Taliban Leader Mocks Pakistan, Shares Pic Of Surrender To India In 1971 War Saying Islamabad Would Face The Same "Shameful" Fate If Launched Military Attack On Them
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 January 2023
Taliban-Pakistan: The Taliban shared a picture of the country's military surrender to Indian forces in 1971.(Twitter)
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• Malaysia Islamic Body Urges Public to Check before
Buying Items Containing Quranic Calligraphy
• Teenage Suspect Of Times Square Machete Attack
Reportedly Has Links To Islamic Extremism
• Britain To Proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard As
Terror Group — Report
• Yemen Decries Saudi Execution Of Two Nationals As
‘Absolute Disgrace’ To So-Called Rights Advocates
South Asia
• Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Prosecute Afghan
Media Outlets Operating from Abroad
• No Travel Ban for Islamic Emirate Ministers to
Uzbekistan for Humanitarian Purposes: Afghan Minister
• Afghan Americans protest against Taliban ban on
women's education
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Southeast Asia
• Intensify usage of social media to promote Islam,
says Abang Johari
• Qatar requires negative PCR test for travellers from
China as COVID-19 cases surge
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North America
• Neighbours of accused cop slasher Trevor Bickford
stunned by Islamist radical allegations
• Blinken discusses Iran threat during call with
Israeli FM
• Suspect in New Year’s Eve NYC police attack
reportedly linked to terrorism
--------
Europe
• Exiled Iran Opposition Figures In United ‘Victory’
Message
• Zelesnkyy: Russia planning prolonged attacks with
Iran-made drones to exhaust Ukraine
• Turkish drone captures illegal Greek pushback of
irregular migrants
• Dutch analyst announces receiving death threats from
PKK terror group
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Arab World
• Saudi, UN Body Sign Agreement To Combat Human
Trafficking
• Egypt recovers 2,700-year-old sarcophagus lid from
US
• Four tons of drugs seized by French navy in the
Arabian Sea
• Saudi Arabia sees strongest growth in jobs in five
years amid business boom
• Retailers, Hotels Slash Prices After Dubai Removes
30 Pct Tax On Alcohol Sales
• Riyadh Season attracts 10m regional, international
visitors
• Saudi project clears 969 Houthi mines in Yemen
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Mideast
• Iran's Judiciary Confirms Death Sentence For
Protester
• Israel to question preacher of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
Mosque
• Iran Smashes MKO's Major Financing Network,
Albania-Backed Ringleader Captured
• Judiciary Chief: 3,000 Inmates Freed, 16 Death
Penalty Cases Commuted
• Iran Reminds Israel of Fragile State of Netanyahu's
Gov't
• Israel’s extreme-right minister Ben-Gvir visits
al-Aqsa mosque compound
• Turkey’s AK Party mulls bringing elections
‘slightly’ forward
• Israeli foreign minister sees Abraham Accords summit
in Morocco in March
• Israel’s defence ministry seeks $2.85B budget
increase to confront Iran
• Yemeni forces launch final push to drive Al-Qaeda
from Abyan
• Foreign Ministry: Israel’s killing of young
Palestinians ‘organized state terrorism’
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India
• BJP Karnataka State President Tells Cadre To Discuss
‘Love Jihad’, Not Road Work
• Sheezan Khan's Kin Hit Back: Never Forced Tunisha
Sharma To Embrace Islam
• Three Pakistani Flags Found In Uttarakhand Forest,
Cause A Flutter Spawning Multiple Theories
• Kerala Nadva tul Mujahideen Stays Away From Muslim
Coordination Committee Meeting
• 2 kids killed in IED blast in Rajouri village, day
after New Year’s Day massacre
• Shahi Eidgah mosque panel files plea against survey
order
• Cleric backtracks on statement made on un-Islamic
nature of prayer meet for PM's mother
• Man lynched over son's friendships
--------
Pakistan
• Former Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa Hired Ex-Envoy Hussain
Haqqani To Lobby Against Me: Imran Khan
• Taliban Urge Dialogue After Interior Minister Hints
At Cross-Border Action Against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
• PIA Eyes Umrah Flights For Muslims In China, To
Improve Its Revenues
• SC allows ECP to continue contempt proceedings
against Imran, other PTI leaders
• Hussain Haqqani mulls options to sue Imran for
defamation
• Army urged to work solely within ‘constitutional
domain’
• The curious case of JUI-F’s sudden rise in
Balochistan
• Civil, military leaders resolve to observe ‘zero
tolerance’ for terrorism
• Govt imparts skilled training to empower women,
provide overseas employment opportunities: Minister
• Pakistan discovers Chinese new variant of COVID-19
in its sample
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Africa
• Nigerian Muslim scholars condole with Christians
over death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
• Muslims Task Central Govt On Teaching Of Islam In
Schools
• At least 20 killed, 30 hurt as Somaliland forces
clash with protesters
• Libya’s High State Council to resume dialogue with
parliament
• Jordan welcomes water deal amid fears on refugee,
climate crises
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/taliban-pakistan-1971-war-surrender/d/128787
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Taliban Leader Mocks Pakistan, Shares Pic Of Surrender
To India In 1971 War Saying Islamabad Would Face The Same "Shameful"
Fate If Launched Military Attack On Them
Taliban-Pakistan: The Taliban
shared a picture of the country's military surrender to Indian forces in
1971.(Twitter)
------
Subodh Kumar
Jan 2, 2023
The Taliban on Monday mocked Pakistan by sharing a
picture of the country's military surrender to Indian forces in 1971, saying
that Islamabad would face the same "shameful" fate if it launched a
military attack on them.
In a Twitter post, Taliban leader Ahmad Yasir asked
Islamabad to avoid "disgrace" after Pakistan's interior minister Rana
Sanaullah recently hinted at a possible military operation against the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan.
“Interior Minister of Pakistan! Excellent Sir!
Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan are not Turkey to target the Kurds in Syria.
This is Afghanistan, the graveyard of proud empires. Do not think of a military
attack on us, otherwise, there will be a shameful repetition of the military
agreement with India," Ahmad Yasir said in his Twitter post.
Along with the post, Ahmad Yasir also shared the
picture of December 16, 1971, where Pakistan Army's Lieutenant General Amir
Abdullah Khan Niazi, the Chief Martial Law Administrator of East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh), can be seen signing the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ in Dhaka. The
day is celebrated as Vijay Diwas, the day India helped in the liberation of
Bangladesh.
Days ago, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah
said that Islamabad has the legal authority to act against "insurgents’
hideouts" in Afghanistan if its nation is threatened by such groups.
Pakistani officials said Islamabad may attack the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan if Kabul does not take action to
dismantle them.
"When these problems arise, we first ask
Afghanistan, our Islamic brother nation, to eliminate these hideouts and
handover these individuals to us, but if that doesn't happen, what you
mentioned is possible," Rana Sanaullah had said.
In response to these provocations, the Taliban on
Sunday said that they would not allow anyone to attack Afghanistan. Taliban's
spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated that Afghanistan wants to have good
relations with Pakistan and that its officials should use caution when
speaking.
"No country has the right to attack another
nation's territory. There is no legislation in the world that permits such a
transgression. If anyone has any worries, they should share them with the
Islamic Emirate since it has the sufficient forces and can take action,”
Mujahid said in a statement.
Source: India Today
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Malaysia Islamic Body Urges Public to Check before
Buying Items Containing Quranic Calligraphy
Photo: International Quran News Agency
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January 02, 2023
Its Enforcement Division Operations Unit chief, Ahmad
Zaki Hamzah, said several premises in Nilai near Seremban were selling data-x-items
with imperfect verses, which raised concerns among the Muslim community.
"It is easy to place the responsibility on
enforcement agencies, but the community is responsible for choosing any
decorative data-x-items containing the Quranic verses that are true and
accurate.
"This is because a small mistake in a verse of
the Quran carries a different meaning, that's why there can't be even the
slightest mistake, there has to be zero defect in the verse. This matter is
very sensitive, the public may also be confused and misled if it is used
incorrectly," he told Bernama.
He said traders should not selling defective
data-x-items or check with the authorities if they were unsure.
Zaki said trader who did not abide by the rules would
be subject to action, while the data-x-items would be confiscated.
He said the owners of three premises where checks were
conducted on Dec 31 gave the excuse that they did not know there was a mistake
in the verse.
"They (traders) take this matter for granted even
though the verses of the Quran are very sensitive for Muslims, that's why there
have been cases of disposing of various decorative data-x-items containing the
holy verses of the Quran before. It involves the faith and belief of Muslims,
so anything related to it must be correct," he said.
The department previously found a pile of decorative
data-x-items containing verses from the Quran on the side of the road in the
Arab-Malaysian Industrial Park in Nilai, believed to have been disposed of by
furniture dealers from the Nilai 3 Industrial Area.
Zaki said his department and other enforcement
agencies such as the local authorities and the Seremban City Council
continuously monitor business premises in the state and raise awareness among
traders and consumers.
"There are many shops here selling such items,
therefore we urge consumers to help out each other. If we don't buy it, then
the matter will not get out of hand. As for traders, do not think that you have
been overlooked because we are always monitoring," he said.
Source: IQNA
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original story:
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Teenage Suspect Of Times Square Machete Attack
Reportedly Has Links To Islamic Extremism
Suspect Trevor Bickford, 19
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Jan 02, 2023
A teenager accused of attacking three policemen with a
machete on New Year’s Eve near Times Square was charged with attempted murder
and attempted assault, New York police said on Monday, in an incident the New
York Times said was linked to Islamic extremism.
The New York City Police Department identified the
suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, and said in an email on Monday
that he had been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of
attempted assault.
Further details on future proceedings were not
immediately shared by the police.
Authorities did not comment on the motivation for the
attack, but the Times reported that the suspect was driven by Islamic
extremism. The newspaper quoted an unnamed senior law enforcement official, who
said that Bickford may later face extremism charges.
The Times said Bickford had converted to Islam
sometime in the last year and a half.
Bickford had traveled to New York from his Maine home
on Saturday, police said.
New York rang in the new year in typical style on
Saturday evening as thousands of people corralled themselves into pens under
pouring rain in Times Square, waiting to see a glittering ball glide down a
pole mounted atop a tall building in the year’s final seconds.
The attack, which officials say was unprovoked, took
place late in the evening outside a secure area set up for New Year’s Eve
celebrations, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters immediately
after the incident.
One of the three policemen who were attacked and who
had recently graduated from the Police Academy, suffered a fractured skull,
officials said. All three officers were taken to a hospital but had been
released by Monday.
One of the officers shot the suspect, hitting him in
the shoulder. The suspect was then taken into custody, police said.
Bickford was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment,
where he remained on Monday.
Before the attack, Bickford wrote a farewell letter to
his family in a diary, the Times reported.
In the diary, he wrote to his mother, “I fear greatly
you will not repent to Allah and therefore I hold hope in my heart that a piece
of you believes so that you may be taken out of the hellfire,” according to the
newspaper.
Bickford also referred in his diary to his brother,
who is in the U.S. military, as having assumed the uniform of the enemy, the
newspaper said, citing the unnamed law enforcement official. (Reporting by
Kanishka Singh in Washingtond; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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Britain To Proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard As
Terror Group — Report
IRGC troops attend a rally
for Quds Day on the last Friday of Ramadan, in Tehran in 2022. Wana / Reuters
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January 02, 2023
Britain will officially declare Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard, which has arrested seven people with links to the United Kingdom over
anti-government protests, as a terrorist group, the Telegraph reported on
Monday, citing sources.
The move, which will be announced within weeks, is supported
by Britain’s security minister, Tom Tugendhat, and Home Secretary Suella
Braverman, the report said.
Proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist
group would mean that it would become a criminal offense to belong to the
group, attend its meetings, and carry its logo in public.
The UK Home Office did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on the Telegraph report.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards last week arrested seven
people with links to Britain over anti-government protests that have rocked the
country following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian who
was arrested for wearing “inappropriate attire” under Iran’s strict Islamic
dress code for women.
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday
urged Iran to stop detaining dual nationals, saying the practice should not be
used to obtain “diplomatic leverage.”
Source: Arab News
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original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225901/middle-east
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Yemen Decries Saudi Execution Of Two Nationals As
‘Absolute Disgrace’ To So-Called Rights Advocates
In this file picture, a
Saudi Arabian executioner shows off his sword. (Photo via Twitter)
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02 January 2023
The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights has condemned in
the strongest terms the recent execution of two nationals in Saudi Arabia,
calling on international human rights organizations to take a firm stance
against the appalling atrocity as the kingdom executed twice as many people
last year as it did in 2021.
The ministry announced in a statement that the
27-year-old Yemeni citizen Mohammad Muqbil al-Wasel, who hailed from the
southwestern province of Dhamar, and Shajaa Salah Mahdi Jamil, 29, were put to
death by Saudi authorities following unfair and summary trials, and the victims
were deprived of the right to have a lawyer assist in their defense.
