Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh Initiated Interfaith Dialogue Inviting Hindu and Christian Scholars to His Court, Says AMU VC
New Age Islam News Bureau
27 July 2022
Prof. Tariq Mansoor
addressing. (L-R) Mr. Mahdi Shahrokhi, Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, Mr. Mumtaz Ali,
Haji Syed Salman Chishti, Prof. Aziz Bano also seen.
-----
• Pakistani Ulema Fail to Soften outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan in Kabul Meetings
• With ‘Third Generation of Afghan Children Born in
Exile’; Afghanistan Becomes the Third-Largest Displaced Population
• Khilafat ul Muslimin Group Extremists Spark Concern
in Indonesian Christian Province
• Blinken Meets With Family of Slain Palestinian-American
Al Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
India
• Encouraging New Generation to Learn Urdu Need of the
Hour: Chairman Telangana Haj Committee
• APJ Abdul Kalam: Remembering Missile Man of India on
his 7th death anniversary
• 2,399 Bangladeshis found using fraudulently obtained
Indian documents from 2017 to 2022: MHA to Lok Sabha
--------
Pakistan
• Boost for Imran's Party as Pakistan SC Unseats PM's Son
as Punjab CM
• Pakistan may get new army chief before Bajwa's
tenure ends
• Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Urges Ulema,
Zakireen To Discourage Objectionable Speeches, Promote Harmony
• FO rejects ‘preposterous’ remarks by India on CPEC
• Justice Faez Isa urges CJP not to ‘bulldoze’ judges’
appointment process
• Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker takes centre to court over
halt to ex-Fata healthcare funding
--------
South Asia
• Afghanistan: The quiet Afghan valley standing up to
the Taliban
• Muttaqi Calls on U.S. to Release Central Bank Asset:
Tashkent Conference
• Bangladesh seeks $4bn IMF loan as deficit widens:
Report
• Taliban Foreign Minister in Tashkent Conference Says
the New Regime Established Security
--------
Southeast Asia
• Kasthuri slams deputy speaker for ejecting her, says
it sets ‘grave precedent’
• Tribunal on sexual harassment likely in a year, says
minister
• Malaysia expects China to spur tourism growth as
Matta eyes more direct flights between both countries
• When will Indonesian workers return, Guan Eng asks
Saravanan
--------
North America
• US says it has not seen any signs of Russia buying
drones from Iran
• US and Egyptian officials discuss water security,
Ethiopian dam
• US thanks Turkish president, UN chief for Ukraine
grain deal
--------
Europe
• EU Submits Draft Iran Nuclear Deal Text: Borrell
• YPG/PKK Terror Group Supporters Stage Demonstration
In Brussels
• Greek plan to shut down minority Turkish schools
decried by locals
• Turkey to drill for gas in Mediterranean early next
month: Ministry
• Turkey says Sweden has not yet extradited suspects
despite NATO accord
--------
Arab World
• Syrian Government Forces Prepared To Confront Any
Possible Turkish Aggression: Army
• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince heads to Greece, France
on official visits
• Saudi Arabia’s King, Crown Prince Congratulate
India’s New President
• PKK terrorists last year killed, injured scores of
civilians in northern Iraq
• YPG/PKK terrorists’ infiltration attempt foiled in
Syria
• Rocket attack targets Turkish Consulate in Iraq's
Mosul: Reports
• At UN, Iraq and Turkey escalate dispute over attack
• Ten killed in south Syria clashes: Monitor
• Iraq to free Briton convicted in antiquities case:
Lawyer
• Saudi Crown Prince, Greek PM sign military,
economic, security agreements
--------
Mideast
• Israel Army Razes Suspects’ Homes in Settlement
Guard Killing
• IRGC Commander: Iran Manufacturing Stealth
Speedboats
• Six Drug Traffickers Killed, Large Amount of
Narcotics Seized in Southeastern Iran
• Slain Reporter's Family Meet Blinken to ‘Demand
Justice for Shireen’
• Israel demolishes homes of two suspected Palestinian
attackers
--------
Africa
• Al-Sunni Accuses ‘Certain International Powers’ Of
Hampering Libyan Elections
• Tunisia’s Electoral Commission Says New Constitution
Passed
• Tinubu-Shettima: Yoruba Muslim scholars criticize
Christian leaders’ opposition
• Tunisian officials say new constitution passed in
vote with low turnout
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/mughal-shikoh-interfaith-hindu-christian-amu/d/127583
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Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh Initiated Interfaith
Dialogue Inviting Hindu and Christian Scholars to His Court, Says AMU VC
Prof. Tariq Mansoor
addressing. (L-R) Mr. Mahdi Shahrokhi, Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, Mr. Mumtaz Ali,
Haji Syed Salman Chishti, Prof. Aziz Bano also seen.
-----
26th July 2022
Hyderabad: Dara Shikoh, the Mughal Prince and Son of
Emperor Shahjahan, is credited to have introduced interfaith dialogue in India.
He invited Hindu Scholars from Banaras, Mirzapur to his court and himself went
to Banaras to learn Sanskrit. He also invited Muslim and Christian scholars to
initiate interfaith dialogue. Prof. Tariq Mansoor, Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh
Muslim University, said on Tuesday at the inaugural of two-day International
Conference on Majma-ul-Bahrain of Dara Shikoh—A Harbinger of Pluralistic
Approach towards Religion and Spirituality organized by Department of Persian
& Central Asian Studies
(DP&CAS), Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) to mark
Silver Jubilee year of the university. The conference is supported by National
Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL). Majma-ul-Bahrain (Confluence of
two cceans) is a path breaking book written by Dara Shikoh).
Mumtaz Ali, Chancellor, MANUU, delivered keynote
address and Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor presided over the function.
Prof. Mansoor said that the translation of Upanishad
from Sanskrit to Persian by Dara Shikoh had a great impact not only in India
but also in Europe. The religious thoughts of India were exposed to Europe for
the first time. Dara Shikoh was also a philosopher, who manifested his thought
in the book Majma-ul-Bahrain which is being discussed today, he added. Dara
Shikoh who was made crown prince by Emperor Shah Jahan, never occupied the
throne but he has left his footprints on various aspects of Indian Civilization
such as thought, philosophy, tolerance etc. Dara Shikoh has a multi-faceted
personality and his thoughts are immensely relevant today.
Mumtaz Ali reminded that Dara Shikoh called himself a
‘Fakir’ (mendicant) in his biography. He lived without paraphernalia of
royalty. His mind was always that of a mendicant. There are various other books
written by Dara Shikoh but with his translation of Upanishad the Western world
by and large came to realise about a hitherto unheard culture of India. Dara
Shikoh either saw or met people who are said to have the truth it is from them
that he became aware that ‘the truth’ infinite. This great understanding comes
only when one has spiritual depth.
Coming together of Two Oceans is worth looking into. “We have to live
together in this country where it was declared 1000 years ago that truth is one
and we called it by different names. Let us practice what we say and what we
preach,” Ali who is popularly known as Shri M.
Prof. Ainul Hasan said, “Dara Shikoh taught us so many
things like language appreciation. His ancestral language was Turkish, his
language of expression was Persian, the religious zeal of Arabic cannot be over
looked, Sanskrit, on the other hand is the language of his ideas.”
The Vice-Chancellor described Dara Shikoh as a
universal man who loves all and hates none. Often it is believed that had Dara
Shikoh been the successor of Shahjahan, the socio-cultural, socio-religious
chemistry of India would have been different. Had he been alive for another 20
to 30 years he might have become a Mahatma (super soul) for the benefit of
humanity.
Mahdi Shahrokhi, Consul General of the Iran,
Hyderabad, Haji Syed Salman Chishti, Gaddi Nasheen, Dargah Ajmer, Sirajuddin
Qureshi, President, India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi also spoke.
Dr. Mir Asghar Hussain, Former Director, ED/EPS,
UNESCO, Paris, Prof. SK. Ishtiaque Ahmed, Registrar, Prof. Azarmi Dukht Safavi,
Advisor, Persian Research Institute, AMU and others were also present occasion.
Book, comprising letters of and addressed to Dara
Shikoh, translated for the first time into Urdu by the Department of Persian,
MANUU and a documentary were also released on the occasion.
Prof. Aziz Bano, Dean, SLL&I welcomed the guests.
Source: Siasat Daily
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original story:
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Pakistani Ulema Fail To Soften outlawed
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan In Kabul Meetings
The Ulema delegation will
hold meetings with TTP representatives and with the Afghan Taliban govt
officials in order to take the peace process forward. Photo: Express
-----
Shahabullah Yousafzai
July 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A delegation of Pakistani Ulema has failed to convince
the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to soften their stance in peace
talks with Pakistani negotiators. The delegation, led by Sheikh-ul-Islam Mufti
Taqi Usmani, flew into Kabul in a C-130 plane on Monday to meet the TTP
leadership.
The 13-member delegation includes religious scholars
belonging to all sects of the Deobandi school of thought from across the
country, including Karachi, Lahore, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. They met with TTP
chief Mufti Noor Wali and other Taliban leaders from the erstwhile Fata.
They urged the TTP leadership to withdraw their demand
for the reversal of FATA merger, but they refused to budge.
The delegation was briefed on the state of Pakistan’s
demands during a meeting with the corps commander Peshawar at the Corps
Headquarters in Peshawar before it flew to Kabul.
The Pakistani government calls upon the TTP leadership
to give up violence against the state institutions, disband their organisation,
and return to their areas with a promise of amnesty for their past crimes.
In their meetings with the TTP leadership, the
Pakistani Ulema cited several religious edicts of Wifaqul Madaris against
waging war against the Islamic state of Pakistan.
In return, the TTP leadership told the Ulema
delegation of the demands they have put forward in their various meetings with
Pakistani negotiators and Jirga of tribal elders from Pakistan.
Sources in the TTP told The Express Tribune that the
Taliban leadership could not trust the Ulema in the absence of concrete
assurances from the military establishment which wields the real power in
Pakistan.
The sources also said that the TTP leadership put
forward an “eight-point rationale” for their refusal to shun violence against
the state of Pakistan while politely refusing to entertain the request of Mufti
Taqi Usmani.
The delegation would stay in Kabul until Wednesday (today)
for making a last-ditch effort to convince the TTP leadership to soften their
stance, but chances of them showing flexibility are slim.
A source in the Ulema delegation told The Express
Tribune that the TTP leadership listened to them patiently but refused to budge
on their demands.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2367953/pakistani-ulema-fail-to-soften-ttp-in-kabul-meetings
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With ‘Third Generation of Afghan Children Born in
Exile’; Afghanistan Becomes the Third-Largest Displaced Population
Photo: Khaama Press
----
By Saqalain Eqbal
26 Jul 2022
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) report, Afghanistan has the third-largest refugee population
and the region’s largest displaced population after the Taliban took control,
with 2.7 million refugees scattered across 98 countries.
Following Syrian and Venezuelan refugees, Afghanistan
has the largest displaced population, displaced internally or forced across the
border, per UNHCR’s report.
Pakistan and Iran continue to shelter more than 1.3
million and 780,000 registered Afghan refugees, respectively and are host to
the majority of Afghan refugees.
The UNHCR report quoted UN High Commissioner for
Refugees Filippo Grandi saying, “Afghanistan’s displacement crisis is one of
the largest and most protracted in UNHCR’s seven-decade history. We’re now
seeing a third generation of Afghan children born in exile.”
This report indicates that in the year 2021 alone,
108,000 Afghans fled to Pakistan, 59,000 to Europe, 27,000 to Iran, and 6,000
fled to Asia and the Pacific.
A minimum of 24 million Afghans require humanitarian
relief as a result of hunger, the country’s economic meltdown, natural
disasters including floods, earthquakes, droughts and famine, a lack of
development aid, and the brutally cold winters.
Afghans’ and their host communities’ capacity for
resilience is being tested to the breaking point as the humanitarian crisis
persists.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Khilafat ul Muslimin Group Extremists Spark Concern in
Indonesian Christian Province
Members of hardline
Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia hold a demonstration calling for
the establishment of an Islamic caliphate during a rally in Malang on Java
island in this file photo. (Photo: AFP)
----
July 27, 2022
Indonesian Christians have called on the government to
be on the alert over the presence of an extremist Muslim group in a
Christian-majority province, following reports that more than a hundred members
of the group in the region have sparked concern.
