleging that they had been ‘tasked with recognising
Israel’ and compromising with India on Kashmir issue.
Claiming
that he would never accept the ‘imported government of slaves and looters’, Mr
Khan told a party workers’ convention in Charsadda that the rulers were ready
to do everything ordered by America, but the masses were on his side as they
were aware of ‘the real leaders’ who would save Pakistan from the slavery of
foreign powers.
Mr
Khan hurled these allegations, including a clear reference to Israel’s
recognition, a few days after Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his special
address at the World Economic Forum talked about the ‘great change’ vis-a-vis
Israel’s ties with the Muslim world, mentioning that he recently received a
delegation from Morocco and another of Pakistani expats living in the US.
“And
I must say this was an amazing experience. We haven’t had a group of Pakistani
leaders in Israel in such scope. And that all stems from the Abraham Accords,
meaning Jews and Muslims can dwell together in the region [...],” Herzog was
quoted by Dawn.com as saying in Davos on May 25.
FO
says Pakistan’s position on the Palestinian issue is clear; minister says PTI
has become a tool of enemy to create chaos in Pakistan
At
the Charsadda jalsa, Mr Khan said the PTI government had reached an agreement
with Russia for import of petrol at 30pc cheaper rates, but the “imported
government abolished that agreement” in fear of US administration and increased
petrol and diesel prices.
For
the next Azadi march, he would have complete preparation to cope with police
‘brutalities’, he said while condemning police action against PTI activists on
May 25.
He
said peaceful protest was their right and for this purpose, he would move the
Supreme Court on Monday after consultation with lawyers.
“PTI
is waging jihad for real freedom from the clutches of super powers and will continue
struggle for this cause,” he said, adding that containers had been placed on
roads to stop their march on the federal capital, but ‘the PTI tigers’ removed
all obstacles and reached the protest venue.
He
said the people came out of their homes, not for their personal interest,
rather for the “sacred cause of real freedom”. He said his party workers had
been martyred and injured during this struggle. He alleged that expired tear
gas shells were fired and protesters were baton-charged.
Imran
Khan alleged that police inflicted atrocities on peaceful, innocent protesters,
including women and children, and said his struggle would continue till the
“ouster of imported government imposed on people through an international
conspiracy”. He warned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister
Hamza Shehbaz and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah that the nation would not
forgive them for the police action against PTI activists.
KP
Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, former federal minister Murad Saeed, party leader
Fazal Mohammad Khan also addressed the gathering.
Meanwhile,
the Foreign Office ‘categorically rejected’ the notion of any delegation from
Pakistan visiting Israel.
The
reported visit was organised by a foreign NGO, which is not based in Pakistan,
said spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs while responding to media
queries.
“Pakistan’s
position on the Palestinian issue is clear and unambiguous. There is no change
whatsoever in our policy on which there is complete national consensus.
Pakistan steadfastly supports the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to
self-determination. The establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous
Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,
in accordance with the relevant UN and OIC resolutions, is imperative for just
and lasting peace in the region,” the FO spokesperson explained.
Meanwhile,
Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal in a series of tweets stated:
“PTI has become a tool of enemy to create chaos in Pakistan. The nation did not
leave their homes on May 25 and buried the negative politics of Imran Niazi
forever.”
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692224/imran-says-rulers-tasked-with-recognising-israel
--------
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan Militant Group Persistent Threat To Pakistan's Security: UNSC report
May
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A United Nations Security Council report has reminded about the persistent
threat Pakistan's security faces from the Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) and warned that prospects of success of the ongoing peace
process with the dreaded terror group were bleak, according to a media report.
The
annual report of the 1988 Taliban sanctions committee monitoring team noted
TTP's linkages with the Afghan Taliban and explained how the group benefitted
from the fall of the Ghani regime last year and touched upon its relations with
other terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
The
banned TTP, the report noted, had up to 4,000 fighters based in east and
south-east areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and made up the largest
group of foreign fighters based there, according to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.
This
was the team's first report for the committee since the Taliban takeover of
Kabul in August last year.
The
report's original focus was on the Taliban's internal politics, its finances,
relations with Al-Qaeda, Daesh, and other terrorist groups, and the
implementation of the UNSC sanctions.
The
report's launch coincided with the start of the third round of talks between
the Pakistan government and TTP last Thursday.
The
first round of talks, held in November last year, had yielded a month-long
ceasefire that later broke down after TTP accused Islamabad of not fulfilling
promises.
The
TTP subsequently resumed attacks against Pakistani forces. Statistics tabulated
by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies reveal that this year, the militant
group carried out nearly 46 attacks, mostly against law enforcement personnel,
in which 79 people lost their lives.
On
March 30, the TTP, emulating the Afghan Taliban's strategy during the US war in
Afghanistan, announced a "Spring Offensive" against security forces
here.
The
peace process, which is being facilitated by Taliban interior minister
Sirajuddin Haqqani, meanwhile, resumed earlier this month after both sides took
confidence-building measures.
The
TTP militants have been fighting with the Pakistani security forces since 2008,
when the outfit was set up, to press for the implementation of the Sharia laws
in the country.
However,
the group is being pressed by the Afghan Taliban for talks with the Pakistan
government to end the conflict.
The
TTP first announced a ceasefire on the occasion of Eid and later extended it
after Pakistan released a couple of its (TTP) commanders, who were then on
death row.
The
round, in which the Pakistani delegation was led by Peshawar Corps Commander Lt
Gen Faiz Hamid, ended with both sides presenting their set of demands, the
report said.
TTP
demanded the withdrawal of security forces from erstwhile tribal areas,
annulment of the merger of FATA with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, withdrawal of
cases against its fighters and their release, and introduction of Shariah-based
‘Nizam-e-Adl' in Malakand Division.
Although
security forces here say that these demands are unacceptable and their
acceptance would mean capitulation of the State, the government delegation
still entered into the third round of talks.
The
top priority for the Pakistani government in the latest round is to secure an
extension in the ceasefire, which is expiring on May 30.