The statement went on to note that Saudi officials
have not provided any information about the circumstances of the executions to
the relatives of the two young Yemeni men, stating that the move constitutes a
torture, ill-treatment and criminal act under international human rights
conventions.
The Ministry highlighted that the latest executions
add to the House of Saud’s abysmal records and long lists of collective crimes
committed against the Yemeni nation, as several Yemeni expatriates have been
killed under similar circumstances in Saudi Arabia in the past.
The statement deplored the crime as an absolute
disgrace to the so-called advocates of democracy as well as freedom of opinion
and expression, especially the United Nations and the United States.
The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights also called on all
human rights organizations, the international community and freedom-loving
people around the world to adopt a firm stance in the face of the Saudi
regime’s crimes, and urged the United Nations Security Council and the UN Human
Rights Council to take proper measures to stop the practice.
Last November, Yemeni national Ali Atef al-Aliei, who
originally came from the western province of Mahwit, was arrested by Saudi
regime forces near his workplace, taken away to an unknown location, severally
beaten up and suffocated to death.
The Yemeni human rights group Insan Rights and
Freedoms Organization said in a statement at the time that the victim had told
his family in Yemen that he was receiving death threats, before they lost
communication with him since September 9. His body was recovered at last from
al-Manar police station in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
The human rights group noted that Aliei was subjected
to heinous and horrific forms of torture, which showed the savagery and
brutality of Saudi authorities against migrants and constituted a flagrant
violation of all international principles.
Back in April last year, the Arabic-language New
al-Khalij news website reported that Saudi authorities had deported hundreds of
Ethiopian migrant workers after keeping them for months in detention centers
across the oil-rich kingdom under degrading conditions.
“We returned to our blessed country after six months
in prison... but many of our brothers are still suffering, especially in men’s
prisons,” a 28-year-old woman said at the time.
“We cried every day. They gave us bread and a pot of
cooked rice for 300 people. Sometimes they put up to 400 people in the same
room and we couldn’t see the sunlight,” Jamila Shafi told AFP upon her arrival
in Ethiopia.
Source: Press TV
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South Asia
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Prosecute Afghan Media Outlets Operating from Abroad
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
January 3, 2023
The Taliban courts will soon announce its decision
regarding the media outlets whose executives have fled the country and run the
outlet from outside the country Afghanistan International reports.
Abdu Haq Hemad, director of media assessment at the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s ministry of information and culture has
accused the media organizations of spreading propaganda against the ruling
regime.
“A decision has been made regarding these media
outlets. It is expected that the court’s decision will be announced in the near
future,” Hemad said. He further stated that “no law allows the executive of
media outlets to operate from outside and promote propaganda against the
regime.”
This comes as the Taliban regime have already imposed
tough restrictions on media organizations and news channels operating in
Afghanistan. According to reports, media outlets operating inside the country
cannot criticize the ruling regime and publish sensitive materials. Media
freedom was restricted within the initial days of the Taliban’s return to
power, followed by strict rules on female journalists and presenters while
appearing live on news channels.
Since the return of the Taliban to power in August
2021, hundreds of media outlets including TV channels, radio stations, and news
outlets closed their doors mostly due to conservative restrictions imposed by
the current administration, lack of financial support and other economic
related issues. As of now, some 165 radio stations and 55 TV channels are
operating in Afghanistan.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/taliban-iea-to-prosecute-afghan-media-outlets-operating-from-abroad/
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No Travel Ban for Islamic Emirate Ministers to
Uzbekistan for Humanitarian Purposes: Afghan Minister
The acting minister of energy and water, Abdul Latif
Mansour, who returned from a trip to Uzbekistan, said on Monday that ministers
of the caretaker government are not faced with any restrictions in traveling
and they can travel for humanitarian purposes.
“There hasn’t been a specific restriction by the world
on trips by Islamic Emirate ministers that are conducted for humanitarian
purposes,” he said. “If there were any restrictions, that would have been
implemented on the current trip.”
Mansour said he travelled to Uzbekistan to extend the
contract of the imported electricity to Afghanistan and address power shortage
in Kabul and other provinces.
“Based on the contract, they will provide us 440
megawatts of power,” Mansour said.
The country’s power distributor, Da Afghanistan
Breshna Sherkat (DABS), asked national and foreign investors to invest in the
energy sector in Afghanistan.
“The Chamber of Investment of China's representatives
arrived a while ago. They expressed interest in investment in coal-fired
power,” Maiwandi said.
Source: Tolo News
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of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-181444
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Afghan Americans protest against Taliban ban on
women's education
January 3, 2023
Protesting against the recent ban on women's education
in Afghanistan, a large number of Afghan Americans have pledged to fight
against this atrocious policy of the Taliban government.
"We are here to fight for girls' right to
education," Rayan Yasini from California representing the Afghan Cultural
Society said in front of the White House on Sunday as she was joined by a large
number of Afghan Americans from across the country.
"Ever since the Taliban have taken control of
Afghanistan, girls no longer have the right to study. We are here to ensure
that it does not stay that way," Yasini said.
Nasir Khan, president of the Afghan Society, urged the
Taliban government to withdraw the recent ban on education of girls in the
country. Afghan girls need to get their rights, he demanded.
Source: Business Standard
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Southeast Asia
Intensify usage of social media to promote Islam, says
Abang Johari
03 Jan 2023
KUCHING, Jan 3 — The usage of social media such as
Telegram and WhatsApp should be intensified as another platform to preach and
share Islamic ideas, especially to the new generation, said Sarawak Premier Tan
Sri Abang Johari Openg.
He said with the advancement in communication
technology, physical distance was no longer a barrier to instant connection and
this should provide ample opportunities to further promote Islamic values.
“It is no longer abnormal that we have to adopt and
adapt (new technology). I believe within a few years from now, we will be using
hologram, which is a futuristic method of displaying an image using light to
form a 3D object, and I had that experience in Korea (during a recent visit),”
he said.
When opening the Regional Islamic Da’wah Council of
Southeast Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) 19th General Assembly here today, he
said even the recent RISEAP regional exco meeting was conducted online via
zoom.
According to him, with the continuity of excellent
governance, RISEAP will be able to expand its reach beyond the current 24
member countries and increase its membership in the years to come.
“There are many opportunities for people from
different religions to come together and raise mutual understanding. It
requires confidence and openness to reach out and take the step that will bring
us together by promoting interfaith understanding and working closely with
other religious groups,” Abang Johari added.
RISEAP was formed on November 11, 1980 with the aim of
bringing together Muslim-minority countries in the region.
Source: Malay Mail
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Qatar requires negative PCR test for travelers from
China as COVID-19 cases surge
02 January ,2023
Qatar will now require travelers flying in from China
to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival starting from Tuesday, the
official Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
A test must be taken within 48 hours ahead of
departure regardless of a traveler’s vaccination status, QNA added.
Qatar has joined 16 other countries who imposed
conditions on travelers from China, some of which have banned visitors from the
country all together.
Morocco had on Saturday imposed an entry ban on
Chinese travelers from January 3, citing concerns about the spread of “a new
wave of infections.”
The Chinese government on December 7 ended its harsh
zero-tolerance approach to containing the coronavirus without prior notice. The
restrictions had included snap lockdowns, frequent mass testing, and largely
closed borders.
Thousands of new COVID-19 cases are being reported in
China every day, with the government’s top health authority saying that as many
as 248 million people – nearly 18 percent of the total population – are
estimated to have been infected in the first 20 days of December.
Source: Al Arabiya
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North America
Neighbours of accused cop slasher Trevor Bickford
stunned by Islamist radical allegations
By Haley Brown and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon
January 2, 2023
WELLS, Maine —
Suspected Islamist radical Trevor Bickford began wearing “religious
garb” in the years following his father’s death, a neighbor told The Post on
Monday — as others in his sleepy New England hometown said they were stunned by
allegations that the “quiet” local boy attacked NYPD cops with a machete on New
Year’s Eve.
“There was no indication here that that sort of thing
was going on,” next-door neighbor Ken Creed told The Post on Monday.
“Without sounding racist, we don’t have a lot of
that,” Creed said. “And I’m not aware of any influences like that in Wells.”
“Weird world,” he added.
FBI agents showed up at the quiet, two-story home on
Alpine Drive shortly after Bickford, 19, was shot in the shoulder after
allegedly slashing three cops with a machete in Times Square on Saturday night.
The teen was already on a federal terror watchlist,
sources previously told The Post.
It was a surreal turn of events for the quiet former
honor student who was once a member of the Wells High School championship
football team and was the recipient of a school art award for his jewelry
creations.
Locals said he has worked for Resurrection Golf, a
groundskeeping company that works the greens at the nearby Old Marsh Country
Club, which is about five minutes from his family’s home.
“A typical news day but closer to home,” said a local
named Rick, who declined to give his last name but said he has lived in Wells
for 25 years and knows Bickford’s family.
“They’ve always been really quiet,” he said of the
family. “We don’t really interact with them at all and they’ve always been
very, very quiet.”
One local high schooler described Bickford as “normal”
and “quiet.”
Sources said Bickford “found religion” after his
father’s overdose death in 2018, and became a radicalized Muslim as recently as
a month ago.
“It seemed like his dad died and then he started,”
said a senior at Wells High School, who declined to give her name — noting
that’s when she began noticing Bickford wearing “religious garb” in photos on
his mother’s Facebook page.
She said one of the troubled teen’s brothers, Travis,
“isn’t like that.”
A woman who works at the Maine Diner and Gift Shop in
Wells, where Bickford and his mom used to work, said they are like “family” in
town. Another employee at the diner said the teen and his mom never discussed
Bickford’s reported conversion to Islam.
But as the teen appeared to become more extreme in his
views — including indicating a desire to go fight in Afghanistan alongside
Islamic militants — his own mother and aunt tipped off the feds about the
increasingly troubled teen, landing him on the FBI’s terrorism “Guardian
Watchlist,” according to the sources.
On Sunday, federal agents arrived in the afternoon to
search the Alpine Drive home, but were gone by Monday morning.
“The FBI was conducting authorized activity in
connection with an ongoing federal investigation. To protect the integrity of
the investigation, we’re going to decline further comment,” FBI spokeswoman
Kristin Setera told The Post.
A woman who appeared to be Bickford’s mother was
spotted later Monday hammering a “no trespassing” sign into the yard of the
home where the alleged terrorist’s grandmother lives.
The waterfront resort town of just over 11,000
residents is an unlikely place for FBI scrutiny.
Wells boasts a quaint Main Street with boutiques and
restaurants that cater to tourists. The town’s attractions include the
picturesque Moody Beach as well as a popular conservation center, the Wells
Reserve at Laudholm.
At The Mainestock Exchange Emporium on Route 1 a woman
who came to the window abruptly shut the blinds and told a reporter to “get off
my property” when asked about the family.
Bickford, who grew up in town with his mom, stepdad
and two brothers — one of them a US Marine — remained at Bellevue Hospital on
Monday, when he was charged by the NYPD with attempted murder and assault over
the ambush.
Sources told The Post Sunday that Bickford traveled to
New York on an Amtrak train, arriving on Dec. 29, and appeared to have been a
lone wolf. He had packed camping gear, a diary and a last will and testament —
as well as the weapon, a type of machete known as a Gurkha, according to
sources.
He allegedly told the feds after his arrest that he
hatched the violent plan as recently as Friday, and made statements that he
wanted to attack a uniformed officer or someone armed because they are the
“enemy of the state,” according to the sources.
Source: New York Post
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Blinken discusses Iran threat during call with Israeli
FM
January 02, 2023
LONDON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed
the threat from Iran during a phone call with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli
Cohen on Monday.
Blinken congratulated Cohen, who took office last week
as part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new hard-right coalition
government, on his appointment during the call.
The secretary of state also underscored the United
States’ abiding commitment to the US-Israel partnership and to Israel’s
security.
Blinken discussed continued US efforts to advance
mutual interests such as Israel’s further regional integration, including through
the Negev Forum.
He also discussed addressing shared challenges and
promoting common values that have been at the heart of the relationship between
the US and Israel.
Source: Arab News
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of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225716/middle-east
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Suspect in New Year’s Eve NYC police attack reportedly
linked to terrorism
January 03, 2023
WASHINGTON: A teenager accused of attacking three
policemen with a machete on New Year’s Eve near Times Square was charged with
attempted murder and attempted assault, New York police said on Monday, in an
incident the New York Times said was linked to terrorism.
The New York City Police Department identified the
suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, and said in an email on Monday
that he had been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of
attempted assault.
Further details on future proceedings were not
immediately shared by the police.
Authorities did not comment on the motivation for the
attack, but the Times reported that the suspect was driven by terrorism. The
newspaper quoted an unnamed senior law enforcement official, who said that
Bickford may later face extremism charges.
The Times said Bickford had converted to Islam
sometime in the last year and a half.