Yohanis Fransiskus Lema, a Catholic lawmaker from East
Nusa Tenggara province, said law enforcement agencies should not underestimate
the existence of the Khilafatul Muslimin group that is trying to replace the
state philosophy of Pancasila and the Unitary State of the Republic of
Indonesia with a caliphate ideology.
"Ignorance is very dangerous because the cells of
this movement will increasingly spread throughout the province," he said
in a statement on July 26.
Khilafatul Muslimin is said to be an offshoot of Hizb
ut-Tahrir Indonesia, an extremist organization banned in 2017 by the government
after calling for an Islamic caliphate.
"The police must immediately be aware of and
investigate teaching activities and religious education as a medium for the
indoctrination and recruitment of new members,” he said.
He also asked the police, the National
Counter-Terrorism Agency, the anti-terror squad Densus 88 and the Prosecutor's
Office to "immediately coordinate to take firm action" against the
group.
The province’s Political and National Unity Agency
recently disclosed that there were 140 members of the group in West Manggarai
district in Flores.
Agency head, Jhon Oktavianus, said they are currently
conducting re-education for members who have promised to leave the group.
A Catholic priest in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai
district said so far they feel safe and continue to maintain good communication
with members of Densus 88 regarding the security situation and the existence of
the Islamist groups.
"As far as I've heard, there have been several
arrests carried out secretly by the special forces," he told UCA News.
"Clearly, we remain vigilant."
The Indonesian government has taken a firm stance
against group members.
Last month, East Java police arrested 74-year-old
Abdul Qadir Hasan Baraja, Khilafatul Muslimin's education chief, for promoting caliphate
ideology. He was accused of being behind a series of recent rallies, including
ones in West Java and in suburban areas of Jakarta, calling for the
establishment of an Islamic state.
Petrus Selestinus, a lawyer and spokesman for the
activist group Fraternity for East Nusa Tenggara, said the government should be
aware of the systematic agenda of extremist groups to penetrate the province.
"We know that members of this group were
previously arrested for spreading this ideology openly," he said, referring
to a couple who were arrested in 2020 for distributing caliphate leaflets on
the streets in Kupang, the provincial capital.
He said the arrest of a terrorist in West Manggarai
district in 2015 should also serve as a warning that "these extremist
groups carry great danger."
Stanislaus Riyanta, an intelligence analyst from the
University of Indonesia, told UCA News the group is trying to spread across the
country, including in Christian-majority areas.
"East Nusa Tenggara, an area that economically
lags behind other regions, is being targeted because there are populist issues
to exploit,” he said.
He said the economic approach is one of the methods
they use, which depends on potential populist issues in each region.
"[To stem this] the government must first deal
with community problems, lest these problems become issues seized on by these
anti-government groups," he said.
Of the 5.48 million people in East Nusa Tenggara, the
majority (53.61 percent) are Catholic and 36.68 percent are Protestant, while
9.44 percent are Muslim. Catholics dominate Flores, accounting for more than 90
percent.
The threat from Islamic extremism remains high in
Indonesia, although the authorities continue to foil attacks, including
arresting suspected terrorists.
Churches have been among the main targets of attacks.
On Palm Sunday last year, a group affiliated with the Islamic State group
bombed Makassar Cathedral in South Sulawesi, the first church bombing since the
May 13, 2018 bombing of three churches in Surabaya, East Java.
Source: UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/extremists-spark-concern-in-indonesian-christian-province/98173
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Blinken Meets With Family of Slain
Palestinian-American Al Jazeera Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
A picture of Al Jazeera
reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin, is
displayed at the Al-Jazeera headquarters building in Doha, Qatar, May 11, 2022.
Photo: Reuters/Imad Creidi.
-----
Vakkas Dogantekin
27.07.2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Tuesday with
the family of Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist who was shot dead in May
while covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the Al Jazeera news outlet.
"Today I met with the family of slain
Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose fearless journalism
earned her the respect of audiences around the world. I expressed my deepest
condolences and commitment to pursue accountability for her tragic
killing," Blinken said on Twitter.
He also shared pictures of the meeting.
Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old Palestinian-American, was
shot dead on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin
refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
While Palestinian officials and Al Jazeera accused
Israel of killing the reporter, Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.
Earlier in July, the family had harshly criticized the
results of an investigation where the US avoided remarks that held Israel
responsible for her killing.
"We, the family of Shireen Abu Akleh, write to
express our grief, outrage and sense of betrayal concerning your
administration’s abject response to the extrajudicial killing of our sister and
aunt by Israeli forces on May 11, 2022, while on assignment in the occupied
Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank," family members said in a long
letter to US President Joe Biden.
It underlined that the journalist, who was also a US
citizen, was killed by an Israeli-fired bullet to the head, despite wearing a
protective helmet and a blue bulletproof vest that was marked "press.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/blinken-meets-with-family-of-slain-al-jazeera-journalist/2646532
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India
Encouraging New Generation to Learn Urdu Need of the Hour: Chairman Telangana Haj Committee
Mohammed Hussain Ahmed
26th July 2022
Hyderabad: The chairman of the Telangana Haj committee
Mohammed Saleem said that it is the need of the hour to encourage the young
generation to learn the Urdu language. “By learning the Urdu language one can
get the knowledge of Quran and Sunnat, he said.
Addressing a program
Monday organized by the Telangana Urdu working journalist Federation on
the completion of 200 years of Urdu journalism he said that the study of Urdu
is necessary to understand the holy Quran.
He said that it is the need of the hour to encourage
the new generation to learn Urdu so that they get awareness of the Islamic
teachings. Saleem said that Hyderabad traditionally has been a place of Ganga
Jamuni culture.
He mentioned the role played by the late Abid Ali
Khan, Late Salahuddin Owaisi, Late Waqaruddin, and the editor of Siasat Daily
Zahid Ali Khan in promoting the Urdu language among the new generation.
Mohammed Saleem said that he had studied at Osmania
school where Urdu was an optional subject.
“I am an Urdu Pandit, if an Urdu language competition is held I will get
the first prize,” Mohammed Saleem said.
Mohammed Saleem further said that he completed the
Holy Quran when he was 10 years old.
He said that he has full command of English. “Some of my opponents say that I am
illiterate but I have the capacity to dictate to the Supreme Court lawyers and
chartered accountants in English,” he said.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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APJ Abdul Kalam: Remembering Missile Man of India on
his 7th death anniversary
Jul 27, 2022
NEW DELHI: Millions of Indians found great inspiration
in Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, widely known as the Missile Man of India. He was an
aerospace scientist and a phenomenal teacher who served as the 11th President
of India from 2002 to 2007, and was widely referred to as 'People's President'.
Besides, he was the first Muslim President to serve an entire term.
Today, on July 27, India is marking Dr APJ Abdul
Kalam's death anniversary. He passed away in the year 2015 from a heart attack
while giving a lecture at IIM Shillong. Thousands including Prime Minister
Narendra Modi attended the funeral held in his hometown of Rameshwaram. Dr
Kalam's demise left the nation in shock and pain.
Kalam's contributions to the nation's scientific
advancements are still acknowledged seven years after his passing.
Here are some more interesting facts about Dr APJ
Abdul Kalam-
* Born in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, on October 15, 1931,
Kalam earned his bachelor's degree in science from St. Joseph's College there
in 1954 and his master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Madras
Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1957.
* He was known as the "Missile Man of India"
because he was responsible for the development and operationalisation of the
Agni and Prithvi missiles.
* Kalam oversaw the creation of SLV III, India's first
satellite launch vehicle, which was utilised to put the Rohini satellite into
orbit around the Earth. India joined the space club as a result of this
accomplishment.
* Kalam took on the duty of creating domestic guided
missiles at the Defense Research and Development Organization after spending
two decades working for ISRO (DRDO).
* Kalam planned the Pokhran-II nuclear tests, which
catapulted India into the elite club of nuclear powers, which at the time
consisted of of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France, and
Russia. Kalam served as the model for the 2018 film "Parmanu: The Story of
Pokhran," starring John Abraham.
* He was awarded honorary doctorates by 48 Indian and
international universities and organisations.
* Kalam received the prestigious Padma Bhushan (1981),
Padma Vibhushan (1990), and Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour
(1997).
* In addition to physics and defence, Kalam
contributed to initiatives aimed at enhancing access to healthcare in rural
India. He created a low-cost stent with the help of cardiologist Soma Raju,
giving it the name Kalam-Raju stent.
* Kalam was the Prime Minister's Chief Scientific
Advisor and the DRDO Secretary for seven years, from 1992 to 1999.
* He beat Lakshmi Sahgal in 2002 to become India's
11th president. He will always be known as the "People's President"
in the annals of the nation.
Words to live by
Here are some of his most inspiring quotes-
Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts
and thoughts result in action.
Failure will never overtake me if my determination to
succeed is strong enough.
To succeed in your mission, you must have
single-minded devotion to your goal.
If you fail, never give up because FAIL means - First
Attempt In Learning.
Determination is the power that sees us through all
our frustration and obstacles. It helps in building our willpower which is the
very basis of success.
Youth should not accept any compromise or lower their
sights. A society that makes its youth crawl in conformity and enforces dogmas
on their aspirations can never flourish.
Source: Times Of India
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2,399 Bangladeshis found using fraudulently obtained
Indian documents from 2017 to 2022: MHA to Lok Sabha
Jul 26, 2022
NEW DELHI: The ministry of home affairs informed the
Lok Sabha on Tuesday that 2,399 Bangladeshi nationals were detained and
discovered using falsely obtained Indian papers at ICPs (Integrated
Check-Posts) under the authority of the Bureau of Immigration between 2017 and
2022.
Nityanand Rai, a minister of state for the home,
provided the information in response to a question posed by Ranjan Ben
Dhananjay Bhatt, a member of the BJP.
When asked if the government is aware that work is
being done quickly to create fake documents for Bangladeshis, the Minister
responded that the Central government has issued instructions to state
governments and Union Territories for taking appropriate prompt actions for
identifying illegal migrants, restricting them to certain areas in accordance
with the law, capturing their biographic and biometric details, cancellation of
fake Indian documents, and legal proceedings including initiation of
deportation proceedings as per provisions of law.
"They have also been advised to share the
particulars of those illegal migrants who have wrongfully obtained Aadhaar Cards
with UIDAI for appropriate legal action. State Governments have further been
advised to cancel any Identification documents obtained fraudulently by illegal
migrants such as voter cards, driving licenses and ration cards," said
Rai.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Pakistan
Boost for Imran's party as Pakistan SC unseats PM's son
as Punjab CM
Jul 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and his PML-N
party suffered a major blow as the Supreme Court sent on Tuesday his son Hamza
Sharif packing as CM of Punjab and declared opposition's Pervez Elahi as chief
executive of the nation's largest province and its political heart.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi in the wee hours of
Wednesday at the Aiwan-e-Sadar administered the oath to Elahi.
Elahi from Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was backed by
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). He was defeated by Hamza on July
22 after 10 votes of his party were rejected by deputy speaker of the Punjab
assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari. Hamza got 179 votes against Elahi's 176 after 10
votes of PML-Q were not counted in his favour.
Rejecting the votes, Mazari had cited a letter from
PML-Q's chief Shujaat Hussain renouncing support to Elahi. The ruling had
tilted the balance in Hamza's favour-an advantage the SC reversed in its
verdict on Elahi's petition.
In a short order, a three-member bench declared all
the appointments made by Hamza "illegal" and told the members of his
cabinet to vacate offices. All the advisers and assistants appointed by Hamza
were also ordered to be relieved of their duties.
"We find that the understanding and implementation
of the said short judgment as well as the provisions of Article 63A(1)(b) of
the Constitution by the Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Punjab, Lahore
(Respondent No.1) was patently incorrect and erroneous and cannot be
sustained," the order read.
The top court ordered for the issuance of Elahi's
notification as Punjab's new CM immediately and instructed the governor to
administer his oath by 11.30pm Tuesday. In case the governor does not
administer an oath to Elahi, President Dr Arif Alvi can do so instead, the
court ruled.