The
Pakistani side has, however, maintained complete silence on the talks.
The
UN report has warned that “The group (TTP) is focused on a long-term campaign
against the Pakistani state”, which implies “that ceasefire deals have a
limited chance of success”.
It
is important to note that TTP, which has recently been reinvigorated through
the return of 17 splinter groups into its fold, feels that maintaining a
hardline position in talks with the Pakistan government would help maintain
unity in its ranks.
Sirajuddin
Haqqani, whose Haqqani Network is said to be independent of the grouping within
the Afghan Taliban, has been “relied upon more than anyone else in the de facto
administration” to act as an intermediary in this process, which highlights the
influence that he holds over TTP and other Pashtun groups.
The
report observed that as compared to other foreign militant groups, TTP was the
biggest beneficiary of last year's Taliban takeover and used this opportunity
for conducting attacks and operations in Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ashrafi
seeks action against those who visited Israel on Pakistani passports
May
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday
urged the government to take legal action against those who visited Israel on
the Pakistani passports.
He,
in a communique along with other PUC leadership, made it clear that Pakistan
had a very clear and explicit stance on the Palestinian issue and the
delegation, which held a meeting with the Israeli president were not
representatives of Pakistani people and the state.
He
asked the quarters concerned to hold a thorough investigation into the matter
on priority.
He
said the delegation visited Israel had tried to tarnish the image of Pakistan
and Islam. The nation and the state of Pakistan stood by Palestinians for their
just cause, he added. Ashrafi said Pakistan would not recognize Israel at any
cost and in any circumstances.
He
said Kashmir and Palestine were burning issues of the Islamic world, and
without their resolutions, peace and stability in the world could not be
possible.
He
said Israeli government had disgraced all the international resolutions
including the United Nations (UN) by allowing the Jewish settlers to forcefully
enter in Masajid-Al-Aqsa.
He
expressed the hope that a series of atrocities committed by Israeli forces on
Palestinians and indignity of Masajid-e-Aqsa would come to an end soon.
Ashrafi
urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the UN to take notice on
disgrace of Masajid-e-Aqsa by Israeli forces.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Haqqani-brokered
talks between TTP, GHQ stuck
Abhinandan
Mishra
May
28, 2022
New
Delhi: The much sought-after ceasefire by the Pakistan army with the
Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that is being brokered by Sirajuddin Haqqani,
acting Minister of Interior of Afghanistan, has got stuck with the army
imposing conditions that the TTP is refusing to accept.
The
TTP has refused to change its name as is being demanded by General Headquarters
(GHQ), Rawalpindi. This condition is being pushed by the GHQ so that it can
tell its citizens that the TTP is no longer an armed entity and it has now
become a political party.
The
second issue of contention is TTP’s demand to demerge Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which the Pakistan army is
resisting. The third issue which the army has refused to accept is to allow TTP
cadre to return to the FATA along-with their weapons. The Pakistan army has
also refused to completely withdraw its troops from the FATA region.
At
the third round of talks that took place on Saturday in Kabul, these three
issues remained unsolved at the time of the story going to print at 6 pm IST.
If these talks are successful then it will be a big achievement for a prominent
section within GHQ, Rawalpindi and the civilian government under the new Prime
Minister Shahbaz Sharif as this will stop the attacks carried out by TTP on the
Pakistan army in which scores of officers and soldiers have been killed in the
last one year. The Chinese government too has applied significant pressure on
the Pakistan government to end the TTP ‘problem’ by any way possible as it is
affecting their strategic and financial interests.
Once
the ceasefire comes into effect on its Western borders, Pakistan army will also
be able to devote a majority of its depleted resources, that are right now
engaged in the fight against the TTP, in securing the Chinese interests that
are a part of the CPEC projects. Similarly, strategists in GHQ Rawalpindi, once
a ceasefire comes into effect, will shift these resources towards its
decade-old policy of “bleeding India with thousand cuts”. According to Kabul
based sources, Saturday will be the last day of the three rounds of talks if
the Pakistan army does not agree to the above mentioned demands of TTP. The
talks are likely to go on till night depending on the stand taken by the
Pakistan army. Conversely, if the army
agrees to these demands, the talks will continue and a joint statement will be
issued. Ground based sources told The Sunday Guardian that most of the other
demands that have been forwarded by the TTP have been agreed upon by the
Pakistan army.
The
importance of the meetings, being held in Kabul, where the ceasefire is being
brokered, can be gauged from the fact that they are being conducted in the
presence of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed who is representing Pakistan, TTP
chief Noor Wali Mehsud and Sirajuddin Haqqani who is acting as the guarantor of
safety to both the sides. Hameed was accompanied by a ‘bald’ army officer who was
introduced as Major General Taimur to the other members in the meeting room.
Authoritative
sources told The Sunday Guardian that the Afghanistan Taliban are “helping” the
Pakistan army as they have been told that they will face “problems” from GHQ if
they don’t do so. Hameed is presently serving as the Commander of the XI Corps
since November 2021 which takes care of the North-Western province of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa. He has been leading the talks with the TTP, against the wishes of
his immediate boss but on the direction of other power centers in Pakistan, for
quite some time now as was elucidated by this newspaper earlier. (Will the
Pakistan army witness an internal coup?)
As
per the details of the meetings, the conditions that have been agreed upon by
both the sides in the series of talks, the first of which were held in Khost
province of Afghanistan, include the release of TTP prisoners who are in
various prisons of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Many
other “missing” TTP cadres will also be released by the Pakistan army. Pakistan
has forwarded a proposal to withdraw about 60% of the troops from the region in
regions where TTP hold sway, especially in the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) region and replace them with the Frontier Corps, which is a paramilitary
force. However, TTP has rejected this condition while demanding complete
withdrawal of troops.
