‘Highly Educated But Equally Radicalised': Delhi Police On Arrested Alleged ISIS Terrorists
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 October 2023
Delhi police with the suspected ISIS
terrorists.
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India
·
Catholic
Priest In Kerala Joins BJP, Church Removes Him From Vicar Duties
·
Vellore Jail
Mosque Out Of Bounds For Muslim Inmates, Security Reasons Cited For Mosque’s
Closure
·
All India
Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat faces community backlash as Press Club of India
rejects felicitation invite
·
India has
strayed from Gandhi's ideal of love, tolerance: Mehbooba Mufti
------
Europe
·
Sikhs in
UK Demand Expulsion of Indian High Commissioner
·
Iraqi-Born
Taxi Bomber, Emad Al-Swealmeen, Angry Over Asylum Rejection, Say UK Police
·
Pope
Francis Hints At Slight Opening To Blessings Of Same-Sex Couples
·
UK defence
minister lauds ‘incredibly quick’ Saudi transformation
·
UK
minister calls for withdrawal from European Convention on Human Rights
-------
Pakistan
·
Trial
Court Ordered To Re-Hear Imran’s Bail Pleas In Nine Cases
·
PM
Emphasizes Promotion Of Religious Harmony In Country
·
Rogue
doctor’s arrest a ‘test case’ for law enforcement
·
61 aliens
detained for illegal stay in Islamabad
·
IHC
accepts Imran’s plea against bail cancellation
·
Fact
check: Is Pakistan at risk of a major earthquake?
------
Mideast
·
Palestinians
Rally In Gaza Against Settlers' Incursions Into Al-Aqsa Mosque
·
Israeli
Occupation Shuts Hebron Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim Worshippers for Jewish
Holidays
·
Top
Iranian General Hopes for Muslim Unity Inspired by Teachings of Prophet
·
Another
Turkish Imam Commits Suicide, Family Blames Mobbing
·
Jordan
Condemns Israeli Settlers’ Ongoing Violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque
·
Normalization
with Israel by any country amounts to abandoning Palestine, bolsters enemy:
Hezbollah leader
-------
South Asia
·
Won't
Tolerate Arson, Terrorism Before Polls: Bangladesh PMSheikh Hasina
·
Muttaqi
Denies Claims of Kabul Supplying Weapons to TTP
·
Afghan
Refugees in Iran, Pakistan Complain of Mistreatment
·
Islamic
Emirate Forms New Reform Plan for Youth: Rashed
·
40 Health Centres
Established, 30,000 Drug Addicts Treated in Balkh Within a Year
·
Australia
Donates $5 Million to Aid Afghanistan: OCHA
·
An ominous
sign: 34 quakes in 2 months
--------
North America
·
US Offers
To Help Pakistan Deal With Terrorism
·
CAIR
Expresses Solidarity with Native American Community After Shooting of Activist
in N.M.
·
Hunter
Biden to plead not guilty to gun charges
·
Trump
reaped over US$100 million through fraud, New York says as trial starts
·
US Senator
alongside family killed in Utah plane crash
-------
Southeast Asia
·
Deaths In
Police Custody Need Addressing: Kepong MP
·
Penang
High Court acquits five in T. Nhaveen’s murder case, citing unreliable witness
·
Former
cooperative chairman arrested by MACC over alleged false claims
·
Man killed
in car-lorry accident near Mersing
·
Nhaveen
murder trial: High Court acquits and discharges 5 men without calling defence
--------
Africa
·
29 Niger
Soldiers Killed By Suspected Jihadists: Defence Ministry
·
Scholar Advises
Muslims On Sustenance Of Islam Mission
·
Gov’t to
launch Islamic curriculum for Sudanese refugee, returnees
·
Uganda's Constitutional
Court To Hear Challenges Against Anti-Homosexuality Law
·
Ethiopia
celebrated local Christian holiday
·
Terrorists
Invade Community In Katsina State, Kill Ward Councillor, Attack Several Houses
·
Nigerian
Labour Unions, NLC, TUC Suspend Nationwide Strike For 30 Days
·
NAF
aircraft bombs terrorists’ hideouts in Borno
-------
Arab World
·
Another
Israeli Minister Arrives In Saudi Arabia Amid Normalisation
·
Will New
Houthi Attacks Jeopardise Yemen's Peace Process?
·
Saudi
King, Crown Prince Condemns Terror Attack In Ankara
·
KSrelief
Distributes 42 Tons of Food Baskets in Somalia
·
Visitors
of RIBF Praise Islamic Affairs Ministry’s Scientific and Religious Publications
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/radicalised-delhi-police-isis-terrorists/d/130813
------
‘Highly Educated But Equally
Radicalised': Delhi Police On Arrested Alleged ISIS Terrorists
Delhi police with the suspected ISIS
terrorists.
------
02nd October 2023
By Ujwal Jalali Express News Service
NEW DELHI: All three suspected ISIS
terrorists were found academically highly qualified, yet, they chose a
different way of life ultimately landing them behind bars.
The most wanted 31-year-old suspected
terrorist Shahnawaz Alam was born in a simple middle-class family in
Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. His father, a government school teacher, made his son
get the best education, hardly aware that Shahnawaz was getting radicalised
along the path.
The highly qualified student-turned-wanted
terrorist had also married a girl named Basanti Patel in 2021 in Aligarh, Uttar
Pradesh. However, before marriage, Basanti converted to Islam religion and
opted for a new name as Khadeeja Maryam.
According to the police officials, the suspected
terrorist Shahnawaz Alam completed his school in his native place and moved to
Kota for AIEEE coaching, like any other normal student. "He is an
intelligent man, with a technological bend of mind," a senior Delhi Police
official told this newspaper.
Alam, after getting coaching at Kota,
Rajasthan, qualified the All India Engineering Entrance Examination and joined
a reputed college -- NIT Visveswaraya, Nagpur -- from where he completed B.
Tech in Mining Engineering in 2016.
After graduating from the college, Alam
came to Delhi in November 2016 and started preparing for SSC competitive
examination and stayed at Abul Fazal enclave.
"He used to go to listen to Hizb
ut-Tahrir lectures at Shaheen Bagh. This was the time when Shahnawaz decided to
leave HuT as he was influenced by the ideology of ISIS. He then started
following the concepts of ISIS, various Twitter accounts and news channels that
professed ISIS ideology," the official said.
The second suspected ISIS operative Md.
Arshad was born in district Garhwa, Jharkhand, in a middle-class family. His
father was also a government school teacher.
Academically, Arshad pursued his studies
at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh, and did B. Tech. in
Mechanical Engineering. "Thereafter he moved to Delhi and studied in Jamia
Millia University and completed his MBA in Marketing & Operations,"
the official said.
Presently, Arshad was pursuing PhD from
Jamia Millia University in Islamic Principles in Management. Besides his
academic pursuits, he works as a Physics teacher at Orchid Institute, Jamia
Nagar, Delhi, and also provides home tuition in Science and Mathematics.
The third operative Md. Rizwan Ashraf
was born at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in a middle-class family. He pursued his
preliminary education at Noorul Huda English Medium School in Fatehpur City,
Jamia tul Falah, Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and completed Alimiyat in Arabic
(equivalent to 12th) in 2009.
Ashraf was also an engineer and
completed his B. Tech. in Information Technology from a college in Noida in
2017. After completing B.Tech., he returned to Prayagraj and got married.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2023/oct/02/highly-educated-but-equally-radicalised-delhi-police-on-arrested-isis-terrorists-2620243.html
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UK Activists Remember Khashoggi 5 Years
After Saudi Journalist’s Murder
A
candlelight vigil is held to remember dissident Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi outside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 25,
2018. (Photo by Getty Images)
-----
03 October 2023
British human rights campaigners have
held a candlelight vigil to mark five years since the state-sponsored killing
of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The vigil took place outside Saudi
Arabia’s embassy in London on Monday evening as security guards lingered around
the gates of the premises.
Some of the activists chanted slogans
such as “down down bin Salman,” referring to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, who is accused of ordering the assassination of the Middle East Eye
(MEE) and Washington Post columnist.
Khashoggi, who had been critical of the
Riyadh government, was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in the kingdom’s
Istanbul consulate on October 2, 2018.
The US spy agency CIA said it had
collected multiple sources of intelligence indicating that bin Salman, the heir
to the Saudi throne, had issued the instructions for the murder.
Kuwaiti activist Salman al-Khaldi told
the MEE that participants at the London vigil were harassed by members of the
Saudi embassy, noting that Riyadh harasses anyone who speaks out about
Khashoggi.
“Today, I have a five-year sentence
against me in Kuwait just because I have spoken out about Jamal Khashoggi and I
have been banned from entering Saudi Arabia for 25 years,” he said. “If we are
silent about Khashoggi, we will be next.”
Huda al-Amri, a UK-based Saudi activist,
described Monday’s vigil as an important step in calling for justice.
“If we don’t call for justice now, our
time will come too,” she said. ”Bin Salman is a murderer and this is not just
about Khashoggi. He was just one of many. There were many before him and there
have been many after him. People need to raise their voices for the sake of
justice.”
After Khashoggi’s killing, bin Salman
was broadly shunned in the West. Recently, however, there has been a shift in
the trend as certain world powers are turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia’s
rights record in a bid to attract investment from the oil-rich state.
Daniel Gorman, director of the human
rights organization English Pen, was also at the vigil, where he renewed calls
for a thorough probe into Khashoggi’s brutal assassination.