Following the governor's refusal, Elahi left for
Islamabad late Tuesday night to take oath from Alvi as per the Supreme Court's
order.
According to Geo News, President Alvi had sent a
special aircraft to bring Elahi to Islamabad for the oath-taking ceremony.
The political crisis in Punjab started in February
when the vote of no-confidence was taking shape against then PM Imran. To
prevent PML-N from taking charge of the province, the PTI had offered CM's
position to the PML-Q, having 10 legislators in a 371-member house, fearing
that it would join the opposition's camp.
Eventually, Usman Buzdar, the PTI's CM at the time,
had resigned from his seat to make way for Elahi as the joint PTI-PML-Q
candidate. In the election, 25 PTI dissidents voted for Hamza, who had got 197,
11 more votes than required for a simple majority.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan may get new army chief before Bajwa's tenure
ends
Jul 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Dr Arif Alvi agreed on
Tuesday to a suggestion that the next Army chief could be appointed before the
end of General Qamar Javed Bajwa's tenure this November 29. Bajwa is on a
three-year extension given by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government
of Imran Khan in 2019. The president was responding to question from
journalists if he thinks a new army chief should be appointed because of the
political crisis in the country. "It is not such a bad idea," Alvi
replied.
"I would have no objection to the appointment of
the next army chief before its scheduled time if the process was initiated
through laid-down procedure under relevant laws and contained the formal
approval of relevant institutions and offices," he said. "The
neutrals (top generals) need to remain neutral always."
Source: Times Of India
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of the original story:
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Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Urges Ulema, Zakireen
To Discourage Objectionable Speeches, Promote Harmony
July 26, 2022
Convener Ittehad-e-Bain-ul-Muslimeen Committee Punjab
and Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad
Tuesday urged Ulema and Zakireen to discourage objectionable speeches and
strengthen adherence of people to the spirit of Ittehad-e-Bain-ul-Muslimeen and
Paigham-e-Pakistan for lasting peace.
Maulana Azad, who is the Khateeb of Badshahi Masjid
Lahore and dubbed as ambassador of peace, chaired a divisional peace committee
meeting with a view to strengthen the bond of love and unity among Ulema from
different schools of thought and its propagation among the people for overall
peace particularly during the upcoming holy month of Muharram ul Haram.
Maulana Azad reached Multan leading a delegation of
Ulema including Sardar Muhammad Khan Leghari, Maulana Abdul Wahab Ropari,
Allama Rasheed Turrabi, Maulana Abdul Sattar Niazi, Maulana Nadeem Qamar,
Maulana Masood Qasim Qasmi, Maulana Abdur Rahman, Mufti Imran Anwar, Syed
Naubahar Shah, Hussain Mehdi, Allama Sajjad Hussain Jawwad Naqvi, Mufti Syed
Ashiq Hussain Shah, Maulana Bilal Naqshbandi, Maulana Qazi Abdul Ghaffar,
Mulazim Hussain Dogar, Khalil Ur Rahman, Maulana Abu Sufiyan hanfi, Maulana
Aslam Siddiqui, Maulana Ubauidullah, Mufti Muhammad Idrees, Maulana Ashfaq
Ahmad, Malik Khawar Husnain Bhutta, Syed Ali Raza Gardezi, Mian Ajmal Abbas,
Pir Khizar Hayat, Sahabzada Syed Abdul Basir Azad and others.
Commissioner Multan Amir Khatak, RPO Multan Riffat
Mukhtar Raja, zonal administrator Auqaf Gohar Mustafa, deputy commissioners,
DPOs from Multan division, AC Multan Khawaja Umair besides Ulema, Mashaikh, and
members of peace committees attended the meeting.
Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad said that
Paigham-e-Pakistan was a complete code of ethics and advocacy under this
thinking was proving helpful in defeating the nefarious designs of enemies of
the country.
It was high time this thinking be advocated further by
Ulema from all schools of thought, he added. He said that hate speech must be
discouraged and avoided.
He said, Islam was the religion of peace and urged
people from all schools of thought to be courteous and tolerant to one another.
Source: Pakistan Today
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FO rejects ‘preposterous’ remarks by India on CPEC
July 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday categorically rejected
as baseless and misguided the remarks made by the official spokesperson of the
Indian Ministry of External Affairs on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),
calling it an effort to politicise the project.
In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said
CPEC was a transformational project and a harbinger of stability, mutual
cooperation and shared development for the region.
As a flagship of the Belt and Road Initiative and
hallmark of the Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,
CPEC provides a vehicle for the people of the region to break from zero-sum
approaches, he remarked.
Read more: US colluding with India to sabotage CPEC,
says PM’s aide Khalid Mansoor
He said China’s investment in CPEC had helped Pakistan
overcome the energy and infrastructural bottlenecks that once constrained
growth and development.
Attempts to cast aspersions over CPEC show India’s
insecurity as well as the pursuit of a hegemonic agenda that has held back
socioeconomic development in South Asia for decades, he commented.
While rejecting India’s fallacious assertion that CPEC
impinges on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesperson pointed
out that it was in fact India that was illegally occupying the state of Jammu
and Kashmir for over seven decades.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1701762/fo-rejects-preposterous-remarks-by-india-on-cpec
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Justice Faez Isa urges CJP not to ‘bulldoze’ judges’
appointment process
Malik Asad
July 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court
Justice Qazi Faez Isa advised Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial
not to bulldoze the “due” process for appointment of more than one-third of the
total number of judges in the apex court.
In a letter written to the Judicial Commission of
Pakistan, headed by CJP Bandial, Justice Isa deplored the manner of summoning
the JCP’s meeting to consider the elevation of high court judges to the Supreme
Court.
Justice Isa said it was surprising that the JCP’s
meeting had been convened to consider appointment of five SC judges during
summer vacations.
Justice Isa stated in the letter that “while on my
annual leave I received a Whatsapp message from the Additional Registrar of the
Supreme Court informing me that the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan has
convened a meeting of the JCP on 28 July 2022 to consider appointing five
judges to the SC.
“When availing of annual leave no meeting of the JCP
was scheduled but as soon as I left Pakistan the CJP decided to hold two
meetings of the JCP to consider appointments to the Sindh and Lahore High
Courts, and now a third unscheduled meeting of the JCP is to be held during the
summer vacations of the SC.
“The summer vacations of the SC were notified by the
CJP himself, and then these were gazetted in the Official Gazette. If the CJP
renders his own notification utterly meaningless then let him first withdraw
it, instead of violating it.”
He pointed out that in the JCP meeting held on June
28, everyone, except the CJP and Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, voted to postpone the
meeting as there was no justification to call it during the gazetted summer
vacations and as the most senior judge was on sanctioned annual leave.
“I most respectfully submit that the CJP cannot reject
decisions of the JCP. In calling another meeting during notified-gazetted
vacations, when some members are on annual leave, and at a time when the
Attorney-General is recovering from the second surgery he has recently
undergone, is unjustified.
The democratically taken decision by the JCP not to
meet in such circumstances must be abided by. Democracy is the bedrock of the
Constitution and the basis on which Pakistan came into existence.”
Justice Isa suggested that the meeting might be
deferred till August 13 when he will resume the office, adding that the JCP did
not convene its meeting for months when he was present in Pakistan and then scheduled
three such meetings when the senior puisne judge was on sanctioned annual
leave.
The letter stated: “It suggests that the CJP does not
want me to be physically present, which is illegal and unconstitutional.”
It went on to state that “the CJP did not schedule
meetings when the vacancies in the SC occurred, but all of a sudden wants to
make wholescale appointments to the SC hurriedly. To appoint five judges means
more than a third of the SC, which the CJP wants to pack during
notified-gazetted vacations, and by avoiding the participation of all members.”
The CJP wants to fill-in an ‘anticipated’ vacancy too.
Article 175(8) of the Constitution does not permit this. Nor does the
Constitution permit that the CJP alone propose names, which is the sole prerogative
of the JCP, the letter said. It added that the anticipated vacancy will occur
on the retirement of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. He is being called upon to choose
his own successor. “This is unconstitutional. Pakistan is not a kingdom of yore
in which kings decided their successors. If this is permitted then the CJP may
next call a meeting of the JCP to fill-in ‘anticipated vacancies’ that will
occur in respect of all the judges of the SC, including those retiring after
him.”
Justice Isa said that the matter of appointing judges
to the superior courts requires utmost care and due deliberation as it is a
delicate matter.
Addressing the CJP, the judge said: “Please do not
ridicule the JCP and your nominees by contravening the Constitution.
Restricting the JCP to consider only the CJ’s pre-selected nominees is
inappropriate. The JCP deserves to be treated with respect and consideration by
its chairman.”
The letter said that the CJP admits to having acted
unfairly as he says that he decided to consider only a certain number of
judges, and this he did arbitrarily. He informs that he considered three judges
from Peshawar, six from Lahore till and 12 from Sindh. This does not stand to
reason because the Lahore High Court is a much larger than the High Court of
Sindh; neither the same number were considered nor of the same proportional
ratio.
Justice Isa deplored that “CJP further discriminates
by excluding for his kind consideration Chief Justice and Judges from the
Balochistan High Court and the Chief Justice and Judges from the Islamabad High
Court. The prevailing sense of deprivation of the peoples of these areas is
being further aggravated. With utmost respect, it appears that CJP has resorted
to reverse engineering by first deciding who all to nominate and then find some
pretext to justify his nominations.”
Source: Dawn
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Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker takes centre to court over
halt to ex-Fata healthcare funding
July 27, 2022
PESHAWAR: A member of the provincial assembly (MPA) of
the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has challenged the federal
government’s act of stopping funding for free medical treatment of the
residents of tribal districts under the Sehat Card Plus (SCP) programme and
non-provision of three per cent share in the National Finance Commission’s
divisible pool for the region previously called Fata.
In the petition, Mohammad Shafiq Afridi requested the
Peshawar High Court to declare that the people of tribal districts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa are entitled to their due share under the NFC Award, which is three
per cent of the NFC divisible pool.
He prayed the court to declare that the act of the
federal government to stop funding for the SCP in respect of the people of
tribal districts is illegal and rooted in malice.
The petitioner, who belongs to Khyber tribal district,
requested the court to order the federal government for the release of funding
for the SCP for the people of tribal districts.
He also challenges non-provision of share in NFC Award
to tribal districts
He requested the court to direct the federal
government to immediately release the share in the NFC of tribal districts for
their development.
The respondents in the petition filed through Ali
Gohar Durrani advocate included the federal government through the secretary of
the Cabinet Division, Finance Division through its secretary, national health
services ministry through its secretary, planning and development ministry
through its secretary,Council of Common Interest and National economic Council
through their respective secretaries, KP chief secretary, and provincial health
and finance secretaries.
The petitioner said the provincial government had
initiated its flagship ‘Sehat Card Universal Health Care Card’ programme for
its citizens.
He said under the programme, more than 7.2 million
families of KP were getting free in-patient health services.
The petitioner said initially, the facility was
launched in some parts of the province but later, it was extended to the entire
province, where people were able to get healthcare free of charge at private
and public sector hospitals.
He said the previous government at the centre had
initiated a scheme like the Sehat Card for the people of tribal districts, but
the two programs were run without harmony.
The petitioner said to harmonise the two health
schemes which were at variance, the KP finance minister had written a letter to
the federal finance minister on Oct 10, 2021, seeking the transfer of funding
to the province for the population of tribal districts in respect of the Sehat
Card programme.
He said as a consequence, the national health services
ministry moved a summary to the then prime minister for harmonising the Sehat
Card packages.
The petitioner said the proposal was approved by the
then prime minister on Feb 21, 2022, and the same was communicated to the chief
executive officer of the Social Health Protection Initiative of the health
department through a letter on Feb 23, 2022.
Referring to several written communications among the
KP government, NHS ministry and finance division, he said no action was taken
by the federal government to ensure continuity of services to residents of
tribal districts.
As an interim arrangement, he said the provincial
government had agreed to ensure continuity of the Sehat Card facility to the
people of tribal districts.
