Pastor Shot Dead, Fellow Priest Hurt In A Resurgence Of Terror Attacks Targeting Religious Minorities In Pakistan
New
Age Islam News Bureau
31
January 2022
Photo:
Report Wire
----
• Charlotte
Bellis, the Pregnant Unmarried Journalist Who Had To Leave Qatar Offered Refuge
By Taliban
• Saudi
Arabia’s First Yoga Festival Offers Mindfulness And Meditation
• Egyptian
Liberals Outraged By Lawyer's Blasphemy Indictment
• Barelvi
Sect leader Maulana Tauqeer Raza Backs Congress, His Triple Talaq Victim
Ex-Bahu Joins BJP
• UNICEF
Asks US State Department To Reconsider Fulbright Program For Afghanistan
Pakistan
• Imran
Khan Hails Canadian PM For Condemning Islamophobia; Urged Int'l Effort To End
Anti-Islamic Activities
• Three
people, including Pesh-Imam, killed over land dispute
• Pakistan's
ties with Taliban may deteriorate as Islamabad raises its interference in
Afghan affairs
• Fazlur
Rehman asks Kashmiris not to pin hopes on PTI govt
• Islamabad,
Kabul agree to ease border crossing
• Two
cops among 17 injured in grenade attack in Balochistan's Jaffarabad
• Bajwa
vows to make all-out efforts for Balochistan peace
--------
South Asia
• Release
Frerichs If You Want Legitimacy: Biden To Taliban
• Why
Afghan nationals across the Durand line are given Pakistani IDs?
• Taliban
killed 100 ex-Afghan govt officials, says UN report
• Afghan
soil would not be used against neighbours, Taliban govt to Pak NSA
• Taliban
police official acknowledges NRF resistance, urges not to make ‘Panjshir
insecure’
--------
Arab World
• Israel
Supports UAE Security Needs, President Says On First Visit
• Lebanon's
answer to Gulf terms for thawing relations will be studied: Kuwait
• Over
330 killed since ISIS attacked Syria prison: Monitor
• Yemen’s
Houthi militia shuts radio stations that refuse to air propaganda
• Arab
Coalition strikes kill 90 Houthi ‘terrorists’ in Marib
• Lebanese
President: We won’t accept Sunni Boycott in coming elections
• Egypt
sentences 10 members of outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death
--------
India
• Not
Allowing Friday Prayers At Srinagar's Jamia Masjid Violates Right To Freely
Profess Religion: NC
• MP:
Muslim Man Thrashed For Urinating In Front Of Cow, 1 Arrested
• Kerala
Jamiat ul Ulema Salafis, or Wahhabis, in Kerala Conspired Against Former State
President Of IUML
• Secular
Leaders Now Talking Hindutva Language: Ram Madhav
• Hope
PoK Is Integrated With India By 2024, Says MoS Kapil Patil
• Wanted
JeM commander among 5 terrorists killed in J&K
--------
Europe
• 2,000
children recruited by Yemen’s rebels died fighting: UN
• EU
condemns flogging, jail term for Iran rights defender
--------
North America
• Canadian
Activists Protest In Toronto Against Israel's Aggressions, Atrocities In
Palestine
• US
institute releases video on Israel killing of 78 Palestinian minors
• US
Iran envoy criticized for ‘parroting Iranian propaganda’ about women in
stadiums
• Canada
to appoint special representative on combatting Islamophobia
--------
Africa
• Sudan
Army-Led Council Signals Tougher Line On UN Mediation
• Modern-Day
Slavery Condemned By Church In Tanzania
• Shia
cleric in Ghana appreciates service of Iranian Red Crescent Society
• One
protester dies as security forces confront crowds in Khartoum: Medics
--------
Southeast Asia
• Use
Of Different Logos Does Not Affect Ties Among PH Parties, Says Anwar
• Bomb
attacks hit southern Thailand, 2 killed in police raid
• Johor
Bersatu loses another lawmaker, Muhyiddin blamed again
--------
Mideast
• Leader
Underlines Failure of Enemy's Economic War against Iran
• Iran
Urges South Korea to Return Frozen assets
• Houthi
attack in south-eastern Yemen leaves 4 civilians dead
• UAE
shoots down ballistic missile fired by Houthis during Israeli president’s visit
• Turkish
foreign minister meets Bahraini counterpart in Manama
• Turkiye,
Bahrain share common vision of ‘stable, secure’ Gulf region
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Pastor
Shot Dead, Fellow Priest Hurt In A Resurgence Of Terror Attacks Targeting
Religious Minorities In Pakistan
Photo:
Report Wire
----
Jan
31, 2022
ISKAMABAD:
In a suspected resurgence of terror attacks targeting religious minorities in
Pakistan, unidentified assailants shot dead a Christian priest and injured
another when they were returning from a local church in a van after attending
Sunday mass in Peshawar.
The
attack took place on Peshawar’s Ring Road, within the jurisdiction of Gulbahar
police station, a day after the country’s interior minister Sheikh Rasheed
Ahmed warned of a spike in terrorist strikes across the country in the next two
months. The minister said that sleeper cells of militant outfits at Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest and Balochistan province in the southwest had
become active.
Seemingly
clueless about the motive behind Sunday's attack, the police said they had no
prior information about any specific terror campaign against Christian priests.
"Minorities are soft targets and terrorists attack them to spread fear and
panic," a local police official told the media.
The
deceased, pastor William Siraj, took two bullets in the abdomen and died
instantly, doctors at the nearby Lady Reading Hospital said. His body was later
handed over to his family. The injured priest, identified as Patrick, is being
treated in the same hospital.
Pakistan
is globally seen as an unsafe country for minorities, with scores of Ahmadis,
Hindus, Christians and Sikhs being killed in the past, some of them on mere
accusations of blasphemy. The worst attack on Christians was reported in 2013,
when more than 130 people were killed in blasts inside a church in Peshawar.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Charlotte
Bellis, the Pregnant Unmarried Journalist Who Had To Leave Qatar Offered Refuge
By Taliban
Charlotte
Bellis has been denied re-entry to New Zealand. (Twitter)
----
30
January ,2022
A
journalist who had to leave Qatar after finding out she was pregnant in a
country where it’s illegal to give birth out of wedlock said she has been
offered refuge by the Taliban to deliver in Afghanistan.
Bellis
had been working for Al Jazeera English in Afghanistan, but said she didn't
realize she was pregnant until she was at the media company’s headquarters in
Doha, Qatar.
It is
illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in Qatar, so Bellis kept her pregnancy
secret as she attempted to return to New Zealand, but was denied entry due to
COVID-19 restrictions.
Upon
being told she did not qualify for an exemption under New Zealand’s strict
COVID-19 border controls, Bellis said she called senior Taliban contacts and
was told she could give birth in Afghanistan.
“We're
happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem,” Bellis said in an
interview about what the Taliban had told her.
They
also said, “Don't worry. Everything will be fine,” she told the New Zealand
Herald.
“In
my time of need, the New Zealand government said you're not welcome here.”
“When
the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried woman – safe haven, you know
your situation is messed up.”
Bellis,
who once questioned the Taliban about what they would do to ensure the rights
of women and girls, said it was “brutally ironic” she was now asking the same
question of her own government.
After
going public with her situation, and involving lawyers, Bellis said she had
been contacted by New Zealand officials who said her rejected application was
under review.
The
government's COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins revealed in a statement
that he had asked officials to check whether the proper procedures had been
followed in Bellis’ case, “which appeared at first sight to warrant further
explanation.”
Faced
with an outbreak of the omicron variant, New Zealand recently scrapped plans to
ease entry for returning nationals and instead closed its borders – except for
emergency cases - to anyone without an existing quarantine booking.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s First Yoga Festival Offers Mindfulness And Meditation
First
yoga festival, more than 1,000 people from across Saudi Arabia flocked to Juman
Park in King Abdullah Economic City
----
January
30, 2022
JEDDAH:
More than 1,000 people from across Saudi Arabia flocked to Juman Park in King
Abdullah Economic City on Saturday to take part in the country's first yoga
festival.
The
event was organized by the Saudi Yoga Committee, with the participation of
people aged between 10 and 60 delving into a variety of activities, yoga
styles, and the art of mindfulness.
It
began with yoga classes on the lawn. Murali Krishnan led the adults, while Sara
Alamoudi led the children.
Festival
participants had the chance to practice yoga, watch different performances, and
enjoy demonstrations by yoga studios and learn about the services they
provided.
There
were more than eight hours of classes on offer during the one-day event from
Saudi and international yoga masters, and lectures.
The
day was filled with positive energy and acceptance, with many people choosing to
sit and relax in the shade where mats, pillows, and rugs were available.
The
president of the Saudi Yoga Committee, Nouf bint Muhammad Al-Maroui, said she
was overwhelmed by the number of visitors and the energetic, positive response.
She
said yoga had become an increasingly widespread therapy deployed to maintain
wellness and alleviate a range of health problems and ailments.
In
her address to visitors, she said that Saudi Arabia was witnessing a remarkable
development in all sectors and also in the quality of life due to great support
from the government.
“The
festival was a great success and I am happy that not only Saudis welcomed but
also embraced our thoughts on yoga, which was the sole purpose of the event,”
she told Arab News. “We want to promote yoga to families and encourage it in
the country. We want Saudis to start their day with yoga, which does not take
more than 20 minutes a day, which anyone can easily spare.”
People’s
reactions to the event were also positive.
“What
a great festival!” 38-year-old Sara Al-Madani commented. “So well laid out and
organized, with excellent instructors! (I) praise everyone, including all who
attended this great day. I look forward to next year!”
Pediatrician
Uday Qurashi, who began his yoga journey purely for fitness purposes during
lockdown, expressed his delight with the festival. “I am so happy to see this
happening here in Saudi Arabia. It is so nice to hear that yoga has been
established in the Kingdom.”
Jana
Masoudi described the festival as “an excellent opportunity to explore
ourselves” through venues that offered healthy, alternative, and mindful “not
to mention fun” events. “Thank you for this. So much gratitude!”
Certified
yoga instructor and owner of Zen Zone studio Samah Dyab said: “I am super
excited to participate in this festival, which is being held for the first time
in our country. Nowadays, the attraction of yoga is booming and, as a trainer,
I see many people practicing yoga. I am so happy with the awareness that’s
happening now among Saudis.”
Nada
Shaalan, 27, raved about the setting, instructors, and facilities. “All was
ideal for a treat of a yoga experience. They thought of everything. It was
easy, wonderful, and diverse. It was a very relaxing day for me and my
friends,” she said.
With
Saudi Arabia’s Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sport recognizing yoga as
a sports activity for health benefits, the discipline is fast gaining
popularity in the country.
Aside
from its physical benefits, one of the best motivations for taking up yoga is
that it helps a person to control stress, which is known to have harmful
effects on the body and mind.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2015021/saudi-arabia
--------
Egyptian
Liberals Outraged By Lawyer's Blasphemy Indictment
People
walk in and out of the Cairo High Court in Egypt on Aug. 25, 2013. - GIANLUIGI
GUERCIA/AFP via Getty Images
-----
Shahira
Amin
November
30, 2021
A
prominent Egyptian lawyer and Islamic thinker has been sentenced to five years
in prison with hard labour on charges of "contempt of religion" and
"stirring up sectarian strife."