Among
those who will be released as per the ceasefire agreement includes senior TTP
commanders Haji Muslim Khan and Mahmood Khan. Right now, both of them are in
the Afghanistan consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan. According to authoritative
sources, atleast 10000 TTP cadres are right now incarcerated in various prions
of Pakistan, all of whom it has agreed to release
The
initial ceasefire will be for one month. In addition, non-Sharia provisions of
the Pakistani Constitution will not apply to the area controlled by the
TTP. More importantly, the provisions of
“Nizam-e-Adl regulation” which calls for implementation of Shariah law will be
implemented in Malakand division that contains 9 districts.
Among
other conditions which have been agreed by GHQ includes complete elimination of
drone strikes, ending of all cases registered against TTP cadre and monetary
compensation for losses that have been incurred by the residents of FATA region
to operations carried out by the army. According to sources, a Brigadier of the
Pakistan army has been stationed for a long time in Kabul now with the
objective to iron out the initial differences as a precursor to the talks
involving the top leadership of all the sides.
TTP
had also asked GHQ to do whatever it can, diplomatically and politically, to
secure the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national who is serving an
86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Pakistan army has, however, refused to accept this condition.
Independent
sources told The Sunday Guardian that the Pakistan army has also refused to
accept appointing former judge of Islamabad High court, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui,
on the position to oversee the army keep its end of the bargain. In 2018,
Siddiqui accused the ISI of working on a coup against the Nawaz Sharif
government. Soon enough, he was removed
from his position.
TTP
sources, however, stated that this demand was not put forward by them. The
Nizam-e-Adl Regulation was an Act that was approved by former President Asif
Ali Zardari after parliamentary approval on 13 April 2009. The Nizam-e-Adl
Regulation envisages establishment of, besides lower courts, Darul Qaza (appellate
or revision court) and Darul Darul Qaza (final appellate or revision court).
The Qazis and magistrates are bound by the NAR to follow established principles
of the Qur’an and Sunnah and recognised opinions of scholars of Islam. It was a
part of the SWAT peace accord that was signed in February 2009 between Pakistan
and Taliban that had 14 points in it, as follows: 1. The Sharia law will be
imposed in Swat, including the whole Malakand division; 2. The Army will
gradually withdraw security forces from the region; 3. The government and the
Taliban will exchange prisoners; 4. The Taliban will recognise the writ of the
government and they will cooperate with the local police; 5. The Taliban will
halt attacks on barber and music shops; 6. The Taliban will not display weapons
in public; 7. The Taliban will turn in heavy weapons like rocket launchers and
mortars to the government; 8. The Taliban will not operate any training camps;
9. The Taliban will denounce suicide attacks; 10. A ban would be placed on raising
private militias; 11. The Taliban will cooperate with the government to
vaccinate children against diseases like polio; 12. The Madrassa of Maulana
Fazlullah in Imam Dherai would be turned into an Islamic University; 13. Only
licensed FM radio stations would be allowed to operate in region 14. The
Taliban will allow women to work without any fear.
Aafia
Siddiqui, a US-educated Pakistani scientist, was jailed in 2010 for attacking
American soldiers in Afghanistan. She was the first woman to be suspected of
Al-Qaeda links by the US, but was never convicted of it. After she was
sentenced, Al-Qaeda›s then number two called on Muslims to «avenge» the
decision. According to a source on the ground, the FATA demerger was something
that the TTP was not ready to bargain on with the TTP team reportedly stating
that ‘either through negotiations or war, Pakistan army will be removed from
FATA’.
Source:
Sunday Guardian Live
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/world/haqqani-brokered-talks-ttp-ghq-stuck
--------
Notices
be issued to Musharraf, successive rulers: IHC
Syed
Irfan Raza
May
30, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal government to serve
notices on former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf and all successive
chief executives, including Imran Khan and incumbent premier Shehbaz Sharif,
for following an “undeclared tacit approval of the policy regarding enforced
disappearances”.
IHC
Chief Justice Athar Minallah issued a 15-page order on Sunday [partly reported
on May 26] in a case related to the disappearance of journalist Mudassar
Mahmood Naro and five other people after their petitions were fixed for final
arguments, but the federal government requested an adjournment.
In
the order in the case (Rana Mohammad Akram versus Federation of Pakistan),
Justice Minallah said: “Retired Gen Pervez Musharraf and all other successor
chief executives i.e. the former prime ministers, including the incumbent
holder of the office shall submit their respective affidavits explaining why
the court may not order proceedings against them for alleged subversion of the
Constitution in the context of undeclared tacit approval of the policy
regarding enforced disappearances and thus putting national security at risk by
allowing the involvement of law enforcement agencies, particularly the armed
forces.”
“Pervez
Musharraf has candidly conceded in his autobiography In the Line of Fire that
‘enforced disappearances’ was an undeclared policy of the state,” he said.
“The
onus is on each chief executive to rebut the presumption and to explain why
they may not be tried for the offence of high treason,” the chief justice said
in the order.
He
further said the armed forces had and continued to render sacrifices for the
security and integrity of the country and ought to be respected by every
citizen otherwise security and integrity of the country and its people would be
exposed to being jeopardised.
However,
the order continued, “the involvement or even a perception of the involvement
of the armed forces in acts amounting to violation of human rights and freedom
of the citizens weakens and undermines the rule of law”.
Justice
Minallah said in case the missing persons were not recovered nor effective and
demonstrable actions/decisions were taken by the federal government, the
current and former ministers of interior shall appear in person to explain why
the petitions might not be decided and exemplary costs imposed upon them for
the unimaginable agony and pain suffered by the petitioners on account of lack
of response and empathy while dealing with their grievances.
“The
learned attorney general shall satisfy the court that in case of alleged
disappearances in future why criminal cases may not be ordered to be registered
against the chief executives of the federation and the concerned provinces,”
the order said.
The
court also lamented the role of media for not effectively highlighting the
issue of missing persons and observed that, “the print and electronic media has
a pivotal role in highlighting the unimaginable ordeal and agony of the
families of the missing persons but it appears that they either prefer to
ignore the worst form of abuse of state power and violation of fundamental
rights or they do not consider it a priority.