He added that the director of the Social Health
Protection Initiative wrote a letter on July 5 to the State Life Insurance
Corporation of Pakistan whereby decision of the Provincial Cabinet in respect
of shifting the Sehat Card beneficiaries of tribal districts to the SCP was
communicated but it was made clear that it was an interim arrangement.
The petitioner said the share of tribal districts as
per the NFC Award, which came to three per cent and had to be contributed by
the three provinces (other than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and the federation had not
yet materialised.
Source: Dawn
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South Asia
Afghanistan: The quiet Afghan valley standing up to
the Taliban
26 Jul 2022
Travelling through the scenic Andarab valley north of
Kabul there is no visible sign of conflict.
But whilst the Taliban are more powerful and better
armed than ever before, here and in neighbouring province of Panjshir they are
facing a nascent armed resistance to their rule in Afghanistan.
Small groups of guerrillas, hidden away on mountain
tops, led by soldiers from the former Afghan army, have been launching ambushes
and engaging in clashes with the Taliban.
Driving past fertile, green fields, we are accompanied
by the Taliban at all times, and under their watchful eye locals praise
improved security under their rule and are dismissive of the rebels. Some of
the praise does appear genuine, but in the side street of one bazaar, a man
tells us darkly: "I can't tell you the truth - if I did, I could be
killed."
It is difficult to get a sense of the true scale of
the fighting - the resistance forces often exaggerate their strength, whilst
the Taliban outright deny their presence. In Panjshir, however, anti-Taliban
fighters managed to shoot down a military helicopter and capture those on
board.
Elsewhere in Baghlan Province, resistance fighters
have recently filmed themselves pulling down a Taliban flag from a military
post.
When the BBC travelled to the Andarab valley in June,
however, the Taliban appeared in firm control of the territory.
We visit the village of Qais Tarrach and are assured
by the local military commander that "there are no problems".
"You can see for yourself, we only have a very
small military presence here," Qari Jumadin Badri, who leads a battalion
from the army's Omari Corps, tells me from a hilltop overlooking the valley.
But we have been reliably told of an ambush by
resistance forces on a Taliban vehicle close to here in May, in which two
Taliban members were killed.
"That was a long time ago," Mr Badri says.
"We launched some operations in the mountains and now there is
nothing."
In Panjshir videos have emerged of long convoys of
Taliban reinforcements, but there too Taliban officials have denied consistent
reports of clashes.
Andarab, the other bastion of anti-Taliban sentiment,
appears less heavily militarised, but speaking secretly to local residents we
have been told of repeated and serious allegations of human rights abuses
carried out by the Taliban in trying to stamp out the resistance movement.
A relative of a villager named Abdul Hashim tells us
he and three other men were detained and killed by the Taliban immediately
after the ambush near Qais Tarrach, after wrongly being accused of involvement
in the attack.
"He had his hands tied and was shot in the head
and chest," the relative said.
He shared photographs of Abdul Hashim's body and said
his brother-in-law, Noorullah, had also been killed in the incident.
"They didn't let men attend Abdul Hashim's
funeral," he told the BBC. "Only women were allowed to bury
him."
One resident, who was also detained alongside the men
by the Taliban during the search operation following the ambush, told the BBC
around 20 men had been taken away from their village by the Taliban towards the
location of the ambush, where they were beaten on their legs with metal cables
and sticks.
"They put me in the back of one pick-up truck,
someone pushed our heads down… Noorullah and Abdul Hashim were in another truck
- they took them down and behind a Humvee and shot them by a small
stream," he said.
Two other men from the same village were also killed
that day.
There are other worrying allegations. A group of four
men, travelling towards Tagharak village, a hotspot of resistance activity,
were stopped and questioned by the Taliban in June, then allegedly killed.
Last year, shortly after the Taliban takeover of Kabul
in August, resistance fighters in Andarab said they had briefly
"liberated" a number of districts.
After they were recaptured by the Taliban, a doctor
named Zainuddin was murdered at his home along with five of his relatives
including young children. A relative alleged he had been killed for having
provided treatment to resistance fighters.
"As a doctor, it was his duty to treat
everyone," said the relative angrily.
In February this year another doctor, Dr Khorami, from
Deh Salah district, was also killed. A relative alleged he had previously
received threats from the Taliban warning him to stop treating those linked to
the resistance.
Locals said a third doctor remained in custody, whilst
a number of families accused of having links to the resistance said they had
been told to leave their villages.
The Taliban's head of information in Baghlan province,
where Andarab is situated, Asadullah Hashimi, rejected the allegations.
A doctor had been killed in the area, he admitted, but
he ascribed the incident to "personal enmity".
As for the allegations of extra-judicial killings, Mr
Hashimi was categorical in denying any detainee had been killed, though he
added, if anyone "violently resists government forces" during an
operation they could be killed or arrested.
"That happens everywhere in the world."
Mr Hashimi refused to recognise the presence of
resistance forces in the region, instead referring to a small number of
"terrorists", but the area has a long history of opposition to the
Taliban.
Both Andarab and Panjshir are dominated by the
Persian-speaking Tajik community, whereas the Taliban are predominantly
Pashtun.
The Taliban have managed to successfully recruit some
locals into their ranks, unlike their previous regime in the 1990s. A number of
local Taliban intelligence and police chiefs are Tajik or Persian-speaking, as
are some of the soldiers stationed in Andarab.
Most others, however, are Pashtun. Many in Andarab
worked in the security forces of the previous Afghan government and now
strongly oppose the Taliban, regarding them as outsiders.
Some of the relatives of the victims of extra-judicial
killings, however, also criticised the resistance forces, saying their
guerrilla tactics left the civilian population vulnerable to Taliban reprisals.
The BBC managed to establish contact with one senior
resistance fighter in Andarab, Commander Shuja.
In a pre-recorded message, responding to questions
sent to him, he told the BBC: "Our fight is for justice, for brotherhood,
equality and for the real Islam, not the Islam of the Taliban - which defames
the religion…
"Our fight is for the rights of our sisters. The
Prophet Muhammad said education is compulsory for both men and women."
The violence in Andarab and Panjshir is localised and
does not yet represent a serious threat to the Taliban's overall control of the
country, but they look to be at risk of repeating some of the same mistakes as
their old opponents.
Over the past two decades, intrusive raids and
allegations of the killing of innocent civilians by Afghan and international
forces helped fuel the Taliban's popularity in parts of the country where they
already had a presence and a degree of support.
Now, they are accused of using those same
counter-insurgency tactics, whilst there appears to be little sense of
accountability.
Source: BBC
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61887714
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Muttaqi Calls on U.S. to Release Central Bank Asset:
Tashkent Conference
By Arif Ahmadi
27 Jul 2022
KABUL, Afghanistan – The acting Minister of Foreign
Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi said that the US-imposed sanctions on Afghanistan
have hindered the overall progress of the country, calling on the United States
government to release Afghanistan’s Central Bank assets.
Speaking at the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan
Tuesday, Muttaqi exclaimed the decades-long war and ongoing US sanctions are
the main reasons for poverty in the country, adding the Islamic Emirate
government is now ready to engage with the world based on mutual interest.
“The 20-year war affected our country, our economic
system is under US economic sanctions,” he said, as TOLOnews quoted. “This
action has not only prevented the transaction of money but also diminished the
activities of our government which benefits only the people.”
According to the Acting Minister, lifting economic
sanctions against Afghanistan is the best way to normalize relationship between
the two countries, saying such a move will as well leave a positive impact on
the mind of Afghan people.
“We call on the US to release Afghanistan’s Central
Bank assets without any conditions and lift economic sanctions on Afghanistan,”
he said. “This is the main step for normalization of relations. This will have
a positive impact on the minds of the Afghans toward the US.”
Anas Haqqani, a senior member of the Islamic Emirate
who is also part of the delegation, said the international community sees the
need for engagement with Afghanistan, exclaiming a number of regional countries
have defended the country.
“The world sees engagement with Afghanistan as a
necessity,” he said. “The regional countries, including China, Russia and some
other countries, have raised their voices to defend Afghanistan and have called
for the release of Afghan assets.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy National Security Adviser of
Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov stressed the need for the formation of an
inclusive government in Afghanistan, saying a joint-venture is needed to
eradicate terrorism in Afghanistan.
“The formation of an inclusive government means
inclusion of all tribes in Afghanistan particularly women,” he said. “This can
help in the betterment of the current situation. We should cooperate with each
other in countering the terrorism in Afghanistan.”
European Union’s envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson
said it a thread that he is grateful to Uzbekistan for hosting more than 20
Special Representatives and Envoys for Afghanistan in Tashkent, allowing us to
“demonstrate international unity in what we expect from the Taliban.”
“I underlined the lack of a recognised Afghan
government and the need for inclusive governance where all Afghan women and men
have a say and where different political factions and ethnic and sectarian
groups are represented,” he wrote.
“I underlined the serious human rights situation as
reported by UNAMA, including the rights of women and girls, ethnic and
sectarian groups – notably Hazaras and Shias – and media freedom,” he
continued.
“Addressing Afghanistan’s economic challenges requires
the Taliban to demonstrate budget transparency, ensure legal clarity and Rule
of Law and take credible action to guarantee the independence and technical
capacity of the Central Bank,” he elaborated.
The Tashkent conference on Afghanistan came at a time
Taliban government continued to pushing for formal recognition. But so far no
country has granted such a wish, though diplomats of Pakistan, Iran, China and
Russia – including a number of other international countries – are operating in
Afghanistan.
Source: Khaama Press
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Bangladesh seeks $4bn IMF loan as deficit widens:
Report
Jul 27, 2022
Dhaka: Bangladesh has sought a $4.5 billion loan from
the IMF, Daily Star newspaper reported on Tuesday, joining neighbours Pakistan
and Sri Lanka in seeking help to cope with mounting pressure on their
economies. Known for its big garment-exporting industry, Bangladesh has sought
funds for its balance of payment and budgetary needs, the newspaper reported,
citing documents it had seen.
The country's $416 billion economy has been one of the
fastest-growing in the world for years, but rising energy and food prices
because of the Russia-Ukraine war has inflated its import bill. Daily Star said
finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal wrote to IMF managing director Kristalina
Georgieva on Sunday. A senior finance ministry official, who did not want to be
named, said the matter was indeed "being discussed" but declined to
give details. Kamal and IMF's office in Bangladesh, a country of over 165
million people, did not respond to requests for comment. Bangladesh's July to May
current account deficit was $17.2 billion, compared with a deficit of $2.78
billion in the year-earlier period, according to central bank data. reuters
Source: Times Of India
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Taliban Foreign Minister in Tashkent Conference Says
the New Regime Established Security
By Saqalain Eqbal
26 Jul 2022
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban caretaker government’s
acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated at the Tashkent international
conference on Afghanistan, that the new government has established security,
and has managed to provide education, health, economic and other services
“within its capacity.”
According to Foreign Minister Muttaqi, the two-decade
conflict that has ravaged Afghanistan and the economic model that has been
wrecked by US sanctions are what are mostly to blame for the country’s extreme
poverty.
These, as per Muttaqi, have not only impeded
international business and financial operations but have also affected
public-benefiting government activities.
He claimed that during times of political upheaval in
Afghanistan, their leader established a culture of tolerance and acceptance by
granting general amnesty to all members of the military and political opposition
and ending the destructive four-decade practice of retaliation.
He said that Afghanistan had generated net domestic
revenue for the first time and that this allowed the nation to fund its budget.
The minister also reiterated on their firm commitment
to the international community, under the Doha agreement, of not allowing its
members or any other individual or group to threaten the security of others.
Source: Khaama Press
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Southeast Asia
Kasthuri slams deputy speaker for ejecting her, says
it sets ‘grave precedent’
July 26, 2022
PETALING JAYA: DAP’s Kasthuri Patto has hit out at the
Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker for not
having “the guts” to reprimand an Umno MP who allegedly uttered profanities in
the lower house, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent.
The Batu Kawan MP said Rashid Hasnon made a “mockery
of our Parliament” by ejecting her but allowing Tajuddin Abdul Rahman to
remain.