The
Nov. 17 court decision to imprison Ahmed Abdo Maher over
"anti-Islamic" comments posted on his social media accounts and views
expressed during an Aug. 26 TV interview sparked controversy on social media,
prompting calls by Egypt's liberals for the abolishment of the country's
blasphemy laws. In the interview broadcast on El Mayadeen TV, Maher had
described the Islamic nation as "static" and without innovation and
said that enlightenment requires courage.
The
ruling by the Nozha Misdemeanor Court (an emergency state security court)
against Maher came after lawyer Samir Sabri filed an urgent legal complaint
with the Supreme State Security and the Public Prosecutor against Maher,
accusing him of "defaming Islam."
Sabri,
notorious for filing lawsuits against religious figures and celebrities,
accused Maher of "waging war on Islam" and "inciting Muslims to
question their religion." According to Sabri's complaint, Maher had called
for "altering the principles of Islam" and urged Al Azhar to
apologize for the Islamic raids of the past.
"Maher
further attacked Islam by stating that there is no torture for the dead in
their graves nor were the (Islamic) holy wars aimed at spreading Islam; rather,
those were waged with the aim of enslaving women as Islam was not spread
through those conquests," read the complaint.
The
plaintiff stated that Maher had attacked Islam by disputing the timing of the
annual fasting month of Ramadan. Days before the start of Ramadan, Maher had
published a tweet claiming that what the Muslim faithful will observe in a few
days "is in fact not Ramadan but a month that Islamic scholars had agreed
on designating as the fasting month."
Maher's
comments drew a backlash from conservatives, with some calling him "an
apostate" and others welcoming his prosecution as
"well-deserved."
Liberals,
meanwhile, defended him and insisted that his prosecution was "a
disgrace" and "an assault on freedom of thought and expression."
Some also called for the abolishment of Egypt's blasphemy law, which they said
is being used as a tool of oppression and persecution against those who oppose
mainstream Islamic beliefs. Others, like poet and writer Fatima Naoot, called
on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to grant Maher a presidential pardon.
The
contentious article penalizing "defamation of religions" with jail
sentences of between six months and five years was added to the Penal Code in
1981 following deadly sectarian clashes in the Cairo suburb of Al Zawya El
Hamra. At the time, some radical Muslim preachers had used their mosque sermons
to insult and incite hatred against Coptic Christians and Shiites.
Ironically,
the article — which prohibits "making use of religion in propagating (either
by words or in writing or in any other way) extremist ideas for the purpose of
inciting (sectarian) strife, ridiculing, or insulting a heavenly religion or a
sect following it, or damaging national unity" — has since increasingly
targeted the very group it was intended to protect: Coptic Christians.
Around
half of the 21 blasphemy cases in the courts in 2015 targeted Coptic
Christians, researcher with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights Ishaq
Ibrahim has told The Associated Press.
But
liberal thinkers also have borne the brunt of those prosecutions. In 2015,
prominent TV talk show host Islam El Beheiry was sentenced to one year in
prison on blasphemy charges for calling for passages he said supported
terrorism to be removed from books of Islamic religious interpretation and for
questioning the credibility of some of the sources of Hadith (Prophet
Muhammad's sayings).
In
2016, writer Naoot was sentenced to three years in prison and fined 20,000
Egyptian pounds on the charge of contempt of religion over a Facebook post
describing the religious tradition of slaughtering sheep during Eid al-Adha as
"the greatest massacre committed by human beings."
Ironically,
Al Azhar, the very institution that Sisi called upon in June 2016 to lead the
reform of Islamic thinking, backs the anti-blasphemy law. Unlike Al Azhar
scholars, who agree that a zero-tolerance policy should be adopted vis a vis
those that "defame Islam" or dispute its fundamental principles, Amna
Nosseir, a former member of parliament and professor of Islamic thought and
philosophy at Al Azhar, opposes the law and has called for scrapping the
article on contempt of religion, which she describes as "ambiguous"
and "elastic."
"By
stifling freedom of expression, the article contradicts our progressive
constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression, freedom of speech and
freedom of thought," she told Al-Monitor. "Besides, how do we
determine what is or isn't an insult to Islam?"
As a
member of parliament in 2016, Nosseir staunchly advocated for the removal of
the article, arguing that "it hurts Islam." Her efforts failed in the
face of strong opposition from some ultra-conservatives in parliament and
instead earned her the nickname "Amna Nosseir the Crucifix" among
Salafists who reject religious innovation and adhere to a puritanical form of
Islam.
"You
can only confront an argument with a counter-argument and an idea or thought
with an alternative idea or thought; this is the true spirit of Islam,"
Nosseir argued. She cited a verse from the Quran addressing Prophet Muhammad,
which states that his mission is only to deliver the message, and another verse
stating that "people cannot be forced into belief."
Free
speech advocates also condemned the sentencing of Maher. "This is
unfortunately not an isolated case; we have seen many being prosecuted for what
they believe or say under draconian laws that punish those who challenge
religious or social establishments," said Amr Magdi, a Human Rights Watch
researcher.
"If
Sisi were sincere about reforming religion as he said, he should start by
dismantling that arsenal of abusive laws that restrict freedom of belief and
freedom of expression," Magdi told Al-Monitor.
Maher
remains free pending approval of his sentence by Sisi. Whether Sisi gives the
green light for the implementation of the court ruling against him remains to
be seen, but what is certain is that Maher's indictment is a real test of
Sisi's willingness to carry through on his earlier promise of "a religious
revolution."
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/11/egyptian-liberals-outraged-lawyers-blasphemy-indictment
--------
Barelvi
Sect leader Maulana Tauqeer Raza Backs Congress, His Triple Talaq Victim
Ex-Bahu Joins BJP
Maulana
Tauqeer Raza Khan’s daughter-in-law Nida Khan joined the Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP)
----
Jan
31, 2022
LUCKNOW:
Days after prominent Barelvi Sect leader Maulana Tauqeer Raza announced his
support for Congress, his former daughter-in-law and one of the alleged victims
of instant triple Talaq, Nida Khan, joined BJP on Sunday.
Khan
joined the party in the presence of former UP BJP chief and chairman of joining
committee Laxmikant Bajpai. Former BSP MLA Shivcharan Prajapati also joined the
saffron party along with his supporters.
"Women
have been safe under BJP rule," stressed Khan, who once termed Congress
general secretary Priyanka Gandhi as her sister. She insisted that BJP's fight
against triple talaq brought her closer to the party.
She
said that criminalisation of instant Triple Talaq have diminished the ordeals
of Muslim women to a great extent. "Earlier, when I ran an institution,
women used to visit it thrice or four times a week and confide they were given
triple talaq by their husbands on trivial issues," she said.
Khan's
induction, analysts said, could arm BJP to blunt opposition aggrssive Muslim
outreach, especially in the west and Rohilkhand region which go to polls in the
first three phases.
She
took a swipe at Congress saying that the party gave the name of the campaign
'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' but did not do anything for women safety. This
comes after Congress' campaign face, Priyanka Maurya, defected to the saffron
camp.
Nida
is the former wife of Sheeran Raza Khan, the son of Usman Raza Khan of Ala
Hazarat clan of Bareilly. Usman Raza Khan is the elder brother of Tauqeer Raza
Khan. Sheeran divorced Nida through instant triple talaq within a year of their
marriage. But Nida waged a court battle against this and also became an
activist, extending help to other women.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
UNICEF
Asks US State Department To Reconsider Fulbright Program For Afghanistan
Representative
Image: (Photo Credit:Reuters)
----
31
Jan 2022
United
Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has urged the US
Department of State to reconsider the decision to suspend the Fulbright program
for Afghan students.
Sam
Mort, Chief of Communication, Advocacy, and Civic Engagement for UNICEF
Afghanistan, expressed concern in a Twitter post expressed concern over the
decision and added that the Afghan people need every educational opportunity.
“Afghanistan’s
youth need every educational opportunity they can get. Education is the
foundation of their future. Please consider. Please go the extra mile for them.
Please put yourself in their shoes.” Reads the Twitter post.
Citing
suspension of diplomatic and political relations between Kabul and Washington,
the ABC had reported that the US department of state is seeking to evaluate
whether to provide for Afghan students the Fulbright scholarships or not.
The
decision has shocked 140 Afghan students who have won the scholarships and are
still living in limbo in Afghanistan.
Around
960 Afghan students have been granted Fulbright scholarships over the past 18
years.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Imran
Khan hails Canadian PM for condemning Islamophobia; urged int'l effort to end
anti-Islamic activities
January
31, 2022
Prime
Minister Imran Khan has lauded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his
"unequivocal condemnation" of Islamophobia.
In a
statement issued on Twitter, PM Imran Khan welcomed Trudeau’s plan to appoint a
special representative to combat Islamophobia, which he termed a
"contemporary scourge".
“His
[Trudeau's] timely call to action resonates with what I have long argued,"
the premier wrote as he urged the international community to make efforts for
ending the growing menace of Islamophobia.
“Let
us join hands to put an end to this menace,” PM Imran wrote.
Islamophobia
is unacceptable: Justin Trudeau
Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said that Islamophobia is not
acceptable at any cost and vowed to make his country safer for Muslims.
Taking
to Twitter, the Canadian premier wrote: "Islamophobia is unacceptable.
Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer
for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint a Special
Representative on combatting Islamophobia."
On
Saturday, the Canadian Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed
Hussen highlighted the federal government’s intention to appoint a special
representative on combatting Islamophobia, saying that "this appointment
will be part of a renewed Government of Canada Anti-Racism Strategy," a
statement issued by the Government of Canada said.
Last
year, the Canadian government had announced its intention to make January 29 a
National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City Mosque Attack and Action against
Islamophobia.
"This
year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror, the
Government of Canada stands with and supports Muslim communities across Canada
and reaffirms its commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia
and hate-fueled violence," the statement said.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Three
people, including Pesh-Imam, killed over land dispute
January
31, 2022
SUKKUR:
Three people were killed and one injured in a clash between two groups of
Manghrani clan in Shikarpur on Sunday over a land dispute. Reports said three
people were killed and some got injured in a clash between two groups of
Manghrani clan over a land dispute in village Habib Jakhro near Gharhi Yasin of
district Shikarpur. The deceased were identified as Irshad Ali Manghrani and
Shaman Khakhrani. The police shifted the bodies to Gharhi Yaseen Taluka
Hospital for medico-legal formalities.
Source:
The News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/929626-three-people-including-pesh-imam-killed-over-land-dispute
--------
Pakistan's
ties with Taliban may deteriorate as Islamabad raises its interference in
Afghan affairs
Jan
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Pakistan government's continuous attempts to interfere in the internal
affairs of Afghanistan may result in deteriorating its ties with the Taliban as
Afghans feel Islamabad more than required in Kabul's affairs, according to a
report.
The
Taliban were grateful to Islamabad for playing a supportive role in helping
them grab power in Kabul as the American troops withdrew last August. But since
then, the historic good ties with the Taliban have taken a few hits, according
to International Forum For Right And Security (IFFRAS).
Currently,
many Afghans feel that Pakistan interferes more than required in Afghan
affairs. However, Islamabad tried in all 2021 to rectify this image primarily
by extending crucial aid to the Afghans. But its aid could not make a lot of
changes as Islamabad's all trade routes along the border with Afghanistan were
closed, inconveniencing many Afghans for whom Pakistan is the biggest market
for agricultural products, said IFFRAS.
The
border closure resulted in the waste of tons of Afghan vegetables and fruits.
The closure, causing inconvenience to Afghans, has made the Taliban officials
in Afghanistan unhappy.