Bickford had traveled to New York from his Maine home
on Saturday, police said.
New York rang in the new year in typical style on
Saturday evening as thousands of people corralled themselves into pens under
pouring rain in Times Square, waiting to see a glittering ball glide down a
pole mounted atop a tall building in the year’s final seconds.
The attack, which officials say was unprovoked, took
place late in the evening outside a secure area set up for New Year’s Eve
celebrations, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters immediately
after the incident.
One of the three policemen who were attacked and who
had recently graduated from the Police Academy, suffered a fractured skull,
officials said. All three officers were taken to a hospital but had been
released by Monday.
One of the officers shot the suspect, hitting him in
the shoulder. The suspect was then taken into custody, police said.
Bickford was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment,
where he remained on Monday.
Before the attack, Bickford wrote a farewell letter to
his family in a diary, the Times reported.
In the diary, he wrote to his mother, “I fear greatly
you will not repent to Allah and therefore I hold hope in my heart that a piece
of you believes so that you may be taken out of the hellfire,” according to the
newspaper.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225906/world
--------
Europe
Exiled Iran opposition figures in united ‘victory’
message
January 02, 2023
PARIS: A group of prominent exiled Iranian
pro-opposition figures have issued a coordinated message predicting 2023 will
be a year of “victory” with the regime shaken by protests.
Those sending the message include leaders from the
fields of culture, human rights and sports.
The Iranian diaspora has long been seen as lacking
unity, split into different political factions and strategies for dealing with
the Islamic republic, that ousted the shah in 1979.
But with protests still continuing in Iran over 100
days after they were sparked by the death of young Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa
Amini, the message appears an attempt to find a long-sought unity.
“The year 2022 was a glorious year of solidarity for
Iranians of every belief, language and orientation,” it said.
“With organization and solidarity, 2023 will be the
year of victory for the Iranian nation. The year of freedom and justice in
Iran.”
The message was sent simultaneously on social media by
a variety of figures, ranging from the influential US-based dissident Masih
Alinejad to the son of the ousted shah, Reza Pahlavi, who also lives in the
United States.
Prominent actors Golshifteh Farahani and Nazanin
Boniadi also tweeted the message, as did Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the best
actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year.
“We are united to reach freedom,” Farahani wrote on
her Instagram account. “We will stand together and will not be silent.”
Prominent rights activists to post the message
included Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and Hamed Esmaeilion, who has
led the Canada-based campaign for justice for the victims of the Ukraine
Airlines flight shot down by Iran in January 2020.
From the field of sports, they were joined by former
Iranian international football star Ali Karimi, who has been a vociferous
supporter of the protest movement.
The protest movement sparked by the death of Amini,
who had been arrested for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s strict
dress code, is presenting the clerical leadership with its biggest challenge
since the 1979 revolution.
The crackdown has seen 476 people killed, according to
Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights.
Two people have already been executed over the
protests, while IHR says at least 100 detainees are at risk of execution.
The United Nations says at least 14,000 people have
been arrested, with several well known figures such as the actor Taraneh
Alidoosti still in detention.
Roham Alvandi, a history professor at the London
School of Economics, said the message was a “hopeful sign in dark times.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225581/world
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Zelesnkyy: Russia planning prolonged attacks with
Iran-made drones to exhaust Ukraine
03 January ,2023
Russia is planning to launch a long-term campaign of
attacks against Ukraine using Iranian-made drones in an effort to demoralize
and “exhaust” the war-weary country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
said, citing intelligence reports.
The Ukrainian president said he received intelligence
indicating that the attacks would be carried out using Iranian-made Shahed
drones, he said in his nightly address on Monday in Kyiv.
“We must ensure - and we will do everything for this -
that this goal of terrorists fails like all the others,” the BBC quoted
Zelenskyy as saying.
“Now is the time when everyone involved in the
protection of the sky should be especially attentive.”
He claimed that Russia aims to “exhaust” Ukraine
through a sustained wave of drone attacks and called on those responsible for
protecting the sky to be vigilant.
This news follows Ukraine’s announcement that it had
carried out a strike which it claimed killed 400 Russian soldiers in the
occupied Donbas region. Russia admitted that the attack killed 63 of its
troops, a rare acknowledgement of battlefield losses. However, neither claim
has been verified.
Kremlin critics have accused Russian authorities of
downplaying losses on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Russian military bloggers said several hundred troops
could have died as a result of the strike in Makiivka.
Former Russian separatist leader Igor Strelkov said he
received a report about the strike about 1 am on January 1 (2300 GMT on
December 31).
He said “hundreds” have been killed and wounded,
adding the Ukrainian army struck a facility that housed mobilized troops.
Russia has recently increased its drone strikes on
Ukraine, targeting cities and power stations across the country over the past
three nights. Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian air defenses had shot down more
than 80 Iranian-made drones in the opening days of 2023.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkish drone captures illegal Greek pushback of
irregular migrants
Seda Sevencan
02.01.2023
A Turkish navy drone recorded footage of Greek forces
illegally pushing back a boat carrying irregular migrants to Turkish
territorial waters, the National Defense Ministry said on Monday.
The illegal Greek pushback was recorded 3.62 miles
(5.82 kilometers) southwest off the coast of Cesme in the Aegean Sea on Dec.
29, the ministry said in a tweet.
The Turkish Coast Guard was immediately alerted and
rescued the irregular migrants, it added.
Ankara and international human rights groups have
repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum seekers,
saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the
lives of vulnerable people, including women and children.
Türkiye has been a key transit point for irregular
migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those
fleeing war and persecution in their countries.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Dutch analyst announces receiving death threats from
PKK terror group
Merve
Aydogan
02.01.2023
A Dutch researcher has announced receiving death
threats from the PKK terror group's social media accounts as well as via
emails.
On Twitter, Rena Netjes went public with the incident,
saying: "For the past few weeks I have been receiving death threats and
other warnings from Rojava Kurdish accounts (incl from Paris).
"Tonight I got emails that they made my profile
on lesbian/gay/sex accounts. I pay a price for exposing PYD propaganda,"
she said on Twitter on Sunday.
In an online report titled "the YPG/PYD During
the Syrian Conflict," which was published back in April 2021, Netjes and
her fellow researcher Erwin Van Veen concluded that "what emerges from the
analysis is an organization that has ruthlessly pursued its objective of
establishing and controlling its own autonomous territory and sphere of
action."
It added: "The YPG/PYD's record is further
muddled by the sway that an organization external to Syria – namely the PKK –
holds over it ... As it happens, the PKK pursues a regional agenda that
includes conflict with several other entities – such as Turkey and the KDP. The
YPG/PYD's link with the PKK makes the support it seeks from external parties
such as EU member states neither feasible nor appropriate."
The PKK and its Syrian branch the YPG have used
terrorist bases across Türkiye's border in northern Iraq and northern Syria to
plot and carry out attacks on Türkiye. The group has worked to create a
terrorist corridor along the Syrian border, threatening both Syrian locals and
nearby Turkish residents.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against
Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and EU
– has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women,
children, and infants.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Arab World
Saudi, UN body sign agreement to combat human
trafficking
January 03, 2023
RIYADH: The Saudi Human Rights Commission and the UN
Office on Drugs and Crime on Monday signed the second phase of an agreement to
implement activities to strengthen national capabilities in preventing and
punishing human trafficking.
The agreement contributes to achieving a sustainable
impact by meeting the objectives of the National Action Plan of the Committee
for Combating Trafficking in Persons.
HRC President Hala Al-Tuwaijri said that human
trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes that violate human rights and
deprive individuals of freedom and dignity.
She stressed that the Kingdom, through the regulations
and international agreements it has enacted and joined, has worked to build a
legal and institutional framework that guarantees the protection of all
persons, without discrimination, from these crimes and assists the victims.
Al-Tuwaijri added that the renewal of the agreement
comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s continued efforts to follow up on
projects and initiatives related to combating and preventing these crimes and
developing national capabilities to counter them.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225886/saudi-arabia
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Egypt recovers 2,700-year-old sarcophagus lid from US
02 January ,2023
Egypt announced Monday the recovery of a sarcophagus
lid dating back nearly 2,700 years that it said had been smuggled out and put
on display at a museum in the US.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry announced the
recovery of the artifact, known as the “Green Sarcophagus”, during a televised
press conference Monday.
He said it had been surreptitiously removed from the
country and its recovery is part of efforts to “protect Egypt’s heritage”.
The lid, measuring nearly three meters (3.3 yards) in
length and 90 centimeters (35.5 inches) in width, was among 17 artifacts
recently recovered from the US, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Issa
said at the news conference.
The sarcophagus lid was looted from the Abusir
necropolis south of Cairo then transported to the US in 2008, eventually making
its way to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in 2013, according to state
media.
Over the past decade, Egypt has recovered about 29,000
antiquities found to have been taken abroad through illegitimate means.
Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of Egypt’s
Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the sarcophagus likely belonged to a
nobleman.
He said it dates back to the Late Period of Ancient
Egypt, and it was named the Green Sarcophagus because of the color of the face
etched on it.
Only the lid had been stolen, he added, as the whole
coffin weighs about half a ton, making it one of the largest wooden sarcophagi
from Ancient Egypt.
In addition to the latest recovered artifacts, Egypt
has unveiled more than 300 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statuettes over the past
two years, some of them dating back more than 3,000 years.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Four tons of drugs seized by French navy in the
Arabian Sea
02 January ,2023
The French navy seized nearly half a ton of heroin and
3.5 tons of cannabis resin when it intercepted an unflagged boat in the Arabian
Sea, it said Monday.
It seized the drugs with an estimated value of 50
million euros after its frigate Guepratte spotted the dhow on December 27, the
Indian Ocean Maritime Command said in a statement.
Part of the illegal drugs shipment was “probably
intended for the European market”, said the command based in Abu Dhabi in the
United Arab Emirates.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia sees strongest growth in jobs in five
years amid business boom
03 January ,2023
Saudi Arabia saw the strongest increase in employment
in almost five years even as business conditions in its non-oil economy
improved at a slightly slower pace at the end of last year following a surge.
Companies sought to add to their staffing capacity in
response to an increase in sales and higher demand, according to a survey of
purchasing managers compiled by S&P Global and published on Tuesday.
The Riyad Bank Saudi PMI stood at 56.9 in December,
well above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction. The gauge reached
58.5 in November, the highest reading in more than seven years.
“We see operating conditions remaining favorable in
December, characterized by rapid growth in the non-oil activities and a robust
labor market by the end of 2022, with both jobs and wages having far more
momentum than previously thought,” said Naif Al-Ghaith, chief economist at
Riyad Bank.
The buoyancy of the non-oil private sector — the
engine of job creation for the world’s top crude exporter — reflects the
strength of the economic momentum after the pandemic that’s been largely immune
to a sharp uptick in the cost of money at home and the threat of a slowdown
globally.
Prices charged by companies increased at the fastest
rate in nine months in December, as firms saw a need to pass increased expenses
onto clients.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Retailers, Hotels Slash Prices After Dubai Removes 30
Pct Tax On Alcohol Sales
03 January ,2023
Retailers and hotels have begun slashing prices on
licensed beverages after a decision by the Dubai Municipality to remove a 30
percent tax on alcohol for 2023.
Dubai Municipality confirmed on Monday that the
decision affects companies selling alcoholic beverages in the emirate and
licensed retailers had been informed.
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channel online or via the app.
In a tweet, it confirmed collection of the tax had
been temporarily suspended. The change took immediate effect on January 1.
“Kindly note that Dubai Municipality has temporarily
stopped collecting the 30 per cent fee from alcoholic beverage companies for a
period of one year from the beginning of 01/01/2023 to the end of 12/31/2023,”
it said.
“The companies authorized to sell in the emirate of
Dubai have been notified of the decision.”
Tyrone Reid, CEO of Maritime & Mercantile
International (MMI), an off-licence chain, told Al Arabiya English in a
statement they welcomed the decision and changes had already been put into
force.
“Following the announcement by the Government of Dubai
to remove the 30 percent municipality tax on sales of alcoholic beverages, we
are pleased to announce that this will be reflected across all alcoholic
beverage products in all our 21 MMI stores in Dubai, effective January 1.”
Meanwhile, at African & Eastern, another
off-licence chain, workers in its Dubai’s Motor City branch were busy marking
down the sale of licensed beverages across the store on Monday.
“Everything is going down,” a worker said. “Everything
is so much cheaper now.”
Sami Matta, multi-outlet general manager at 25hours
Hotel One Central, also welcomed the news.
He told Al Arabiya English: "With the
announcement of the tax reduction, it is good news for both the restaurateur
and the consumer.”
“Not only will it boost tourism to the emirate, where
the prices of drinks are among the highest worldwide, it will also allow people
to enjoy premium wines and spirits at more reasonable prices.”