“This is a grave precedent set by the deputy speaker
where the Pasir Salak MP used foul language in the house, walked scot-free with
no apology nor remorse because the deputy speaker didn’t have the guts to make
him apologise and retract it,” she said in a series of tweets.
Earlier today, Kasthuri was ejected from the Dewan
Rakyat after refusing to accept Rashid’s ruling on Tajuddin’s behaviour.
Rashid had ruled that Tajuddin’s alleged use of
expletives was not recorded in the Hansard, prompting a reaction from Kasthuri.
asthuri got into an argument with Rashid before he
asked her to leave the house.
She said Tajuddin was heard making lewd remarks “at
least thrice” by nine MPs during a heated exchange, despite the microphones
being turned off.
Tajuddin’s denial was an outright lie, she said.
“(The deputy) speaker totally misled the house and
made a mockery of our Parliament.”
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Tribunal on sexual harassment likely in a year, says
minister
July 25, 2022
PETALING JAYA: The setting up of a tribunal to look
into complaints of sexual harassment is likely to take up to a year, the
minister for women, family and community development, Rina Harun, said today.
She said the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, which has
been approved by the Dewan Rakyat, will be tabled in the Dewan Negara (the
Senate) next month.
Should it be approved by the senate, the bill would
require royal assent before it becomes law.
“We are in the first process, to pass the bill, then
to set up a tribunal with appointments to be requested from the Public Services
Department and we are having discussions on these,” she said at a briefing for
the media in Kuala Lumpur today.
“However, matters related to the bill can be enforced
based on certain provisions….not everything has to be completed before
enforcement. We will see which are the provisions we need to enforce first such
as advocacy and awareness programmes on sexual harassment for the public,” she
said, Bernama reported.
“Formation of the tribunal will perhaps take over a
year,” she said.
Rina said complaints on sexual harassment would be
heard behind closed doors to protect the privacy and sensitivities of the
complainant, and to encourage more victims to lodge complaints against
offenders.
She said Malaysia currently lacked a specific law
against sexual harassment, aside from laws on criminal intimidation, insult and
annoyance.
“But today, many women when asked or interviewed in
the studies conducted admitted having been sexually harassed but did not come
forward to lodge a report due to being scared, ashamed or having no clear
evidence.
“When the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act is approved, we
want to see public awareness and education that sexual harassment is not normal
nor an accepted culture, and not to be taken lightly or viewed as a small
matter.
She said the new law would help to provide a safe
environment for the public, not just at the workplace but in public areas as well.
She said an opinion poll showed that 87.5% of
respondents stated that they would report sexual harassment to the tribunal.
Hence, Rina said her ministry would be holding a
nationwide tour with non-governmental organisations and other related parties to
create awareness and explain on sexual harassment.
The ministry’s deputy secretary-general, Chua Choon
Hwa, said the tribunal would be empowered to require an apology to be made to
the complainant and for the apology to be broadcast if the sexual harassment
was committed in public.
The tribunal could also order offenders to pay
compensation of up to RM250,000 to be paid to the complainant.
Chua said the tribunal would be an alternative
platform for victims of sexual harassment to seek redress.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Malaysia expects China to spur tourism growth as Matta
eyes more direct flights between both countries
By Adrian David
July 26, 2022
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is eagerly awaiting the return
of Chinese tourists to boost the country's foreign revenue.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents
(Matta) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said he believed visitors from China
would return in large numbers once Beijing relaxes travel restrictions for its
citizens.
"We believe that China has a significant impact
on driving tourism not only in Malaysia but the Asean region as a whole.
"We are hoping for an increased number of direct
flights between China and Malaysia in line with the aspirations of the people
of both countries, visa updates and investments in tourism," he said.
Tan said, for the past 13 years, China had been
Malaysia's leading commercial partner, and even during the height of the global
Covid-19 pandemic, bilateral trade had increased.
He added that China-Malaysia trade climbed 5.7 per
cent to US$131.16 billion (RM579.72 billion) last year despite the pandemic.
Malaysia and China's bilateral trade volume, he said,
increased by 34.5 per cent last year to US$176.8 billion (RM781.45 billion).
"For the first four months of this year, the rise
was 19.7 per cent, equivalent to US$61.57 billion in revenue (RM272.14
billion).
"This signals a positive expansion momentum,
keeping in mind that both countries offer compelling and distinctive
attractions," Tan said after meeting Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang
Yujing.
He added that prior to the pandemic, on Jan 19, 2020,
Matta had planned a number of mini-shows to mark the "Malaysia-China Year
of Culture and Tourism", with China's culture and tourism vice-minister
officiating the event.
"Matta also wants China as a preferred travel
destination for Malaysians because Muslim travel to China is an emerging
market.
"Places like Xinjiang, Nanning, Ningxia, Gansu,
Xian/Shaanxi, Qinghai and Guilin are the preferred choice for Muslim
tourists," he said.
He added that in light of the expanding business
investments, business and trade operations between Sabah and China, Matta had
invited Ouyang to experience climbing the renowned Mount Kinabalu.
"We have suggested to Ouyang the possibility of a
China-based commercial bank branch being established in Kota Kinabalu,"
said Tan.
Meanwhile, Ouyang said in 2019, 3.1 million Chinese
tourists had visited Malaysia, as compared with 1.38 million Malaysians who had
been to China.
"We believe that the number of visitors to both
countries will continue to expand significantly, keeping in mind that both
places offer compelling and distinctive attractions.
Source: NST
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When will Indonesian workers return, Guan Eng asks
Saravanan
July 26, 2022
PETALING JAYA: DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has asked
human resources minister M Saravanan when Indonesian workers will be allowed to
return to Malaysia.
In a statement addressing the current labour shortage,
he said that while Saravanan had given assurances that matters were resolved
with Indonesia, Jakarta’s ambassador Hermono did not offer any such confirmation.
Earlier this month, Hermono said Indonesia was halting
its workers from entering Malaysia as the country had reneged on its promises
in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on domestic workers.
“With such a severe trust deficit between both countries,
can Saravanan tell Malaysians when Indonesian workers will be returning to
Malaysia?” Lim asked.
He also demanded that the government take immediate
action on the acute labour shortage that was crippling production and
stagnating economic growth.
Due to the labour shortage, Lim said Malaysia had lost
an estimated RM10.5 billion worth of unpicked oil palm fruits so far this year
and RM2 billion in auto parts exports a year.
He then highlighted the ringgit’s depreciation to an
all-time low against the Singapore dollar at RM3.22 and five-year low against
the US dollar at RM4.46.
“A weak ringgit against two of our three biggest
trading partners is an ominous sign of investors’ lack of confidence in our
country’s economic prospects.”
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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North America
US says it has not seen any signs of Russia buying
drones from Iran
27 July ,2022
The US said Tuesday that it has not seen Russia buy any
drones from Iran despite earlier assessments that the Kremlin was planning to
do so as it becomes isolated by international sanctions.
“We’ve seen no indications of any sort of actual
delivery and/or purchase of Iranian drones by the Russian Ministry of Defense,”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told Al Arabiya English during a
call with reporters.
Earlier this month, National Security Advisor Jake
Sullivan revealed that the US had intelligence suggesting that Iran was
preparing to provide Russia with “several hundred” drones to use in its war on
Ukraine, with training sessions set to begin as early as this month.
But on Tuesday, Kirby said the White House had not
seen anything “that has been actually affected.”
Russia was reportedly looking to China for weapons
shortly after most of the international community showed unity against its
invasion. US officials warned Beijing against such moves, which appear not to
have materialized.
He pointed out that Vladimir Putin looking to Tehran
for drones proved that the Kremlin was being “pinched” by sanctions and export
controls.
“We know that the sanctions are having an effect on
his defense industrial base. This seems to be yet another indication of the
kind of effect that they’re having,” Kirby said.
The US and Europe have imposed severe sanctions on
Russia in the aftermath of its invasion of Ukraine in February. After failing
to overthrow the government in Ukraine and capture Kyiv, Putin’s forces turned
their attention to the eastern Donbas region and southern port cities.
With the war entering its sixth month, Putin shows no
signs of letting up. Ukrainian forces have also put up a brave fight with the
help of Western weapons.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US and Egyptian officials discuss water security,
Ethiopian dam
July 27, 2022
LONDON: The US envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike
Hammer, on Monday had met with Egyptian government officials to discuss the
north African country’s water security and a number of regional issues, the US
embassy in Cairo said on Tuesday.
Hammer held talks with Chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee in the Egyptian House of Representatives Karim Darwish to
discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, regional challenges across the
Middle East and Africa, and the robust, strategic partnership between the US
and Egypt.
Cairo has been seeking a deal for years over the GERD,
which Egypt says could put at risk its scarce water supplies. The dam is under
construction on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile and Ethiopia started filling the reservoir
behind the dam two years ago.
“Hammer’s visit helped advance our continued dialogue
and ongoing partnership with Egypt,” the embassy said.
Source: Arab News
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US thanks Turkish president, UN chief for Ukraine
grain deal
Michael Hernandez
26.07.2022
WASHINGTON
The US thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday for their efforts in
setting up a center to facilitate Ukraine grain exports to global markets.
"We welcome and we appreciate the leadership of
the UN secretary-general, as well as President Erdogan, in getting this Joint
Coordination Center stood up," National Security Council spokesman John
Kirby told reporters. "We know that was no easy feat, and they worked hard
at it. Now, obviously, the proof is going to be in the pudding."
The Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center (JCC) is
set to officially open on Wednesday.
Under a deal inked last Friday between Ukraine,
Russia, the UN, and Türkiye, the joint coordination center is being set up in
Istanbul to carry out inspections, and to ensure the safety of trade routes as
ships prepare to depart three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea covered by the
agreement.
"It's noteworthy that in this JCC you'll have
representatives not just from the UN, but also from Ukraine, Russia, and of
course, Turkey to help coordinate the movement of this grain," said Kirby.
"There is an awful lot of work ahead of the individuals who are now placed
there at the JCC."
Roughly 80 ships stocked with Ukrainian grain are
either ready to depart, or will soon be ready to sail for global ports,
according to the White House.
Kirby said the US "looks forward" to the JCC
getting to work and "getting that grain moving by sea."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Europe
EU submits draft Iran nuclear deal text: Borrell
26 July ,2022
The EU's foreign policy chief said Tuesday he has
submitted a draft text of a deal on Iran's nuclear program, urging parties to
accept it or “risk a dangerous nuclear crisis”.
It comes after Iran warned on Monday it would not be
rushed into a “quick” deal reviving its faltering 2015 nuclear accord with
world powers, as negotiations in Vienna remain deadlocked.
Writing in the Financial Times, the EU's top diplomat
Josep Borrell said: “This text represents the best possible deal that I, as
facilitator of the negotiations, see as feasible.
“It is not a perfect agreement, but it addresses all
essential elements and includes hard-won compromises by all sides”.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri wrote on
Twitter on Tuesday: “The Coordinator has shared his ideas to conclude the
negotiations. We, too, have our own ideas, both in substance and form, to
conclude the negotiations which would be shared.”
The 2015 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange
for curbs on its atomic program to guarantee that it could not develop a
nuclear weapon -- something it has always denied seeking.
But the US' unilateral withdrawal from the accord in
2018 under then-president Donald Trump, and Washington's reimposition of biting
economic sanctions, prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments.
Talks in Vienna that started in April 2021 to restore
the deal -- known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA
-- have stalled since March amid differences between Tehran and Washington.
The two sides negotiated indirectly through the
European Union coordinator.
Borrell said the draft text “addresses, in precise
detail, the sanctions lifting as well as the nuclear steps needed to restore
the JCPOA.”
He accepted it may not address all US concerns about
Iran, and acknowledged there are serious reservations in Tehran about
implementing a deal “after the negative experience of recent years.”
But he said “decisions need to be taken now”.
Source: Al Arabiya
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YPG/PKK terror group supporters stage demonstration in
Brussels
Selen Temizer
26.07.2022
BRUSSELS
Around a hundred of supporters of the YPG/PKK terror
group organized a demonstration in Brussels on Tuesday.