The
IHC also expressed dissatisfaction over the role of the parliament on the
matter, saying “the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and the legislatures of the
respective provinces are the most important and crucial organs of the state but
nothing has been placed on record to indicate that they may have adopted a
proactive role to fulfill their Constitutional obligations.”
The
court observed that the phenomenon of enforced disappearances exposed the
victims to unimaginable pain and agony and the state, instead of fulfilling its
constitutional obligation of protecting its citizens from harm, assumed the
role of an executor sans due process.
“The
loved ones of the petitioners are missing and the State has so far failed in
its constitutional obligation to satisfy them that the disappearances are not
‘enforced disappearances’,” the order added.
If
further said the court had exercised utmost restraint to enable the organs and
institutions to fulfill their constitutional obligations but, for reasons best
known to them, the worst form of abuse of state power and violation of
fundamental rights had been dealt with in a manner amounting to mere eye wash.
“The
grievances of the petitioners are only a tip of the iceberg because thousands
of citizens are reported to be missing and their loved ones have been
publically seen demonstrating throughout the country,” it added.
The
court vide order, dated 25-11-2021 [partly reported on May 26], had directed
the secretary, ministry of interior to arrange an opportunity of audience to
the mother and child of a missing journalist, Mudassar Mahmood Naaru, with the
then prime minister and members of his cabinet.
The
meeting was arranged but nothing was placed on record to indicate the response
of the federal cabinet.
The
order said it was obvious that the armed forces were subservient to the control
and oversight of the organs of the state explicitly described in the above
reproduced provision of the Constitution.
It
said the court, therefore, afforded a last and final opportunity to the
attorney general to argue the petitions.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692229/notices-be-issued-to-musharraf-successive-rulers-ihc
--------
Islamabad
reaffirms pledge to keep working for global peace
May
30, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Sunday reiterated its commitment to maintain peace and stability in
the world, particularly in South Asian region, and recalled its capability to
ward off any aggression and adventurism.
The
civil and military leadership of the country vowed to largely contribute to the
United Nation’s peacekeeping missions across the globe.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan was the largest contributor to the UN
peacekeeping missions in the world as it had so far provided about 200,000
personnel.
“Such
a gesture also manifested Pakistan’s desire and efforts for peace,” the prime
minister said in a message on International Day of the United Nations
Peacekeepers observed on Monday.
Civil,
military leaderships vow to contribute in UN peacekeeping missions
He
paid tribute to efforts, contributions, professionalism and sacrifices of the
Pakistani peacekeeping missions under the UN umbrella.
The
prime minister also paid tribute to the contributions of the armed forces of
Pakistan — Rangers, FC and police — to the UN peacekeeping missions.
The
UN secretary-general and other UN offices had lauded and acknowledged the
contributions and sacrifices of Pakistan’s peacekeepers, he said, adding that
from 1960 to 2022, officers and jawans of Pakistan peacekeepers had played an
exemplary and praiseworthy role in the UN missions.
A
total of 169 Pakistani peacekeepers had embraced martyrdom while performing
duties in the UN missions abroad, the prime minister said, saluting their
valour and sacrifices.
“The
sons and daughters of the nation have displayed their professional capabilities
worldwide by maintaining peace and serving the humankind,” he added.
The
prime minister said the international recognition of the professionalism of the
armed forces of Pakistan to carry out their responsibilities across the globe
in the challenging situations was a matter of great pride.
Meritorious
services
According
to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the performance of Pakistani
peacekeepers has been acknowledged worldwide by numerous world leaders and the
UN leadership in recognition to their meritorious services for global peace.
“On
the occasion of World UN Peacekeepers Day, it is worth reiterating that
Pakistan stands tall in the comity of nations being one of the largest troops
contributing country in the UN peacekeeping efforts,” it said in a press
release.
Pakistan’s
journey in UN peacekeeping operations began in 1960 when the first-ever
Pakistan Army contingent was deployed for operations in Congo.
Over
the last 61 years, Pakistan has been the most significant and consistent
contributor to UN peacekeeping around the world. Pakistan has hitherto
participated in 46 UN peacekeeping missions, including some of the most
challenging undertakings.
A
day ago, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “Pakistan is
committed to promotion of environment of peace and stability in South Asia
while preserving its capability to ward off aggression or adventurism in any
form.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692223/islamabad-reaffirms-pledge-to-keep-working-for-global-peace
--------
South
Asia
Shia
Scholars, Tribal Elders Call On 1st Deputy PM, Mullah Akhund of Islamic Emirate
On Peace, Security, And Self-Determination
May
30, 2022
KABUL:
First Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
Akhund, met with a number of Shia scholars, elders, and tribal elders, late on
Sunday, a statement from the deputy prime minister said.
Attaullah
Sadiq Shaghasi, head of the Society for Peace and Freedom, and Sayed Hassan
Fazelzada, head of the Shia Ulama and Influential Association, spoke on behalf
of others at the meeting, which was held at the Marmarin Palace.
Fazilzada
spoke on peace, security, and self-determination, adding: “We have always
supported the Islamic Emirate and we will continue to do so, and we condemn all
actions and attempt which are weakening the current Islamic system,” according
to the statement.
He
stated the Islamic Emirate as the core of unity and solidarity among the tribes
living in Afghanistan and said that the Ulama had always prevented any kind of
insurgency and insecurity in the Shiite-populated areas.
Dr.
Saddiq Shaghasi also said that the Bonn Conference was a document of the birth
of occupation, ethnic and regional prejudices, and on the contrary, the Doha
Agreement could be considered as a document of freedom, unity, and brotherhood
among the nations.
He
further added that former tribal dictators and other intelligence operatives
who have maintained their interests in dividing nations are no longer working
here.
They
also shared their suggestions in writing with the Deputy Prime Minister for
Economic Affairs.
Welcoming
the Shia religious figures, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah
Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said: “Afghanistan is the common home of all Afghans
and working for its development is the common responsibility of all Afghans.”
The
position of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is clear, he said. “Our door is
open to every citizen of Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate welcomes any
Afghans wanted to serve their country and the people.