“As our acquisition cost will reduce by 30 percent,
our prices will reflect this as of next week as we support the government
regulations made to make Dubai a more attractive and competitive destination
for both tourists and residents.”
“Although currently set as a one-year trial period, I
am confident it will have a big positive impact, which could lead to it being a
permanent regulation. Extending this period will also help stakeholders make
the necessary adjustments after reviewing and analyzing the results of the
changes implemented in the first year.”
Hari Kaimal, CEO of Goldmead Hospitality, said the
decision would have a positive impact on the emirate’s hospitality industry.
“The Dubai government's decision to remove the 30
percent tax on alcoholic beverages is certainly a welcome change in regulation,
and will no doubt provide a boost to the hospitality industry.”
“The industry's cost of acquisition of alcoholic
beverages will now reduce by 30 percent and we expect that the majority of
operators will pass on most of the savings, if not all to their customers.”
“We certainly plan to do so, and our menus across our
different venues will reflect this change shortly. It should be an obvious
choice for most operators at least in certain product categories such as
draught beer and spirits which are more price elastic here than the rest of the
world.”
“We strongly believe this will spur a boost in
consumption, especially coming off the back of a strong Q4 and major events
such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Riyadh Season attracts 10m regional, international
visitors
January 02, 2023
RIYADH: More than 10 million regional and
international visitors have attended Riyadh Season events since its launch on
Oct. 21.
Staged under the title “Beyond Imagination,” the
entertainment festival has offered at least 8,500 activity days and experiences
in 15 diverse zones.
In a tweet, Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the General
Entertainment Authority, said: “Imagination has become a reality with Riyadh
Season — 10 million visitors so far.”
He added that each festival zone had its own special
character.
Now in its third season, this year’s event has been
the biggest and most dynamic to date, including the largest artificial lake in
the world, cable car transportation, cloud-embracing lounges, and the
international Cirque du Soleil.
It includes 252 restaurants and cafes, 240 stores,
eight international shows, more than 150 concerts, 108 interactive experiences,
seven global exhibitions, two international football matches, 17 Saudi and Arab
plays, and WWE wrestling events.
The range of entertainment options available for
visitors has included games, heritage, culture, fashion, perfumes, exhibitions,
and music.
It also featured a Riyadh Season Cup, bringing
together the Paris Saint-Germain team with stars from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr
football clubs.
As well as Saudi and Arab plays and concerts, organizers
have put on local and international anime, perfumes, and games exhibitions
along with numerous other events for families, adults, and children.
The zones are Boulevard World, Boulevard Riyadh City,
Winter Wonderland, Al-Murabaa, Sky Riyadh, Via Riyadh, Riyadh Zoo, Little
Riyadh, The Groves, Imagination Park, Al-Suwaidi Park, Souq Al-Zel, Qariat
Zaman, Fan Festival, and Riyadh Front.
Meanwhile, visitors to the season are being offered
the chance to use the latest technology to gain entry to entertainment zones.
Non-fungible tokens in the form of an access card will
enable holders to take part in activities and events including electronic
games, Saudi and Arab festivals and plays, concerts, and local and
international exhibitions.
NFTs are unique digital identifiers that cannot be
copied, substituted, or subdivided. The first project was launched in 2015 via
the Ethereum blockchain platform.
NFTs are used in many sectors, including games,
selling songs, digital arts, clothing, cars, and for proving ownership of
photos and videos. The technology is also used in medical records and health
data, and for event ticketing.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225771/saudi-arabia
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Saudi project clears 969 Houthi mines in Yemen
January 03, 2023
RIYADH: Implemented by the King Salman Humanitarian
Aid and Relief Center, the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen
dismantled 969 Houthi mines in the fourth week of December.
This figure includes 19 anti-personnel mines, 381
anti-tank mines, 555 unexploded ordinances and 14 other explosive devices.
The project is one of several initiatives undertaken
by Saudi Arabia on the orders of King Salman to help ease the suffering of the
Yemeni people.
It clears routes for much-needed humanitarian aid
aimed at supporting the country’s embattled citizens.
The demining took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa,
Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
A total of 379,605 mines have been cleared since the
start of the project.
More than 1.2 million mines have been planted by the
Houthis, claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians.
The Saudi project trains local demining engineers and
provides them with modern equipment. It also provides support to Yemenis
injured by the devices.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225881/saudi-arabia
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Mideast
Iran's judiciary confirms death sentence for protester
Jan 2, 2023
TEHRAN: Iran's judiciary confirmed on Monday the death
sentence against a man accused of violence during protests over the death in
custody of Mahsa Amini.
"Mohammad Boroghani's death sentence was upheld
on December 6 by the Supreme Court," the judiciary's Mizan Online news
website said.
The judiciary says it has handed down a total of 11
death sentences in connection with the protests. Two of those have been carried
out.
Iran has been gripped by demonstrations since the
September 16 death in custoday of Amini, 22, an Iranian Kurd arrested by the
country's morality police for allegedly violating the country's strict dress
code for women.
Iranian officials call the protests "riots"
and say hundreds of people including members of the security forces have been killed.
Thousands of others have been arrested.
Boroghani was charged in October with moharebeh,
"enmity against God", an offence punishable by death under Islamic
sharia law.
He was accused of "wounding a security personnel
with a knife with the intent of killing him and sowing terror among
citizens" as well as "setting ablaze the governor's office in
Pakdasht", a city 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of the capital
Tehran.
Source: Times Of India
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Israel to question preacher of Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa
Mosque
2/01/2023
The Israeli intelligence service on Monday summoned
the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, Sheikh Ekrema Sabri,
for questioning, according to his family.
A family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity,
said Israeli forces raided Sabri's home in al-Suwaneh neighborhood in East
Jerusalem.
“He was summoned for questioning without specifying
the reasons,” he told Anadolu Agency.
There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on
the report.
Sabri is a staunch critic of the decades-long Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories and was arrested several times by
Israeli forces.
He previously held the position of the Mufti of
Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories in from 1994 until 2006.
For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third
holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the “Temple Mount”,
claiming it had been the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Source: Yeni Safak
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https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/israel-to-question-preacher-of-jerusalems-al-aqsa-mosque-3658212
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Iran Smashes MKO's Major Financing Network,
Albania-Backed Ringleader Captured
2023-January-2
The intelligence ministry said in a statement today
that six main members of the major network have been captured in simultaneous
operations in several provinces of Iran.
"The widespread network was tasked with
transferring money from abroad with complicated money-laundering methods and
supplying various equipment to the operational and terrorist teams of the MKO
in Iran," the statement added.
The ringleader of the network, named Ali Mohammad Dowlati,
is an important element of the MKO terrorist group that owns offices and
institutions in the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands, it noted.
Dowlati supported the operational terrorist teams and
provided the necessary financial and logistical support for them in cooperation
with Albania, the UAE and the Netherlands, the statement read.
The detainee had contacts with several intermediaries
affiliated with the MKO inside Iran, oversaw the process of money transaction
via multi-layered money-laundering methods, delivered money, weapons,
ammunition and technical and communication gear to the terrorist teams, and
even recruited thugs for participation in riots in Iran, the ministry said.
One of the elements that has been arrested is the
father of an operational member of terrorist teams that had been captured
around three years ago, and whose affiliation with a major industrial
university of Iran resulted in a massive onslaught by the hostile media against
the Iranian security and judicial organizations, it added.
A probe has been conducted into the network and their
middlemen, adding that the elements residing abroad will be prosecuted by
Interpol on charges of financing terrorism and organized money-laundering,
according to the statement.
The intelligence ministry warned the countries hosting
the MKO terrorists, including Albania, the Netherlands and the UAE, that the
presence of MKO, whose nature is based on crisis and crime, will only aggravate
the illegal and terrorist activities in any country.
Iran has in recent months dismantled several terrorist
cells working for the MKO terror group. The militants were involved in making
explosives and hand-made bombs and linked to foreigners and planned to carry
out counter-security acts and set up operational groups to direct the riots in
Iran.
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the MKO
terrorist group began its enmity against Iran by killing thousands of Iranians
and terrorist activities. Several members of the terrorist group and its
leaders are living in European countries now, freely conducting terrorist
activities.
The MKO terrorist group has martyred 17,161 Iranian
citizens and officials, including late president Mohammad Ali Rajayee, former
Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, late Head of Supreme Judicial Council
Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, late Deputy Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces
General Staff Ali Sayyad Shirazi, and 27 legislators, as well as four nuclear
scientists, some on itself and some others through collusion with Israeli
Mossad and other notorious spy agencies like CIA.
The MKO terrorist group has publicly specified targets
as martyred Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force
of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Iranian President Seyed
Ebrahim Rayeesi.
The terrorist organization said it would “welcome”
their assassination, adding that it desired for the ranking officials to “join”
Asadollah Lajevardi, Tehran’s former chief prosecutor, and Ali Sayyad-Shirazi,
a former commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Forces during Iraq’s 1980-88
war against Iran, who have both been assassinated by the terror outfit.
The MKO is currently based in Albania, where it enjoys
freedom of activity after being delisted by the European Union and the United
States in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
The terror group regularly hosts big events in which
top US and European officials make speeches in support of the group. Pompeo,
former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and former Vice President Mike
Pence met with the terror group’s leader several times, voiced their support
for the notorious cult.
In mid-July, Iran slapped sanction on several US
individuals and officials for their support for the MKO terrorist group,
stating Washington continues assisting the terrorist group which has its hands
stained with the blood of thousands of Iranian civilians.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Judiciary Chief: 3,000 Inmates Freed, 16 Death Penalty
Cases Commuted
2023-January-2
Mohseni Ejei made the announcement on the pardons and
reduced sentences as he was attending a commemoration service for General
Soleimani in the martyred general’s hometown of Kerman in Southeast Iran on
Monday.
The decision was adopted to reflect General
Soleimani’s efforts during his life to help the needy in the country, adding
that pardons and reduced sentences would cover individuals who have been behind
bars due to unintentional crimes or because of debt.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran Reminds Israel of Fragile State of Netanyahu's
Gov't
2023-January-2
On Thursday, Israel’s parliament had sworn in
Netanyahu as prime minister. He stated an end to the “Arab-Israeli conflict”
would be his top priority, as well as stopping Iran’s nuclear programme and
building up Israel’s military capacity.
Referring to the Netanyahu's rhetoric, Kana'ani called
on the authorities of the Tel Aviv regime to pay attention to the fragile state
of their new government and their unstable economy.
"They know that Tehran will respond to any of
their actions and threats, and they think seriously about its consequences.
Iran's point of view is quite clear," the diplomat emphasized.
Military officials have warned that any mistake by the
US and Israel will be met with Tehran's crushing response. Iranian officials
say Washington and Tel Aviv are well aware of Tehran’s capabilities and
capacities, and caution that Tehran does not compromise or joke with its
national security.
Iran says the Israeli regime is just playing mouth as
it lacks the power and needed capability to take real action against Tehran,
but, meantime warns that it won't be hesitant to devastate Israel in case of
the slightest move by Zionist regime.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011012000558/Iran-Reminds-Israel-f-Fragile-Sae-f-Neanyah's-Gv'
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Israel’s extreme-right minister Ben-Gvir visits
al-Aqsa mosque compound
03 January ,2023
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar
Ben-Gvir visited the compound that houses the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on
Tuesday, a move condemned by Palestinian as provocative and despite warnings it
could lead to violence.
The Ynet news website carried pictures of Ben-Gvir
touring the site under heavy security. The compound is Islam's third holiest
site after Mecca and Medina and Judaism’s most sacred, where Jews believe two
ancient temples are located.
Israel’s opposition leader and former Prime Minister
Yair Lapid had warned that such a visit by Ben-Gvir would spark violence.
Only Muslim worship is allowed at the site, and there
was no indication that Ben-Gvir had prayed during his visit.
The Palestinian foreign ministry said it “strongly
condemns the storming of al-Aqsa mosque by the extremist minister Ben-Gvir and
views it as unprecedented provocation and a dangerous escalation of the
conflict.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkey’s AK Party mulls bringing elections ‘slightly’
forward
02 January ,2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK
Party is considering a “slight change” on the date of elections scheduled for
mid-June, a senior party official said on Monday.
“We want elections to be held on June 18,” AK Party
spokesperson Omer Celik said at a news conference when asked about the
possibility of snap elections. “But since this date corresponds with summer
holiday season when people are traveling, ware evaluating bringing the date
slightly forward.”
Turkey’s parliamentary and presidential elections are
scheduled to be held on June 18, and Erdogan previously said elections would be
held in June.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli foreign minister sees Abraham Accords summit
in Morocco in March
02 January ,2023
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday he
planned to attend a summit in March with counterparts from Arab countries that
have drawn closer to Israel following a US-sponsored diplomatic drive in 2020.