“Justice has not been served for
Khashoggi, so we continue to call for a full investigation. Given that it has
been five years since his brutal murder in the embassy in Istanbul, it is very
sad that we have to be here today, but we will continue,” he told the MEE.
“According to independent organizations,
the instructions come from the top, so Mohammed bin Salman should be held
accountable…we call for all political prisoners to be released.”
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/03/711980/UK-vigil-Saudi-journalist-Khashoggi-murder
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Bushra Bibi, The Former First Lady,
Fears Poisoning Of Former PM , Imran Khan, In Prison
PTI Chairman
Imran Khan with his wife: FILE/PHOTO
-----
October 03, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Fearing that the former prime
minister, Imran Khan, could be “poisoned” in Adiala Jail, Bushra Bibi, the
former first lady, has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek
enhanced security for her husband in the prison.
In August, Imran Khan was sentenced to
three years in prison and fined Rs100,000 for providing false asset
declarations to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Additionally, Additional Sessions Judge
Humayun Dilawar imposed a five-year disqualification, effectively ending his
chances of participating in the upcoming general elections. Presently, Imran
Khan is imprisoned at Adiala Jail, a facility that has housed several former
prime ministers in the past.
On Monday, Bushra filed a petition with
the IHC, represented by her lawyer, Latif Khosa, voicing her concerns about her
husband's safety in prison. She particularly expressed worries that there might
be attempts to harm him through food tampering. She stressed that Imran Khan is
not receiving the entitled facilities as stipulated in the prison manual.
Bushra cited past instances where other
prisoners were granted certain privileges, including home-cooked meals, whereas
her husband was denied such privileges. She argued that this treatment
constitutes a breach of Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution and is inhumane.
In her petition, Bushra implored the
court to intervene and ensure the enforcement of court orders regarding the
provision of proper facilities to her husband in jail. She also requested that
the court instruct the responsible medical officer to ensure the supply of
healthy food to Khan.
Furthermore, she asked the court to
direct the relevant authorities to grant Khan the privilege of exercising and
taking walks while incarcerated.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2438959/wife-fears-poisoning-of-imran-in-prison
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Qur'an Desecration Tantamount To Insult
To Entire Humanity, Freedom, Values, And Spirituality: Iran President
President Ebrahim Raeisi
------
Oct 2, 2023
TEHRAN, Oct. 02 (MNA) – President
Ebrahim Raeisi has said that Qur'an desecration is tantamount to insult to
humanity, freedom, values, and spirituality.
Raeisi felicitated the nations and heads
of the Islamic states on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) on Monday.
In his congratulatory message, the
president called the prophet the perfect role model to direct mankind toward
perfection, well-being and God.
Islam is considered the religion of
freedom and equality, while the holy Qur'an is "the book of blessings,
wisdom and the words of God," he pointed out.
Disrespecting the Quran, as the
priceless miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (PBHU), is equivalent to insulting
humanity, freedom, values, as well as spirituality.
The Islamic Republic strongly condemns
the heinous and spiteful measures that are taking place in some parts of the
world, the president added. He further said the acts of Qur'an desecration are
a blatant affront to the feelings of the Muslims.
He expressed hope that the Islamic
countries would witness unity and solidarity among the Muslims in the world.
Source: mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/206696/Qur-an-desecration-tantamount-to-insult-to-entire-humanity
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Iran's Ambassador to Afghanistan:
'Supporting Daesh is One of Washington's Priorities'
Iran's
ambassador to Kabul, Hassan Kazemi Qomi
------
October 2, 2023
Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to
Afghanistan, said in an interview with Iranian media that the Moscow Format
meeting was held in a situation where Afghanistan is still an important issue
in the foreign policy of the region and the world.
Qomi said that the US and its allies
destroyed Afghanistan's economic infrastructure and security foundations during
their presence.
Qomi stated that although the US has
withdrawn from Afghanistan, supporting Daesh is one of Washington's priorities.
According to Qomi, the current
government of Afghanistan has tried to fight against drugs and reduce the
number of terrorists, but the danger of terrorists and drug trafficking still
exists for the country's neighbors.
According to Iran's ambassador to
Afghanistan, Afghanistan's neighboring countries have pledged to change
Afghanistan's conditions in a "collective movement" in cooperation
with the current government officials of the country.
The fifth meeting of the Moscow Format
Consultations on Afghanistan at the level of special representatives and senior
officials from China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was held on September 29, 2023, and ended on
Friday.
Source: tolonews.com
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the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185357
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India
Catholic priest in Kerala joins BJP,
church removes him from vicar duties
03rd October 2023
By PTI
IDUKKI: A Catholic priest under the
Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar church was relieved of his duties as vicar
on Monday, hours after he joined the BJP.
Fr KuriakoseMattam received the primary
membership of the BJP from the party's Idukki district president K S Aji on
Monday. Within hours, the Idukki diocese initiated action against him.
The church said Fr Mattom has been
temporarily relieved of parish duties at the Mankuva St Thomas church near
Adimali. "Father KuriakoseMattam of Mankuva church has been temporarily
relieved of his duties as vicar," a statement by the Idukki Diocese said.
A church spokesperson told PTI that the
disciplinary action was taken as under Canon Law, a priest of the church cannot
join or have active participation in any political party. The 74-year-old
priest will retire in a few months, a church source said.
The priest joined the BJP at a time when
the catholic church had been attacking the party over the Manipur violence. In
a Facebook post, Aji shared the images of the priest and said Fr Mattam has
joined the BJP after "observing the current situation" in the
country.
In a video, the priest said that he
could not find any reason not to join the BJP.
"I follow contemporary issues. I
don't find any reason not to join the BJP. I have friendships with many BJP
workers. Today I received a membership. I have read from the newspapers and have
an understanding of the BJP in the country," the priest said.
Aji said the entry of the Christian
priest into the BJP is a reply to those who criticise the party over the
Manipur issue.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/oct/03/catholic-priest-in-kerala-joins-bjp-church-removes-him-from-vicar-duties-2620431.html
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Vellore jail mosque out of bounds for
Muslim inmates, Security reasons cited for mosque’s closure
03rd October 2023
By RajalakshmiSampathExpress News
Service
VELLORE: For the last three years, the
mosque inside the Vellore Central Jail has remained out of bounds for the
Muslim inmates of the jail. Though there are no known instances of misuse by
the inmates, prison authorities have kept the mosque, a room that can
accommodate around 30 people at a time, closed even on auspicious days like
Ramzan, forcing inmates to offer prayers in their prison cells.
The prison campus has a church, two
Hindu temples, and the mosque. All places of worship on the campus were shut in
2021 as part of Covid control measures, but after the restrictions were
removed, authorities reopened the church and temples but not the mosque.
Sources said the prison currently has 20 to 30 Muslim convicts in ordinary
block and 5 to 10 in high-security block.
“I have been incarcerated in the prison
for the past four years. The mosque has been off-limits for three years. We are
not even permitted to offer Friday prayers inside the mosque,” a Muslim inmate
said. Intelligence and vigilance staff have denied Muslim prisoners access to
the mosque, he said.
“Vigilance authorities claim that
allowing mass prayers could lead to unwanted influence and radicalisation.
Authorities say that Muslim inmates may propagate terrorist ideas in the
prison,” said a Muslim inmate. “We have repeatedly protested against the
closure of the mosque. Whenever we seek permission to pray, vigilance staffs
ask us to pray within our cells,” he said.
Inmates also complain about lack of
facilities for ablution, the ritual washing of hands and feet before prayer,
which is an integral part of Islamic worship. Typically, mosques have dedicated
areas for this, but Muslim inmates in Vellore are deprived of such facilities.
“When we request water for ablution,
authorities tell us to use the water from the toilet in our cells,” said
another prisoner. Inmates also claim they are prohibited from wearing a
skullcap. In April 2023, during the month of Ramzan, prison authorities opened
the mosque after three years and cleaned it. But they locked it again after
cleaning. Despite Muslim prisoners’ requests, authorities have refused to
permit mass prayers inside the mosque during the Muslim holy month, and instead
instructed them to use the prison playground. Their request for an imam was
also denied, sources said.
“Not all of us are proficient in Quran,
so we rely on an imam. Being denied access to imam was distressing,” said a
former inmate. Muslim prisoners are also subjected to physical threats if they
venture too close to the mosque. “Once, after I approached the mosque casually,
prison authorities started assaulting me. I was also made to undergo a body
check,” the former inmate said.
Meanwhile, when people sought
clarification regarding the mosque’s closure, authorities said the mosque had
been closed since last Ramzan due to security concerns. They cited the presence
of a switchboard within the mosque which they said was being used by Muslim
prisoners for charging mobile phones and other unauthorised activities. But
inmates rejected the allegation. “Vigilance staffers used to stand near the
mosque. So, it’s not possible for an inmate to use the switchboard. If any
Muslim prisoner tries to use it, the inmate and all the others will be in
trouble,” a Muslim prisoner said.
In August 2023, a Muslim inmate
submitted a petition to the Vellore Prison DIG and Additional Superintendent of
Police requesting permission to pray inside the mosque. But till date, no
action has been taken on the petition, sources said.
Attempts by inmates to voice their
grievances to higher officials have been met with resistance from prison staff.
Inmates who try to convey their issues to the DIG or other senior officials are
intercepted and questioned by personnel, and sent back to their cells.