Recently,
the Imran Khan government's announcement to send the trained Pakistani
professionals to Afghanistan also drew criticism.
"Pakistan
Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to explore bilateral
cooperation with friendly countries as well to stave off humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan by exporting qualified and trained manpower especially in medical,
IT, finance and accounting," Imran Khan's office had said in a tweet
earlier in January.
The
remarks drew criticism from Afghanistan with the former and current leaders of
the Kabul regime saying Afghanistan does not need foreign manpower. Earlier,
the Pakistan government had urged the Taliban to trade in Pakistani rupees, a
request which was rejected by Kabul.
The
Taliban and Pakistan have a lot of differences. It ranges from disagreements
over Durand Line, border closure, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and many
others.
Recently,
TTP has scaled up its attack in Pakistan following the breakdown of its talks
with Islamabad. The Imran Khan government faced a lot of criticism over its
talks with proscribed group TTP, which attacked a Peshawar Army School in 2014
and claimed the lives of over a hundred children.
A new
threat of the Islamic State also looms around Pakistan. If Islamabad does not
play its cards cleverly in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2022, it may end up
losing the trust of both the ruling Taliban and the Islamist terror group,
ISIS-Khorasan, waiting in the wings to spread orthodox Islamist law in both
countries, according to IFFRAS.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Fazlur
Rehman asks Kashmiris not to pin hopes on PTI govt
January
31, 2022
KARACHI:
The head of the main opposition alliance and chief of his own faction of Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on Sunday asked the people of Kashmir on
both sides of the Line of Control not to pin their hopes on Prime Minister
Imran Khan and his government which, he alleged, has made a deal over the
occupied territory.
He
called upon the international community to take notice of the brutalities of
Indian forces in the occupied valley.
During
a media interaction after presiding over a meeting of the Sindh chapter of
JUI-F at Darul Uloom Anwarul Uloom in Korangi, the Pakistan Democratic Movement
chief talked about issues ranging from national politics to security situation
and opposition’s recent defeat in the Senate to Pakistan’s foreign policy.
“It’s
so unfortunate that we ourselves have handed over Kashmir to India,” the Maulana
claimed. He said JUI-F would organise different events across the country to
mark the upcoming Kashmir Day on Feb 5.
Accuses
Imran of having made a deal on the issue
“I
suggest the people of Kashmir that they should not keep any hope with the
Pakistan government. This government has made a deal over Kashmir,” he said.
He, however, assured the Kashmiris that “we would not let you down”.
“We
ask the United Nations to wake up. We ask the world to get up. The people of
Kashmir are as humans as those in other parts of the world,” the PDM leader
said.
The
longest-serving chairman of the parliament’s committee on Kashmir affairs, who
lost the office after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf came to power in 2018, said
his party would mobilise the masses on the Kashmir issue on the Kashmir Day.
Despite
parting ways with the Pakistan Peoples Party, the PDM chief put his weight
behind the PPP when he was asked about the recent Senate’s session during which
the government succeeded in getting a crucial bill passed in spite of the fact
that it does not have majority seats in the house. The Maulana defended the
opposition and put blame of mismanagement on the treasury.
“The
members [of the opposition in Senate] are not responsible for this passing of
the State Bank bill,” he said. “In fact, those are responsible who issued the
agenda of the session in the dead of night. You may blame anyone you wish but I
would not target the opposition. They [PTI government] deliberately mismanaged
things on such a sensitive issue.”
The
PDM chief, between the lines, also explained the reason behind the tone towards
the PPP, which is largely blamed for the latest Senate defeat of the
opposition, by its opponents, calling the consensus among anti-PTI parties
crucial for larger interest and he directly shared one of them when he strongly
opposed the much-talked idea of presidential system in the country.
“We
keep hearing such ideas off and on,” he said in reply to a question about his
thoughts on presidential system. “Why on earth we need this presidential system
when we have a parliament, Constitution and model of this parliamentary
governance,” the Maulana said.
“Those
who propagate such ideas should be asked what this experiment had given to the
country in the past. The country was divided during the same presidential rule.
This is a dictatorial model of governance,” he said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1672383/fazlur-rehman-asks-kashmiris-not-to-pin-hopes-on-pti-govt
--------
Islamabad,
Kabul agree to ease border crossing
Syed
Irfan Raza
January
31, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan and Afghanistan have decided to establish a national-level
coordination mechanism for enhancing facilitation at border crossing points.
The
two sides have also pledged to initiate barter trade for which modalities will
be worked out soon.
The
official announcements were made on Sunday when National Security Adviser Dr
Moeed Yusuf concluded his two-day visit to Kabul where he met senior Taliban
officials.
During
his trip, Islamabad and Kabul also refreshed the commitments to cement their
diplomatic, social and economic ties and vowed to ensure peace and stability in
the two neighbouring countries.
According
to the Prime Minister Office (PMO), the main objective of the visit of the
security adviser was to discuss with the Afghan leadership the humanitarian
requirements and Pakistan’s proposals for strengthening economic engagement to
help Afghanistan tackle financial challenges.
For
the barter trade initiative, the two sides vowed to work out modalities
immediately, an official press release said.
It
said during the visit, the NSA who also heads Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial
Coordination Cell (AICC), called on Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister
Mullah Abdus Salam Hanafi and acting foreign minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi
to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan and strengthen relations
between the two countries.
“The
visit yielded substantive outcomes in terms of forward movement on trade
facilitation and social sector support,” it said.
Energy,
railway projects
“Both
sides also reiterated their commitment to early completion of three major
connectivity projects CASA-1000, TAPI, and Trans-Afghan Rail project,” the
press release said.
Special
Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq and senior officials from
relevant ministries were part of the NSA-led delegation.
Dr
Yusuf thanked the interim Afghan government for their warm hospitality. He also
held delegation-level meetings with relevant Afghan ministers and senior
officials dealing with humanitarian and economic issues.
During
the inter-ministerial level visit, Pakistan also offered to Afghanistan
capacity building and training support in multiple sectors including health,
education, banking, customs, railways and aviation among others.
The
two neighbouring countries emphasised their commitment to ensuring peace and
stability in both countries.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1672374/islamabad-kabul-agree-to-ease-border-crossing
--------
Two
cops among 17 injured in grenade attack in Balochistan's Jaffarabad
Ali
Jan Mangi
January
31, 2022
DERA
MURAD JAMALI: At least 17 people, including two policemen, were injured in a
grenade attack in Dera Allahyar town of Jaffarabad district on Sunday.
The
police said unknown motorcyclists hurled a hand-grenade near Subatpur Chowk,
which exploded and injured 17 people, including two traffic police constables.
Security
officials rushed to the site after the blast and shifted the injured to the
district hospital. According to hospital officials, at least four of the
injured were in critical condition.
“We
have shifted the critically injured people to Larkana,” a senior police officer
said, adding that the cops could be the target of the attack.
The
injured include Abdul Rasheed, Habibullah, Kando, Haider Ali, Mohsin Ali, Abdul
Rasool, Muhammad Ali, Allah Dina, Wazir Khan, Muhammad Sarwar, Rehmat Ali,
Munir Ali, Anwar Ali, Faryad Ali, Muhammad Saleem, Saleem Ahmed and Shaman Ali.
Police
launched an investigation into the blast. However, no one immediately claimed
responsibility for the grenade attack.
Balochistan
Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo and Balochistan Assembly Speaker Mir
Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali condemned the incident and described it as an act of
terrorism.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bajwa
vows to make all-out efforts for Balochistan peace
January
30, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the military will make all-out
efforts to assist Balochistan towards achieving enduring peace and prosperity,
a day after 10 people, including three security personnel, were killed in
separate terrorist attacks across the province.
“Terrorists
shall be brought to justice and blood of the martyrs will not go [to] waste,”
the chief of army staff said while interacting with troops during his visit to
the Kech district in Balochistan on Saturday.
According
to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Qamar paid tribute to the
courage and resolve of Shuhada of Sibdan Top.
“Balochistan
is the future of Pakistan and progress and prosperity of the province means the
progress of the country,” the military’s media wing quoted the COAS as saying.
“The
disruptive efforts by inimical forces won’t be allowed to succeed,” the army
chief emphasised.
“Security,
stability and prosperity of Balochistan shall be pursued/ensured at all costs,”
Gen Qamar concluded.
Earlier,
the army chief visited Turbat and spent a complete day with the troops. The
COAS was given a comprehensive briefing at the FC Balochistan (South)
Headquarters on the prevailing security situation in the area, Pak-Iran border
fencing and measures being taken to counter hostile efforts to destabilise the
security situation in Balochistan.
The
COAS was also briefed on the socioeconomic initiatives undertaken by the army
in support of the Balochistan government and efforts underway for capacity
enhancement of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).
On
arrival, Gen Qamar was received by Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sarfraz
Ali.
The
army chief’s visit was important from many aspects after terrorists martyred
ten soldiers in Kech district earlier this week.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/30/coas-vows-to-make-all-out-efforts-for-balochistan-peace/
--------
South Asia
Release
Frerichs if you want legitimacy: Biden to Taliban
31
Jan 2022
The
US president Joe Biden said that they will not consider the Afghan Taliban’s
aspirations for legitimacy until they free the last American hostage March Frerichs.
Joe
Biden has called on the Taliban to immediately free Frerichs as Sunday, January
30, 2022, marked the second anniversary of his being kidnapped by the Taliban.
March
Frerichs is an American Navy who worked in Afghanistan for ten years as a civil
engineer.
“Threatening
the safety of Americans or any innocent civilians is always unacceptable, and
hostage-taking is an act of particular cruelty and cowardice,” said Biden in a
statement.
The
Taliban had reportedly suggested prisoner exchange, swapping March Frerichs for
Bashir Noorzai who is a Taliban associate and now imprisoned for life in the
United States but the US has shown less interest.
Meanwhile,
the US secretary of state has also called on the Taliban to release Frerichs
immediately and added that they will continue to work for his release.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/release-frerichs-if-you-want-legitimacy-biden-to-taliban-8769876/
--------
Why
Afghan nationals across the Durand line are given Pakistani IDs?
By
Ayanangsha Maitra
31
Jan 2022
Thousands
of Afghan villagers along the Durand Line have received a national identity
card from Pakistan, all though they hold valid Afghan tazkira (national id
card). Pakistan is alleged to have issued national identity cards in the Af-Pak
border villages – which were the site of fierce battles between Afghanistan and
Pakistan over their territorial dispute. Last week, a reliable Afghan news wire
published a news article which reads “Luqman and Jahangir villages, in the Spin
Boldak district of southern Kandahar province near the Durand Line have been
issued Pakistani identity cards.”
Pakistan
earlier initiated a census study in the surrounding areas of Luqman and
Jahangir villages and claimed the two as their territory. When Afghan security
forces attempted to stop them, it escalated into fierce battles. The Provincial
government in Afghanistan is believed to have started probing the case. An
official from the Kandahar governor’s office told the media that apart from
Kandahar, few localities of Helmand, Uruzgan, and many other provinces might be
holding Pakistani identity cards as they were refugees and now commute between
Pakistan and Afghanistan. Similar incidents are reported in Khost and Nangarhar
provinces- where villagers have Pakistani ID cards in addition to their Afghan
tazkira.
Pakistan’s
fencing along the border has severely affected the residents on both sides of
the Durand Line. Pakistan has almost fenced the whole of its disputed
2,670-kilometer border with Afghanistan. According to the DG ISPR of Pakistan,
94 percent of fencing is complete. Last
year Pakistan set up 67 new wings of Frontier Corps Balochistan and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa to ensure strict border policing. Pakistan will further establish 6
more wings.