Cohen, who took office last week as part of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new hard-right coalition government, said the
summit would be hosted by Morocco, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel’s defence ministry seeks $2.85B budget increase
to confront Iran
Ahmed Asmar
02.01.2023
Israel’s Ministry of Defense on Monday requested an
increase of $2.85 billion in the annual budget to bolster its efforts to
confront Iran, according to local media.
Israeli public broadcaster KAN said the new increase
aims to boost preparations to confront the Iranian nuclear program.
The ministry’s new budget includes a 17% increase from
the current defense budget of $17.8 billion.
Israel accuses Iran of seeking to build a nuclear
bomb, a claim denied by Tehran, which says its program is designed for peaceful
purposes.
Iran has often in recent years accused its arch-foe
Israel of carrying out espionage and sabotage acts at key nuclear, military and
industrial facilities through local agents.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Yemeni forces launch final push to drive Al-Qaeda from
Abyan
SAEED AL-BATATI
January 02, 2023
AL-MUKALLA: Yemeni military leaders have launched the
final push to expel Al-Qaeda militants from Abyan, deploying hundreds of
soldiers and armored personnel carriers as reinforcements.
The APCs, armed vehicles and support trucks were seen
traveling from the city to the nearby southern province.
Brig. Mohsen Al-Wali, the general commander of
Security Belt forces, said the reinforcements would boost operation “East
Arrows” to battle the Al-Qaeda remnants, who are believed to be sheltering in
the mountainous Al-Mahfad area.
“Security Belt troops would tighten checkpoints in
cities along with the General Security, as Support and Reinforcement (forces)
would battle terrorism and pursue terrorist elements in the mountainous regions
where they are hiding and attempting to undermine security," Al-Wali told
Al-Ghad Al-Mushreq TV.
The Support and Reinforcement and the Security Belt
groups are both controlled by the pro-independence Southern Transitional
Council.
Al-Wali said that Aden and other southern cities had
enjoyed relative peace in recent months due to military operations in Abyan and
Shabwa, which forced many Al-Qaeda militants from their long-standing safe
havens.
Pro-independence forces moved into the provinces in
September in response to a series of deadly Al-Qaeda attacks against military
targets and abductions of relief workers.
Al-Qaeda trained militants, planned assaults, and
concealed captives in the mountainous highlands of Abyan and Shabwa.
For the first time in years, Yemeni troops were able
to advance into mountainous and rough valleys in Abyan, such as the Moujan,
Omaran, and Al-Khayla valleys, which have long been considered Al-Qaeda
strongholds where militants freely train and recruit fighters and store
weapons.
The fleeing militants placed large numbers of
landmines and improvised explosive devices in valleys and mountains to prevent
troops from advancing into their strongholds.
Dozens of soldiers have been killed or injured by
roadside bombs in the Omaran valley.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225761/middle-east
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Foreign Ministry: Israel’s killing of young
Palestinians ‘organized state terrorism’
02 January 2023
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
Expatriates has strongly denounced Israel’s recent killing of two young
Palestinians during a night raid on a village near the city of Jenin in the
occupied West Bank.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry held
the occupying regime fully responsible for the consequences of its actions.
This crime is “organized state terrorism and
continuous Israeli attempts to plunge the area into a spiral of escalation and
violence with the aim of impeding a political solution to the conflict, evading
its obligations, and imposing a military approach in dealing with our people,
their cause and their rights,” the statement read.
The ministry said the Western double standards
encourage Israel to keep up the gradual annexation of the occupied West Bank,
including East al-Quds.
The ministry said it was pursuing the crimes of Israel
with the competent international courts, including the International Criminal
Court (ICC).
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also held
Israel fully responsible for the repercussions that may result from daily
killings and incursions.
“This crime reflects the thinking and behavior of the
perpetrators, who continue their crimes without fear of being held accountable
or punished,” the premier said.
He called on the countries that voted in favor of
requesting a legal advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) on the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination to take
immediate measures to provide protection for the Palestinian people.
Hamas: Blood of martyrs will ignite new Intifada
(Uprising)
In response to the killings, Palestine's resistance
movement Hamas said every drop of the Palestinian blood will ignite a new
Intifada against the regime.
“The Israeli escalation against our people will only
intensify their strong determination to confront the new Israeli government's
terrorism and fascism,” the Gaza-based movement said.
Earlier Monday, Palestinian medical sources said the
fatalities were caused as Israeli forces stormed the village of Kafr Dan, west
of Jenin.
They identified one victim as Muhammad Samer Hoshieh,
21, from the nearby town of Yamoun, who died after being hit by live bullets in
the chest. The second was identified as 17-year-old Fuad Mahmoud Ahmed Abed,
from Kafr Dan, who succumbed to injuries in the abdomen and thigh.
Eight more Palestinians were also injured in the
attack.
Israeli forces carried out the raid in an effort to
demolish the homes of two Palestinian martyrs.
Over the past months, Israeli troops and settlers have
considerably intensified attacks on the Palestinians across the occupied
territories.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/02/695614/Israel-young-Palestinians-state-terrorism
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India
BJP Karnataka State President Tells Cadre To Discuss
‘Love Jihad’, Not Road Work
03rd January 2023
MANGALURU: BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel
kicked up a row on Monday by asking his party workers not to engage voters on
discussions over roads and drainages (development), but instead tell them that
only a BJP government can stop ‘love jihad’ by bringing a law against it.
Addressing party workers at ‘Booth Vijaya Abhiyana’,
Kateel lashed out at the Congress and called it a “party of terrorists”. “If
(KPCC president) DK Shivakumar becomes the chief minister, then terrorists will
have a field day,” he said. Stating that ‘love jihad’ will flourish and laws
against cow slaughter and religious conversion will be withdrawn if the
Congress comes to power, he said people now have to choose between ‘Nava
Karnataka’ and ‘Land of Terrorism’.
Pointing out that Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a
bold decision by banning the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Karnataka Forum
for Dignity (KFD) following the murder of BJP worker Praveen Nettaru, Kateel
said that if these organisations were not banned then Monappa Bhandary and
Harikrishna Bantwal (BJP leaders) would have been dead by now.
He also said that senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah
will be in jail over corruption by the next Assembly election. “Why didn’t you
(Congress) raise the issue of ‘40 per cent commission’ and ‘Pay CM’ during the
just concluded winter session. You didn’t raise it because Kempanna is in jail.
(D. Kempanna is the president of Karnataka State Contractors’ Association who
first made the charge of 40% commission against the government). Siddaramaiah
shut Lokayuktya whereas we strengthened it. We asked them to lodge complaints
with Lokayukya over corruption cases but they didn’t. Tell people that Congress
is a corrupt party and Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are the most corrupt,” he
said.
Kateel predicted that the BJP would win 150 seats in
the state Assembly elections which are 100 days away. “But our victory should
be on the basis of our organisational strength. India should culturally
transform and for that we should win in booths,” he said.
Source: New Indian Express
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Sheezan Khan's Kin Hit Back: Never Forced Tunisha
Sharma To Embrace Islam
02 JAN 2023
Arrested actor Sheezan Khan's family and his legal
team on Monday hit back at the allegations made by the late actress Tunisha's
mother Vanita Sharma and said they "never compelled her to embrace
Islam", here on Monday.
Khan's sisters - Falaq and Shafaz - and their lawyers
rubbished Vanita Sharma's claims made on December 30, that they were forcing
her to convert to Islam, and that she had started sporting a 'hijab' against
her wishes.
The Khans pointed out that the viral photo of Tunisha
sporting a 'hijab' was actually from the shoots of her show, "Ali Baba: Dastaan-E-Kabul,
currently being shot in Vasai, where she (Tunisha) was found dead on December
24.
Addressing the media, the Khan family said that on the
contrary, Vanita Sharma was forcing Tunisha to work though she was suffering
from depression owing to childhood trauma.
"Tunisha was suffering from depression due to a
childhood trauma... She was made to sign for two music videos though she was
not interested... If her mother had not forced her to work she would have been
alive today," said Shafaq Khan.
They further claimed that Tunisha's relations with her
mother were purportedly strained and Vanita had allegedly once tried to
strangle her daughter.
Source: Outlook India
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Three Pakistani Flags Found In Uttarakhand Forest,
Cause A Flutter Spawning Multiple Theories,
Piyush Srivastava
| Lucknow
03.01.23
Three Pakistani flags have been found in a forest
bordering an Uttarakhand village, triggering investigations by the Intelligence
Bureau and state police and spawning multiple theories, from “the foreign hand”
to domestic mischief.
Each flag was found tied to a set of 30-odd hot-air
balloons, suggesting they had flown in from somewhere else.
They were discovered on Saturday, lying on the ground
a few yards from one another in the forests of Tulyara village in Uttarkashi
district.
One of the flags was tied also to a banner that said
“Lahore Bar Association”, a local administrative officer said. He suggested the
balloons had come from Lahore, about 400km west of Uttarkashi, and were
intended to “vitiate the communal atmosphere”.
He didn’t explain how all three sets of flags and
balloons had landed at the same place, instead of drifting apart, if they came
from 400km away.
A retired army major and local resident, R.S. Jamnal,
said: “The balloons are not big and could not have flown such a long distance.
It may be a design by some people of the state to disturb the peace.”
Jamnal underlined that the China frontier was just
about 120km from Tulyara.
Source: Telegraph India
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Kerala Nadva tul Mujahideen Stays Away From Muslim
Coordination Committee Meeting
03rd January 2023
KOZHIKODE: The Kerala Nadvat ul Mujahideen (KNM) has
boycotted the meeting of the Muslim Coordination Committee convened by the IUML
to discuss the common issues faced by the Muslim community. KNM state secretary
A I Abdul Majeed Swalahi said the boycott was in protest against the Samastha
Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, which “threatened the Panakkad family not to
participate in the Mujahid conference”.
In a Facebook post, Swalahi said: “There is no point
in blaming the Panakkad family. The Samastha should rethink of its decision of
blocking the members of family by threatening them. They (members of the
Panakkad family) were invited because they are in the political field. Had they
been the just the qasis of Samastha mahals, they would not have been invited to
the programme.”
He wanted to know as to how long can Samastha block
the members of the Panakkad family, who have shown keenness in attending the
Mujahid programmes.
Source: New Indian Express
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2 kids killed in IED blast in Rajouri village, day
after New Year’s Day massacre
Jan 3, 2023
JAMMU: A four-year-old boy and a teenage girl were
killed in an IED explosion Monday in a sinister continuation of the targeted
terrorist attack on three Hindu homes in the mountainside village of Upper
Dhangri in Jammu’s Rajouri district that were sprayed with bullets on New
Year’s Day, leaving four villagers dead and six gravely wounded.
In all, six died and 15 were wounded in a little over
12 hours, comparable to some of the most gruesome killings recorded in J&K
during the peak of separatist insurgency in the 1990s. Lieutenant governor
Manoj Sinha and DGP Dilbag Singh promised that the attackers will be “punished
soon”, but there’s no official word on how many terrorists were involved and to
which group they belong. No outfit has claimed responsibility yet.
The victims of the IED blast were identified as Vihan
Kumar, who perished instantly from shrapnel wounds, and 14-year-old Samiksha,
who died later at Government Medical College in Rajouri town, about 8km north
of the village.
Nine people were wounded, mostly women and children.
“The people under treatment are Sanvi Sharma, 7, Angel Sharma, 8, Kanhaya
Sharma, 14, Vansh Bhargav, 15, Sejal Sharma, 18, Sumiksha Sharma, 20, Sharda
Devi, 38, Santosh Sharma, 45, and Kamlesh Devi, 48. Their condition is stable,”
medical superintendent Dr Mehmood Hussain Bajar said.
The J&K administration announced an ex gratia of
Rs 10 lakh to each of those killed Sunday— Pritam Sharma, 56, his 33-year-old
son Ashish Kumar, Deepak Kumar, 23, a PHE employee, and Sheetal Kumar, 48. A
government job will also be given to the next of kin of each of the four
victims.
LG Manoj Sinha condemned the “cowardly terror attack”
and announced best possible medical treatment as well as Rs 1 lakh to each of
the wounded: Pawan Kumar, Saroj Bala, her 17-year-old daughter Arushi Sharma,
Sushil Kumar, Rohit Pandit and Shubam Sharma, 20.
Sinha, DGP Dilbag Singh and top officials and
politicians visited Dhangri and met the families as well as the sarpanch. The
LG said: “We have given full freedom to the security forces and I want to
assure the people that the perpetrators of this attack will be punished soon.”
DGP Singh said the terrorists will be hunted down soon.
The terrorists had planted IEDs after they rode an SUV
on Sunday evening into an area where the three houses stand within 50 metres of
each other, in a nook cloistered from the main Muslim-majority village of more
than 3,000 people.
They barged into each of the three homes, emptied
several magazines of semiautomatic weapons in an insanely indiscriminate
shooting, and melted into the darkness. They left behind a trail of blood and
an unidentified number of deadly IEDs. One of these went off when a group of
mourners gathered to comfort the grieving families on Monday morning. Security
agencies found another in the vicinity and defused it.