The prison also lacks a functional
complaint box thus limiting the options available for the inmates to convey
their grievances. Human rights advocate Henry Tiphange said, “While security
measures in prison are necessary, there are ways to achieve them. Denying
inmates the right to pray in mosque is unacceptable.”
Eajaz Ahmed, state secretary, Tamil Nadu
Muslim Progress Association, has been visiting the Vellore central prison for
the last 14 years to celebrate Ramzan with Muslim inmates. But after the
outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, authorities have prohibited him from entering
the prison to celebrate Ramzan. “During last Ramzan, we were even denied the
opportunity to meet Muslim prisoners to share greetings. These small gestures
hold significant importance for the prisoners, and it is regrettable that
permission was denied without explanation,” Ahmed said.
“Denying prayer rights is a crime. Over
the last one year, I had personally requested the DIG and the ADSP seven times
to open the mosque but there is no response,” he said. When contacted by TNIE,
DIG R Rajalakshmi, said, “The mosque was closed during the pandemic. I don’t
know about the current status. There is no role for vigilance in this.
Will check on this.” ADSP Abdul Rahaman
said, “There are currently no restrictions on religious worship within prison.
Inmates of all faiths are permitted to practise their religion within their
cells. But organising large-scale religious gatherings within the prison is not
practically possible. The prison has church, mosque, and temples within each
block to allow inmates to engage in regular prayers and worship according to
their convenience.”
Source: newindianexpress.com
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-----
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat
faces community backlash as Press Club of India rejects felicitation invite
By Special Correspondent, October 2,
2023
New Delhi: The Press Club of India (PCI) sparked an
unnecessary controversy by rejecting a felicitation programme, which was being
organized by the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat on 29 September on its
premises, in the eleventh hour. The decision not only temporarily triggered
differences among the PCI members but also caused huge embarrassment for the
Muslim body, which represents over a dozen prominent Muslim organizations in
the country.
The controversy started when some
journalists sought to know the rationale behind the felicitation programme,
which was to be held in the PCI on 29 September. As a matter of fact, the Press
Club had never witnessed any felicitation event organized by religious or cultural
organizations. Traditionally, greetings and pleasantries were limited to the
club members or some media organizations. Thus, the involvement of a Muslim
body representing religious and socio-cultural minority organizations sparked
curiosity among club members, with many strongly objecting to the move.
Talking to Bhadas4Media, senior
journalist Anil Chamadia said that he raised objections through a letter,
highlighting that it was not customary for religious institutions or
organizations to welcome officials of the Press Club of India. Chamadia told
the media outlet, which monitors development in news organizations, “A friend
has sent me an invitation letter for a program on 30 September 2023 at the
Press Club. If the information about the programme mentioned in the letter is
correct then I am registering my objection. There has been no tradition of
welcoming the officials of the Press Club by institutions and organizations
associated with any religion.” He urged the management committee to cancel the
programme. Following this, claimed Chamadia, the PCI informed about the
cancellation of the programme.
Notably, Gautam Lahiri’s panel was
elected in the recent Press Club elections, held in 23 September. Only the
panel supported by Anil Chamadia stood against him, whose presidential
candidate was Prashant Tandon. Gautam Lahiri and his panel have always had
problems regarding Anil Chamadia.
‘Disgrace to Muslim body’
Internal sources from the PCI indicated
that during a meeting to discuss whether to accept the invitation from the
Muslim body, a couple of members from the Gautam Lahiri panel toed Chamadia’s
line. However, the panel decided to accept the invitation.
Following this, the AIMMM started
sending an invite to the PCI which triggered mixed responses, with many
privately ignoring it or objecting to the move. One of the PCI members sharply
reacted, questioning Lahiri for the luncheon-cum-felicitation event. Below is
the WhatsApp message of a PCI member Faraz Ahmad.
Faraz Ahmad’s strong message, along with
many others, had a chilling effect on the Muslim body, leaving the AIMMM
members speechless. One of the members of the AIMMM questioned the “enthusiasm”
shown by the Muslim body vis-à-vis PCI affairs, as its area of work is entirely
different. “The Muslim body is not formed to felicitate members of the PCI…It
is not under its jurisdiction,” said one person who closely monitors the
community affairs.
A journalist, who is also a member of
the PCI and has been covering community issues for over two decades, said that
reaching out to press bodies or journalists is not bad, but it should be done
in the proper manner with a clear purpose. “The All India Muslim
Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) tried to do it in a bizarre manner. It lacks
professionals needed to handle PR exercises,” said the journalist, who wished
not to be named. He assailed the
obsession of most of the community leaders with the media. “Their main focus is
to get themselves published in newspapers,” he said. He added that most of the
community leaders wish to tackle the community through press conferences,
seminars, and symposiums.
Senior journalist Andleeb Akhtar, who is
also a member of PCI, questioned the idea of felicitating elected members of
the media body, asking whether the Muslim organization was formed for this
purpose or if it had no other significant work to focus on. “I simply can’t
understand the reason behind the bogus move.”
“The Muslim organizations readily agree
to the idea of organizing seminars and symposiums. In particular, they seldom
cite a shortage of funds when organizing luncheons and dinners for journalists.
However, they often fall short when it comes to prioritizing and working in
line with their core objectives. It is disheartening to observe that people
with limited capabilities and understanding are running community
organizations,” said Quamar Ashraf, who is also a PCI member.
Source: muslimmirror.com
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------
India has strayed from Gandhi's ideal of
love, tolerance: Mehbooba Mufti
02nd October 2023
By PTI
SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti
on Monday claimed that the country had strayed from the ideal of love,
compassion and tolerance espoused by Mahatma Gandhi but hoped that, sooner or
later, people will reclaim the India he envisaged.
"Today, as we remember Gandhiji,
one is painfully aware of how far this country has strayed from the ideals of
love, compassion and tolerance that he laid his life down for," Mufti
posted on X.
"I'd still like to believe that his
sacrifice wasn't in vain & that sooner or later we will reclaim the India
that he envisaged," Mufti added in the post.
Monday is being celebrated as the 154th
birth anniversary of Gandhi, hailed as the Father of the Nation, who led a
non-violent struggle for India's freedom, and continues to be a globally
revered figure.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/oct/02/india-has-strayed-fromgandhis-ideal-of-love-tolerance-mehbooba-mufti-2620209.html
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Europe
Sikhs in UK Demand Expulsion of Indian
High Commissioner
October 03, 2023
Murtaza Ali Shah
LONDON: Demanding the expulsion of
Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami, a large number of
pro-Khalistan Sikhs rallied at the Indian High Commission here to show their
support for Canada and challenge India’s open and violent interference in the
UK, Canada, and other countries against pro-Khalistan activism.
Chanting slogans to shut down Indian
missions and expel High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, the rallyists vowed to
carry on the activism for Sikhs’ right to self-determination through the global
Khalistan Referendum campaign. The Sikh demonstrators were carrying posters of
Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June this year by Indian
state agents on Canadian soil.
Referring to blocking Doraiswami’s entry
into Glasgow Gurdwara Sahib, Paramjeet Singh Pamma, UK-EU Coordinator of
Khalistan Referendum, said: “It’s the collective decision of the Sikh Sangat
that Indian agents should not be allowed to visit the Gurdwara Sahibs because
they do not come to pray or pay respect, but they come to spy on the Sikhs and
spread the lies manufactured by the Hindutva Modi government.”
“Now there is no doubt that Nijjar, a
Canadian citizen, was assassinated by the Indian agents working under the
supervision of the Indian High Commission in Canada solely for leading the
Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada,” said Paramjeet Singh Pamma, UK-EU
coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum.
“Nijjar was like my real brother. We
campaigned together and worked together under the banner of Sikhs For Justice
(SFJ). He was a dedicated man whose mission in life was the creation of
Khalistan. India assassinated him but has created tens of thousands of more
Nijjars who are motivated by the same ideological desire for the state of
Khalistan,” said Pamma.
On June 18, Indian agents had
assassinated Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, according to Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau.
Nijjar was the Chief Coordinator of the
Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada and was a close associate of UK-based
Paramjeet Singh Pamma. Nijjar was a close associate of Khalistani leader
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is Counsel General of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), the
advocacy group running Khalistan Referendum globally. Najjar, Pamma, and Pannun
were designated terrorists by the Indian government in 2020. He was also
President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in British Columbia, Canada’s biggest
Gurdawara.
Dupinderjeet Singh, SFJ UK Coordinator,
said that with Nijjar’s assassination by Indian agents on Canadian soil, it has
been conclusively established that India is a terrorist state that uses
violence to crush political opinion. “We will continue to respond to India’s
violence with votes and India’s bullet with the ballot,” added Dupinderjeet
Singh.
The Sikh demonstrators also accused
India of killing pro-Khalistan activist Avtar Singh Khanda in the UK, three
days before murdering Nijjar in Canada.
Sikh For Justice (SFJ) and Sikh
Federation UK had organised the protest where demonstrators chanted slogans in
favour of Azad Khalistan.
Demonstrators urged the international
community to take action against India’s alleged acts of terrorism and voiced
their concerns regarding the safety of Sikh community members. The protesters
believed that India’s control over Sikhs would not endure indefinitely.
The assassination of Hardeep Singh
Nijjar has made it clear to the whole world that India wants to exterminate
Sikhs and other minorities, said the participants.
The demonstrators emphasised that Sikhs
worldwide are prepared to make sacrifices but remain unwavering in their
commitment to the Khalistan movement.