Source:
the Kabul Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://thekabultimes.gov.af/shia-scholars-elders-call-on-1st-deputy-pm/
--------
Al-Qaida
and Islamic Emirate Relationship 'Remains Close’: UN
May
30, 2022
"The
relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaida remains close, with the latter
celebrating the former’s success and renewing its pledge of allegiance to
[Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada]," a UN report said.
The
Islamic Emirate has yet to comment on this latest claim but has earlier denied
reports of the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
The
UN Security Council released a report by the Analytical Support and Sanctions
Monitoring Team which assessed the presence of Al-Qaeda and Daesh groups in
Afghanistan.
“Member
State assessments thus far suggest that Al-Qaida has a safe haven under the
Taliban and increased freedom of action. Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued more
frequent recorded messages since August, and there is now proof of life for him
as recently as February 2022,” the report said.
The
report estimated an approximate presence of "180 to 400 fighters affiliated
with Al-Qaeda" from "Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan"
who are settled in "Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Nimruz, Paktika and Zabul
provinces."
“The
Islamic Emirate has yet to reach a final discussion regarding this issue. The
officials of the Islamic Emirate should provide final assurances in this
regard,” said Shir Hassan Hassan, an international relations analyst.
“After
the killing of (Osama bin Laden), the al-Qaeda has become a diminished
organization. In fact, al-(Qaeda) is not an important danger to the world,”
said Torek Farhadi, a political analyst.
“These
are the excuses for the Islamic Emirate. The Islamic Emirate should clarify its
stance about whether it has a link with Al-Qaeda or not. If not, then clearly
deny it,” said Sayed Ishaq Gailani, leader of the National Solidarity Movement
of Afghanistan.
Source:
Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-178233
--------
Protester
Women: The Taliban Intervenes Private Affairs of the People Instead of
Addressing Economic Issues
By
Saqalain Eqbal
29
May 2022
Some
women walked to the streets once more to protest the Taliban’s crackdown on
women and denial of girls’ access to education.
On
Sunday, 29th May, protesting women marched against the Taliban’s actions in the
face of rising poverty and unemployment, as well as the Taliban’s actions
against women, accusing the group of intruding in people’s private matters.
The
Taliban suppressed a women’s demonstration in front of Maryam High School last
week, and again women are claimed to have been suppressed by the Taliban today
at the Sadarat square in Kabul’s second district.
“Instead
of concentrating about addressing people’s issues and coming up with solutions
to poverty and unemployment,” the demonstrators shouted, “those in power are
doing their best to implement restrictions against women and have interference
with the most private affairs.”
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
The
Taliban in Kandahar Stops Arms and Ammunition from Being Smuggled into Pakistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
29
May 2022
A
man has been caught in Kandahar province in connection with weaponry smuggling
to Pakistan, according to local Taliban officials.
On
Saturday, 28th of May, the Bakhtar state news agency stated that Taliban forces
had discovered and apprehended a man who was attempting to smuggle a
substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition through Spin Boldak.
Four
Kalashnikovs, three M16s, three PK machine guns, 900 heavy machine gun bullets,
33 grenades, and other ammunition were discovered with the detainee, according
to the report.
Taliban
security officials in Ghazni province had previously announced the arrest of
three people in connection with weapons smuggling into Pakistan.
Military
equipment is alleged to have been smuggled out of Afghanistan and into
neighboring countries, mainly Pakistan, following the fall of the Afghan
government.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Turkiye
‘neutralizes’ 18 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq
Merve
Aydogan
28.05.2022
Turkish
security forces "neutralized" at least 18 PKK terrorists as part of
Turkiye’s Operation Claw-Lock in northern Iraq, the country’s National Defense
Ministry said Saturday.
The
ministry said the operation was carried out by combat drones in terror zones in
the region, adding that Turkish forces are determined to continue fighting
terrorists.
Turkish
authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in
question surrendered or were killed or captured.
The
ministry also shared footage of the anti-terror operation.
Turkiye
launched Operation Claw-Lock last month to target PKK hideouts in northern
Iraq’s Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions. It was preceded by Operations
Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists
who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkiye.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/turkiye-neutralizes-18-pkk-terrorists-in-northern-iraq/2599822
--------
Egypt
court sentences Muslim Brotherhood’s Aboul-Fotouh to 15 years in prison
May
29, 2022
The
Cairo Criminal Court sentenced former presidential candidate and member of the
former Guidance Bureau of the banned Muslim Brotherhood, Abdel-Moneim
Aboul-Fotouh and Mahmoud Ezzat, the acting Supreme Guide of the group, and six
others to 15 years in prison.
The
court also sentenced 15 others to lifetime imprisonment, and sentenced two
defendants to 10 years in prison.
The
court convicted all the defendants of leading and membership of a terrorist
group that carries out hostile operations against public institutions, with the
aim of bringing down the state.
The
prosecution charged Ezzat and Aboul-Fotouh, his son and others that from 1992
to 2018, they led a terrorist group, aiming to use force, violence, threats and
intimidation with the aim of disturbing public order and endangering the
safety, security of society, harming individuals and terrorizing them.
They
have also been charged with harming social peace and national security,
preventing and obstructing public authorities and government from carrying out
their work and obstructing the application of the provisions of the
Constitution, laws and regulations.
The
prosecution explained that they took over the leadership of the terrorist
Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to change the regime by force and undertakes the
implementation of hostile operations against judges, members of the armed
forces and the police, their institutions, and public facilities, with the aim
of overthrowing the state, disturbing public order and endangering the safety
and security of society.
Source:
Egypt Independen
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkey’s
Syria operation could happen ‘suddenly’: President Erdogan
29 May,
2022
Turkey’s
president told journalists that Ankara remains committed to rooting out a
Syrian Kurdish militia from northern Syria.
“Like
I always say, we’ll come down on them suddenly one night. And we must,” Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on his plane following his Saturday visit
to Azerbaijan, according to daily Hurriyet newspaper and other media.