The group gathered on the Schuman square located in
front of the headquarters of the EU Commission and European Council.
Chanting slogans in support of the YPG/PKK and its
convicted terrorist ringleader Abdullah Ocalan, they handed out leaflets
defaming Türkiye to passersby.
A recent report prepared by the EU’s law enforcement
agency Europol revealed that PKK organizations in the EU are coordinated by the
Belgium-based European Kurdish Democratic Societies Congress (KCDK-E).
PKK members were also involved in “organized crime
activities such as money laundering, racketeering, extortion, and drug
trafficking,” according to the Europol’s annual report.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Greek plan to shut down minority Turkish schools
decried by locals
Derya Gulnaz Ozcan
26.07.2022
ATHENS
The Greek decision to close four more primary schools
belonging to the Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace for the 2022-2023
school year has been decried by locals, calling the move part of a systematic
plan to cut the number of minority schools.
Aydin Ahmet, head of the Western Thrace Turkish Teachers
Union, and Ozan Ahmetoglu, head of the Iskece Turkish Union (ITB), spoke to
Anadolu Agency about the issue.
Athens makes decisions for the Turkish minority
without bothering to consult with them, said Ahmet.
The practice of closing schools if the number of
students falls below nine has led to a "steep fall" in the number of
minority schools, he said, stressing that the number has fallen to less than
100.
So far Greece has disregarded the objections of the
minority community on this issue, Ahmet added. Greece’s Western Thrace region
is home to a Muslim Turkish community of around 150,000, especially in
Gumulcine and Iskece, which has long faced systematic discrimination.
"Our schools are closed every year, one by one,
on the pretext of a lack of children. Our schools, however, are private and
autonomous according to the Treaty of Lausanne,” he argued, referring to a 1923
pact obligating Türkiye and Greece to protect minority Turks and Greeks in each
other’s countries.
The suggestion that children in villages with a low
number of students can be directed to nearby schools has gotten no response, he
added.
Ahmet said the schools have been “temporarily” closed
for two years, but then are never reopened despite more students wanting to
enroll.
“A day-to-day reduction in the number of minority
schools as much as possible is planned,” Ahmet said.
Substandard schools, facilities
Highlighting the problems faced by the minority
community, he said Turkish teachers in Western Thrace who graduated from
education faculties at universities in neighboring Türkiye are not allowed to
work in minority schools, and there are no bilingual kindergartens.
Ahmetoglu also told of the difficulties at the Iskece
Minority Secondary and High School, which has about 750 students.
"The classrooms are too small and we even had to
set up classrooms in the basement," he said. "Even though there’s an
annex building, it’s not enough and first graders are taught at the secondary
school in the afternoon."
He said the minority has been pressing for a new
school building for years, but to no avail.
The Treaty of Lausanne envisages educational autonomy
for the Turkish community in Western Thrace, and minority schools are mandated
to provide bilingual education in both Turkish and Greek.
But over the last 27 years, the number of minority
primary schools in the region has fallen sharply, from 231 to 99.
Only two schools, one in Iskece and the other in
Gumulcine, provide secondary and high school education.
Türkiye has called the Greek decision to close the
schools "discrimination."
Türkiye has long decried Greek violations of the
rights of its Muslim and Turkish minority, from closing down mosques and
shutting down schools, to banning associations with the word “Turkish” in the
name, to not letting Muslim Turks elect their own religious leaders.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkey to drill for gas in Mediterranean early next
month: Ministry
26 July ,2022
Turkey will resume gas exploration off its coast in
the Mediterranean on August 9, the energy ministry said Tuesday.
“Turkish drilling ship Adbulhamid Han will start a
mission in the Mediterranean on August 9 departing from the Mersin port” in the
south of the country, it said in a statement.
It did not say where exactly the drilling would take
place, but a top Turkish official last week said it would carry on with
exploration near the divided island of Cyprus next month.
The European Union came close to sanctioning Ankara in
2020 for pushing into contested east Mediterranean waters in search of fresh
natural gas reserves.
Turkey disputes its maritime borders in the eastern
Mediterranean with EU members Greece and Cyprus.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when
Turkish forces occupied the northern part of the island in response to a
military coup sponsored by the junta in power in Greece at the time.
The northern third is the self-declared Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) -- recognized only by Ankara.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkey says Sweden has not yet extradited suspects
despite NATO accord
July 27, 2022
ANKARA: Sweden has not yet extradited suspects Turkey
seeks over terrorism-related charges despite signing an accord to lift Ankara’s
veto to its NATO membership last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in
response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but were faced with opposition from
Turkey which accused the Nordic countries of imposing arms embargoes on Ankara
and supporting groups it deems terrorists.
Source: Arab News
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Arab World
Syrian government forces prepared to confront any
possible Turkish aggression: Army
27 July 2022
The General Command of the Syrian Army and Armed
Forces says the Arab country’s government troops are fully prepared to respond
intensely to any possible Turkish offensive, amid President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s renewed threats of a new military operation in northern Syria.
“In the wake of an upsurge in attacks by Turkish
military forces on Syrian territories over the past two days and shelling on
different neighborhoods and a number of [Syrian] army positions, we reiterate
that our valiant army is ready to confront any possible aggression by the
Turkish regime and its allied militants,” Syria’s official news agency SANA
cited an unnamed Syrian military source as saying in a statement.
Last week, Erdogan said Ankara's plan for a new
military offensive in northeast Syria against members of the Kurdish People’s
Protection Units (YPG) will remain on the agenda until security concerns are
addressed.
Back on July 19, the Turkish president earned a rebuke
for his push for the offensive from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei, whose country has been helping Syria in its anti-terror
campaign, in a bilateral meeting.
Ayatollah Khamenei told Erdogan that any Turkish
offensive on Syria would be “detrimental” to Syria, Turkey itself, and the
entire region, calling for the issue to be resolved through dialog between
Ankara, Damascus, Moscow, and Tehran.
Moscow has also previously called on Ankara to
“refrain” from an attack.
Erdogan on May 23 signaled a new Turkish cross-border
operation in northern Syria with the declared aim of creating a 30-kilometer
(18.6-mile) wide safe zone along Turkey’s border with Syria.
He did not provide further details but said the
operation would be launched as soon as military, intelligence, and security
forces have completed their preparations.
Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of
the Arab country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern
Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened
cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push YPG fighters away from
border areas.
Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist organization tied
to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an
autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.
Source: Press TV
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Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince heads to Greece, France on
official visits
26 July ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has
departed the Kingdom heading to Greece and France on an official visit, the
official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday.
“Based on the directives of Saudi Arabia’s King
Salman… and in response to the invitations extended to the Crown Prince, [the
latter] has departed the Kingdom to visit Greece and France where he will meet
with the country’s leaders,” SPA reported.
The Crown Prince will discuss bilateral ties and issues
of mutual interest during his meetings.
The Crown Prince last visited France in April 2018
where he met with French officials including President Emmanuel Macron.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia’s King, Crown Prince congratulate India’s
new president
26 July ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s leaders congratulated India’s new
President Droupadi Murmu on being elected to the position, the official Saudi
Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman wished success, progress and prosperity in their cable
messages.
Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India’s president on
Monday, making her the first person from one of the country’s marginalized
tribal communities to serve as head of state.
The former schoolteacher and state governor was
elected to the largely ceremonial position last week with 64 percent of the
vote by members of India’s parliament and state assemblies.
Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe and was born in
eastern Odisha state, paid her respects before her inauguration at a memorial
dedicated to India’s independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi, AFP
reported.
“I started my life journey from a small tribal
village,” Murmu, 64, said after taking the oath of office in parliament.
“From the background I come from, it was like a dream
for me to even get elementary education,” she was quoted as saying by AFP.
“But despite many obstacles, my resolve remained
strong and I became the first daughter from my village to go to college.”
Murmu’s win was considered a certainty because of the
strength of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the parliament
and state assemblies.
Saudi – India ties
The countries enjoy strong bilateral trade and
friendly foreign relations that date as far back as 1947, according to an
online report by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh.
The current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
visited Riyadh in April 2016 during which King Salman conferred the highest
civilian honor – the King Abdulaziz Sash in recognition of the strong relations
between the two nations.
During a February 2019 visit to India by Saudi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom announced an investment of nearly $100
billion in addition to agreements in the tourism and housing sectors.
Prime Minister Modi visited Riyadh again in October
2019, during which 12 MoUs were signed across energy, security, defense
production, civil aviation, medical products, strategic petroleum reserves,
small and medium scale industries, and training of diplomats.
Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading
partner, according to the report by the Indian Embassy. More than 18 percent of
India’s crude oil imports are reportedly sourced from Saudi Arabia with
bilateral trade in FY22 (April to December) valued at $29.28 billion.
Source: Al Arabiya
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PKK terrorists last year killed, injured scores of civilians
in northern Iraq
Faruk Zorlu
26.07.2022
ERBIL, Iraq
Last year alone, scores of civilians and security
forces lost their lives or were injured in terrorist attacks carried out by the
terrorist group PKK in Iraq.
While hundreds of villages have been evacuated due to
the PKK's presence in Iraq, thousands of Ezidis from northern Iraq's Sinjar
region unable to go back to their homes have been struggling to survive in
camps in the hope of returning.
The PKK targeted many security forces with attacks and
mines it laid on the road and also targeted civilians, including children and
tourists, in terrorist attacks last year.
PKK terrorist acts last year
On June 5, 2021, five Peshmerga soldiers were killed
in a PKK ambush in the Duhok province.
The Security Council of the Kurdish Regional
Government (KRG) in northern Iraq announced on April 17 that it had seized a
ton of explosives in Dohuk.
The PKK attacked the Iraqi Army in the Sinjar district
of the Mosul province on April 19, injuring five soldiers.
Also, 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of explosive material
placed by the PKK in the Amadiya district was defused on May 4.
The leg of 45-year-old Hursid Musa, the father of
eight children, was amputated due to a mine placed by the PKK in Shehan in the
Duhok province on May 7.
On May 16, the KRG Security Council also announced
that a group of PKK terrorists was caught while preparing to attack and that a
large supply of ammunition was confiscated.
The PKK terrorists were reportedly preparing to
organize bombings in the KRG.
In May, the PKK also carried out a bomb attack on the
satellite center of a TV channel in Dohuk, while two children were killed and
one other was injured in the Amadiya district in a PKK bomb attack. In another
attack on Peshmerga forces in the Amadiya district, one Peshmerga soldier was
injured.
In June, a roadside bomb placed by the PKK killed a
Danish cyclist in the Amadiya district and another person was injured.
Additionally, the PKK kidnapped a Peshmerga soldier in the Sinjar region. The
terrorist group also launched an attack on Peshmerga forces. The terrorist
group’s militants opened fire on people demonstrating against them, and there
were injuries in the Sinjar district of the Mosul province
Ezidi community under PKK presence in Sinjar region
After Daesh/ISIS attacks in 2014, most Ezidis had to
leave their homes and flee to various parts of the country, including the KRG
area. Some of the Ezidis also took refuge in Turkiye.
The PKK abducted and forcibly recruited Ezidi children
in Sinjar. The Ezidis held many protests for the release of their children
kidnapped by the terror group.
Due to the PKK's presence in the Sinjar region, the
Ezidis had to flee their homes once again after clashes between the PKK and the
Iraqi army.
In May, Viyan Dehil, an Ezidi lawmaker in the Iraqi
parliament, said more than 4,000 civilians have been displaced in Sinjar in
just two days, while at least 701 families reportedly left their homes due to
the conflicts in Sinjar.
Villages evacuated
Also, 380 villages in the Duhok province were
abandoned due to the PKK, according to regional authorities.
In a Feb. 27, 2021 statement, KRG Prime Minister Masoud
Barzani stressed that authorities could not rebuild 800 villages due to the PKK
terrorist group, adding that they would not tolerate its presence in the
region.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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YPG/PKK terrorists’ infiltration attempt foiled in
Syria
Omer Koparan
26.07.2022
AZAZ, Syria
The Syrian National Army thwarted Tuesday an overnight
attempt by the YPG/PKK terror group to infiltrate its front lines in northern Syria.