While honouring Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, they said that he has brought India’s alleged involvement in
terrorism to the global stage. Sikh protesters urged Britain not to overlook
Sikh suffering in pursuit of a trade deal with India.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Iraqi-Born Taxi Bomber, Emad
Al-Swealmeen, Angry Over Asylum Rejection, Say UK Police
October 02, 2023
LONDON: An Iraqi-born man who detonated
a bomb outside a UK hospital two years ago held a grievance against the British
state for rejecting his asylum claim, police said Monday.
Emad Al-Swealmeen, 32, was killed when
he set off the homemade device in a taxi outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital in
northwest England in November 2021.
No one else died in the botched attack,
with the taxi driver managing to escape with minor injuries.
The explosion occurred shortly before
events to honour military war dead on Remembrance Sunday and was quickly
declared a terrorist incident by police.
A police investigation has concluded
that there was no evidence that Al-Swealmeen held extremist views.
“It seems most likely that
Al-Swealmeen’s grievance against the British state for failing to accept his
asylum claim compounded his mental ill health which in turn fed that grievance
and ultimately a combination of those factors led him to undertake the attack,”
the police report said.
Detective Superintendent Andy Meeks, of
the counter-terrorism unit for England’s northwest, said it was believed
Al-Swealmeen planned to detonate his bomb in the hospital, but that it likely
exploded earlier than planned.
The explosion came a month after a
British MP was stabbed to death as he met constituents in southeast England.
The two attacks prompted the government
to raise the terror threat level from “substantial” to “severe” — the second-highest
— meaning an attack was “highly likely.”
Al-Swealmeen had previous convictions
and had falsely claimed asylum as a Syrian refugee in the UK after arriving
legally on a Jordanian passport.
His asylum claims had been refused and
counter-terrorism police have suggested that Al-Swealmeen may have converted to
Christianity in the hope of strengthening his case to stay.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2384251/world
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Pope Francis hints at slight opening to
blessings of same-sex couples
03 Oct 2023
VATICAN CITY, Oct 3 — Pope Francis has
appeared to leave open the possibility of priests blessing same-sex couples, if
they are limited, decided on a case-by-case basis and not confused with wedding
ceremonies of heterosexuals.
Francis made his opinion known in one
answer to five questions from five conservative cardinals from Asia, Europe,
Africa, the United States and Latin America.
The cardinals sent the pope a set of
formal questions, known as “dubia” (“doubts” in Latin), about issues relating
to a global gathering that starts at the Vatican on Wednesday.
One of the questions specifically
regarded the practice, which has become relatively common in places like
Germany, of priests blessing same sex couples who are in a committed
relationship.
The written exchange took place in July
and the Vatican published the pope’s responses on yesterday after the five
cardinals unilaterally disclosed their initiative, saying they were not
satisfied with Francis’ answers.
The pope’s nuanced response differed
from an explicit ruling against such blessings by the Vatican’s doctrinal
office in 2021.
In his seven-point response, Francis
said the Church was very clear that the sacrament of matrimony could only be
between a man and woman and open to procreation and that the Church should
avoid any other ritual or sacramental rite that contradicted this teaching.
Still, he said “pastoral charity should
permeate all our decisions and attitudes” adding that “we cannot be judges who
only deny, reject and exclude”.
At times, he said, requests for
blessings were a means through which people reached out to God to live better
lives, even if some acts were “objectively morally unacceptable”.
The Church teaches that same-sex
attraction is not sinful but homosexual acts are.
Any eventual blessings, Francis said,
should not become the norm or get blanket approval from Church jurisdictions
such as dioceses or national bishops conferences.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director
of New Ways Ministry, which promotes Church outreach to LGBT Catholics, said
that while the response was not a “full-fledged, ringing endorsement” of such
blessings, it was very welcomed.
In a statement DeBernardo said that the
pope’s words implied “that the church does indeed recognise that holy love can
exist between same-gender couples, and the love of these couples mirrors the
love of God”. — Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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UK defense minister lauds ‘incredibly
quick’ Saudi transformation
October 02, 2023
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s “incredibly
quick” transformation is seeing women join the workforce at “unimaginable
levels,” the UK’s defense minister has said.
Praising the Kingdom as a “strong ally”
of Britain at an event on the sidelines of the Conservative Party conference,
Grant Shapps lauded societal change in Saudi Arabia, The Times reported on
Monday.
“Forget everything you think you know
about Saudi Arabia. Actually, the country is changing incredibly quickly,” he
said, citing “women in the workplace at levels that would be unimaginable three
or four years ago.”
He added: “What you can’t underestimate
is the impact that is having on their society and the way they govern.”
Saudi Arabia’s “society is moving very
much in a way we have always called for societies around the world to move,”
Shapps said.
Source: arabnews.com
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UK minister calls for withdrawal from
European Convention on Human Rights
2 Oct, 2023
Two more secretaries in British Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet have come out in favor of leaving the European
Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), floated by Home Secretary SuellaBraverman as
a way to overcome legal challenges to her migration policy.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch told
the Sunday Times that leaving the ECHR is “definitely something that needs to
be on the table.” Meanwhile, Leveling Up Secretary Michael Gove told reporters
at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester that the UK should “keep
every option open.”
Braverman has argued for leaving the
convention since mid-2022, when the European Court of Human Rights blocked the
enforcement of her plan to settle refugees in Rwanda. With the ‘Rwanda policy’
stalled, the UK has had to deal with the rising number of migrants crossing the
sea from continental Europe.
Sunak has so far ruled out leaving the
ECHR, according to Reuters. Other members of his cabinet have argued against
the idea as well. The move is not necessary to protect British borders, Foreign
Secretary James Cleverly said at a panel for the Onward think tank.
British PM clarifies stance on troops in
UkraineREAD MORE: British PM clarifies stance on troops in Ukraine
“As a government you have to deal with
the judicial system and, were it not the ECHR, I’m sure we would have domestic
judges that were trying to prevent us discharging our duty to British people,”
Cleverly noted. “And left-wing activist judges, we’ve got quite a few of those
in the UK.”
At the same event, Security Secretary
Tom Tugendhat said he is “always happy to listen to ideas” but added he would
“like to have the solutions that go along with them.” He noted that leaving the
ECHR could create problems for the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), the peace treaty
that ended the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
“What is the alternative for the GFA,
for the devolved assemblies and administrations, what does it mean for the
various different agreements we’ve struck already that are underpinned by it?”
Tugendhat said.
Russia left the ECHR and a number of
other conventions in January, arguing that the Council of Europe had been taken
over by the US and its allies and only served Western political objectives. The
following month, British media reported that London was going to follow suit,
but that ended up not happening.
While the UK is the only country to ever
leave the EU – when the Brexit referendum went into effect in January 2020 – it
remains bound to many continental rules and legal arrangements entered over
several decades, such as the ECHR. The convention was adopted in 1950 and
signed by 46 Council of Europe members.
Source: rt.com
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Pakistan
Trial court ordered to re-hear Imran’s
bail pleas in nine cases
October 03, 2023
Awais Yousafzai & Khalid Iqbal
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court
(IHC) Monday also dismissed the decision of the trial court to terminate the
pre-arrest bails of PTI’s Chairman in nine cases on the basis of non-pursuance.
A two-judge bench comprising Chief
Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri announced the verdict
on the appeal of the PTI chairman. The court said the bail petitions would be
considered as pending and the trial court would take a decision after hearing
them again. The PTI’s legal team had challenged the verdict in IHC.
It may be mentioned here Additional
District and Session Court dismissed the interim bail petitions of PTI’s head
in six cases, while the Anti-Terrorism Court terminated three bail petitions
due to non-pursuance after his arrest in the Toshakhana case. The cases were
connected with the incidents of May 3, violation of section 144 and protests in
the capital.
Meanwhile, the IHC reserved its verdict
on the FIA petition seeking an in-camera hearing on the bail petition of
chairman PTI in the cipher case. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the
post-arrest bail plea of Chairman PTI and FIA’s case for an in-camera hearing
together.
Special Prosecutor FIA Shah Khawar
Advocate adopted the stance that the trial of an accused under the Official
Secrets Act could not be conducted openly. He said that the hearing on the bail
petition could also be done in-camera as the prosecution had to present some
sensitive material before the court. The prosecutor said that an open hearing
in this case could affect diplomatic relations with some countries.
The chief justice asked the lawyer to
tell the code of conduct in cases under the Official Secrets Act. Pointing out
the code of conduct, Additional Attorney General Munawar said that every
country had separate codes for messaging. Shahkhawar Advocate said that the
cipher was a secret document, which was kept secret. The ciphers used to be
sent through fax or e-mails in coded form and they were de-coded by the foreign
office to understand. The foreign office was the actual home of ciphers, he
said. PTI Chairman’s Lawyer Barrister Salman opposed the request of FIA and
argued that if the prosecution’s accusation is valid and the cypher is already
public then what secrecy is being sought to protect through an in-camera
hearing request. After hearing arguments, the bench reserved a verdict on the
application of FIA and adjourned this day’s hearing. In a related development,
the Official Secrets Act Court, Islamabad Judge AbualHasnatZulqarnain issued
notices for October 4 to former prime minister Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood
Qureshi in the cipher case. The judge directed the superintendent of Adiala
jail to present the PTI leaders before the court on October 4 (tomorrow). The
development came as the court officially began hearing the case following the
submission of the Federal Investigation Agency’s challan, naming the two PTI
leaders as accused.