Without
giving a specific timeline, Erdogan said that Turkey would launch a
cross-border operation against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, or
YPG, which it considers a terrorist group linked to an outlawed Kurdish group
that has led an insurgency against Turkey since 1984. That conflict with the
Kurdistan Workers' Party, PKK, has killed tens of thousands of people.
However,
the YPG forms the backbone of US-led forces in the fight against the ISIS
group. American support for the group has infuriated Ankara and remains a major
issue in their relations.
Turkey
considers the PKK and the YPG to be one and the same.
The
YPG and its affiliated political party have controlled much of northeastern
Syria after the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad withdrew in 2012.
“All
coalition forces, leading with the US, have provided these terror groups a
serious amount of weapons, vehicles, tools, ammunition and they continue to do
so. The US has given them thousands of trucks,” Erdogan said.
He
warned that Turkey wouldn’t need anyone’s permission to fight terror.
“If
the US is not fulfilling its duty in combating terror, what will we do? We will
take care of ourselves,” he declared.
While
acknowledging Turkey’s security concerns, US State Department spokesman Ned
Price has voiced concerns about Turkey’s plans, saying a new offensive could
undermine regional stability and put American forces at risk.
Ankara
has launched four cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and controls
some territories in the north with the goal of pushing away the YPG and
establishing a 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep safe zone where Erdogan hopes to
“voluntarily” return Syrian refugees.
In
2019, an incursion into northeast Syria against the YPG drew widespread
international condemnation, prompting Finland, Sweden and others to restrict
arms sales to Turkey. Now Turkey is blocking the two Nordic countries' historic
bid to join NATO because of the weapons ban and their alleged support for the
Kurdish groups.
Turkey
has stepped up military operations against the PKK in northern Iraq, where they
are based. The PKK is considered a terror group by Turkey, the US and the
European Union.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
--------
UAE
President receives Egypt, Jordan PMs in Abu Dhabi to sign agreement
29
May, 2022
President
of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed received Jordan and
Egypt’s Prime Ministers Bisher al-Khasawneh and Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday,
Emirates News Agency WAM reported.
The
pair are in the UAE for a tripartite meeting to launch and sign the ‘industrial
partnership for Sustainable Economic Growth,’ an agreement between the three
countries which is set to be outlined in detail on Sunday.
The
partnership aims to achieve economic sustainable development between Egypt, the
UAE and Jordan, and contribute to supporting industrial integration among the
three countries, WAM reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Rocket
attack targets military base housing US forces in eastern Syria
29
May 2022
Several
BM-21 Grad rockets have reportedly hit military facilities housing US occupation
forces in Syria’s oil-producing northern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
At
least a dozen projectiles struck the vicinity of the US-controlled al-Omar oil
field on Sunday morning, according to Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel
associated with Iraqi anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units, which is better
known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi.
There
were no immediate reports of serious injuries and the extent of damage caused.
The
development came a day after the Russian military dispatched attack helicopters
and fighter jets to its base in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah.
Lebanon’s
Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network, citing informed sources,
reported on Saturday that Russia sent the reinforcement to the Syrian airbase
near the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli as part of an ongoing military
buildup.
On
Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s
determination to support Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and
said Russian forces are in the Arab country upon a request from the Damascus
government.
“The
presence of Russian forces in Syria is in full compliance with the UN Charter
and principles. They perform duties outlined in the United Nations Security
Council Resolution 2254,” Lavrov told Russia’s RT television news network.
The
Russia foreign minister added that the crisis in Syria can only be resolved
through respect for the Arab nation’s sovereignty and regional safety.
“We
will support the Syrian leadership in its efforts to restore the territorial
integrity of the Arab republic,” Lavrov stressed.
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the
Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in
the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country's rich
mineral resources.
Former
US President Donald Trump admitted on more than one occasion that American
forces were in the Arab country for its oil.
After
failing to oust the Syrian government through militant proxies and direct
involvement in the conflict, the US government has stepped up its economic war
on the Arab country.
In
June 2020, the US enacted the so-called Caesar Act that imposed the toughest
sanctions ever on Syria intending to choke off revenue sources for the
government.
The
sanctions have crippled the war-torn country’s economy by barring foreign
companies from doing trade with Damascus.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
Sudan
lifts state of emergency after deadly anti-coup protests
30
May 2022
Sudan’s
army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has lifted a state of emergency
imposed since the October 25 coup, a day after new deadly anti-coup protests.
The
Transitional Sovereign Council said in a statement on Sunday that Burhan
“issued a decree lifting the state of emergency nationwide.”
According
to the statement, the decision was aimed to create the right atmosphere for “a
fruitful and meaningful dialog that achieves stability during the transitional
period.”
The
move came after the latest calls by Volker Perthes, the special representative
of the UN secretary-general for Sudan, for ending the state of emergency,
following the murder of two protesters during massive protests on Saturday in
the impoverished country’s capital, Khartoum, against last year’s military
coup.
Burhan’s
decree also came after a meeting with senior military officials who recommended
the state of emergency be lifted and people detained under an emergency law be
released.
The
Sudanese military, led by Burhan, seized power last October, after detaining
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and other civilian leaders and dissolving the
year-old transitional government as well as the joint ruling military-civilian
sovereign council formed after the 2019 ouster of longtime President Omar
al-Bashir.
Back
then, Burhan declared a state of emergency and vowed to form what he called a
competent government.
The
move drew anger and outrage across the North African country and sparked
international condemnations, including from the UN Security Council. The
country has been rocked by protests since then that have left nearly 100 people
dead and hundreds injured.
Hundreds
of activists have also been arrested in the clampdown under emergency laws.
Hamdok
was restored in his post as part of a political deal with military rulers of
the restive African country, but he resigned earlier in January amid a
political impasse and large-scale protests.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/05/30/682988/Sudan-lifts-state-of-emergency-anti-coup-protests
--------
UN
envoy decries Sudan violence after 2 killed in protests
29
May, 2022
The
UN envoy for Sudan on Sunday decried the killing of two people in a violent crackdown
against pro-democracy protesters who once again took to the streets of the
capital to denounce an October military coup.