The place is being combed amid fears that there could
be more unexploded bombs, which many believe were intended to inflict maximum
“collateral damage” by targeting security forces that move into an area in
large numbers after a terrorist attack.
J&K police, Army and CRPF personnel reached the
area an hour after Sunday’s carnage, while an NIA team landed Monday in Upper
Dhangri. But officials were tight-lipped on how the IEDs went undetected during
the night-long search. One reason could be the dense winter fog and darkness.
The latest carnage sparked public outrage and protests
were seen in several places of Jammu, where people were already angry over
repeated targeted attacks on Kashmiri Pandit employees and migrant workers in
the Valley over the past year.
The protesters shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and
blamed the neighbouring country for the Rajouri massacre and terrorism in
J&K.
BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh said: “Time has come
for the Pakistani agents to understand that the Modi government would not spare
any effort to bring a new culture of progress and prosperity to the region.”
Source: Times Of India
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Shahi Eidgah mosque panel files plea against survey
order
Jan 03, 2023
The management committee of the Shahi Eidgah mosque
adjoining the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura on Monday filed an
objection against a court order for a survey of the mosque.
“We moved applications before the additional civil
judge in Mathura on Monday,” said Tanveer Ahmed, counsel and secretary of the
management committee. “These included objections against the order for a survey
of the Shahi Eidgah mosque by court ameen. The order passed without hearing us
needs to be recalled.”
The civil judge on December 8 ordered the survey of
the mosque by court ameen, or staff appointed by the court.
There was no hearing on the matter because of a
condolence meeting on the death of a lawyer. The case will be taken up on
January 20.
“We have filed our objections against the order,
apprising the court that it was attained by the petitioner while misleading the
court stating incorrect facts,” Ahmed said. “We were not even heard on the
application moved in the fresh petition, as we had not received the summons of
the case.”
“The Hindu petitioners have yet not taken steps for
seeking ameen’s report in compliance of the order and will have to take fresh
steps for having the survey of mosque conducted,” he said.
Sandeep Sharma, counsel for the Hindu petitioners,
said he had no information about any objections filed in the case. “We have
neither been informed nor any copies of the objections filed in our case are
being provided to us,” Sharma said.
The court ordered the ameen to conduct inspection of
the site after informing the parties to the suit and submit a report along with
a map of the spot.
The petitioners in the case are Vishnu Gupta, the
Delhi-based president of Hindu Sena, a right-wing organisation, and Surjit
Singh Yadav, vice-president of the outfit and a resident of Gurugram. They
filed the case on behalf of Bhagwan Bal Krishna Virajman Thakur Keshav Dev Ji
Maharaj, considered the personification of the deity Lord Krishna.
The petitioners sought the shifting of the Shahi
Eidgah mosque, claiming that it was built on 13.37 acres of the Sri Krishna
Janmabhoomi Trust after the alleged demolition of a temple by Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb, the petitioners’ counsel Shailesh Dube had said on December 24.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Cleric backtracks on statement made on un-Islamic
nature of prayer meet for PM's mother
By Puja Awasthi
January 02, 2023
The president of the All India Muslim Jamaat has
backtracked on a statement he made about the un-Islamic nature of participation
by Muslims in a condolence ceremony for non-Muslims. The comment was made in
the context of the demise of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s mother, Heeraben.
Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi had, on Sunday, given a
statement saying that the recitation of prayers by a Muslim for a departed
soul, was only acceptable when the deceased was a Muslim. “It is essential to
be a Muslim for this right. To pray for a non-Muslim deceased is najayaz
(unauthorised) and should not be done”, he had said.
“Only a Muslim has the right to pray for forgiveness
of a Muslim’s soul. The condolences offered by Muslims are different from that
of others. The rituals of different faiths should not be mixed”, said the
cleric.
Razvi was responding to a question on the organisation
of a condolence meeting by a Muslim, in Bareilly, for Heeraben who passed away
on Friday.
The self-declared aims of the slightly over three-month-old
organisation are ‘..to promote Sufism, create awareness about education and
maintain brotherhood’. Its president had made news in the recent past for
praising the banning of the Popular Front of India (PFI) and for criticising
the Samajwadi Party for asking for Muslim votes but not caring for the
community.
But on Sunday, the Maulana drew criticism for
declaring, “Those who have organised the condolence meeting and participated in
it, need to seek forgiveness from Allah”. He had termed the act ‘haram’ (that
which is prohibited in the holy Quran and thus a sin for Muslims).
On Monday morning, the Maulana circulated a video
clarifying that his statement had been misconstrued to make it appear as though
it was said for the PM’s deceased mother.
Source: The Week
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Man lynched over son's friendships
Jan 3, 2023
BAREILLY: Mohammed Sartaj, 50, was beaten to death
with hockey sticks as he tried to rescue his son from neighbours in Bareilly
who attacked them for allegedly "making friends from another
community".
The incident took place in Bareilly's Jogi Nawada
locality on Sunday night.
Shahrukh Sheikh was attacked and badly beaten up while
he was talking to his friends. When Shahrukh's father, Mohd Sartaj, tried to
rescue his son, he too was beaten till he fell unconscious and later succumbed
to his injuries in hospital. Shahrukh suffered injuries but he was discharged
after first aid.
Shahrukh told TOI, "I was having a conversation
with two friends outside my house when my neighbour Rashid Khan and three
others - Ashu Khan, Fayyam, and Fazil - started hurling abuses at us and
thrashed us for no reason. My friends somehow managed to escape. When my father
came to rescue me, he too was mercilessly beaten up with hockey sticks."
"My brother works with some people from another
community and they often visit our house. My family never raised any
objection," said Daud, Shahrukh's elder brother.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan
Former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa hired ex-envoy
Hussain Haqqani to lobby against me: Imran Khan
Jan 2, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman
Imran Khan on Sunday alleged that ex-envoy Hussain Haqqwas hired by Pakistan's
former chief of army General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa to lobby against Khan,
reported The Express Tribune.
The Express Tribune report said: "Khan claimed
that the relations between him and the former army chief soured because Bajwa
"did not want accountability in the country".
Khan remembered his last meeting with Bajwa. Bajwa
told me that I am a playboy, said Imran. "Yes, I have been a
playboy," he said.
Asked about his thoughts on returning to the
parliament, Khan said that "there is no benefit" in returning to the
National Assembly.
"What will we do by going to the National
Assembly, there is no benefit," he said."The ex-PM reiterated that
transparent elections will bring stability to the country. "Let there be
transparent elections in the country and make a sustainable government,"
he maintained," reported The Express Tribune.
Khan said that the establishment can play an important
role in getting the country out of all crises.
"Talking about the ruling coalition filing a vote
of no confidence against Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, Imran claimed
that "the establishment had asked our [PTI's] three members of the Punjab
Assembly to remain neutral for the vote of confidence"," reported The
Express Tribune.
Recently, Khan criticised the Pakistan Democratic
Movement-led government for "pushing the nation towards terror
incidents." He made the remarks during a consultative meeting attended by
the party's senior leadership and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid's leader Moonis
Elahi.
"The imposed, corrupt and incompetent rulers are
pushing the nation towards [terror] incidents," The News International
quoted Imran Khan as saying.
Imran Khan has often criticized Pakistan People's
Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
on national security. His statement regarding terrorism comes at a time when
Pakistan is witnessing an increase in terror attacks, particularly in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
"Leaving national security at the mercy of [Asif]
Zardari's politically-immature son is criminal stupidity," The News
International quoted Khan as saying.
As per The News International report, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa has been witnessing hostage situations in Bannu's Counter-Terrorism
Department (CTD). Furthermore, cross-border attacks and bombings have been seen
in Balochistan. Criticizing the incumbent government, Khan told them to stop
benefiting from the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRS) and called for snap
elections, according to The News International. He emphasised that only a
government with a public mandate can handle Pakistan's economy.
Source: Times Of India
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Taliban Urge Dialogue After Interior Minister Hints At
Cross-Border Action Against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
January 2, 2023
ISLAMABAD/KABUL: The Taliban government of Afghanistan
condemned a “provocative” statement from the minister of interior indicating
Islamabad may engage in cross-border action against the Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) militant group, saying it damaged the good relations between the
two neighbouring nations.
“The Ministry of National Defence considers as
provocative and baseless recent speeches of the Pakistani Interior Minister about
the presence of TTP in Afghanistan and their possible attack inside
Afghanistan,” Kabul said in a statement.
Tensions have mounted, in particular, due to the
growing TTP attacks targeting security forces in the months since the Taliban
takeover in 2021. Pakistan’s use of cross-border airstrikes is tied to the
trajectory of the TTP in Afghanistan and Islamabad’s growing frustration with
the Taliban’s failure to restrain the group.
Since its resurgence a few years ago, the TTP has
strengthened its bases in Afghanistan to attack Pakistan — especially in areas
where the Taliban’s territorial influence as an insurgency was significant.
After taking over the country, the Taliban gave the TTP de-facto political
asylum.
The TTP has used its improved political status in
Afghanistan to step-up cross-border attacks and is now regularly sending
fighters into Pakistan.
Last week, in an interview with Express News, Rana
Sanaullah Khan said Pakistan may target TTP hideouts in Afghanistan if its
Taliban rulers did not take any action against the group.
“Afghanistan is our brotherly country and we will
first talk to them to dismantle the TTP hideouts and hand over the group’s
members to Pakistan,” the minister had said.
But Kabul, in its latest statement, claimed it was in possession
of “proof” of TTP bases inside Pakistan and such “claims by Pakistani officials
harm good relations between two brotherly neighbouring countries”.
“Afghanistan calls for resolution of every concern
through understanding,” the statement added.
It also said that Afghanistan was “ready to defend its
territorial integrity and independence” and knew how to defend the country.
Greatly emboldened by the Afghan Taliban’s rise to
power, TTP has declared the former as their role model and launched an escalating
terror campaign inside Pakistan from its bases in Afghanistan.
Source: Pakistan Today
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PIA Eyes Umrah Flights For Muslims In China, To
Improve Its Revenues
As the national flag carrier looks to improve its
revenues, it has eyed a potentially untapped stream with potential Umrah
passengers in China.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a
special package for Pakistanis and other Muslim passengers living in China. The
national flag carrier intends to fly them to Saudi Arabia from China and back.
Pakistani or Muslims of other nationalities will be
able to fly from Beijing and Chengdu to Islamabad and take connecting flights
to Saudi Arabia.
On the way back, Pakistani passengers will be able to
enjoy a week-long layover in their home country to visit loved ones.
An official said that currently, PIA only operates
passenger flights to and from Beijing every week. It is a similar story for
Chengdu with flights operating on Sundays and Wednesdays.
With the Chinese new year coming up, PIA has already
introduced special fares for travelers going to China.
Source: Samaa English
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https://www.samaaenglish.tv/news/40024653
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SC allows ECP to continue contempt proceedings against
Imran, other PTI leaders
Haseeb Bhatti
January 3, 2023
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday allowed the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to continue its proceedings against former premier
Imran Khan, and PTI leaders Asad Umar and Fawad Chaudhry, in cases related to
the contempt of the electoral body.
The orders were passed by a three-member SC bench,
headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Athar Minallah
and Justice Ayesha A Malik, on the ECP’s petition.
The ECP had during August and September last year
issued contempt notices, in exercise of its powers of contempt, against PTI
chief Imran Khan and party leaders Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Mian Shabbir
Ismail and Danial Khalid Khokhar for allegedly using “intemperate” language
against the chief election commissioner and ECP and asked them to appear in
person or through their counsels before the commission to explain their
position.
However, instead of appearing before the ECP, the PTI
leaders challenged in various high courts the ECP notices and contempt
proceedings on the grounds that Section 10 of the Elections Act 2017, which is
the statutory provision regarding the commission’s power to punish for
contempt, was against the Constitution.
According to the Election Act 2017, Section 10 titled
“Power to punish for contempt” states that the “election commission may
exercise the same power as the high court to punish any person for contempt of
court and the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003 (V of 2003), or any other law
pertaining to contempt of court shall have effect accordingly[…]”
The PTI leaders had also sought from the high courts a
declaratory relief from the charges.
Later, a petition was moved through Advocate Sajeel
Sheryar Swati on behalf of the ECP with a request to order consolidation of all
six petitions before one high court instead of defending the commission’s
stance over the issuance of contempt notices against PTI leaders in different
high courts.
At the previous hearing, the top court had directed
the high courts hearing petitions filed by the PTI against the ECP to quickly
decide on the matter.
The seven-page document issued today, a copy of which
is available with Dawn.com, said that the proceedings initiated by the
electoral body under Section 10 of the Election Act, 2017, against the
respondents “have been allowed to continue”.
“But ECP has been hereby restrained from passing final
orders under the said section.”