Earlier last week, the FIA claimed that
former prime minister Imran had violated the Official Secrets Act, 1923 by
unlawfully keeping a diplomatic cipher in his possession, and therefore
deserves to be punished under the law. In its charge sheet, submitted to a
special court two days ago, the agency also accused Qureshi of facilitating
Imran while also mentioning his March 27, 2022 speech at a public rally in
Islamabad. Declaring both of them guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act,
the FIA requested the special court judge to try the top PTI leaders and punish
them. The FIA did not include PTI former secretary general Asad Umar among the
accused. The document also includes transcripts of the speeches that Imran and
Qureshi delivered at the March 27, 2022 rally. Additionally, the FIA has also
submitted a list of 28 witnesses to the court, with statements of 27 of them
attached to the challan.
The witnesses include former foreign
secretaries Asad Majeed, and Sohail Mehmood as well as Additional Foreign Secretary
Faisal Niaz Timrizi. Imran’s former principal secretary Azam Khan has been
named as a witness and his testimony under Sections 161 and 164 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure is attached to the charge sheet.
According to sources, copies of the charge
sheet are likely to be provided to Imran and Qureshi at the next court hearing.
The court will indict the accused afterwards. Responding to the charge sheet,
the PTI spokesperson “unequivocally rejected the FIA charges, terming the
document as “devoid of substance”. He asserted that the allegations were “as
hollow as the purported cipher case itself”.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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PM emphasizes promotion of religious
harmony in country
October 02, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq
Kakar has underlined the need to activate the Council of Islamic Ideology to
promote religious harmony in the length and breadth of the country.
He was talking to CII Chairan Qibla
Ayaz, who called on him in Islamabad today.
The Chairman lauded the Prime Minister
for effectively representing Pakistan at the UN General Assembly. He also
apprised the Prime Minister about the prevailing situation of religious harmony
in the country.
Qibla Ayaz invited the Prime Minister to
attend the General Council meeting of the CII.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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Rogue doctor’s arrest a ‘test case’ for
law enforcement
October 3, 2023
Asif Chaudhry
LAHORE: Notorious illegal kidney
transplant surgeon Fawad Mumtaz, who was re-arrested a couple of days ago by
Lahore police after he escaped from custody, has become a ‘test case’ for the
criminal justice system and the law enforcement agencies, especially for the
Punjab police.
Mumtaz has been booked and arrested
several times by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Punjab police, but
each time, he has managed to obtain bail and continued his illegal transplant
racket.
According to his criminal record, Mumtaz
has been running the largest-ever illegal kidney transplant racket across the
country, especially in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir
since 2009.
An official said that Mumtaz was
originally a plastic surgeon at the state-run Lahore General Hospital. He was
serving as an assistant professor when he was first suspended from service for
conducting illegal transplant procedures.
The rogue surgeon has reportedly become
a billionaire, exploiting rich clients and charging exorbitant amounts from
clients — especially those from Gulf countries — to perform illegal transplant
operations.
According to FIA and police
investigations, Mumtaz would charge Rs10 million to Rs15 million from
foreign clients/patients for each illegal kidney transplant and used to pay
Rs100,000 to Rs150,000 to local donors, who his gang members would trap with
the promise of employment or other lures.
The rogue surgeon would conduct the
illegal transplant procedures in rented houses in private housing societies in
cities across the province, it has emerged.
A few days ago, Lahore police picked him
up from Taxila in connection with a case registered against him at Garden Town
police station.
But shockingly, Mumtaz managed to flee
from police custody, and the official explanation provided was that four of his
armed accomplices attacked the police team and managed to free him.
The incident prompted caretaker Punjab
chief minister Mohsin Naqvi to hold a press conference.
He told journalists on Sunday that
Mumtaz has been re-arrested by Lahore police and action has been proposed
against police officers who had taken him into custody before he managed to
escape.
Lahore DIG Investigation Imran Kishwar
told Dawn the accused was on physical remand and police were interrogating him.
He said the officials responsible for his escape had been suspended from
service and a departmental inquiry has been launched to punish them
accordingly.
An official told Dawn that Mumtaz had a
notorious criminal record spanning over a decade.
Currently, several cases are lodged
against him in Lahore, Multan, Okara, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Taxila and
Rawalpindi.
The last case against him was registered
in Taxila, where a joint team of the Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority
and local police arrested six suspects, including doctors and paramedics,
during a raid in March.
Talking about illegal renal transplant
procedures, the official said that Mumtaz had performed a kidney transplant on
the daughter of famous comedian Umar Sharif in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in
February 2020.
During the procedure, she developed
serious complications and was brought to hospital in Lahore, where she breathed
her last, the official said, adding that Mumtaz received Rs3.5 million from the
family to perform the illegal transplant in AJK because there were no laws to
prevent illegal human organ transplants in that territory.
FIA teams had also failed to arrest
Mumtaz during an earlier raid on his residence in Lahore, and consequently, the
rogue surgeon had managed to go into hiding. He was arrested by FIA in April
2017, when he had carried out illegal transplant procedures on Jordanian,
Libyan and Omani nationals at EME Society in Lahore for Rs6m each.
Later, FIA revealed that a Jordanian
national had died during the illegal procedure.
The deceased woman’s death certificate
was faked by one of Mumtaz’s accomplices, Dr AltamashKharal, and the body was
kept in another private hospital in Defence before being sent back to Jordan.
At the time, FIA had recommended action against Mumtaz and his accomplices.
Source: dawn.com
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61 aliens detained for illegal stay in
Islamabad
October 3, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The capital police have
detained 61 foreigners for their illegal stay in Islamabad, the police said on
Monday.
The arrests were made during combing and
searching operations.
One of the operations was conducted by
Sabzi Mandi police in I-11/4 located half a kilometre from the police station
in which 39 aliens were detained for their failure to produce any legal
documents, including passports and visas regarding entering and staying in
Pakistan.
The BharaKahu police also conducted two
combing operations in Athal Chowk and Kiani Road and detained 15 aliens. The
Phulgran police rounded up seven other aliens from Seri Chowk.
So far, 65 cases have been registered
against the foreigners who were staying illegally in the capital, the police
said, adding cases were under trial in courts against such 451 foreigners.
Data being collected in Rawalpindi
In line with the caretaker government’s
plan to repatriate over 1.1 million aliens living illegally in the country, the
police have started gathering data about them in the Rawalpindi district.
A police official said they have started
collecting data of all the foreigners illegally living in the district.
All the station house officers (SHOs)
have been directed to collect the details in their respective areas and submit
a report to the city police officer within five days.
Police have, however, been told not to
harass any foreign national. After collecting the data, a report will be sent
to higher authorities for further directives.
A large number of aliens have been
residing in different parts of Rawalpindi, including Pirwadhai, Sadiqabad and
Naseerabad, and doing different businesses.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1778992
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IHC accepts Imran’s plea against bail
cancellation
October 02, 2023
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday
accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s appeal against
the cancellation of his bails by lower courts in nine cases, directing the
trial courts to hold proceedings on his applications afresh.
A division bench, headed by IHC Chief
Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, heard the
appeal.
The bench reinstated Imran’s bails and
set aside different trial courts’ decisions of cancelling the bails.
Imran’s bails were cancelled in three
cases in connection with the May 9 riots, three concerning protests in
Islamabad, besides the Toshakhana (gift repository) case, violation of Section
144 and attempt to murder case.
Six of the bail pleas were before
different district and session courts and three before the anti-terrorism
courts.
Earlier in the day, another IHC bench
comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq reserved its ruling on a plea from the
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for holding in-camera proceedings of Imran’s
bail application in the cipher case.
In its plea, FIA prosecutor Shah Khawar
cited diplomatic concerns if the matter was heard in the open court. The
prosecutor informed the IHC that the federal agency was also filing a similar
application before the trial court.
Chief Justice Farooq remarked that the
trial court would take its own decision, while inquiring whether the bail plea
could be heard publicly. He asked the prosecutor to clarify whether there was
any particular code of conduct regarding the cipher.
On that the code of conduct regarding
the cipher was read out in the court. The prosecutor said that the FIA wanted
to present statements given by other countries as well, therefore, an open
court hearing could potentially jeapordise Pakistan’s relations with those
countries.
At one point, Justice Farooq asked the
FIA to inform the court as to who was decoding the cipher. Khawar replied that
the cipher was a sensitive document, which must be kept secret. He added that
such documents were received via email or fax in coded form and remained with
the foreign ministry.
The defence counsel suggested that the
court might expel any person from the courtroom if it deemed fit. The chief
justice remarked that he had not held an in-camera hearing in his courtroom in
nine years with the exception of a missing person’s case, perhaps once or
twice.
The defence counsel contended as to why
the FIA was raising this request now. He said that no such contentions were
raised by the FIA when the defence was presenting its arguments before the
trial court. “Why was this application not filed before the trial court,”
Advocate Safdar asked.
Read SC gives open call to submit facts
surrounding Faizabad sit-in
Objecting to the FIA’s request, Safdar
argued that proceedings of a bail plea could not be held in-camera. This
request could be made before the trial court but not for the post-arrest bail,
he continued, adding that any sensitive information could be shared in the
judge’s chambers as well.
Marriage case
In separate proceedings in a civil
court, Judge Qudratullah put off the hearing of the alleged illegal marriage
case against the PTI chairman until Oct 12, asking Imran’s lawyer Sher Afzal
Marwat to provide replies to the court queries on the next hearing.
The PTI chief was not brought to the
court despite being summoned by the judge. The prosecutor also did not appear
in the court. Marwat told the court that the prosecutor did not show up despite
a last chance given by the court during the last hearing.