The YPG/PKK terrorists tried to infiltrate the
opposition-controlled Marea district in the northern countryside of Aleppo
province.
The Syrian National Army soldiers then clashed with
the terrorists who attempted an assault from the area east of Tal Rifat, which
have been occupied by the YPG/PKK for six years, and repelled the attack.
The YPG/PKK terrorists suffered losses in the clashes
and retreated, according to local security sources.
The terrorists tried to infiltrate the zone on Monday
as well but the Syrian National Army managed to push them back.
The YPG/PKK terrorists continue to hide in Tal Rifat,
which is only 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the Turkish border and on the
frontline of the Operation Euphrates Shield zone, where Turkish security forces
have been providing security since 2016.
The terrorist group frequently attacks Jarabulus,
Afrin, and Azaz from the Manbij and Tal Rifat areas in Syria.
The YPG/PKK terrorists often target Turkish security
forces providing security in the areas of Operation Euphrates Shield, Olive
Branch, and Peace Spring, and try to infiltrate the positions of Syrian
opposition fighters from regions where the terror group was supposed to
withdraw under the agreements with the US and Russia.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched three successful
anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the
formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents.
They are Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Rocket attack targets Turkish Consulate in Iraq's
Mosul: Reports
27 July 2022
A rocket attack has reportedly targeted Turkey's
Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, as tensions simmer between
Baghdad and Ankara over an alleged Turkish strike on a tourist resort in the
Arab country's semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The Iranian Fars news agency cited unidentified
sources as saying that the missile attack on the Turkish Consulate in Mosul had
taken place early on Wednesday.
Separately, the Canadian-based GardaWorld Crisis24,
citing unknown Iraqi sources, reported that two missiles had landed in the
vicinity of the Turkish Consulate. According to the sources, no casualties were
caused by the attack, but a number of vehicles belonging to Turkish contractors
and translators were damaged.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the
reported attack. And Turkey is yet to confirm the incident.
Increased security and localized transport disruptions
were expected in the area as authorities investigated and responded to the
incident, according to the sources cited by Crisis24.
Meanwhile, a source from Mosul Police, speaking on the
condition of anonymity, has told Xinhua news agency that several houses were
damaged when six mortar rounds landed near the Turkish Consulate.
The reported strike, if confirmed, would be the second
of its kind in the past few days. On Sunday evening, a rocket attack targeted a
military base housing Turkish troops in the district of Bashiqa near Mosul
City.
A group dubbed Saraya Awliya al-Dam (Guardians of
Blood Brigade) claimed responsibility for that attack in a video posted online.
The group reportedly said it had used 122mm Grad rockets in the attack, which
it said had come in response to the Turkish attack. It also warned that it
would take the battle to Turkish territory.
On July 20, an attack attributed to Turkey targeted
the Iraqi village of Parakh in Dohuk Province, killing at least nine tourists,
including children and women, and wounding more than 20 others. Iraqi
authorities blamed Turkey, which did not specifically deny having conducted an
attack but said no civilians had been targeted. The Turkish Foreign Ministry
blamed the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group for spreading
anti-Turkish propaganda in the incident.
Militants of the PKK — designated as a terrorist group
by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union — regularly clash with
Turkish forces in the Kurdish-dominated southeast of Turkey attached to
northern Iraq.
In response, the Turkish military has occupied areas
in northern Iraq, where it regularly conducts attacks against purported PKK
positions without the Arab country's consent. Baghdad has repeatedly condemned
Ankara's ongoing military operations in northern Iraq.
Baghdad has filed an official complaint at the United
Nations Security Council against Ankara, urging the UNSC to hold an emergency
meeting to discuss the strikes.
Iraq demands withdrawal of all Turkish troops
Meanwhile, Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has
called on the UNSC to urgently adopt a resolution demanding that Turkey
withdraw all its troops from Iraqi territory and halt incursions into the Arab
country's airspace.
Hussein made the request during a speech at an
emergency meeting of the UNSC on Wednesday.
"We are trying to persuade the members of the
Security Council to expel Turkish forces from Iraqi territory," Hussein
was quoted by Iraqi state media as saying.
In a sign that the Iraqi government was also taking
Turkish concerns into account, the minister said he would also request that the
Council "pass a resolution to help Iraq expel the PKK."
He said Baghdad was ready to work alongside the United
Nations and concerned countries "to ensure that elements of the PKK leave
Iraq because this destabilizes Iraq" and undermines security in the
country.
The Iraqi foreign minister further called on the
Security Council to set up "an international independent team of inquiry"
to look into what he called the Turkish army's "flagrant aggression."
Hussein also emphasized that "there is a state of
public anger that has engulfed Iraq from the south to the north due to Turkish
aggression," warning that Ankara's continued aggressive behavior may lead
to "unimaginable consequences."
In a statement on Monday, the UNSC strongly denounced
the attack on the tourist resort in Iraq's Kurdistan region. The statement
added that the members of the Security Council "also expressed their support
for the Iraqi authorities in their investigations, calling on all member states
to cooperate with Baghdad in this regard."
Source: Press TV
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At UN, Iraq and Turkey escalate dispute over attack
27 July ,2022
A dispute between Iraq and Turkey over a recent deadly
attack in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region escalated at an emergency meeting of
the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
Iraq’s foreign minister demanded the withdrawal of all
Turkish troops from his country, while Turkey’s deputy ambassador said his
government will keep pursing fighters it considers terrorists who take refuge
in Iraq.
The Iraqi government sought the meeting after the July
20 artillery attack that killed nine Iraqi tourists and injured 33 other
people. Its foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, said the government has “proofs”
that Turkish armed forces were responsible.
Turkey has denied it was behind the attack and blamed
fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which is considered a
terrorist organization by Ankara and the West . It has for decades waged an
insurgency against the government in Ankara and maintains hideouts in Iraq’s
mountainous north.
At the start of the Security Council meeting, the UN
special envoy for Iraq had said Turkey and Iraq were ready for a joint
investigation into the artillery shelling at the Parkha resort in the Zakho
district of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said Iraq’s caretaker prime
minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, emphasized in a conversation Monday “the
importance of a transparent and thorough investigation: independent or
jointly.” She quoted him as saying it is vital “to put a stop to speculations,
denials, misunderstandings, and rising tensions.”
The UN envoy said she understood “that Turkey is also
ready to address the issue jointly, with Iraq, in order to determine exactly
what happened.”
Iraq’s Hussein called on the Security Council to set
up “an international independent team of inquiry” to look into what he called
the Turkish army’s “flagrant aggression.”
The foreign minister told journalists later that Iraq
is also ready to have a joint investigation with Turkey, but he said “they
didn’t approach us” and “never sent us an official letter about having an
investigation.”
Turkey’s deputy UN ambassador, Öncü Keçeli, countered
that “we made it clear that Turkey is ready to take all the steps to unveil the
truth,” stressing to the council that “our officials at many different levels
have given the same message.”
He said some Iraqi authorities were on the same page
as Turkey and “wanted to find out the truth.” But other Iraqi officials, he
said, “chose escalation instead of diplomacy and cooperation,” and started a
media “smear campaign” aimed at driving a wedge between the Turkish and Iraqi
people.
Hussein said the Iraqi government is “sure” the
Turkish military was responsible for the attack. He pointed to the findings of
its investigation that Turkey’s army has bases in the area near the resort, PKK
fighters have not been in the area for the last month and the Turkish army uses
155 mm artillery projectiles whose fragments were found at the scene.
Hussein added that many people in the area “gave us
enough information about the activity of Turkish soldiers there.”
He called on the Security Council to urgently adopt a
resolution demanding that Turkey withdraw what he said were about 4,000 combat
soldiers from Iraq, and halt incursions into Iraqi airspace.
Turkey’s Keçeli countered that “the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Iraq are breached by terrorist organizations, not by
Turkey,” which he said has always supported Iraq’s sovereignty.
“As we speak, the flags of the PKK terrorist
organization are raised in certain parts of northern Iraq, not the flags of the
federal government” or the Kurdish regional government, he said,
Turkey estimates the PKK controls an area of “at least
10,000 square kilometers in Iraq,” he said. “Nearly 800 villages have been
forcefully evacuated by the PKK and all these spots have become a safe haven
for the terrorists.” In the first six months of this year the PKK carried out
339 attacks against Turkey, he said.
“Iraq has so far proven to be either unable or
unwilling to fight the terrorists,” and therefore it cannot blame Turkey for
exercising its right to self-defense, Keçeli said.
Hussein said Iraq’s government is ready to work
alongside the United Nations and concerned countries “to ensure that elements
of the PKK leave Iraq because this destabilizes Iraq” and undermines security
in the country.
The Security Council issued a statement Monday
condemning the attack on the resort “in the strongest terms,” expressing
support for Iraqi authorities “in their investigations” and urging all countries
to cooperate with the Iraqi government “and all other relevant authorities in
support of these investigations.” The council did not mention Turkey.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Ten killed in south Syria clashes: Monitor
27 July ,2022
Gunmen supporting Syria's government and others
opposed to Damascus clashed in the southern Syrian province of Sweida Tuesday,
killing at least 10 people, a war monitor said.
Six loyalists and four people against the regime lost
their lives after the fighting erupted in two villages in the Druze-majority
province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring
group said.
Tensions had been rising since Monday, after the
abduction of two people critical of the Damascus government.
The Druze, who made up less than three percent of
Syria's pre-war population, have largely kept out of the country's civil war
since it started in 2011.
Sweida has been spared most of the fighting, though
local forces had to repel limited rebel attacks in 2013 and 2015, and an
extremist rampage in 2018 killed more than 250 people.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iraq to free Briton convicted in antiquities case:
Lawyer
26 July ,2022
An Iraqi court has overturned the conviction and
15-year sentence handed to a British pensioner last month for antiquities
smuggling, the retiree’s lawyer told AFP Tuesday.
The conviction of James Fitton has been “overturned
today by the Court of Cassation and my client will soon be free,” lawyer Thaer
Saoud told AFP.
“We are very pleased by the decision, but we are still
waiting for his release,” his son-in-law, Sam Tasker, told AFP in a phone call.
Fitton had been charged under a 2002 law against “intentionally
taking or trying to take out of Iraq an antiquity.”
He stood trial alongside German national Volker
Waldmann, who was acquitted. Both men had pleaded not guilty.
According to statements from customs officers and
witnesses, Fitton’s baggage contained about a dozen stone fragments, pieces of
pottery or ceramics.
When the judge in the original trial asked Fitton why
he tried to take the artefacts out of Iraq, the retired geologist cited his
“hobby” and said he did not mean to do anything illegal. But the judge
concluded there was criminal intent.
The maximum penalty for the offence is death by
hanging, but Fitton was sentenced to 15 years because of his “advanced age,”
the judge in the original trial said.
Fitton’s lawyer launched the appeal just over a month
ago.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Crown Prince, Greek PM sign military, economic,
security agreements
26 July ,2022
Saudi Arabia and Greece signed on Tuesday memoranda of
understanding in military, economic and security cooperation, during the
official visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The MoUs also covered cooperation in the scientific
and technological field.
The Saudi Crown Prince held a bilateral meeting with
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximus Palace in Athens.
He stressed after his arrival that the Kingdom has
historical and close ties with Greece.
He also said: “We will help Greece establish the
electrical interconnection network, and we will discuss ways of cooperation in
the field of green hydrogen projects.”
The Greek Prime Minister said that he will discuss
enhancing cooperation and partnership opportunities with Saudi Arabia.
He also described the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince
to Athens as an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations.
Earlier today, the Crown Prince headed in an official
procession to Maximus Palace, the headquarters of the Prime Minister in the
Greek capital.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Israel army razes suspects’ homes in settlement guard
killing
July 26, 2022
QARAWAT BANI HASAN: Israeli forces today demolished
the homes of two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank accused of shooting
dead a Jewish settler in April, an army statement said.
The army said it had destroyed the homes in Qarawat
Bani Hasan, in the northern West Bank, belonging to Yusef Aasi and Yehya Miri,
accused of perpetrating “a deadly shooting attack at the entrance to the city
of Ariel, murdering the Israeli security guard Vyacheslav Golev”.