Since
the process of fencing which started almost five years back, jobs have
disappeared from the bordering areas. In Nangarhar, small and medium-sized
businesses are dying without the ease of cross-border trade. The Pushtun are
separated by the fencing along the Durand Line. The Pashtun tribes living in
the borderlands were exempt from the visa requirement following the treaties
Kabul and Pashtun tribes made with the British Raj much before the partition in
1947. Just a year before starting fencing along the border, Islamabad made
visas mandatory for all Afghans entering Pakistan.
The
Durand Line, the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is named after a
British colonel from the 1890s. Albeit
Pakistan and the international community recognize the Durand Line, Afghanistan
has always denied to accept it formally. According to the Afghans, it was forcefully
imposed on suzerain Afghan kings who had the blessings of the British.
Most
recently, videos were viral on social media which showed the Taliban uprooted a
part of the fence along the Pak-Afghan border, demanding that the fencing had
demarcated and forcefully occupied Afghan territory. Pakistan’s Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Afghan
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi have spoken to resolve the issue.
There are also serious allegations that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is operating
from Afghanistan. It has become a
massive security threat to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s
NSA Moeed Yusuf had to cancel his visit to Kabul on Jan 18, following a massive
protest at the Kabul airport. On January 29, NSA Moeed Yusuf met with Deputy
Prime Minister Abdul Salaam Hanafi and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Motaqi in
Kabul. The two sides discussed trade, transit and connectivity. The Durand Line
crisis was also on agenda. Despite Islamabad having an upper hand in the
Taliban’s cabinet, the Taliban-led government, however, is not recognized by
Pakistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
killed 100 ex-Afghan govt officials, says UN report
January
31, 2022
A
United Nations report says the Taliban and its allies have killed more than 100
former Afghan government members, security personnel and people who worked with
international forces.
The
report, an advance copy of which was seen by AFP on Jan. 30, describes severe
curtailing of human rights by Afghanistan's new fundamentalist rulers. In
addition to the political killings, women's rights and the right to protest
have also been curbed.
"Despite
announcements of general amnesties for former members of the government,
security forces and those who worked with international military forces, UNAMA
continued to receive credible allegations of killings, enforced disappearances
and other violations towards these individuals," UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres' report said.
Since
the Taliban seized Kabul on Aug. 15, the UN mission in Afghanistan has received
more than 100 reports of such killings that it deems credible, the report said.
More
than two-thirds of those killings were "extrajudicial killings committed
by the de facto authorities or their affiliates."
Additionally,
"human rights defenders and media workers continue to come under attack,
intimidation, harassment, arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and killings,"
it said.
The
report also detailed a government clampdown on peaceful protests as well as a
lack of access for women and girls to work and education.
"An
entire complex social and economic system is shutting down," Guterres said
in the report.
Afghanistan
is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster, worsened by the Taliban takeover
that prompted Western countries to freeze international aid and access to
billions of dollars' worth of assets held abroad.
The
country was almost entirely dependent on foreign aid under the previous
US-backed government, but jobs have dried up and most civil servants haven't been
paid for months.
No
country has yet recognized the Taliban government, with most watching to see
how the hardline Islamists — notorious for human rights abuses during their
first stint in power — restrict freedoms.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/taliban-killed-100-ex-afghan-govt-officials-says-un-report/95919
--------
Afghan
soil would not be used against neighbours, Taliban govt to Pak NSA
January
30, 2022
National
Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf travelled to Afghanistan where he discussed trade
ties and other issues with the top Afghan Taliban leaders who assured him that
the Afghan soil would not be used against its neighbours, including Pakistan.
Yusuf,
who led a high-level inter-ministerial delegation to Kabul on January 29-30,
held talks with Afghanistan's acting Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi
and Acting Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Hanafi
assured the delegation led by Yusuf that the Afghan soil would not be used
against its neighbours, including Pakistan, Dawn newspaper reported.
"The
policy of the Islamic Emirate (of Afghanistan) is clear that we will not allow
anyone to use Afghan soil against [our] neighbours and other countries, a
statement issued by the presidential palace in Kabul quoted Hanafi as saying,
according to the paper.
"We
also want similar action from others, Hanafi said, while hosting the
inter-ministerial delegation in the Afghan capital.
Pakistan
is yet to recognise Afghanistan's interim government led by the Taliban.
Yusuf
- the third senior Pakistani official to visit Kabul since the Taliban seized
power in Afghanistan in August just before his visit said that Pakistan was
"not completely optimistic" of the Taliban government as organised
terrorist networks are still operating in the war-torn nation and the Afghan
soil is still being used against his country.
The
top security official made the remarks while briefing the National Assembly
Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs here on Thursday where he spoke about
the threat posed to Pakistan by the presence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.
His
remarks came in the wake of spike in terrorist attacks in Pakistan since August
after the Taliban came to power, belying Islamabad's expectations that they
would take harsh measures against their former comrades-in-arms and expel them.
The
Afghan Taliban had persuaded Pakistan to enter into talks with the TTP, which
Islamabad did with the vain hope that the Afghan Taliban would use their
influence to tame the militant group.
The
TTP announced a month-long ceasefire on November 9 and presented tough
conditions, including implementation of their brand of Shariah and release of
all detained rebels. The government faced a backlash and refused to accept the
demands and the TTP refused to extend the ceasefire once it ended.
The
TTP, known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of several
militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of Islam
across Pakistan.
The
group, which is believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several
deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on the Army headquarters in
2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in
Islamabad.
Meanwhile,
a statement issued by the NSA office here on Sunday said that during his visit
to Afghanistan, Yusuf, who also heads Afghanistan Inter-Ministerial
Coordination Cell (AICC), discussed trade ties and other issues with the
leaders of the host country.
"The
objective of the visit was to discuss with Afghan leadership the humanitarian
requirements of the country and Pakistan's proposals for deepening economic
engagement to overcome the current challenges Afghanistan is facing, it said.
The
statement confirmed Yusuf's meetings with Hanafi and Acting Foreign Minister
Muttaqi, but said they discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and
strengthening of bilateral relations between the two countries.
He
also held delegation-level meetings with other relevant Afghan Ministers and
senior officials dealing with humanitarian and economic issues.
The
visit yielded substantive outcomes in terms of forward movement on trade
facilitation and social sector support as both sides agreed to establish a
National Level Coordination Mechanism for enhancing facilitation at Border
Crossing Points, it said.
They
also agreed to initiate barter trade, modalities for which will be worked out
immediately.
Source:
Business Standard
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
police official acknowledges NRF resistance, urges not to make ‘Panjshir
insecure’
January
31, 2022
After
the roadside bombing of a convoy of Islamic Emirate security vehicles in
Panjshir, Taliban’s deputy police chief for Panjshir province Abdul Hameed
Khorasani acknowledged the National Resistance Front (NRF) resistance and urged
not to make the Valley insecure.
Taking
to Twitter, Afghan Aamaj News said, Khorasani to the resistance after the
explosion on his caravan also said “Stop the resistance and do not make
Panjshir insecure.”
“Khorasani
to the resistance after the explosion on his caravan: Stop the resistance and
do not make Panjshir insecure After today’s roadside bombing of a convoy of
Taliban security vehicles in Panjshir, Khorasani sent a message for the first
time under the heading “Resistance fighters” saying stop the resistance,” Aamaj
News tweeted.
Earlier,
a roadside bomb hit the vehicle of the Taliban’s deputy police chief for
Panjshir province, Abdul Hameed Khorasani, in the Rukha district, said the
local Afghan media.
It
further said that Khorasani confirmed the incident but said the blast has
caused no harm to him or his bodyguards.
Both
the Islamic State and the NRF are active in the country. The Taliban is
determined to suppress both groups wherever they find them, said the Afghan
media.
Earlier
this month, the negotiations between Afghanistan’s National Resistance Front
(NRF) and the Taliban ended without any results in Tehran.
The
Taliban took over Afghanistan after entering Kabul last year, leading to the
collapse of the Ashraf Ghani-led government and mass evacuations.
After
the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban on August 15, 2021, Panjshir, the last
province to resist the Taliban, surrendered on September 6.
Source:
The Statesman
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Israel
supports UAE security needs, president says on first visit
30
January ,2022
Israel’s
president said his country supports the United Arab Emirates security needs and
seeks stronger regional ties during the first such visit to the Gulf state on
Sunday, as world powers try to revive an Iran nuclear deal.
The
UAE, along with Bahrain, signed US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel,
dubbed the "Abraham Accords", in 2020. The two Gulf states and Israel
share concerns about Iran and its allied forces in the region.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Isaac
Herzog discussed security and bilateral relations with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The
UAE has in the past fortnight been attacked twice with drones and missiles by
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia.
“We
completely support your security requirements and we condemn in all forms and
language any attack on your sovereignty by terrorist groups. We are here
together to find ways and means to bring full security to people who seek peace
in our region,” Herzog said during the meeting, in comments released by his office.
Sheikh
Mohammed said Israel and the UAE share a “common view of the threats to
regional stability and peace, particularly those posed by militias and
terrorist forces.”
En
route to the UAE President Herzog’s plane flew over Saudi Arabia, which he said
was “truly a very moving moment.” Riyadh and Israel do not have diplomatic
ties, but Israel has said it would like to establish a relationship with the
Kingdom which is home to Islam's two holiest sites.
“The
Abraham Accords should be continued and more nations should join us in this
endeavor,” Herzog told Sheikh Mohammed.
The
presidency in Israel is a largely ceremonial post. Prime Minister Naftali
Bennett visited the UAE in December.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon's
answer to Gulf terms for thawing relations will be studied: Kuwait
30
January ,2022
Kuwait
said on Sunday that Gulf Arab states will study Lebanon's response to their
terms for thawing relations, which have suffered over Iran-backed Hezbollah's
growing power in Beirut and the region.
Kuwaiti
Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah, at a news conference after a
meeting of Arab foreign ministers, did not give any details of Lebanon's
response, a draft of which had sidestepped the issue of disarming Hezbollah.
“We
received the response... it will be studied by the relevant authorities in
Kuwait and in the Gulf to determine what the next step is with Lebanon,” Sheikh
Ahmad said.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
He
thanked Beirut “for interacting” with the demands, which he said was a positive
step.
The
terms delivered to Beirut on Jan. 22 include setting a timeframe for
implementing UN Security Council resolutions, among them Resolution 1559 which
was adopted in 2004 and calls for the disarmament of non-state militias in
Lebanon.
The
Lebanese draft letter had expressed respect for UN resolutions “to ensure civil
peace and national stability” and said that Lebanon “will not be a launchpad
for activities that violates Arab countries”.
Lebanon's
foreign minister said on Friday he was not going “to hand over” Hezbollah's
weapons during the meeting in Kuwait and that implementing resolution 1559
“will take time”.
Hezbollah
supports Iran in its regional struggle for influence with US-allied Gulf Arab
states, which say the group has aided the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in the
Yemen war.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Over
330 killed since ISIS attacked Syria prison: Monitor
30
January ,2022
More
than 330 people have been killed in heavy fighting since ISIS militants first
attacked a prison in northeast Syria, a war monitor said on Sunday.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
ISIS fighters on January 20 launched their biggest assault in years on the
Ghwayran prison in the Kurdish-controlled city of Hasakeh, aiming to free
fellow extremists, and dozens remained holed up inside on Sunday.