The case pertained to allegations that
Imran had married Bushra Bibi, while her period of “Iddat” after her divorce
from her first husband was not complete. The judge told Marwat it was alleged
that it was a wrongful marriage, adding that the cleric who solemnised the
Nikah had made this accusation.
He asked Marwat, whether he admitted
that the marriage took place during the Iddat.
He further asked Imran’s lawyer if a
woman was divorced and the person died during the woman’s Iddat, could the
divorced woman ask for a share in the inheritance.
Marwat replied that if a woman had not
married during the Iddat period, she could ask for a share in the inheritance.
So this meant that the divorce was not effective, the judge told the lawyer.
He then asked Marwat to explain when the
divorce became effective. However, Marwat replied that the matter of divorce
was not before the court. He added that determining divorce was the matter for
the family court. The lawyer also emphasised that marriage during the Iddat was
not a crime.
As per the law, he continued, even if it
was confirmed that the marriage took place during the Iddat, there would be no
punishment. He said that whoever made those allegations against Imran had to
prove that the marriage took place during Iddat.
The court asked Marwat to answer the
questions: if a woman was divorced and the husband died, could she ask for a
share in the inheritance during Iddat?
If a person had four wives and one of
them got divorced and had not completed the Iddat, can the husband marry the
fourth one? The court also told the lawyer that he had not yet answered on the
point whether Imran’s marriage took place during the Iddat period or not. The
court also accepted the request of prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi for giving
arguments on the next hearing.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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Fact check: Is Pakistan at risk of a
major earthquake?
October 02, 2023
Fuelled by X handles with thousands of
followers, rumours circulating on social media and WhatsApp groups in Pakistan
claim that a major earthquake is likely to hit the country in the next 48
hours.
A post shared on the microblogging
platform, citing Dutch Scientist Frank Hoogerbeets, member of Solar System
Geometry Survey (SSGEOS), who in the past used planetary alignments to predict
fatal earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, claimed that the scientist has once
again predicted that in the next 48 hours, a strong earthquake was going to
“rock Pakistan”.
“Earthquake” is currently the top trend
in the country on X as many people fearing for their lives seek guidance from
the authorities.
The scientist, in the post, based his
assertion on a “massive surge of electric activity” along fault lines in
Balochistan without mentioning the area.
Director National Tsunami Centre Karachi
Amir Haider Laghari said that where and when the earthquake would occur cannot
be exactly predicted.
He said that the boundaries of two major
tectonic plates pass through Pakistan, stretching from Sonmiani to the northern
region of Pakistan, adding that an earthquake could occur at any point within
these boundary lines, which is not possible to predict.
Laghari recalled that in 1892, there was
an earthquake of 9 to 10 magnitude on the Chaman fault line, while in 1935,
there was a strong quake in the Chiltan range, in which thousands of people
died.
In February, the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) had also dismissed the scientist’s prediction
regarding a quake to hit India and Pakistan, which later proved to be hearsay.
Read More: Atsu 'in debris' of Turkey,
Syria earthquake
It added that “neither the USGS nor any
other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. We do not know how,
and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future”.
The USGS also added that they could only
able to estimate the likelihood that a large earthquake would strike a
particular location "within a certain number of years".
Moreover, Weather Updates Pakistan also
added its voice in negating the assertion and held that there was never an
accurate prediction model which could exactly anticipate the possible hitting
of the earthquake in any part of the world’s region.
It argued that scientists could only
predict quakes based on past patterns.
One social media user did not look
convinced with the Weather Updates Pakistan’s assertion, saying that most
predictions by the said scientist later turned out to be true. She cited the
scientist's exact prophecy about the impending quake to hit Turkey and Morocco
then.
To which, the handle replied, "Once
in a blue moon, only Turkiye’s prediction went correct that too with noticeable
difference on day frame."
It is pertinent to mention the quake
which hit Turkey, earlier this year, had claimed more than 50,000 lives.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2438811/fact-check-is-pakistan-at-risk-of-a-major-earthquake
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Mideast
Palestinians rally in Gaza against
settlers' incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque
03.10.2023
Ahmed Asmar
Hundreds of Palestinians rallied in Gaza
on Monday to protest incursions by Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque
complex in occupied East Jerusalem.
The rally was held in the Jabalia
refugee camp in northern Gaza upon calls by the Hamas resistance group, which
has ruled Gaza since 2007.
Speaking at the rally, senior Hamas
leader Mushir al-Masri said Israel is seeking to impose a new reality in
Al-Aqsa Mosque.
"We will not allow the (Israeli)
occupation to infringe upon Al-Aqsa or to impose any plan" against it,
al-Masri said.
He reiterated that the continued
incursions by settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque "will ignite the (entire)
region."
Earlier on Monday, the Jordan-run
Islamic Waqf Department said in a statement that 1,142 Israeli settlers guarded
by police forced their way into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex through the
Al-Mughrabi Gate to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
Sukkot is a weeklong holiday which
started Sept. 29 and will continue until Oct. 6, ending a season of Jewish
holidays that began by observing the Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday on
Sept.15.
Roads leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque
witnessed attacks by Israeli police on worshipers, preventing them from
entering the mosque.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's
third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple
Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where
Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire
city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/palestinians-rally-in-gaza-against-settlers-incursions-into-al-aqsa-mosque/3006359
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Israeli Occupation Shuts Hebron Ibrahimi
Mosque to Muslim Worshippers for Jewish Holidays
October 2, 2023
Israeli occupation shut the flashpoint
Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron and opened it for
colonial settlers to mark the so-called Jewish holiday of ‘Sukkot’, on Monday,
2 October.
Israeli occupation banned Palestinian
worshipers’ entry to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron and allowed the colonial
settlers breakings into the sacred mosque.
Israeli military closes the mosque for
10 days every year to Muslims citing the occasion of different Jewish holidays
as a pretext.
In the same vein, Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied
Jerusalem has been witnessing massive incursions by Israeli settlers following
calls by extremist Jewish groups under the pretext of celebrating the Jewish
‘Sukkot’ which began on Sunday.
Temple Mount Groups mobilized their
colonial settler to carry out large-scale incursions into the Al-Aqsa mosque
citing the Jewish holiday season which began in mid-September as a pretext.
Israeli settlers performed provocative
Talmudic rituals, read biblical passages aloud and collectively, and conducted
evocative dances in Al-Aqsa Mosque yards.
It is worth noting that Israeli
occupation divided the sacred Ibrahimi mosque between Muslim and Jewish
worshippers after the 1994 massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers inside the
Mosque by a Jewish extremist settler, Baruch Goldstein.
In July 2017, the UNESCO World Heritage
Committee included the Ibrahimi Mosque and the old city of Hebron on its World
Heritage List.
Hebron is home to around 160,000
Palestinian Muslims and about 500 colonial settlers.
Muslims and holy places in the occupied
West Bank and Jerusalem have seen increased incursions by colonial settlers’
backed by the Israeli occupation forces in a flagrant violation of all
international conventions and laws, guaranteeing Palestinian people’s right to
worship in their holy places.
Source: daysofpalestine.ps
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https://daysofpalestine.ps/israeli-occupation-shuts-hebron-ibrahimi-mosque-to-muslim-worshippers-for-jewish-holidays/
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Top Iranian General Hopes for Muslim
Unity Inspired by Teachings of Prophet
October, 02, 2023
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – In a congratulatory
message to his Muslim counterparts on the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH), Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad
Hossein Baqeri expressed hope for strong unity among Islamic nations across the
world.
The top Iranian commander sent separate
messages to the heads of armed forces of Islamic countries on Monday, offering
warm wishes on the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
While the arrogant powers seek to sow
discord and division among Muslims in the era of “modern ignorance”, the
teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) serve as a superb model of perfection and
embody the best path to bliss and guidance for humanity, the commander added.
He also expressed hope that concerted
action and mutual determination of Muslims would result in closer unity and
solidarity among Islamic nations and communities and the promotion of Islam all
over the globe.
Source: tasnimnews.com
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https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2023/10/02/2965360/top-iranian-general-hopes-for-muslim-unity-inspired-by-teachings-of-prophet
--------
Another Turkish imam commits suicide,
family blames mobbing
October 02 2023
Muhammed Şahin, an imam who was working
in Kastamonu province’s Pınarbaşı district in northern Turkey and retired six
months ago, has committed suicide in his house in the district.
His family said that Şahin was
reassigned due to political pressures and noted that he was subjected to
mobbing from authorities in the district including the district mayor because
he "did not behave in favor of the government.”
After the issue became an agenda in the
local press, district mayor ŞenolYaşar made a statement and the family of the
imam shared additional documents.
Şahin's relatives shared a petition,
which was also signed by the district mayor and political party
representatives, sent to the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) requesting
Şahin's relocation.
The petition stated that Şahin "has
been involved in all kinds of oppositional political activities.”
“He is not expected to act in favor of
the government. However, he has publicly worked in favor of the Good (İYİ)
Party with his family and has been interested in politics to the extent that he
has aroused antipathy in the public and lost his quality as a religious
official,” the petition noted.
Şahin's family issued a statement on
social media platform Facebook and said, "Despite the injustices, cruelty,
assassination of reputation, exile, mobbing, pressure on his children and the
loss of our brother as a result, we have kept our calm as a family."
They demanded that none of the public
officials to talk about their deceased relative.