Aasi and Miri were arrested a day after the April 29
attack and are being held by Israel.
They have not yet faced trial in Israeli military
court, which exercises jurisdiction over offences committed by Palestinians in
parts of the West Bank, a territory occupied by the Jewish state since 1967.
“The demolition took place after the petition from the
terrorists’ families was rejected by the Supreme Court,” the army statement
said.
The army added that during the demolitions, “hundreds
of Palestinians instigated a number of violent riots. The rioters hurled rocks,
Molotov cocktails and burning tyres at the soldiers. The forces responded with
riot dispersal means.”
Golev was killed during a period of surging tensions
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including regular clashes between
Palestinians and Israeli security forces at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa
mosque compound at the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Human rights activists say Israel’s policy of
demolishing the homes of suspected attackers amounts to collective punishment,
as it can render non-combatants, including children, homeless.
But Israel says the practice is effective in deterring
some Palestinians from carrying out attacks.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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IRGC Commander: Iran Manufacturing Stealth Speedboats
2022-July-26
Speaking on the sidelines of Malek Ashtar Festival
held in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan province, on Monday, Rear Admiral Tangsiri said
using domestic technical know-how and products by Iranian scientists have
equipped newly manufactured speedboats with stealth systems to avoid radars.
He added that the IRGC Navy Force has been equipped
with warfare facilities to confront external threats, ranging from tanks,
amphibious tanks to drones and has always tried to established consecutive
cooperation and interaction with other parts of Armed Forces of the country,
military organizations and also ministry of defense.
Turning to taking advantage of
domestically-manufactured equipment and strengthening knowledge-based
companies, Rear Admiral Tangsiri emphasized that IRGC Navy Force welcomes
cooperating with knowledge-based companies in manufacturing warfare equipment
as Leader of the Islamic Revolution has instructed on taking advantage of high
capacities of knowledge-based companies this year.
"Presence of IRGC Navy Force in the region has
forced the enemy to flee from the Persian Gulf region," he said.
“We have always told countries of the region that Iran
itself is able to bring about security in the region, so that more security has
been established after the exit of American and foreign forces from the
region,” the top commander added.
"Americans do not abide by maritime and
navigation laws and regulations and their presence has created instability and
insecurity in the Persian Gulf region," the military official continued.
Military officials say Iran has been able to achieve
the state-of-the-art defense technologies despite sanctions and pressures.
On Sunday, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards
Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami stated that Iran is seeking to make
the most advanced weapons.
Addressing an IRGC conference in Tehran, Major General
Salami noted since "weapons play an effective role in wars", the IRGC
is pursuing plans to manufacture and obtain the most advanced arms.
Tehran says it will not hesitate to boost its military
capabilities, including its missile and drone power, which are entirely meant
for defense.
Iranian experts have in recent years succeeded in
manufacturing a broad range of military equipment, including destroyers,
hi-tech radars, missile systems as well as several types of drones and
missiles.
In early July, Iranian Army Ground Force Commander
Brigadier General Kioumars Heidari said his forces have been supplied with
different types of precision-striking and smart weapons to defend the country’s
peace and stability.
He described the Ground Force’s defense and military
achievements as a “thorn in the side of the sworn enemies” of Iran.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Six Drug Traffickers Killed, Large Amount of Narcotics
Seized in Southeastern Iran
2022-July-26
"A sum of 697 kilograms of narcotics were
confiscated during the incident which occurred the previous night, Kerman
Province Police Commander Brigadier General Abdolreza Nazeri said.
“During the clashes Lieutenant Colonel Ali Barzgarpour
was also martyred,” Nazeri added.
He explained that the incident occurred as police
officers suspected wo cars at a checkpoint in Kerman and asked them to pull
over, but they sped up and tried to escape.
Nazeri added that the police officers immediately
chased after the cars and managed to arrest one of them and kill six others.
“During the operation, in addition to narcotics, 3
assault rifles, 17 magazines, and large quantities of ammunition were
discovered, and unfortunately, five of our comrades were injured as well,” he
further said.
Iran, which has a 900-kilometer common border with Afghanistan,
is used as a transit route for trafficking of narcotics from Afghanistan to
markets in Europe.
For decades, Iran has been fighting a relentless
battle against international drug networks, but the war has cost it the loss of
many lives and finances.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Slain reporter's family meet Blinken to ‘demand
justice for Shireen’
26 July ,2022
The family of slain journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
demanded justice for the Al Jazeera reporter's killing ahead of a meeting in
Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.
Lina Abu Akleh, her niece, posted a video on Twitter
from outside the State Department saying that she and other family members “are
here to demand justice for Shireen.”
Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American, was killed on May
11 during an Israeli raid in the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank under
circumstances that remain bitterly disputed.
The State Department said this month that Abu Akleh
was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions but that it was probably
unintentional, citing an investigation by the US Security Coordinator.
Abu Akleh's family and Palestinian officials have
criticized the report and maintained she was deliberately targeted. Israel
denies this.
“We will pursue accountability for her murder wherever
it may take us,” said a statement on Twitter from Lina, Shireen's brother Tony
and nephew Victor. “Shireen lived to uncover the truth behind every story, and
so shall we.”
The State Department did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel demolishes homes of two suspected Palestinian attackers
26 July ,2022
The Israeli military demolished the homes on Tuesday
of two Palestinians suspected of killing an Israeli security guard in a West
Bank settlement in April.
Vyacheslav Golev was killed in a shooting at the
entrance of a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on April 29. The
Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Israeli military later apprehended two
Palestinians suspected of carrying out the attack. On Tuesday, the army said it
demolished their residences in the northern West Bank village of Qarawat Bani
Hassan.
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channel online or via the app.
In a statement, the military said forces faced a
violent protest, with firebombs and burning tires thrown at the troops.
Israel routinely demolishes the homes of slain or
captured Palestinian assailants who killed Israelis, saying it serves as a
deterrent against future attackers. The Palestinians and rights groups say the
practice amounts to collective punishment.
Israeli troops have been carrying out near-daily raids
across West Bank for months in the aftermath of a string of deadly attacks in
which Palestinian attackers killed 19 Israelis.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Africa
Al-Sunni accuses ‘certain international powers’ of
hampering Libyan elections
July 26, 2022
Libya's Permanent Representative to the United
Nations, Taher Al-Sunni, said on Monday that ‘certain international powers’ are
behind disruption of the elections in the country, without identifying them.
Al-Sunni remarks were made during a session of the UN
Security Council, held Monday, at the UN headquarters in New York, on the
latest developments of the Libyan crisis.
In his statement, the Libyan ambassador said,
"Libya's economy is currently suffering from the repercussions of
international intervention and the failure to reach comprehensive political
solution, and attempts to develop stopgap and unrealistic solutions to the
political crisis”.
He added that the solution lies simply in supporting
the will of the Libyans to establish a stable state and a constitution that
defines its political and economic system, and the management and distribution
of the country's resources in a manner that preserves the state's stature and
sovereignty.
"There are certain international powers that fear
the idea of holding elections in Libya, due to their unguaranteed results, and
may not serve their narrow interests." he added.
Al-Sunni expressed his regrets over the focus of the
international community’s interest in Libya only on 3 issues: foremost; flow of
oil, preventing migration to Europe, fighting terrorism. Other issues in Libya
are of no interest, as he put it.
Source: Libya Observer
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Tunisia’s electoral commission says new constitution
passed
Mehmet Akif Turan
27.07.2022
TUNIS, Tunisia
Tunisians have approved a new constitution in a
referendum, the head of the country’s electoral commission said Tuesday, citing
preliminary results.
Farouk Bouasker, president of the Independent High
Authority for Elections, said 94.6% of the participants in the referendum voted
"yes" and 5.4% voted "no.”
The turnout rate was only 27.54%, according to
unofficial results.
Bouasker said 2,830,094 of the country’s 9,278,541
registered voters cast their votes.
However, the Tunisian Association for Integrity and
Democracy (ATID) announced that they had recorded many violations during the
referendum.
"We have recorded many election violations such
as blocking the observers, the presence of age discrimination in the voter
lists, and the failure to pay attention to the secrecy of voting at some
election centers," said ATID President Muaz al-Hamruni, speaking at a
press conference.
The Independent High Authority for Elections in a
statement said it would evaluate the alleged violations.
The new constitution, which will replace the 2014
constitution, consists of 142 articles that give broad powers to the president.
The reaffirmation of Islam as Tunisia’s religion,
which caused controversy during the drafting process of the constitution, was
not included in the new constitution. It was replaced with the statement that
"Tunisia is part of the Islamic nation.”
In the new constitution, which does not include any
mechanism to control the president, the president will be able to appoint the
head and members of the government. Also, a second assembly is to be
established called the "Regional and Local National Council" in
addition to the Tunisian People's Assembly.
Tunisia has been undergoing a severe political crisis
since July 25, 2021, when President Kais Saied sacked the government and
suspended parliament.
Tunisian forces consider these measures a "coup
against the constitution," but others see them as a "correction of
the course of the 2011 revolution," which overthrew then-President Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Tinubu-Shettima: Yoruba Muslim scholars criticize
Christian leaders’ opposition
July 26, 2022
By Wale Odunsi
A group, the Concerned Yoruba Muslim Scholars in
Nigeria has said the opposition to the Bola Tinubu-Kashim Shettima was
unnecessary.
The group advised Nigerians to consider competence
above religion in electing the next President in 2023.
Prof. Abideen Olaiya, the Secretary-General accused
the Christian leadership of leading the campaign against the All Progressives
Congress (APC) ticket.
Speaking in Ibadan on Monday, he stressed that the
good of the country should supercede affiliations.
Olaiya said the group was alarmed at the outcry by
some section of Christian leaders and followers.
“We are greatly shocked at the height of the prejudice
being expressed by the opposition parties masquerading under different names or
groups.
“Nigeria desires good governance regardless of
religion and/or ethnic affiliation of whoever is capable of delivering it”, NAN
quoted him saying.
Olaiya noted that citizens had always lived with their
differences, adding such should not be placed above capability.
The scribe said those who were supposed to be moral
guide for a united and prosperous nation “have now become agents of the
opposition party”.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Tunisian officials say new constitution passed in vote
with low turnout
27 July ,2022
A new Tunisian constitution giving far more power to
President Kais Saied passed in a referendum with a 30.5 percent turnout, the
electoral commission said on Tuesday, tightening his grip in what critics fear
is a march to a new era of autocracy.
The commission said 95 percent of voters approved the
constitution in Monday’s referendum boycotted by opposition groups, which
accuse Saied of staging a coup against the young democracy that emerged from
Tunisia’s Arab Spring uprising of 2011.
Opposition groups, which have struggled to counter
Saied since he began amassing power a year ago, accused the authorities of
inflating the numbers and said they still recognized the 2014 constitution as
the legitimate one.
The new constitution includes changes that shift power
back to the presidency and away from parliament which - to Saied’s supporters -
had become synonymous with political bickering and government paralysis.
Saied has denied accusations that he is a new
dictator, and says freedoms won in 2011 are protected.
Fewer people voted in the referendum than in any of
the three parliamentary and two presidential elections held since Tunisians
rose up against Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Even though the vote was for a permanent change to the
constitution, the rules set by Saied did not require a minimum turnout for it
to be approved.
The main opposition alliance said the official results
were “false and not credible.”
“Saied falsified the popular will by falsifying the
results,” said Nejib Chebbi, head of the opposition National Salvation Front,
which includes the Islamist Ennahda party, the biggest faction in the dissolved
parliament.
There was no immediate reaction from Saied or the
election commission to the opposition’s accusation.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said
Washington noted widespread concerns that the constitution was not written in
an inclusive way and that it weakened checks and balances and could compromise
human rights. He said turnout had been low.
Speaking on Monday night as he walked among supporters
at a rally in central Tunis, Saied said people were free to boycott the vote
“but it would have been better if they had taken part.”
Saied has said his moves were needed to save Tunisia
from years of political paralysis and economic stagnation under a 2014
constitution that split power between the parliament and president.
Source: Al Arabiya
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/mughal-shikoh-interfaith-hindu-christian-amu/d/127583