The
death toll in fierce clashes since then rose to 332 as the US-backed Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF) found over 50 more bodies overnight in prison buildings
and nearby areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The
Britain-based group, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said
that 246 extremists, 79 Kurdish fighters and seven civilians had been killed so
far in the ISIS assault and battles since.
“The
newly discovered bodies were inside and outside the prison,” Rami Abdel Rahman,
who heads the Observatory, told AFP.
He
said the death toll was likely to rise further “because there are dozens of
people who are wounded, others who are still missing, and information about
more casualties” on both sides.
The
SDF announced they had recaptured the prison on Wednesday but intermittent
clashes continued until Saturday between Kurdish fighters and extremists near
the jail.
On
Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw a truck carrying away piles of bodies from
an area near the prison, believed to be those of ISIS fighters. A bulldozer
dumped more bodies onto the truck, which then headed to an unknown location.
Farhad
Shami, who heads the SDF’s media office, told AFP that the bodies would be
buried in “remote, dedicated areas” under SDF control.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Yemen’s
Houthi militia shuts radio stations that refuse to air propaganda
30
January ,2022
Yemen’s
Houthi militia has shut down six radio stations in the capital Sanaa, the
journalists’ union has said, with reporters revealing the move came after
broadcasters refused to air Houthi propaganda.
The
Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa from the internationally recognized government
in 2014, sparking a civil war that has devastated the already impoverished
country.
On
Saturday, the syndicate of journalists quoted a statement from the Voice of
Yemen radio saying Houthis closed the station.
“Security
forces from the de facto authorities in Sanaa stormed the radio station on
Tuesday and closed it,” it stated.
The
station was shut “illegally” under the pretext it needed to obtain certain work
permits, the syndicate reported.
Five
other radio stations in Sanaa were likewise closed, it added without giving
further details.
But
journalists in Sanaa insisted the Houthis were angry because the radios either
refused to air Houthi propaganda, including pro-Houthi anthems, or because they
had broadcast music, which the Houthis consider a violation of Islam.
“The
Houthis closed local radio stations because they broadcast shows that were
deemed hostile toward Yemen,” one radio station owner told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
He
declared the Houthis believe that “radio stations must air programs aimed at
mobilizing support for them” and inspire them to head to the front.
“These
closures have nothing to do with the laws and regulations of the information
ministry,” he added, denying claims by the Houthis that radio stations violated
rules laid down by the Houthi authorities in Sanaa.
The
syndicate denounced “arbitrary measures that restrict freedom of expression,”
calling for radio broadcasts to resume immediately.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition strikes kill 90 Houthi ‘terrorists’ in Marib
29
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition has conducted 27 targeted strikes in Yemen’s Marib to combat the
Iran-backed Houthi militia, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The
strikes killed 90 “terrorists” and destroyed 13 “military vehicles,” SPA
reported on Saturday.
The
operation comes during a time when tensions are rising with Yemen’s Iran-backed
Houthis.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Houthi militia attack on the UAE and the continued attempts on Saudi Arabia
have attracted global outcry.
The
UAE attack was reportedly a first of its kind, leading to condemnations of the
Houthi group’s actions from all major world leaders.
UAE’s
Dr. Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the country’s president, is among
many of the local officials who are in conversation with global representatives
to find a solution to the Iran-backed issue.
Gargash
said that the UAE has a “legal and moral right” to defend itself against
terrorist acts by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia during a call with Hans
Grundberg, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
Yemen.
The
UAE official also met with the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking where
he reiterated the need for “appropriate international pressure” which may help
reach a ceasefire agreement and aid in finding a political solution to the
Yemeni crisis.
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthis have launched dozens of cross-border attacks on Saudi
Arabia throughout 2021.
In
September 2021, the Houthis intensified their efforts to take Marib, a
provincial capital which is the government’s last northern stronghold.
However,
on January 26, forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government swept
through a strategic central province, forcing Houthi fighters out of its second
largest district, reported The Associated Press.
More
recently, on January 29, the Giants Brigades said it had begun repositioning
its forces after pushing the Houthis back from oil-rich Shabwa province and
stopping short of launching a northward offensive towards the strategically
vital city of Marib, according to an AFP report.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanese
President: We won’t accept Sunni Boycott in coming elections
January
30, 2022
Lebanese
President Michel Aoun met this morning, the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese
Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, at Dar Al-Fatwa, where they discussed the
current situation and recent developments.
In a
statement after the meeting, Aoun said: “The role that the honorable Sunni
community plays in preserving Lebanon’s unity and political diversity, and the
importance of participating with other components of Lebanon in the national
and political life and the entitlements that shape the future of Lebanon and
its people, was emphasized.”
Aoun
further added: “Lebanon today, more than ever, needs the solidarity of its
people and their solidarity around their state and all constitutional
institutions,” noting that he had discussed with Mufti Derian, “the difficult
social and economic conditions that the country is going through and the
importance of cooperation between all parties and components to get out of the
current crisis.”
In
parallel, the Lebanese President disclosed that “there was a discussion of
Lebanon’s relations with the brotherly Arab countries, and the opinion was
agreed on the need to establish the best and strongest relations, and that the
priority remains to preserve civil peace and stability in the country.”
“We
are making all the necessary preparations for holding the elections on time,
and I see no reason to postpone them,” he underlined.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Egypt
sentences 10 members of outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to death
30
January 2022
CAIRO,
Egypt — An Egyptian court on Sunday sentenced to death 10 members of the
outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group found guilty of violence against security
officers in 2015, a judicial source said.
The
case will now be referred to the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s top theological authority
— a formality in death penalty cases — before the court meets on June 19 to
confirm the sentences.
Of
the 10 men, nine were in custody while one was sentenced in absentia, the
source said.
They
were accused of multiple incidents of violence against police in 2015 — a
period that saw a spike in attacks targeting security forces.
Egypt
outlawed the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group in 2013 and designated it a
terrorist organization, following the military ouster of former president
Mohamed Morsi.
General-turned-president
Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who led Morsi’s ouster, has since led a crackdown on the
group, jailing thousands including its top leader as well as its rank and file.
Morsi
died in custody in June 2019, after falling ill during a court hearing.
Cairo
has handed down death sentences or long jail terms after mass trials that have
drawn condemnation from the United Nations.
Capital
punishment for civilian convicts in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous
country, is carried out by hanging.
Egypt
carried out the third-highest number of known executions in the world last
year, after China and Iran, according to Amnesty Internationa
Morsi’s
rule was marked by deep divisions in Egyptian society, a crippling economic
crisis and often-deadly opposition protests.
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt-sentences-10-members-of-outlawed-muslim-brotherhood-to-death/
--------
India
Not
allowing Friday prayers at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid violates right to freely
profess religion: NC
Jan
30, 2022
SRINAGAR:
The National Conference on Sunday said the "continued disallowing" of
Friday congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid here by authorities citing
the Covid-19 pandemic is "violative" of the fundamental right to
freedom to freely profess religion.
In a
statement, NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said such "unwarranted
curbs" do not suit the country's secular moorings.
"Jamia
Masjid is the central mosque and an epicentre of faith of millions across Jammu
and Kashmir. Having this great mosque out of bounds for Muslims for the 26th
consecutive week is highly deplorable," he said.
"Every
Friday men, women and the elderly flock to this historic mosque from various
parts of the valley only to return disheartened. Such unwarranted curbs hurt
the religious sentiments of millions and are unsuited to the country's
democratic, secular moorings," he added.
The
NC spokesperson said the people of Kashmir have shown respect and adherence to
social distancing norms even while praying in congregations.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
MP:
Muslim man thrashed for urinating in front of cow, 1 arrested
29th
January 2022
A
Muslim man was thrashed by a group of right-wing goons in Ratlam, Madhya
Pradesh, for allegedly urinating in front of a cow.
After
the video of the goon, Virendra Rathod, surfaced on social media where he can
be seen beating up and abusing the man, he was arrested on Friday night under
sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene act), and 506 (criminal
intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, an official said.
The
victim, Saifuddin Patliwala, was beaten up and abused by the Rathod even as he
repeatedly pleaded for mercy and forgiveness. Rathod slapped Patliwala while
abusing him, before he threw his skull cap on the ground and forced him to kick
and step over it, in order to disrespect it.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/mp-muslim-man-thrashed-for-urinating-in-front-of-cow-1-arrested-2266307/
--------
Kerala
Jamiat ul Ulema Salafis, or Wahhabis, in Kerala Conspired Against Former State
President Of IUML
31st
January 2022
KOZHIKODE:
The Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, or the EK faction of Sunnis, has
alleged that Salafis, or Wahhabis, in Kerala had conspired against late
Panakkad Syed Muhammad Ali Shihab Thangal, former state president of the IUML,
and the most revered leader inside and outside the Muslim community.
In a
video posted on Facebook, Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS) working secretary Abdul
Hameed Faizy said a video circulated in Saudi Arabia years ago had painted
Thangal as the propagator of superstitions and un-Islamic practices in Kerala.
Faizy said he watched the video again after seeing Wahhabis engaging in similar
smear campaign against Sunni leader Rehmanthullah Qasimi, who is engaged in
‘exposing the Wahhabi terror.’
Translating
Qasimi’s Malayalam speeches to Arabic, Wahhabis are spreading false narrative
on social media to create an impression that the Sunni leader is speaking
against the Saudi government. He said the Wahhabis in Kerala are using their
clout in Saudi government to put Qasimi in trouble.
Faizy
said the Wahhabis had used the same tactics against many other Sunnis leaders
including K T Manu Musaliar, who was summoned by the Saudi police and was
forced to spend some time in the police station.
“What
they did to Panakkad Thangal was nothing but cruelty. He was an innocent and
pious person who tried to mitigate the miseries of thousands of people,” Faizy
said.He said the video in Arabic had accused that majority of the Muslim
institutions in Kerala are leading Muslims to ‘shirk’ or polytheism, the
gravest sin in Islam.
The
video also alleged that Samastha was leading innocent Muslims to un-Islamic
practices.“The video claimed that Panakkad Thangal was heading an organisation
that leads Muslims in Kerala to shirk. It also secretly videographed Thangal’s
spiritual healing session,” Faizy said. The SYS leader said the Kerala
Nadvathul Mujahideen, the organization of the Wahhabis, did not spare even
Thangal’s family including his son Panakkad Syed Munvvar Ali Shihab Thangal.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Secular
leaders now talking Hindutva language: Ram Madhav
Vinobha
K T
Jan
30, 2022
MANGALURU:
RSS central executive member Ram Madhav said that those champions who advocated
secularism ten years ago are speaking the language of Hindutva now.
Referring
to statements of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal chief minister
Mamata Banerjee and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding their soft
stand towards Hindutva, the RSS leader said various political leaders have been
trying to prove their Hindutva identity. He was delivering a talk at the
release of his book ‘The Hindutva Paradigm’ here on Sunday.
“Can
you imagine Congress leader Shashi Tharoor writing a book on Hinduism 10 years
ago? If he writes a book on secularism today, nobody will buy it. The idea of
secularism is not bad, but the way it is practiced in India is very
discriminatory and defective. The Hindutva philosophy is at the centre stage of
our national life. Recently Rahul Gandhi has said that he is the real Hindu and
not Yogi Adityanath.
Meanwhile,
Mamata Banerjee is also eager to prove her ‘Hinduness’. Arvind Kejriwal in his
last year’s budget earmarked a fund allocation for pilgrimage to Ayodhya. In
either case, the reason is simple - crores and crores of people in this country
are standing for their religious identity,” Ram Madhav said.