The family ended their message, “We have
infinite trust in the justice of Allah and the supreme Turkish justice. There
are judges in Ankara!”
On the other hand, the mayor claimed
that the security forces had contacted him and that he had been asked to stay
out of the scene because "there were people who wanted to create political
provocation and create tension."
The mayor stated that he had never
contacted the imam before and that the police had not found any suicide note.
Mil Diyanet-Sen, founded by civil
servants working in Diyanet, also stated, "According to the information
reaching our union, it is claimed that a serious mobbing and pressure was
exerted on our imam and his family. Both our deceased imam and his children
have had serious grievances."
A Turkish mufti in late July also
committed suicide after suffering from mobbing and dismissal from his post due
to his “lifestyle.” Accordingly, Diyanet
has not complied with a court’s decision to reinstate mufti Mehmet Deniz who
was dismissed over his “clothing” and “riding bicycles and motorcycles.”
Source: duvarenglish.com
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https://www.duvarenglish.com/another-turkish-imam-commits-suicide-family-blames-mobbing-news-63084
--------
Jordan Condemns Israeli Settlers’
Ongoing Violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque
October 3, 2023
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Expatriates issued Tuesday, September 3, a stern condemnation of
ongoing violations by extremist Israeli settlers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the
restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation on Palestinians in Jerusalem’s
Old City.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Ambassador
Sufian Al-Qudah, emphasized the Israeli occupation’s responsibility to abide by
international law and humanitarian norms as an occupying power.
“Israel must respect its obligations in
accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, given its
status as the occupying power in East Jerusalem,” stated Al-Qudah.
He called for an immediate halt to all
Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, underscoring its significance as a
place of exclusive worship for Muslims, spanning 144 dunams.
Al-Qudah asserted that the Israeli
occupation has no sovereignty over ‘East Jerusalem’ and cannot impose
restrictions on Palestinians’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He highlighted that the Jordanian
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the sole authority managing mosque
affairs and access regulation.
Additionally, he underlined that Israeli
provocative actions against Al-Aqsa, both inside and around it, constitute a
flagrant breach of international law and historical and legal precedents
governing Jerusalem and its sacred sites.
Source: daysofpalestine.ps
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https://daysofpalestine.ps/jordan-condemns-violations-at-al-aqsa-mosque/
--------
Normalization with Israel by any country
amounts to abandoning Palestine, bolsters enemy: Hezbollah leader
02 October 2023
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah
resistance movement has urged Muslims across the world to strongly condemn any
step taken by any country toward normalization of relations with Israel.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks
in a Monday televised speech on the occasion of the birth anniversary of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Any country that moves toward
normalization of its relations [with Israel] must be condemned, because this
step amounts to abandoning Palestine and bolstering the [Zionist] enemy, which
must not be tolerated," the Hezbollah leader said.
Nasrallah was making an apparent
reference to the latest efforts by the United States to persuade Saudi Arabia
to normalize its relations with the Israeli regime.
Elsewhere in his speech, Nasrallah urged
the "Muslim Ummah" to fulfill its responsibility toward the
Palestinian people and the al-Aqsa Mosque.
"The Muslim Ummah must shoulder
responsibility for what is happening to the brave people of Palestine and the
al-Aqsa Mosque, and Zionists must hear the voice of the Muslim world with
regard to the first qibla of Muslims."
Arab and Muslim countries have
criticized Riyadh for keeping the door open to a renewed push by the United
States to work out a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, saying
it would be a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and encourage the Israeli
regime to intensify its aggression.
Palestinian resistance movements believe
that Israel has already been emboldened by the potential success of efforts to
normalize ties with Saudi Arabia, saying attempts in recent weeks by extremist
settlers to make regular presence in the al-Aqsa Mosque show the regime wants
to pile up pressure on Palestinians.
Israeli telecoms minister arrives Saudi
Arabia, in second such a visit by an Israeli minister in a week.
Reports suggest that Washington will
reward Saudi Arabia for normalizing ties with Israel with a major security pact
as well as support for the kingdom’s plans to develop a peaceful nuclear
program.
This comes as calls for the regular
presence of Jewish extremists in the Aqsa Mosque have increased in recent days
concurrent with holidays that mark a Jewish festival.
Israeli police allows settlers'
incursions into the al-Aqsa Mosque complex despite repeated condemnations by
Palestinians and international community. The provocative incidents have been
on the rise since the far-right cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
took office last December.
Such mass settler break-ins almost
always take place under the auspices of the Israeli police in al-Quds.
Such incursions come despite the fact
that non-Muslim worship at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound is prohibited according
to an agreement between the occupying Israeli regime and the Jordanian
government following the regime’s seizure of East al-Quds in 1967.
Elsewhere in his speech, Nasrallah
touched on the West’s media war against Muslim nations, which he said was aimed
at undermining those nations and achieving goals that have not been realized
through wars.
“Enemies use the media war, which is
also known as the soft war, to weaken nations and … achieve those goals, which
they have failed to realize through military wars,” Nasrallah said.
He also pointed to economic problems
facing Syria and displacement of a large number of its people due to a
Western-sponsored terrorist war against Damascus, emphasizing that the United
States is the primary culprit behind Syria's refugee crisis.
"The main party responsible for the
influx of refugees into Lebanon is that who kindled the war in Syria, that is,
the US government," the Hezbollah leader said.
"Following the implementation of
the Caesar Act, the United States is also responsible for the economic crisis
in Syria. Those who believe that Syrian refugees are a threat to Lebanon must
tell Washington that Lebanon would be saved through the abrogation of the
Caesar Act," Nasrallah said.
The Syrian foreign minister slams
Western sanctions.
Syria has been a target of US sanctions
since 1979. Following the start of the foreign-sponsored terrorist war in the
country in 2011, the US and its Western allies imposed several rounds of
sanctions on the Arab country. The sanctions intensified with the passing of
the Caesar Act in 2019, which targeted any individual and business that
participated either directly or indirectly in Syria's reconstruction efforts.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/10/02/711971/Lebanon-Hezbollah-resistance-movement-Sayyed-Hassan-Nasrallah-Prophet-Muhammad-Israel-Saudi-Arabia-normalization-Syrian-refugees-Aqsa-Mosque-media-warfare-Caesar-Act-
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South Asia
Won't Tolerate Arson, Terrorism Before
Polls: Bangladesh PMSheikh Hasina
Oct 3, 2023
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has
reiterated that no mercy will be shown to those who will engage in arson,
terrorism, and atrocities in the run-up to the next national election.
"There will be no scope left for
mercy if arson terrorism or similar incidents or attacks take place before the
election in the name of movement," she told a community reception hosted
in honour of her at the Methodist Central Hall Westminster in London.
The premier reminded the countrymen that
the BNP-Jamaat alliance carried out mayhem across the country by burning people
to death, destroying public and private properties by hurling petrol bombs at
public transport such as passenger buses, trains, and launches during 2013-14
in the name of movement.
Many people including women suffered
critical burns in the arson attacks and have been leading lives in inhuman
conditions, she said.
"We have no objection with your
[BNP's] movement. You had earlier killed 29 police personnel. If any such
attempt is made on the lives of my distressed people, no mercy will be
shown," she said.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and
AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus SobhanGolap were present on the
dais.
UK AL President Sultan Sharif presided
over the function while General Secretary Syed Sajedur Rahman Faruk moderated
it.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/india-will-always-stand-beside-bangladesh-3433401
-------
Muttaqi Denies Claims of Kabul Supplying
Weapons to TTP
Nazir Shinwari
October 2, 2023
The acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan
Muttaqi, rejected claims that the Islamic Emirate is supporting the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and providing weapons to them.
He made the remarks in an interview with
the BBC.
“So far, no heavy weapons have been seen
yet and there is no possibility to transfer it," Muttaqi said.
In response to a question about rumors
of the establishment of foreign military bases on Afghan soil, Muttaqi
reiterated that such an issue has not been mentioned by any country but if the
Islamic Emirate was to agree to such bases, “why was it fighting for over the
past 20 years?”
“If we were going to agree with the
military bases, then why would we fight in the past 20 years. This was fighting
with countries who had a lot of facilities… the people of Afghanistan would not
even accept one military base and not one armed (foreign) man,” he said.
Muttaqi said that female education is an
internal issue of Afghanistan and added that the Islamic Emirate is trying to
solve it in a proper way in a bid to prevent any upcoming disputes in the
country.
Political analysts gave various opinions
on this issue.
“If Pakistan claims that the
Tehreek-Taliban Pakistan exists in Afghanistan, it should provide documentation
to the international organizations, otherwise it would be just a claim,” said
JavidMomand, a political analyst.
“The TTP has not been established after
the Islamic Emirate came to power,” said Abdul ShokorDadras, a political
analyst.
Earlier, the prime minister of the
Pakistani caretaker government, Anwarul Haq Kakar, said that the members of the
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are based in Afghanistan.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185364
--------
Afghan Refugees in Iran, Pakistan
Complain of Mistreatment
October 3, 2023
Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran
complained of mistreatment by the host countries.
The Afghan refugees in Pakistan said
that the Pakistani government has arrested them despite their having a legal
document.
"Since the past several days,
the Afghan refugees in Asfahan are being
cruelly tortured and harassed," said Ahmad, an Afghan refugee in Iran.
"So far, no agency or the UN has
shown any reaction to our conditions," said Zaman Zaman, an Afghan refugee
in Pakistan.
The consulate of the Islamic Emirate in
Karachi, Abdul JabarTakhari, said that more than 900 Afghan refugees have been
detained in Pakistan within the past two weeks.