Hundreds
of people marched Saturday in Khartoum, where security forces violently
dispersed the crowds and chased them in the streets, according to activists.
“I
am appalled by the violent death of two young protesters in Khartoum yesterday,
Once again: it is time for the violence to stop,” said Volker Perthes, the UN
envoy, on Twitter.
The
two were killed during protests in Khartoum’s Kalakla neighborhood. One was
shot dead by security forces and the other suffocated after inhaling tear gas,
according to the Sudan Doctors Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy
movement.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Perthes
urged military authorities to lift the state of emergency imposed since the
Oct. 25 coup and find a “peaceful way out of the current crisis.”
Sudan
has been plunged into turmoil since the military takeover upended its short-lived
transition to democracy after three decades of repressive rule by former
strongman Omar al-Bashir. Al-Bashir and his Islamist-backed government were
removed by the military in a popular uprising in April 2019.
Later
Sunday, the Security and Defense Council, Sudan's highest body that decides on
security matters, recommended the lifting of the state of emergency and the
release of all detainees, said Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yassin Ibrahim
Yassin.
The
recommendations came in a meeting chaired by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of
the ruling sovereign council. They were meant to facilitate dialogue between
the military and the pro-democracy movement, Yasmin said in a video statement.
Saturday’s
protests were part of relentless demonstrations in the past seven months
calling for the military to hand over power to civilians. At least 98 people
have been killed and over 4,300 wounded in the government crackdown on
anti-coup protests since October, according to the medical group. Hundreds of
activists and officials in the disposed government were also detained following
the coup, many were later released under pressure from the UN and other western
governments.
The
protesters demand the removal of the military from power. The generals,
however, have said they will only hand over power to an elected administration.
They say elections will take place in July 2023 as planned in a constitutional
document governing the transition period.
The
UN, the African Union and the eight-nation east African regional group called
the Intergovernmental Authority in Development have been leading concerted
efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides and find a way out of the
impasse.
Meanwhile,
the trial of four activists accused of killing a senior police officer during a
protest earlier this year began Sunday amid tight security outside the Judicial
and Legal Science Institute in Khartoum. Dozens of protesters gathered in the
area in a show of support for the defendants.
The
four were detained in raids after police Col. Ali Hamad was stabbed to death as
security forces dispersed protesters on Jan. 13. Their defense lawyers deny the
allegations.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Trial
begins for Sudanese protesters accused of killing police officer
29 May,
2022
The
trial for four Sudanese protesters accused of killing a police officer earlier
this year began in Khartoum on Sunday, amid anti-military demonstrators and
heavy police presence.
The
four men, accused of the fatal stabbing of a police brigadier-general in
January, were seen by a Reuters witness entering the courtroom in Khartoum,
raising their fists and making victory signs.
The
four men, who have become emblems of the anti-military protest movement, deny
the charges.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Families
of the men and lawyers representing them have accused authorities of torturing
at least one of the men, known by his nickname Tupac.
Lawyer
Abdelazim Hassan, part of the legal team representing the men, said the judge
hearing the case ordered that the men undergo a medical examination.
Sudanese
military leaders have said that the men are subject to normal criminal
procedures.
Outside
the courtroom protesters chanted: “Tupac is not a killer,” and “Burhan is a
killer,” referring to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who led an October coup.
The
coup ended a two-year power-sharing arrangement between the military and
civilian groups following the ouster of Omar al-Bashir. Since then there have
been weekly mass protests against the coup.
Two
protesters were killed on Saturday by security forces during protests in the
al-Kalakla neighbourhood on the outskirts of Khartoum, medics said, bringing
the number of people who have died in the protests to 98.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
court bans travel for Ennahda party chief, 33 others
28 May,
2022
A
court in Tunisia has issued a travel ban on 34 people, including the head of
Ennahdha party, all suspected of involvement in an alleged parallel security
service reportedly put into place after the 2011 Tunisian revolution.
Ennahdha
party chief Rachid Ghannouchi and 33 others have been targeted in an
investigation into the alleged service, dubbed the “secret apparatus,” which
has been blamed by some for the still-unsolved murders of two leftist militants
in 2013.
The
spokeswoman for the court in Ariana, Fatma Bougottaya, claimed on Friday night
that the suspects had illegally gained access to information concerning state
institutions and allegedly shared it with someone with no legitimate reason to
have it, which amounts to an abuse of power. She did not elaborate.
The
travel bans were issued on orders of Justice Minister Leila Jaffel, the court
spokeswoman told Radio Mosaique.
Ghannouchi,
who also headed Tunisia’s parliament — which was suspended then dissolved by
Tunisian President Kais Saied — said in a statement that the “so-called secret
apparatus is pre-fabricated” and represents a “falsification of facts.” He
denounced “a deliberate operation” by authorities “with a goal of distracting
the public from true problems” like the political and economic crisis and
social problems in the North African country.
He
denounced “continued pressure exercised by President Saied” on the judiciary,
which he has ordered to hunt out corruption.
Ghannouchi,
an adamant adversary of the president, has denounced the exceptional and
controversial measures taken by Saied last July 25 as a “coup d’etat,” claiming
the goal was to restore a dictatorship in Tunisia.
Saied
conferred on himself sweeping powers. Besides dissolving parliament, Saied
fired the prime minister and gave himself the power to rule by decree —
measures the president claimed were needed to “save the country from imminent
peril” and fight widespread corruption.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
At
least 31 killed in church stampede in southern Nigeria
Ahmet
Emin Donmez
28.05.2022
YAOUNDE,
Cameroon
At
least 31 people were reportedly killed during a stampede at a church charity
event in southern Nigeria on Saturday.
According
to local media, the charity program was held by the church to help needy people
in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers state.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/at-least-31-killed-in-church-stampede-in-southern-nigeria/2600186
--------
Tunisia
calls for solving Libyan crisis via dialogue
Yousra
Ounass
28.05.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisian
Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi on Saturday reiterated his country's support
for a solution based on dialogue and consensus to the crisis in Libya.