Referring
to the RSS fund collection drive for the construction of a temple in Ayodhya,
he said that 13 crore people contributed for Ram Janmabhumi.
“They
included people from various political parties, including communist party
leaders, Muslims, and Christians. This shows that this great cultural identity
of this country, namely the Hindu identity, has today come to occupy the centre
stage,” he said.
He
also criticised severely former vice president Hamid Ansari for his remark on
the ‘emergence of cultural nationalism in India’ at a virtual panel discussion
organised by Indian American Muslim Council recently. “In fact, my book is all
about what civic nationalism is and how irrelevant it is as an idea to India.
It also speaks about the cultural nationalism and integral humanism for which
Hindutva stands for. There are challenges like Hamid Ansaris. We need to tackle
those challenges through proper legal means. There is a major awakening that
people of the country feel that we should now stand with pride and self-respect
on our cultural identity. This is a good transformation that has happened in
this country,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hope
PoK is integrated with India by 2024, says MoS Kapil Patil
Jan
31, 2022
THANE:
Hailing the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of State
for Panchayati Raj Kapil Patil expressed hope that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir
(PoK) is integrated with India by 2024.
"Hope
PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) is integrated in India by 2024 as these things
can be done only by PM Modi. For this we'll have to come out of (the mindset
for) potato, onions, pulses," Patil said while addressing an event in
Kalyan city in Maharashtra's Thane district on Saturday.
Patil,
who is a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Bhiwandi, recalled the Prime Minister's
statement in Rajya Sabha on the Kashmir issue in 2015.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Wanted
JeM commander among 5 terrorists killed in J&K
Jan
31, 2022
SRINAGAR:
Pakistan-based outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed's "wanted" south Kashmir
commander Zahid Manzoor Wani was among five terrorists killed in twin gunfights
with security forces in Pulwama and Budgam on Sunday, making him the eighth
armed infiltrator from across the border to be shot dead in J&K since
January 1.Wani's killing along with three associates at Naira in Pulwama, and a
Lashkar-e-Taiba recruit in the day's other encounter at Budgam's
Charar-e-Shareef, led security forces to declare they were on track to get the
number of active terrorists in the Valley down to under 100 this year.
The
Jaish commander, known to be an expert in making improvised explosive devices,
was holed up in a house with a couple of aides when a joint squad of the
police, Army and CRPF cordoned off the area. The son of the house owner, later
identified as a "hybrid terrorist" affiliated to JeM, joined Wani and
his aides in firing at the advancing team.
"In
the initial assault by our forces, three terrorists were killed. We
subsequently confirmed the presence of a fourth terrorist and gunned him down.
He turned out to be JeM's south Kashmir chief," Lt Gen Prashant
Srivastava, GOC of the Army's Victor Force, said at a joint presser with IGP
Vijay Kumar at Balapur in Shopian.
Wani
had been active in J&K since 2017 and masterminded multiple attacks on
security forces and civilians. His brother, also a terrorist, was captured
sometime ago and is in jail. "Wani being eliminated is a big success for
counter-terrorism forces in Kashmir," Lt Gen Srivastava said.
IGP
Kumar said the house owner’s slain son, Inayat Ahmed, had been given the
opportunity to surrender, but he chose to attack the search team. Inayat's role
as a so-called hybrid terrorist, a relatively new challenge for security forces
in Kashmir, was to sporadically participate in terror activities. Unlike listed
terrorists whose identities are known, hybrid terrorists function as faceless
members of the network and are deployed just once or twice, making them hard to
track.
The
police intend to book Inayat's father under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
Since
the start of the year, a total of 21 terrorists have been killed in 11
encounters with security forces. "Foreign terrorists who had so far been
in hiding in the forests are now entering civilian areas and mingling with the
local population. The good part is we have been able to pinpoint them through
intelligence and technical inputs. All recent operations in which terrorists
were killed have been clean, with no casualties on our side and zero collateral
damage," the IGP said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
2,000
children recruited by Yemen’s rebels died fighting: UN
January
31, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: UN experts said in a new report that nearly 2,000 children recruited
by Yemen’s Houthi rebels died on the battlefield between January 2020 and May
2021, and the Iranian-backed rebels continue to hold camps and courses
encouraging youngsters to fight.
In
the report to the UN Security Council circulated, the experts said they
investigated some summer camps in schools and a mosque where the Houthis
disseminated their ideology and sought to recruit children fight in the
seven-year war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is
backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
The
children are instructed to shout the Houthi slogan ‘death to America, death to
Israel, curse the Jews, victory to Islam,’ the four-member panel of experts
said. In one camp, children as young as 7 years of age were taught to clean
weapons and evade rockets.
The
experts said they documented 10 cases where children were taken to fight after
being told they would be enrolled in cultural courses or were already taking
such courses, nine cases where humanitarian aid was provided or denied to
families solely on the basis whether their children participated in fighting or
to teachers on the basis of whether they taught the Houthi curriculum, and one
case where sexual violence was committed against a child who underwent military
training.
The
panel said it received a list of 1,406 children recruited by the Houthis who
died on the battlefield in 2020 and a list of 562 children recruited by the
rebels who died on the battlefield between January and May 2021.
They
were aged between 10 and 17 years old, the experts said, and a significant
number of them were killed in Amran, Dhamar, Hajjah, Hodeida, Ibb, Saada and
Sanaa.
Yemen
has been engulfed in civil war since 2014 when the Houthis took Sanaa, the
capital, and much of the northern part of the country, forcing the government
to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition that included
the United Arab Emirates and was backed at the time by the United States,
entered the war months later, in 2015, seeking to restore the government to
power.
The
conflict has since become a regional proxy war that has killed tens of
thousands of civilians and fighters. The war has also created the worlds worst
humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care
shortages and pushing the country to the brink of famine.
In
recent weeks, shifting front lines on the ground have resulted in escalating
attacks following gains by UAE-backed forces in the contested province of
Marib, which the Houthis have been trying to take for more than a year.
Coalition air strikes followed two Houthi attacks inside the UAE using missiles
and drones, killing three in strikes near the Abu Dhabi international airport.
The
panel of experts said the Houthis have continued their aerial and maritime
attacks on Saudi Arabia, with targets close to the border most at risk and
usually attacked several times a week with a combination of unmanned drones and
short-range artillery rockets. But the rebels also continue to strike deep
inside Saudi Arabia less frequently using longer-range drones as well as cruise
and ballistic missiles, they said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1672394/2000-children-recruited-by-yemens-rebels-died-fighting-un
--------
EU
condemns flogging, jail term for Iran rights defender
30
January ,2022
The
EU on Sunday condemned the recent sentencing of leading human rights campaigner
Narges Mohammadi to eight years in prison and over 70 lashes, and expressed
worry for her poor health condition.
Her
husband Taghi Rahmani, who is based in France, on January 23 wrote on Twitter
that the sentence was handed out by an Iranian court after a hearing that
lasted only five minutes.
The
details of both the verdict and the case against Mohammadi remain unclear.
“The
EU calls on Iran to comply with its obligations under international law and
urgently release Ms Mohammadi, taking also into account her deteriorating
health condition,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
bloc said that enforcing the sentence “is against the universal principles of
human rights and the rule of law.”
A
colleague of Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaigner Shirin Ebadi, who now lives
outside Iran, Mohammadi has been repeatedly jailed by the Iranian authorities.
She
was released from prison in October 2020 but then suddenly arrested again in
November 2021 in Karaj outside Tehran while attending a memorial for a man
killed during nationwide protests two years earlier.
Amnesty
International at the time condemned Mohammadi's arrest as “arbitrary” and
described her as a “prisoner of conscience targeted solely for her peaceful
human rights activities”.
Mohammadi,
who has long campaigned against the use of the death penalty in Iran, had
before her latest arrest been working with families seeking justice for loved
ones who they say were killed by security forces in the 2019 protests.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
Canadian
activists protest in Toronto against Israel's aggressions, atrocities in
Palestine
January
31, 2022
Pro-Palestine
Canadian activists and demonstrators have staged a protest against Israel’s
decades-long aggression and atrocities against Palestinians, to which state-run
media have chosen to turn a blind eye under the pretext of covering a rally
against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
The
pro-Palestine march was carried out along Yonge Street in Toronto, the capital
of the central Canadian province of Ontario, towards the Israeli embassy on
Friday.
The
protesters chanted “Free Palestine” slogans and waved Palestine’s national
flags.
Deprived
of any coverage by Canadian media and news agencies, the protest was held on
the same day that thousands of Canadians showed their support for hundreds of
Canadian truckers on their way to the capital Ottawa during a demonstration
against obligatory vaccination mandates announced by Trudeau for cross-border
drivers.
The
Canadian premier announced a vaccine mandate for federal workers in October,
and then last month, Canada and the United States imposed a similar one for
cross-border truckers.
The
new regulations require unvaccinated Canadian truck drivers to isolate for 14
days when they re-enter Canada from the US, a move drivers have been saying would
have a major negative impact on their industry.
Israel
occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip — territories the Palestinians want
for a future state — during the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967. It later had
to withdraw from Gaza.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
institute releases video on Israel killing of 78 Palestinian minors
January
31, 2022
The
American nonprofit organization "If Americans Knew" has published a
video showing the brutal killing of 78 Palestinian children by Israeli forces
in 2021 making the year the deadliest for the Palestinian minors since 2014.
The
organization has released a 2-minute video launching a campaign to demand for
an end to US financial support for the Israeli regime.
The
campaigners have called on the members of the US Congress, who have passed the
bill for financial aid for the Israeli regime from the money paid by American
tax payers, to watch the two-minute video and know how the Tel Aviv regime is
spending the money.
The
organization has also demanded that the video is shown at the meetings of the
Parliamentary committees.
This
is while the Israeli regime is struggling to launch a campaign to discredit the
probe by UN committee on Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in May 2021.
Israeli
officials have announced their concerns on the investigations by the UN
committee and recognition of Israel as the "apartheid regime"
particularly among some western intellectuals.
The
committee, also in charge of probe into violations of human rights in the
occupied lands, will announce the results for its investigation in June.
Israeli
regime has reportedly denied to cooperate with the investigators claiming that
the mission is allegedly hostile and prejudiced against Tel Aviv regime.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
Iran envoy criticized for ‘parroting Iranian propaganda’ about women in
stadiums
30
January ,2022
US
Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, whipped up a storm of criticism on
social media after he welcomed news that some Iranian women were allowed to
attend a football match in Iran, with users accusing him of “parroting Iranian
propaganda.”
Iran,
whose theocratic rulers have long been opposed to women attending men’s
football matches, allocated 2,000 out of 10,000 tickets to women for Thursday’s
match, according to state media.
Iranian
women have been banned from stadiums hosting men’s football matches since
shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iran
became the first Asian team to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on
Thursday after defeating Iraq 1-0 in Tehran.
Malley
congratulated the Iranian team for their qualification on Twitter on Friday.
“It’s good to see women were allowed to attend the match,” he added in the same
tweet, prompting an outcry on social media, mostly from Iranians.
Critics
argued that the matter did not warrant a positive response from Malley given
that Iran had only allowed a select number of women to attend the match under
pressure from world football’s governing body FIFA.
Rather
than signifying a positive shift in Iran’s policy on the issue, permitting a
limited number of women to attend the match was merely a propagandist effort to
“appease” FIFA, they argued.