The order highlighted that the high courts had not
stopped the commission from proceeding in the matter initiated by it and the
respondents had raised objections about the “alleged incompetence” of the
officer who had issued the show cause notices.
“As these objections have been raised in the pending
proceedings under section 10 before the ECP, the same are required to be
considered and decided by it before passing any final order.
“We hold that the petitioner [ECP] may continue its
proceedings in accordance with law including, by decisions on the objections
raised on behalf of the respondents,” it added.
Source: Dawn
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Hussain Haqqani mulls options to sue Imran for
defamation
Anwar Iqbal
January 3, 2023
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s former ambassador to the
United States Hussain Haqqani said on Monday that he has asked his lawyers to
examine if Imran Khan’s conspiracy theories about him fell under defamation
laws.
Speaking to journalists in Lahore on Sunday, the
former prime minister claimed that the then army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa hired
Mr Haqqani in July 2021 for lobbying in Washington, and the ex-envoy launched a
“defamation” campaign against him and promoted Mr Bajwa in the US capital.
Mr Khan also claimed that Mr Bajwa’s alleged “set-up”
was still active in the establishment purportedly to stop the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) from coming back to power.
Documents posted online last month showed that a
former CIA station manager in Islamabad, Robert Grenier, was hired in July 2021
to lobby for the PTI government in Washington who then engaged Mr Haqqani to do
some research work for him.
Later, PTI officials in the US said that both men — Mr
Grenier and Mr Haqqani — were working for a senior figure in the Pakistani
military establishment, and that instead of working for the party, they tried
to bring down its government.
Mr Haqqani immediately rejected these allegations as
incorrect and on Monday, he issued another statement in Washington, saying: “I
just did some research work for Mr Grenier on Pakistan’s politics and economy.
That is not lobbying, and the relevant US law is clear that it is not
lobbying.”
Mr Haqqani said that Mr Khan’s claims and the Twitter
thread by someone that started this whole thing were “a conspiracy theory, not
evidence of me working with either PTI’s lobbyist or the Pakistan army”.
He said that like all populists, “Khan sahib thrives
on conspiracy theories. I wish he understood that I have no interest in either
promoting him or dragging him down”.
He said he had already written how he believed
“Pakistan should be reimagined” and “elite political maneuvers are not part” of
his assessment.
“I have asked my lawyers to examine if Mr Khan’s
conspiracy theories about me fall under defamation laws in the various
countries where his statements are published.”
Source: Dawn
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Army urged to work solely within ‘constitutional
domain’
Iftikhar A. Khan
January 3, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A leading think-tank has underscored the
need for the Pakistan Army and its chief to lead by example and work solely
within their constitutional mandate, according to the State of Democracy in
Pakistan 2022 report.
It would be the first crucial step towards elected
governments and civil bureaucracy to take charge of their mandate and role in
providing effective democratic governance to the citizens, the Pakistan
Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) noted in its
report.
Describing 2022 as “a depressing year for democracy”,
it says the fiddling with democracy by the establishment in the past seventy
plus years “in partnership with power-greedy politicians, exposed one by one
during the year culminating in the confession by the outgoing commander, the
farce of democratic dispensation became all the more naked in 2022.”
“Pakistan, with the painful state of affairs in 2022,
is reaping the bitter fruits of years old policy of establishment interfering
in political affairs which nearly paralysed almost all institutions including
parliament, political parties, judiciary and bureaucracy.
Pildat report highlights ‘paradox’ of Imran’s ouster,
notes ‘embarrassing behaviour’ in the Punjab Assembly during CM’s election
“Serious soul searching and developing zero tolerance
for unconstitutional acts must start from the beginning of 2023, if we wish to
stem the rot in body politic of the country,” it noted.
It said it was too early to form a firm opinion but so
far there seems to be no evidence of establishment’s involvement in political
affairs since the change of guard in the army in November last year.
“This policy of no interference in politics will not
yield quick results but if the establishment stands by its commitment to stay
aloof from politics, there is hope for long-term improvement in the state of
democracy,” it noted.
The report said it was paradoxical that Imran Khan’s
ouster from power both broke the control of unspoken authoritarian power in
Pakistan as country witnessed an active assault on free media leading to
attacks on journalists, divide-and-conquer tactics on social media forcing
self-censorship across society and a political witch-hunt in the name of
accountability during Mr Khan’s tenure. Yet the ouster negatively affected the
continuity of democracy in Pakistan where no prime minister has been able to
complete their five-year elected term in office so far.
“However, it is also a reality of the power of
military in Pakistan’s political process that Mr Khan’s government ended just
when the support of the army was withdrawn. It is also a reality that the
coalition government could not have assumed power without the support of the
army,” it observed.
Pildat noted that while the National Assembly was the
house where the vote of no confidence originated and was passed, there is
little that the assembly has seen during the year that has strengthened
democracy in Pakistan.
Punjab Assembly witnessed even more embarrassing
behaviour during the election of chief minister.
The election of chief minister could only take place
as per the orders of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on April 16 and was marred by
disorder and violence on the floor of the assembly largely due to negligence by
the staff of the assembly secretariat as observed both Pildat and Fafen.
About conduct of the Supreme Court, glimpses of
holding up the Constitution was witnessed through the apex court as it set
aside the ruling of the deputy speaker on April 7 and also ordered that PM’s
advice to the president to dissolve the assembly was also contrary to the
Constitution and of no legal effect.
But on May 17, while interpreting Article 63-A of the
Constitution, the Supreme Court gave a verdict that votes cast by legislators
in violation of their party’s stance must not be taken into account while
determining the outcome of a motion.
The Supreme Court resisted to evolve and agree on a
clear appointment and elevation criteria for judges of the Supreme Court of
Pakistan under the current Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata
Bandial. Sitting judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Qazi Faez Isa and other
members of the JCP, had to resort to writing public letters to CJP Bandial
calling for a transparent, consistent, well-defined appointment criteria for
judges and the public, it noted.
Long-awaited assertiveness of independence by the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and standing up to fascist attacks during
the year was one ray of hope for democracy but as the year ends, some court
decisions, especially the one reversing ECP action against the accused Polling
Staff at Daska by-election, have raised serious questions whether ECP will be
able to stay the course of independence.
Source: Dawn
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The curious case of JUI-F’s sudden rise in Balochistan
Muhammad Akbar Notezai
January 3, 2023
THE political situation in Balochistan has rarely been
dull, and with one crisis following the other, there is rarely any respite from
the ‘interesting times’ of Chinese proverb-fame. That’s why even commoners such
as rickshaw drivers and members of the working classes, let alone political
pundits, have quite a clear idea which party or leader is going to form the
government in the province after the next general elections.
Recently, several politicians and electables have
joined the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Fazl), and most of them seemed confident that
this is the party that would clinch a majority of seats in the upcoming
elections.
It is said that electables and senior politicians, who
are close to the establishment, do not join a political party until prospects
of its victory are assured. Despite having a decade-old presence on
Balochistan’s political landscape, JUI-F has traditionally found success in the
Pashtun belt of the province. However, this time around, Baloch politicians
also seem to be migrating towards the JUI-F.
For instance, Nawab Aslam Raisani, the former chief
minister and head of the Sarawan tribe, joined the JUI-F in Quetta recently
amid fanfare, in the presence of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Before that, Zafar Gichki and former ministers Zafar
Zehri, Amanullah Notezai and Dastagir Badini had joined the religio-political
party.
Professor Mumtaz Baloch, a seasoned teacher of
political science at the University of Balochistan, is not surprised by the
sudden rise of JUI-F in the province, where the Baloch nationalists have
traditionally dominated the political landscape.
“Since the formation of Balochistan province in 1970s,
JUI has had a presence in this region,” Prof Baloch says while talking to Dawn.
“Since NAP (National Awami Party) formed its
governments in Balochistan and then-NWFP — now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — in the
1970s with Mufti Mehmood, the father of Maulana Fazl, as part of the ruling
coalition, JUI-F has remained part of all governments in Balochistan.”
In Balochistan, JUI-F members have enjoyed powerful
ministerial portfolios. However, it has always been the JUI-F’s desire to grab
the slot of chief minister and at the moment it’s working day in, day out to
turn this desire into a reality in the upcoming general elections. So far, the
situation seems to favour the party.
For instance, JUI-F, in the Pashtun belt of
Balochistan, has traditionally won majority of seats, and it has given tough
time to its Pashtun nationalist rivals, especially those belonging to the PkMAP
(Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party).
In recent times, the PkMAP has been in throes of
infighting, and many of its senior leaders have either been sacked or they
themselves have quit after developing differences with party chief Mehmood Khan
Achakzai. It is crystal clear that JUI-F will take advantage of this situation
for all the good reasons.
‘Liberal’ party?
“JUI-F is kind of a liberal party, because it has
housed many, including the ones who do not have inclination towards the
religion,” says Jalal Noorzai, a Quetta-based senior analyst and columnist, who
writes mostly on Balochistan’s political affairs.
“In Balochistan’s overall politics, JUI-F does have a
significant role. This time, even if it manages to form the government, it
won’t be surprising at all.”
During his recent visit to Quetta, the JUI-F chief
showed his interest in making the party’s government in Balochistan, so much so
that he called for a change in the attitude of the institutions, saying mere
announcement of staying neutral was not enough.
Commentators assert that the Maulana has already begun
his election campaign, like other political parties, after the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM), of which JUI-F is a component, became dysfunctional
in the province. One such commentator is Sabookh Syed. He frequently writes
about religious affairs and religious parties.
“There were two or three groups within the Maulana’s
party in Balochistan and KP, and his relatives were on important positions in
the government of KP which is why Maulana was under scathing criticism,”
journalist and commentator Sabookh Syed shares with Dawn from Islamabad.
“Due to these developments, he has been trying to
unify his party; at the same time, he got what he wanted from the establishment
and under the platform of PDM he has been leading.”
Mr Syed adds, “Maulana has had a traditional hold in
both the Balochistan and KP provinces. However, due to increasing tilt of
people in KP towards PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf), Maulana has focused on
Balochistan to clinch more seats, and there is no such rival as PTI in
Balochistan. After settling the matters in Balochistan, he can shift his focus
to KP.”
Before the “experiment” of Balochistan Awami Party
(BAP) in 2018, both the JUI-F and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) wanted to form
their own governments in Balochistan under their own chief ministers.
However, the formation of the “king’s party”
disappointed them. Once again, the two parties are active in Balochistan,
trying to win over the powerful establishment, to make their own governments. “If
PPP forms its government at the Centre, it’s highly likely the party will also
have its government in Balochistan,” says Mr Jalal.
Source: Dawn
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Civil, military leaders resolve to observe ‘zero
tolerance’ for terrorism
January 2, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The National Security Committee on Monday
reiterated its resolve to have zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan and
reaffirmed its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to
violence.
“This will be dealt with full force of the state.
Pakistan’s security is uncompromisable and the full writ of the state will be
maintained on every inch of Pakistan’s territory,” the Committee resolved.
The 40th meeting of the National Security Committee,
chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was attended by relevant federal
cabinet members, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, all services chiefs,
and heads of intelligence services.
The forum was apprised of the security situation of
the country with a particular focus on recent terrorist incidents in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, says a handout issued following the meeting.
The prime minister emphasized that the war against
terrorism would be led by federal and provincial governments as per National
Action Plan in accordance with National Internal Security Policy with
people-centric socio-economic development as a priority while the armed forces
would provide resolute deterrence and secure conducive and enabling
environment.
He said the provincial apex committees were being revived
in full earnest and law enforcement agencies especially the counter-terrorism
departments would be brought up to the required fighting standards with
requisite capabilities.
The forum concluded that no country would be allowed
to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserved all
rights in that respect to safeguarding its people.
The Committee underscored that comprehensive ‘National
Security’ revolved around economic security and that sovereignty or dignity
came under stress without self-sufficiency and economic independence.
The forum undertook a comprehensive view of the
ongoing economic situation vis-à-vis challenges being faced by the common
people of Pakistan, particularly the lower and middle-income classes.
The finance minister briefed the forum about the
economic stability roadmap of the government including the status of
discussions with international financial institutions, exploring other
financial avenues based on mutual interests as well as relief measures for common
people.
In order to strengthen the economy, the Committee
agreed on undertaking concrete steps including import rationalization as well
as preventing illegal currency outflows and hawala business.
The emphasis will be specially made to improve agricultural
output and manufacturing sector to ensure food security, imports substitution
and employment.
It was resolved that people-centric economic policies
with trickle-down effects on common people would remain a priority. It was also
agreed to involve all stakeholders for consensus to realise effective and
fast-track economic recovery and road map.
While taking into account the efforts for mitigating
the challenges of 33 million flood-affected people, the forum resolved to
mobilize all resources for their rehabilitation and reconstruction in
coordination with the provincial governments and multilateral financial
institutions.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Govt imparts skilled training to empower women,
provide overseas employment opportunities: Minister
January 2, 2023
PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and
Manpower Sajid Hussain Turi on Monday said the government was empowering women
through imparting skilled and vocational training to provide them better
employment opportunities within the country and abroad.