Jerandi
met on Saturday with the head of Libya’s Presidency Council, Mohamed al-Menfi,
in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on the sidelines of an
extraordinary summit of the African Union.
Tunisia
is ready “to stand with Libya and support it in all international events and
forums so that it regains its position as an effective country that plays its
full role with the rest of the countries in the region," the top diplomat
said.
Al-Menfi,
for his part, expressed his gratitude for the Tunisian position in support of
the Libyan consensus, expressing hope that neighboring countries and the international
community will continue to support Libya in every way that will facilitate an
intra-Libyan solution.
For
more than two months, there have been two governments in Libya: the national
unity government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and another one that
was granted confidence in early March by the Tobruk-based House of
Representatives. The latter is led by parliament-appointed Prime Minister Fathi
Bashaga.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/tunisia-calls-for-solving-libyan-crisis-via-dialogue/2600072
--------
Europe
Erdogan
says Turkey will not allow ‘terrorism-supporting’ states join NATO
29
May 2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will not allow “terrorism-supporting”
countries enter NATO, days after Sweden and Finland submitted official bids to
join the US-led military alliance.
Late
Saturday, Erdogan said last week's Turkey-hosted talks with Finland and Sweden
about their NATO membership bids “did not happen at the desired level” and that
Ankara could not say yes to “terrorism-supporting” countries.
“Unfortunately,
the talks held by our delegation with Finland and Sweden were not at the
desired level,” he told reporters on his plane following a trip to Azerbaijan.
“They
are not honest or sincere. We cannot repeat the mistakes made in the past on
(admitting) countries that embrace and feed such terrorists into NATO, which is
a security organization,” Erdogan added.
Russia’s
ongoing military operation in Ukraine, which began on February 24, sparked
security concerns in both Nordic countries, prompting Stockholm and Helsinki to
seek membership in NATO.
Turkey,
a member of NATO since 1952, has accused Sweden, and to some extent Finland, of
providing sanctuary to elements linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) as well as the Gulen movement, which Ankara accuses of involvement in a
2016 coup attempt.
Both
groups are considered “terrorist” groups by Turkey. The PKK is also on the
“terrorist” lists of the US and the EU.
Additionally,
Sweden and Finland, among others, also placed restrictions on arms exports to
Turkey after its military offensive against the US-supported People's
Protection Units (YPG) in Syria in 2019. Ankara views the YPG as an extension
of the PKK.
The
Turkish government has called on Stockholm and Helsinki to take concrete
actions and stop what Ankara calls supporting terrorist groups in order for
Turkey to agree to their NATO membership bid.
All
30 NATO members must unanimously agree on admitting new members, so that they
can benefit from the pact’s collective-security guarantee.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
France
denounces Iran’s seizure of two Greek tankers
30
May, 2022
Iran's
seizure of two Greek-flagged oil tankers in Gulf waters is “a serious violation
of international law”, France's foreign ministry said Sunday, calling for the
immediate release of the ships and their crews.
Iran's
Revolutionary Guards seized the Greek tankers in the Gulf Friday, days after
Athens confirmed it would deliver to Washington Iranian oil it had seized from
a Russian tanker.
“We
call on Iran to immediately release the crews and vessels,” a French foreign
ministry spokesperson said in a statement
“France
reiterates its commitment to the rules of international law protecting the freedom
of navigation and maritime safety. We call on Iran to immediately cease its
actions that contravene these rules,” the statement concluded.
Iran
said Saturday the crews of two Greek oil tankers were in “good health” and not
under arrest.
But
Greece has condemned Tehran's detention of the two ships as “tantamount to acts
of piracy” and warned its citizens not to travel to Iran.
The
Revolutionary Guards -- the ideological arm of Iran's military -- had said it
seized the tankers “due to violations”, without elaborating further.
Greece
said one of the tankers had been sailing in international waters, while the
second was near the Iranian coast when it was seized.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pope
Francis hails President Erdogan's efforts to end war in Ukraine, says Turkish
envoy
Merve
Aydogan
29.05.2022
Pope
Francis appreciates the Turkish president's efforts to reconcile Ukraine and
Russia, said Turkiye's envoy to the Vatican on Sunday.
"The
Pope expressed his gratitude to Turkey, which has been in contact with both
sides since the beginning of the conflict and has been working for peace,"
Ambassador Lutfullah Goktas said on Twitter, recounting his meeting with
Francis to discuss Russia's war on Ukraine.
Saying
of their meeting that a "solution can only be found through diplomacy and
negotiations, not thru war," Goktas added: "The only possible way to
establish a ceasefire and begin negotiations is through diplomacy."
Gokas
also told the pontiff about Turkiye's diplomatic initiatives and humanitarian
assistance efforts, stressing that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
"is still trying to reconcile" Russia and Ukraine.
Goktas
also noted that Turkiye "attaches great importance to (the) Pope's calls
for peace to the sides."
"I
was extremely pleased to observe that the Pope, who has been closely following
our President's reconciliation efforts, is also sharing the same sensitivities
with our country," he added.
Goktas
also told Francis about Turkiye's fight against terror groups "for years
for its national security," and said the country expects its allies
"to display the same determination."
Like
the Holy See, Turkiye wants the wars and human tragedies to come to an end, he
noted.
At
least 4,301 civilians have been killed and 4,735 injured since the war in
Ukraine began on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is believed
to be significantly higher.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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Turkish
president receives foreign ministers of UAE, Poland, Romania
Berk
Özkan
28.05.2022
Turkiye's
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the foreign ministers of the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Poland and Romania in Istanbul on Friday.
UAE
Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Turkiye comes
as another step in the two countries’ ongoing efforts to revitalize ties and to
end a feud that has long defined geopolitics in the Middle East and North
Africa.
Al
Nahyan also held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Erdogan
held a joint meeting with Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and Polish
Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who were in Istanbul for a trilateral meeting of
the top diplomats of Turkiye, Poland and Romania.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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