They
further argued that Malley’s tweet played into the supposed Iranian propaganda.
Women
spectators at the match were hand-picked and “most of them were from the
families of officials or women football and futsal players,” Radio Farda, the
Persian-language broadcaster at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported.
FIFA
ordered Iran in September 2019 to allow women access to stadiums without any
restrictions. The FIFA directive came after a young Iranian woman named Sahar
Khodayari – dubbed “Blue Girl” for the colours of her favourite team, Esteghlal
FC – died after setting herself on fire outside a court where she feared being
jailed for trying to attend a match disguised as a man.
Malley’s
tweet drew condemnation from scores of Iranians – including activists and
journalists – on Twitter.
“Please
don’t parrot Islamic Republic propaganda @USEnvoyIran,” Iranian-American
journalist and activist Masih Alinjead wrote in response to Malley.
“To
fool/appease FIFA, [the] regime selected a tiny group of women - 2% of the
stadium - & took photos/videos to deceive the international media. Don’t
praise gender apartheid. The stadium was not open to all women.”
Holly
Dagres, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, described Malley’s tweet as
“problematic.”
“While
I appreciate the outreach, this is a problematic tweet. Iran only allowed a
certain number of women to “freely” enter the stadium—and that was only to
appease FIFA,” she wrote on Twitter.
Malley
told Al Arabiya English in a statement: “Iranian women, like all women, should
have every right to cheer their national team. I am glad that FIFA has taken a
strong stand on the issue and that this qualifying match marked some movement
in the right direction.”
“I
remember the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari a few years ago,” Malley said,
referring to “Blue Girl.” “The government should give every fan an opportunity
to attend these events. This isn’t about soccer or even politics, but about
basic equality.”
Iranian
dissidents and activists accuse Malley of being overly lenient with the Iranian
regime and inattentive to its human rights abuses. When Malley was appointed as
the Biden administration’s Iran envoy in January 2021, they expressed concern
that he would overlook domestic repression in Iran in order to reive the 2015
Iran nuclear deal.
Malley
was a key member of former President Barack Obama’s team that negotiated the
deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump,
reimposing sweeping sanctions on Tehran.
A US
delegation headed by Malley has been participating in indirect talks with Iran
in Vienna aimed at restoring the 2015 deal since last April.
Three
members of the US negotiating team – including Richard Nephew, who served as
Malley’s deputy – have left the team after calling for a tougher approach in
the talks with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing people
familiar with the negotiations.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Canada
to appoint special representative on combatting Islamophobia
Burak
Bir
30.01.2022
Canada
on Saturday announced its intention to appoint a special representative on
combatting Islamophobia as part of the country's anti-racism strategy, five
years after a deadly mosque shooting in Quebec.
“This
year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror (mosque
attack in Quebec City), the Government of Canada stands with and supports
Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirms its commitment to take action to
denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence,” the government said
in a statement.
Underlining
that Islamophobia is a reality for Muslims across Canada and around the world,
it noted that building a more inclusive country and combatting discrimination
is a must.
“The
special representative appointment ... will be an additional step in the
government's ongoing work through Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle
Islamophobia in all its forms,” said the statement, noting that this had been
recommended during a National Summit on Islamophobia held in July 2021.
Sharing
the statement on social media, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed out the
need to end Islamophobia in the country.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Sudan
army-led Council signals tougher line on UN mediation
30
January ,2022
The
deputy head of Sudan’s military-led Sovereign Council said on Saturday a UN
envoy should be working as a “facilitator and not a mediator,” signaling an
apparent tougher line towards international efforts to resolve a political
crisis.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
A
United Nations mission led by special envoy Volker Perthes began talks this
month to help resolve the standoff which followed a coup last year. Previously,
the Sovereign Council has welcomed the UN initiative, and Perthes has said the
army had no objections to his presence.
“The
head of the United Nations’ Integrated Transition Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS)
should be a facilitator and not a mediator,” the Council’s deputy head, Mohamed
Hamdan Dagalo, said in a statement.
The
Council was not shunning the international community but “rejects interference
in domestic affairs,” he said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Modern-day
slavery condemned by church in Tanzania
Kizito
Makoye
31.01.2022
ZANZIBAR,
Tanzania
Anglican
clergyman in Tanzania’s Indian Ocean Zanzibar archipelago has condemned the
slave trade as “the worst crime” ever committed by humans against fellow humans
and urged the world to reject all forms of modern-day slavery.
The
Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, perched at the heart of Stone Town, is a
symbol of remembrance to the men, women and children sold into slavery.
The
massive cathedral built on the former slave market also serves as a reminder of
the Anglican church’s role in abolishing the East African slave trade and its
contribution to the spread of Christianity.
Reverend
Charles Majaliwa of the Zanzibar diocese said although the slave trade left an
indelible stain on the history of Zanzibar, it is a stark reminder for everyone
to reject modern-day slavery.
“The
impressions that struck me very strongly when I visited the pits that slaves
were kept before sale, is the deplorable physical conditions. There would be 75
men women and children crammed together in there,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Majaliwa
said the fact that the Anglican church is built on the site of the slave market
where slaves were chained in small rooms without food while waiting to be
transported is a symbol that faith triumphs over human suffering.
According
to Majaliwa, looking at the real shackles at the Zanzibar museum that were used
for tying slaves is a grim reminder of the suffering that people went through.
“When
I touched the actual chains, I was rendered absolutely speechless,” he said.
Majaliwa
spoke out strongly against modern-day slavery where people across Africa
fleeing poverty are subjected to heinous abuses at the hands of smugglers.
“How
could you treat people in such a horrible condition as if they’re not human
beings?. I just found the whole experience horrific,” he said.
The
slave trade became the mainstay of the Zanzibar economy. Plantation owners who
grew cloves and coconuts depended on slave labor. Slaves were used as domestic
servants, soldiers, caravan porters and concubines.
The
story of slavery and the slave trade, observers said, has left a dark legacy on
Zanzibar, an archipelago off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean and a
home to 1.7 million -- majority Muslims.
As
you stroll around the church, a cursory glance of statues of slaves shackled
together with a chain around their necks rekindles memories of atrocities that
men, women and children who were captured and sold into slavery suffered.
Known
as the Slave Market Church, the cathedral was built by a missionary society
established by members of the British Anglican church.
The
cathedral’s altar is pointedly built on the exact spot where the slave market’s
main whipping post once stood to symbolize faith’s triumph over human
suffering.
Darker
history
The
heart of Zanzibar, built of stone is a tangle of narrow streets. The stone town
was host to one of the world’s last open slave markets, presided over by Arab
merchants until it was shut down by the British in 1873. The slaves were
shipped to the tiny island in dhows from the mainland crammed so tightly that
many fell ill and died.
As
the center for African slaves who were brought from the interior by Arab
traders who often purchased their captives from warring tribes, the history of
Zanzibar has its darker side.
As
you walk outside the church there is a museum dedicated to the slave trade,
along with a stone monument to the slaves -- four human effigies inset in the
ground.
Visitors
can also see small chambers where slaves were kept in horrid conditions.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/modern-day-slavery-condemned-by-church-in-tanzania/2489651
--------
Shia
cleric in Ghana appreciates service of Iranian Red Crescent Society
Jan
30, 2022
More
interactions with IRCS are needed, Hujatul Islam Shaikh Abubakar Kamal-Deen
said at Iran’s polyclinic medical center in Ghana.
During
his visit to the center, he called for getting familiarized more with the IRCS
services.
The
Shia cleric expressed content over humanitarian services extended by the
Islamic Republic of Iran to some Ghanaian poor people.
He
described Islamic Republic of Iran medical center as a powerful health pillar
in Ghana.
Source:
Irna
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.irna.ir/news/84631705/Shia-cleric-in-Ghana-appreciates-service-of-Iranian-Red-Crescent
--------
One
protester dies as security forces confront crowds in Khartoum: Medics
30
January ,2022
One
protester was killed as security forces confronted thousands of people
protesting against military rule in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Sunday, medics
linked to the demonstrations said.
The
27-year-old, Mohamed Yousef Ismail, was hit in the chest, the Central Committee
of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said.
There
was no immediate statement from the military rulers who have been trying to
contain a series of protests across Sudan since they took power on October 25.
Security
forces fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds who were marching in
defiance of a ban on demonstrations, a Reuters reporter said.
Protesters
got within about 2 km (1 mile) of the presidential palace on the banks of the
Blue Nile before security forces blocked their way in the early afternoon and
started chasing protesters back and forth.
“We
go out to demonstrate so that our children can live under a civil, democratic
state in the future. We won't allow our children's future to be confiscated,”
protester Mohamed Abdelrahman, a 51-year-old government employee, said.
Armed
soldiers and military vehicles were deployed across the capital for the first
time in recent weeks in an apparent show of force.
Pictures
and footage of rallies in other towns and cities across Sudan were posted on
social media, though Reuters could not independently verify when the images
were taken.
The
October coup halted a power sharing arrangement between the military and
civilians negotiated in 2019 after former president Omar al-Bashir was
overthrown in an uprising.
On
Saturday, Khartoum State authorities issued a decision banning processions and
mass gatherings in central Khartoum, urging people to gather instead in squares
and local areas.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Use
of different logos does not affect ties among PH parties, says Anwar
Saturday,
29 Jan 2022
SEREMBAN,
Jan 29 — PKR’s decision to use its own logo while Amanah and DAP contest under
the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner in the upcoming Johor state election will not
affect ties among the component parties, said PH chairman Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim.
He
said the use of different logos by PH component parties in elections had
happened before but the coalition remained strong.
“This
logo thing does not affect ties. In the 2013 general election we used our own
logos and PKR was strong then; Then in the Sabah polls, PKR used the PKR logo
while DAP used the Warisan logo, but it did not affect relations.
“There
are people trying to play up this logo issue, as if it had not happened before.
We are using the PKR logo because of the sentiment in non-urban areas,
especially among the Malays. We have discussed and agreed on the matter, so I
think it’s not a problem,” he added.
He told
reporters this after a town hall session held in conjunction with the 60th
annual general assembly of Pusat Kegiatan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) here
today.
On
Wednesday, the PH presidential council agreed to allow DAP and Amanah to use
the PH logo in the Johor polls while PKR will use its own.
Meanwhile,
Anwar, who is PKR president, said the party would not ditch DAP to cooperate
with other parties in the Johor election.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bomb
attacks hit southern Thailand, 2 killed in police raid
January
30, 2022
BANGKOK:
Bombers set off at least 13 blasts in a town in southern Thailand overnight,
and police killed two suspected insurgents in a separate raid after a 20-hour
siege in a nearby province, authorities said on Saturday.
While
officials did not link the two incidents directly, the violence came weeks
after the government reopened a dialogue with insurgents from a Malay-Muslim
minority in the southern part of the Buddhist-majority country.
The
siege took place in Narathiwat province, where a combined force of soldiers and
police surrounded a house in the Ra-ngae district on Friday, following a
tip-off that suspects linked to bomb attacks last year were hiding inside.
Authorities
said they tried to negotiate with the suspects, before finally raiding the
house. One volunteer ranger was hurt and the two suspects were killed in the
raid.
Separately,
one person was injured when at least 13 small explosions struck the town of
Yala late on Friday, mostly on roadsides in front of convenience stores, shops,
a market, an animal hospital and a car repair shop, said deputy police
spokesman Kissing Phathanacharoen.
On
Saturday police found at least three bombs that had not exploded, made from
spray cans and metal pipes with timers attached.