He was addressing a tool kits and certificate awarding
ceremony here among female participants of “Programme Migration for Development
(PME)”, a joint initiative of GIZ-Support for TVET Sector of Pakistan (STVSP) ,
KP-TEVTA GIZ- global and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistan and Human Resource
Development.
The Minister said that in order to enable unemployed
people to get better and profitable employment opportunities, it was necessary
to make them skilled as per the demand of the local and international markets.
He said that the ministry was introducing various
programs to provide maximum opportunities to the people to become skilled,
which have yielded encouraging results,
adding that it was part of PPP manifesto and vision of
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to empower women.
He said that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and
chairman Bilawal Bhutto were also
playing their imperative role in this regard, adding
that practical steps are being taken to employ skilled Pakistanis abroad and
for the purpose special attention was being paid to skill development of youth
and women of tribal districts.
Turi said that tribal districts were far behind in the
development process and tribal women have immense potential which needed to be
tapped to provide them better employment opportunities to support their
families.
Sajid Hussain Turi, thanked the German Government for
the support provided and urged the pass-outs for the utmost utilization of the
skills for income generating activities and socio-economic development of the
region. He further stressed upon the similar demand-oriented skills building
interventions for the deprived youth of the province with special focus on
women participation.
He said the ministry was finalizing agreements with
Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan and
many other countries for supply of skilled manpower.
Later the minister awarded certificates to 55 females
from district Kurram over completing training in dress making and cooking. The
trainees were given vocational training with decent level of working capital,
toolkits and entrepreneurial sessions were also organized to motivate them for
self-employment.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan discovers Chinese new variant of COVID-19 in
its sample
By Fidel Rahmati
January 3, 2023
Omicron’s subvariant XBB and one of the three dominant
COVID-19 strains in China has been confirmed by genome sequencing in Pakistan,
the Pakistan National Institute of Health reported.
On the other hand, Aga Khan University researchers
verified that they had found and reported the XBB sub-variant of the Omicron as
well. But they added that they had not yet seen the other two sub-variants,
including BF.7.
Experts say that in addition to the XXB variation, the
highly contagious BF.7 is available in the county. The BF.7 is extraordinarily
infectious and would present across the country because there is no travel
restriction to stop the spread.
Both the new COVID-19 variants are dangerous and
claimed that the COVID-19 re-infection evading properties of the BF.7 variant
made it so contagious that just one individual with the virus might infect 20
more persons because the virus spreads more easily indoors and in crowded
settings.
According to experts, there are only 11 patients in
critical condition across the country, and they predict more numbers in the
coming days.
Source: Khaama Press
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Africa
Nigerian Muslim scholars condole with Christians over
death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
January 2, 2023
A Team of Nigeria Muslim scholars, headed by Gambo
Barnawa, has condoled with Christians worldwide over the death of Pope Emeritus
Benefict XVI on Dec. 31, 2022 at the age of 95.
The scholars extended their condolences when they paid
a New Year visit to Pastor Yohanna Buru, the General Overseer of Christ
Angelical and Life intervention Ministry, Sabon Tasha, kaduna.
Mr Barnawa said they visited Buru’s house to wish him
a Happy New Year, using the opportunity to extend their condolence greetings to
Christians all over the world over the demise of Pope Benedict XVI.
He said that the Pope was a noble, gentle, and kind
person.
He said Pope was a man of peace, unity and harmony
which made him unique.
“He spent his life praying and preaching peace all
over the globe while promoting tolerance and forgiveness to all mankind,
irrespective of tribe, culture, religion, race and ethnic background.
“The world cannot forget the contributions of Pope
Benedict XVI preaching peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness among all
mankind.”
Mr Barnawa offered his deepest condolences to
Catholics and other Christian clergies around the world who were inspired by
his life of prayer and tenacious commitment to non-violence and peace.
He further said that Pope Benedict XVI “was a
spiritual guide to millions around the world and one of the leading academic
theologians of all time that the world cannot forget.
“I saw him in many Arabs and Asian countries with top
Islamic scholars, Christians and world leaders preaching peace, harmony and
forgiveness.
“The world would never forget him for his marvelous
contributions towards promoting peace-building and inter-religious tolerance
for world peace.
Similarly, an inter-faith specialist in Nigeria,
Ramatu Tijjani, also the President of Foundation for the Protection of Women
and Children in Nigeria, joined world leaders to pay tributes to the late Pope.
She said that the world had lost a great leader, who
taught many people across the globe the importance of tolerance and
forgiveness.
Ms Tijjani applauded the Pope for his massive
contributions towards promoting inter-religious and world inter-faith mediation
and dialogue as a solution.
She wished Christians all over the world Happy New
Year and condoled with them over the death of the Pope.
Source: Daily Nigerian
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https://dailynigerian.com/nigerian-muslim-scholars/
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Muslims Task Central Govt On Teaching Of Islam In
Schools
January 02, 2023
By Milton Bandiho
Muslims in the Greater Bushenyi area have asked the
government to emphasise the teaching of Islam as a subject in schools.
According to the Muslims, the teaching of Islam is
dying out in most Muslim-founded schools in the area yet it can help in
bringing up responsible children.
They made the remarks at Basajjabalaba Main Mosque in
Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality on Saturday during the swearing-in of Muslim
leaders for Greater Bushenyi under the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC).
The chairperson of Bushenyi Muslim Supreme Council, Mr
Hassan Basajjabalaba, said the goal of Islamic teaching is to groom children
equipped with skills of self-sustenance.
“Re-introduction of Islamic teaching in schools will
help us to have people who will fully understand the Quran and this will
further produce good leaders at all levels in the country,” he said.
One of the teachers at the Muslim-founded
Basajjabalaba Secondary School in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, who requested
anonymity in order to speak freely, said Islam as a subject has no teachers,
the reason it is slowly dying out.
Mr Basajjabalaba, who is also a renowned businessman,
said this year, he will support the building of 15 mosques in Greater Bushenyi
Muslim district, which consists of Bushenyi, Rubirizi, Mitooma, and Buhweju.
The commissioner for Ankole and Kigezi electoral
regions, Sheikh Kaduyu Mwesigye, said during the elections that were held last
month, they experienced a number of challenges, especially from Bushenyi where
some mosques were not allowed to participate in the exercise.
He asked leaders to work hard in promoting unity among
the Muslims for development.
“It’s important that we forget all that happened
during the elections because as Muslims, we want each other for sustainable
development. Always forgive one another, follow the teachings of Islamic
religion and the Quran; these will guide you on how to live with all mankind
amidst challenges,” he said.
Mr Adam Ssemugabi, a member of UMSC Bushenyi said,
there is a group of people who are trying to disorganise the unity of Muslims
in the region based on selfish interests.
Source: Monitor
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At least 20 killed, 30 hurt as Somaliland forces clash
with protesters
Mohammed Dhaysane
02.01.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
At least 20 people, mostly civilians, have been killed
and around 30 wounded in clashes between protesters and security forces in
Somaliland, according to hospital sources.
The casualties have taken place in Lasanod, the
administrative capital of Sool in Somalia’s breakaway region, which has been
wracked by unrest for over a week.
The town is disputed between Somaliland and the
semiautonomous state of Puntland, with the neighbors having fought several
times over the territory.
Protesters have been on the streets of Lasanod to
demand the expulsion of Somaliland security forces and for the town to be
handed over to Puntland authorities.
They also blame Somaliland forces for growing
insecurity in the town, which has recently seen a spate of political
assassinations.
Hospital workers in Lasanod confirmed the casualty
count to Anadolu Agency, requesting anonymity due to fear of reprisals.
Ahmed Hassan, a Lasanod resident who left for
Somaliland’s capital Hargaisa, said women and students were among those killed
in the violence.
“I was there two days ago. It was a peaceful protest
but the security forces decided to stop it by force,” he told Anadolu Agency.
“They fired live bullets. That has only further
angered the protesters, who want Somaliland forces out of Lasanod.”
Hassan said more and more people are fleeing the town
for safety.
According to Yasmin Omar Mohamoud, chairperson of
Human Rights Center Somaliland, internet service has been blocked in Lasanod.
She said the watchdog has also received reports of 53
arrests.
“Somaliland forces should refrain from using deadly
weapons against civilians. Armed conflict will not help de-escalate the tension
we have witnessed in Lasanod,” she told Anadolu Agency.
Somalia’s international partners have also voiced
concern over the unrest, calling for “calm and restraint.”
“Preventing violence and ensuring the protection of
civilians is paramount,” read a joint statement issued on Sunday.
“Tensions must be resolved through de-escalation and
dialogue,” it added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Libya’s High State Council to resume dialogue with
parliament
Walid Abdullah
02.01.2023
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libya’s Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) on
Monday voted to resume dialogue with the East Libya-based Libyan parliament
after a three-week hiatus.
The HCS, which acts as a senate, suspended dialogue
with the East Libya-based parliament on Dec. 7 amid tension over a move by the
assembly to pass a law establishing a constitutional court in the eastern city
of Benghazi.
“The HCS voted to resume dialogue with the House of
Representatives on all sovereign, constitutional and executive tracks,” a
council member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.
On Dec. 23, the Libyan parliament retracted the law
establishing the constitutional court.
The council member said the HCS also voted to reject an
invitation by Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh to Council Chairman Khaled
al-Mishri for a meeting in the city of Ghadames on Jan. 11.
Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when
longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Jordan welcomes water deal amid fears on refugee,
climate crises
January 02, 2023
AMMAN: Jordan has signed a soft loan agreement with a
European lender to help finance a mega $2.5 billion water-carrier project amid
persistent shortages made worse by climate breakdown.
The government agreed to the $213 million loan with
the European Investment Bank, which will go towards a total $352 million state
contribution to the National Water Carrier Project (Aqaba-Amman Water
Desalination and Transport Project).
The EIB loan has coincided with reports that Israel
was intending to supply desalinated water to the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan.
An Israeli radio station recently said that the
country’s water authority and Mekorot company would begin pumping desalinated
water from the Mediterranean Sea, alongside groundwater, to Lake Tiberias
through a newly established pipeline.
The report quoted an official as saying that “Israel
would be able to solve its water issues for the next 30 years, including
providing Jordan, the West Bank, and Gaza with this resource.”
A Jordanian official said that the kingdom had
“received nothing official from Israel on that.”
The source, who requested anonymity, said: “Israel
usually pumps water into Jordan, under the peace deal, from Lake Tiberias and
there is nothing special in that. But it would probably be the first time if
Israel sends desalinated water from the Mediterranean.”
Described as the “largest infrastructure project” in
Jordan’s history, the National Water Carrier Project will provide about 300
million cubic meters of desalinated water annually, conveyed from the port city
of Aqaba on the Red Sea northward to the densely populated capital Amman and
other cities.
Amman is described as one of the fastest growing
cities in the world, with a rapidly increasing population due to refugee influx
from crisis-hit neighboring countries.
According to official figures, the population of Amman
has increased from 200,000 to four million over the past 50 years due to the
refugee influx from Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria between 1948 to 2013.
The UNHCR says Jordan remains the second largest
refugee host per capita worldwide with roughly 750,000 refugees of 57 different
nationalities.
But official figures said that around 1.3 million
Syrian refugees live in the resource-poor Jordan with the majority of them
living outside the refugee camps.
The government has said that the “dramatic rise in the
population growth rate and the impact of the refugee crisis has worsened
Jordan’s water woes and placed it below the water poverty line.
According to official estimates, Jordan’s annual water
resources were about 90 cubic meters per person, well below the international
threshold of 500 cubic meters per person.
Jordan said that the National Water Carrier Project
would be based on the “build-operate-transfer system, “and would be ready by
2027.
The project, according to the Ministry of Water, will
consist of a seawater withdrawal system, desalination plant based on the
southern shore of Aqaba, pumping stations and tanks, and a 450km pipeline.
Jordan is classified as the world’s second-most
water-scarce country. The total population in Jordan was estimated at 11.1
million people in 2021 with a growth rate of 1.23 percent, according to
official figures.
In October last year, Jordan announced that it had
bought an additional 50 million cubic meters of water from Israel outside the
framework of the 1994 peace agreement and what it stipulates in water
quantities.
Under the 1994 Wadi Araba Peace Treaty, Israel is
committed to providing Jordan with 55 million cubic meters of water a year.
In November last year, Jordan, Israel and the UAE
signed a declaration of intent to begin deliberations over the feasibility of
an energy-for-water project.
The Jordanian government, which faced criticism at
home from the parliament, political parties and other civic forces for signing
the deal, said that Jordan is to receive 200 million cubic meters of water
annually under the project.
International media have reported that a massive
solar-energy farm will be built in the Jordanian desert as part of a project to
generate clean energy that would be sold to Israel in return for desalinated
water.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2225686/middle-east
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