Kissana
said police suspect the explosions were aimed at causing a disturbance more
than damage or injuries.
As
with most attacks in Thailand’s deep south, there was no claim of
responsibility. The main rebel group in the region, Barisan Revolusi Nasional,
did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
More
than 7,300 people have died since 2004 in a separatist insurgency in Thailand’s
largely ethnic Malay provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, according to
the Deep South Watch group which monitors the violence.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Johor
Bersatu loses another lawmaker, Muhyiddin blamed again
29
Jan 2022
BY
JUSTIN ONG
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 29 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s (Bersatu) Mohd Izhar Ahmad
announced his resignation from the party today, becoming the second Johor
leader to quit this week citing a loss of confidence in Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin’s leadership.
In
further signs of trouble at the Perikatan Nasional (PN) lynchpin ahead of the
Johor state election, the incumbent Larkin assemblyman also said he would not
be defending the seat and instead urged voters to back the Barisan Nasional
(BN) coalition.
BN
and PN are nominally allied in the federal government but have been openly
hostile towards one another in recent elections.
“In
my opinion, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin did not only fail to bring the
party to a better position, but he also did not make any effort to heal the
party after the split with Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s camp,” he was quoted as saying
by news portal Malaysiakini.
“This
not not only stunted the party’s development but had also affected Bersatu
idealism and hence has an impact on the Malays and interest of Islam. In other
words, the main factor that caused me to leave Bersatu is because I have lost
my confidence in Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.”
Muhyiddin
replaced Dr Mahathir as the prime minister during the “Sheraton Move” of 2020,
before being ousted himself last year by Umno whose vice president, Datuk Seri
Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the current PM.
Earlier
this week, former Johor Bersatu chief Mazlan Bujang also resigned from the
party, after saying he no longer had confidence in Muhyiddin’s leadership.
Mazlan
did not rejoin Umno as expected, however, but still publicly urged voters and
supporters to back the Malay nationalist party and the BN coalition.
Earlier
today, Bersatu and PN ally PAS announced they will contest in the Johor state
election independently of Umno, and reminded the Malay nationalist party that
it should not take their support for the BN federal government for granted.
The
veiled threat appeared moot, however, as Umno is believed to already be gearing
up for an early general election that it has also indicated it would contest
without cooperating with Bersatu and PAS.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Leader
Underlines Failure of Enemy's Economic War against Iran
2022-January-30
"The
goal of the enemies in this war has been the collapse of the Iranian economy;
that was their intention. Now, the collapse of the economy was, of course, a
prelude in order to set the people against the Islamic Republic by destroying
the Iranian economy and to carry out their malicious political intentions in
this way," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with a group of the
country's manufacturers and officials in the economic and industry sector on
Sunday morning in Imam Khomeini Hussainiyyah.
Referring
to his advice to Iranian officials about not tying the country's economy to the
results of the Vienna talks, he added, "I always repeat that you should not
condition the country's economy and economic activities. Do not pause over
something that we do not have. We should use our efforts to meet our needs. And
thank God we have very good capacities in this regard."
The
Supreme Leader lauded the Iranian manufacturers, entrepreneurs and workers as
officers of the battle against the enemies' economic war, and said that their
work has greatly contributed to Iran's resistance against the enemy.
"The
stronghold of the country's production and economy, thank God, is alive and
well. You were the division that stood up to the enemy," Ayatollah
Khamenei said, adding that the manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and workers were
all involved in the victory against the enemy's economic pressure.
In a
relevant development on Tuesday, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi
underlined that if Washington removes the oppressive sanctions against Tehran,
the ground will be paved for an agreement.
“If
the parties are ready to lift the cruel sanctions against the Iranian people,
there is room for agreement,” Rayeesi said in a live TV interview.
He
reiterated that the removal of the sanctions could lead to the nuclear deal’s
revival.
“If
the other party removes the sanctions, there will be a possibility to revive
the pact.”
The
Iranian president, however, asserted that not everything relied on the
negotiations. “We will pursue the negotiations, but it is not like the
negotiations solve everything.”
Besides
trying to have the sanctions removed, the government is also trying to
“neutralize the sanctions,” he said, adding that proper economic relations with
the neighbors constitute one way of negating the bans.
Iran
and the other parties to a 2015 agreement are negotiating in Vienna, Austria,
with the aim of getting the United States to remove the sanctions and return to
compliance with the deal.
The
Islamic Republic, however, is not directly negotiating with the United States
since Washington unilaterally left the accord in 2018 and returned the
sanctions that the deal had lifted.
Also,
the president said his administration was determined to enhance Iran’s economic
and commercial relations with foreign countries, which he said were not as
advanced as its political ties.
“We
should establish some [form of] balance in the country’s foreign relations,”
Rayeesi noted.
For
instance, the president said, the country could unlock a massive economic and
trade capacity in relations with its 15-strong neighbors.
He
said his recent trip to Tajikistan was followed by a triple increase in the
volume of the bilateral business relations.
Rayeesi
said his trips to Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan also led to positive developments
in the Islamic Republic’s economic relations with the ex-Soviet republics.
By
the same token, the roughly-$3-billion volume of economic relations with Russia
could be enhanced to as much as $10 billion, he said.
Regarding
his recent trip to Russia, President Rayeesi said the meeting with his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow featured discussions over bilateral and
regional issues "with the countries' [respective] national interests as
the centerpiece".
The
trip, Rayeesi said, should result in expansion of the bilateral relations in
such fields as energy, agriculture, and industry.
"Exports
of [Iranian] agricultural products and imports of strategic commodities from
Russia, given the possibility of eliminating [trade] tariffs, were among the
issues that were discussed," he added.
Rayeesi
said the visit "was accompanied by smiles, but smiles alone do not do
anything in favor of the people. Interaction with the world and trips [like
this] should result in development of [the concerned parties'] fields of
energy, industry, and the peoples' lives."
The
Iranian president noted that the two sides discussed "the need for
breaking the US dollar's dominance on the countries' monetary and financial
interactions.
"I
and Mr. Putin agreed that a lot of commercial transactions between the two
sides could be done using [each side's] national currency," Rayeesi said.
After
arrival from Russia visit earlier this month, President Rayeesi said that
development of relations between Tehran and Moscow will lead to more security
and prosperity for both nations and the entire region.
“Undoubtedly,
the development of relations with Russia will contribute to the security and
prosperity of the two nations. Certainly, such security-building cooperation
will be for the sake of the region,” Rayeesi said.
He
said that during his Russia trip, which began on Wednesday, the two sides
discussed steps to challenge the dominance of the US dollar and continue trade
in their national currencies.
“Our
oil minister had good agreements with Russian energy officials, the effects of
which will emerge later,” he said, adding that good agreements were also
reached on removing obstacles to boosting trade relations.
However,
the level of trade relations is “not acceptable”, the president stated.
Officials
have said the two sides seek to increase the current record $3 billion
bilateral trade.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Urges South Korea to Return Frozen assets
2022-January-29
The
South Korean government has received the letter of intent last September and
has been seeking to resolve the dispute over Iran's frozen assets under US sanctions.
Iran
will likely complain to the International Center for the Settlement of
Investment Disputes if the two countries do not find a negotiated solution
within the next six months after accepting the letter.
If
the two countries fail to find any solution through negotiations within six
months after the letter of intent was accepted, Iran may file an Investor-State
Dispute suit.
Informed
sources told Yonhap News Agency today that officials in Seoul and Tehran are
planning a working meeting next month to discuss Iran's frozen assets in South
Korean banks.
Earlier,
the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and South Korea met in Austria to discuss
Tehran's blocked money in Seoul banks.
"South
Korea and Iran plan to hold working-level talks in Seoul next month to find
ways to resolve the years-long dispute over Tehran's frozen assets,"
Yonhap was quoted as saying by an informed source.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001109000684/Iran-Urges-Sh-Krea-Rern-Frzen-asses
--------
Houthi
attack in south-eastern Yemen leaves 4 civilians dead
Hamdi
Yildiz
31.01.2022
SHABWA,
Yemen
At
least four people were killed and five others wounded when the Iranian-backed
Houthi militia targeted a mosque in southeastern Yemen with a ballistic
missile, the Yemeni army announced early Monday.
The
attack seriously damaged the Abdullah bin Masoud Mosque in Usaylan district of
Shabwa province and burned vehicles in the vicinity, the army’s al-Amalika
Brigade said in a statement.
No
statement has been issued so far by the Houthis on the attack.
Yemen
has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned
Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
A
Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the
situation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UAE
shoots down ballistic missile fired by Houthis during Israeli president’s visit
Faruk
Zorlu and Mucahit Aydemir
31.01.2022
The
United Arab Emirates said Sunday that it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic
missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels while Israel’s president was officially
visiting the country.
The
UAE’s “air defense intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by
the Houthi terrorist group towards the country," the Defense Ministry said
in a statement on Twitter.
No
damage was caused by the attack, the ministry said.
It
added that debris fell in an unpopulated area and there were no casualties.
The
attack came on the same night that Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Abu
Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his first official
visit to the UAE as the country's head of state.
Herzog
will not interrupt his visit, presidential spokesperson Eylon Levy told Anadolu
Agency, adding "the visit is expected to continue as planned."
Yemen
has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned
Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
A
Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the
situation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
foreign minister meets Bahraini counterpart in Manama
Enes
Canlı
30.01.2022
MANAMA,
Bahrain
The
Turkish foreign minister on Sunday met with his Bahraini counterpart as part of
his official visit to the Gulf country.
Mevlut
Cavusoglu and his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif Bin Rashid Alzayani had a
meeting in the capital Manama, according to a diplomatic source.
The
two ministers discussed joint cooperation aimed at enhancing economic and trade
relations.
A
meeting of the Joint Economic Commission between the two countries is planned
to take place in March, said the source on condition of anonymity due to
restrictions on speaking to the media.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkiye,
Bahrain share common vision of ‘stable, secure’ Gulf region
Enes
Canlı
30.01.2022
MANAMA,
Bahrain
Turkiye
and Bahrain share a common vision of a “unified, stable and secure Gulf
region,” the Turkish foreign minister said on Sunday.
Speaking
to the Bahraini press ahead of his visit to Manama, Mevlut Cavusoglu said his
country is pleased to see dialogue and cooperation between Gulf countries, and
appreciates successful efforts of Bahrain in this regard.
“The
new era of dialogue and cooperation in our region would present a window of
opportunity for lasting peace, stability and prosperity,” he said.
The
minister stressed Turkiye's resolve to enhance its relations with Bahrain as
part of the deep fraternal ties between the two countries.
“Turkiye
is ready to do its part by developing cooperation across the region on the
basis of mutual respect and shared vision,” he said.
He
said Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Bin Rashid Alzayani’s visit to
Turkiye last November “paved the way to revitalize relations to the mutual
benefit of the two nations.”
"We
have stood side by side in difficult times,” he added.
He
noted that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain became the first leader
from the region to visit Turkiye after the defeated coup by the Fetullah
Terrorist Organization (FETO) in July 2016.
"The
Turkish people and leadership will not forget this example of honest solidarity
in difficult times," he added.
Cavusoglu
noted that more than 40 agreements, protocols and memoranda of understanding
have been signed to expand and deepen mutual cooperation.
“Our
relations have been developing constantly in numerous areas such as defense,
trade, health, education, culture and tourism,” he added.
He
said that Turkish doctors, engineers, academics, artists and businesspeople
have become a respectable and integral part of the Bahraini society.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------