"A lot of Afghans have been
detained. Their number is around 900. Many of them are the Afghans who have
legal documents... we were able to facilitate the release of 200 Afghans who
had legal documents," he said.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman,
Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the refugees should be treated in accordance with
the laws.
"We request that the refugees
should be treated well and according to the laws, humanity, and Islamic
manners. They should not be harassed and taken to prison. If they don't have
the documents, they should be returned to the country peacefully," he
said.
The refugees’ rights activists called on
the hosting countries to not detain and mistreat the Afghan refugees.
According to the Ministry of Refugees
and Repatriation (MoRR), nearly 3 million Afghan refugees are in Pakistan,
nearly 3 million in Iran and around 1 million are from other countries.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185361
--------
Islamic Emirate Forms New Reform Plan
for Youth: Rashed
By NaweedSamadi
October 2, 2023
The Ministry of Information and Culture
(MoIC) said that it had prepared a “scheme for the intellectual and economic
reform of youth,” and its approval will soon by announced by the leader of the
Islamic Emirate.
The Deputy of Youth in the Ministry of
Information and Culture, Mohammad Yunus Rashed, said that the scheme includes
four fields under the title of “intellectual and economic reforms of
youth."
“A plan has been made for intellectual
and economic reform of youth which has been accepted by Amirul Momineen
(Islamic Emirate leader) and will be announced in a decree in the near future,”
he said.
The instructors said that the plan will
also provide educational opportunities for youth.
“There should be attention paid to the
situation of youth. The educational scholarship should be provided to the youth
and will be beneficial in addition to the Islamic mindset,” said Mohammad Wali
Salari, a university instructor.
“The school of Islamic thought is a
worldwide school,” said Adib, an instructor.
This comes as youth called on the
Islamic Emirate to provide them with work opportunities as they are struggling
with dire economic conditions.
“When we finish our education, we hope
to serve the country and our people and improve our country and its economic
condition,” said Qudratullah, a student.
Rashed said that the thoughts of the
youth that were distracted during the past year of foreign troops' presence
will be reformed through the new scheme.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-185351
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40 Health Centers Established, 30,000
Drug Addicts Treated in Balkh Within a Year
2023-10-02
Balkh (BNA): Over the past year, Balkh
province has seen the establishment of 40 healthcare centers and the treatment
of approximately 30,000 drug addicts.
Dr. Najibullah Tawana, the director of
public health in Balkh, highlighted that one of their significant achievements
in the health sector is the provision of equal health services to citizens in
both urban and rural areas.
In the last year alone, 116 health centers
have been renovated and equipped, with an additional 40 new centers
established. Dr. Tawana also mentioned efforts to prevent the distribution of
expired medicines and food items.
Investigation teams of the Department of
Public Health of the province managed to collect and destroy 210 tons of
outdated and low-quality food items and medicines from stores within a year.
Dr. Tawana noted that before the Islamic
Emirate took control of the country, Mazar-e-Sharif had thousands of drug
addicts wandering its streets.
However, following directives from the
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate, more than 30,000 addicts from all over
the province have received treatment and are reunited with their families.
Mawlavi Abu Idris, Deputy Governor of
Balkh, who was also present at the meeting, stated that they are working to
improve the health sector by attracting aid and implementing numerous projects
in the province.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://bakhtarnews.af/en/40-health-centers-established-30000-drug-addicts-treated-in-balkh-within-a-year/
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Australia Donates $5 Million to Aid
Afghanistan: OCHA
2023-10-02
KABUL (BNA): The United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) in Afghanistan has announced
that Australia has donated five million US dollars to aid humanitarian efforts
in the country.
In light of the upcoming winter and the
need to support vulnerable families in Afghanistan, OCHA has appealed to the
international community for approximately a billion dollars in assistance.
According to a statement from OCHA, the
Australian government has contributed 8 million Australian dollars, which is
equivalent to 5,115,875 US dollars, to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.
OCHA also highlighted that since the
inception of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, Australia has made
contributions totaling 69 million Australian dollars.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://bakhtarnews.af/en/australia-donates-5-million-to-aid-afghanistan-ocha/
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An ominous sign: 34 quakes in 2 months
Oct 3, 2023
At least 34 mild quakes in and around
Bangladesh within the last two months is a worrying sign, experts said.
They said the frequency of such
earthquakes increased, which indicates the big one is in the offing.
"A big earthquake can hit
Bangladesh anytime and if it happens, rescuing people from the rubble will be a
big challenge," Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansary of Buet's civil engineering
department told The Daily Star yesterday ,citing data from the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) and India Meteorological Department.
He said that of the 34 minor earthquakes
in this region, a handful were felt by people in the country. These foreshocks
are indications of a major earthquake.
Earthquakes of 7-magnitude or above
usually hit Bangladesh or its surrounding areas every 150 years, give or take a
few years, the experts said, adding that the big one is pending.
Around 6:45pm yesterday, an earthquake
of 5.2 magnitude hit India's Assam and was felt in Bangladesh.
The epicentre was around 24km south of
Goalpara and over 100km west of Guwahati at a depth of 10km, according to the
USGS.
Experts said the epicentre is close to
the epicentre of the 1897 earthquake of 8.7 magnitude.
A joint research by Buet and the history
department of Dhaka University found that the epicentre of the 1897 earthquake
was 250km away from Dhaka but still 10 buildings, including Ahsan Manjil, were
damaged.
Experts said there are a number of
faults in Bangladesh. The Dauki fault is very active and dangerous. A 62,500
sqkm subduction zone (where two of the planet's tectonic plates collide and one
dives beneath the other) between Chattogram and Sylhet is very active, they said.
"The amount of energy stored in the
subduction zone is so much that it could potentially trigger to a major
earthquake in Bangladesh. The mild earthquakes are warning us," Syed
Humayun Akhter, a former DU professor of geology, told The Daily Star yesterday.
He said, "… a major earthquake in
Bangladesh is certain but we don't know the time."
Experts said unplanned urbanisation in
Dhaka city and too many buildings built violating the national building code
risk turning the capital into a pile of rubble in the event of a major
earthquake.
"There is no time left to make
people aware. It is time to fix the faulty buildings to save lives. Rajuk needs
to take a leading role," Ansary said.
Humayun, however, said the government
should put emphasis on making people aware and identifying safe places so that
people can take shelter in the event of an earthquake.
He stressed the need for holding regular
earthquake drills and developing mobile apps to make people aware.
"But unfortunately, we found that
our government's focus is post-earthquake recovery," he said.
Anisur Rahman Miah, chairman of
RajdhaniUnnayanKartripakkha (Rajuk), said under two projects 1,200 engineers
were trained on building structures and inspecting buildings.
"Obviously these are not enough. We
are working with two professional bodies to appoint a third party to check the
old buildings in Dhaka and figure out how to retrofit those," he said,
adding that after the earthquake in Turkey, they have expedited all activities
keeping in mind a possible earthquake in Dhaka.
According to a survey conducted by
Rajuk, some 865,000 buildings may collapse in the capital in the event of an
earthquake of 6.9 magnitude originating from the Madhupur fault in Tangail.
Some 2.10 lakh people may perish and
another 2.29 lakh may be injured if it happens during daytime.
The survey was conducted on 1,528 sqkm
area of Dhaka city between 2018 and 2022 as part of the Urban Resilience
Project.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/ominous-sign-34-quakes-2-months-3433251
--------
North America
US offers to help Pakistan deal with
terrorism
October 3, 2023
Anwar Iqbal | IkramJunaidi
WASHINGTON / ISLAMABAD: The United States
on Monday offered to work with Pakistan on strategies that can better assist
the country’s efforts to counter all forms of violent extremism.
Asked to comment on recent terrorist
attacks that killed scores of people across Pakistan, US State Department
Spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that both countries have continued to face
various acts of terrorism, targeting innocent civilians.
Extending “deepest sympathies” for those
killed and injured in those attacks, the US official noted that Pakistanis had
suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks.
“They deserve to practice their faith
without fear. We, of course, offer condolences to families who lost loved ones
and a speedy recovery to who are injured,” he added.
Data shows civilian deaths in terror attacks
rose 87pc in Sept
Asked how the US could help Pakistan
deal with this threat, Mr Miller said: “We cooperate with Pakistan in a range
of multilateral fora on issues including terrorist designations and global
strategies to defeat terrorist groups.”
He pointed out that earlier this year,
the United States and Pakistan held a high-level counter-terrorism dialogue to
discuss shared terrorist threats facing the two countries.
During these talks, the two sides
discussed various strategies to cooperate in areas such as border security and
terrorist financing.
“And we will continue to work with
Pakistan to ensure that we can better assist Pakistan’s efforts to counter all
forms of violent extremism,” he added.
Civilian deaths rose 87pc in Sept
Separately, according to data released
by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, the number of
civilian casualties in militant attacks almost doubled in September, as
compared to the preceding month, despite 34 per cent fewer incidents.
In 65 reported militant attacks in
September, 136 civilians, military and law enforcement agencies personnel lost
their lives, while 144 were injured.
The civilian death toll stood at 84, up
by 87pc from 45 who had met a similar fate in August.
The number of attacks declined by 34pc
as compared to 99 in August. Despite a considerable decline in attacks,
September was still the worst month in terms of number of incidents since March
2015.
At the provincial level, mainland Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa — excluding areas of erstwhile Fata — saw 23 attacks, resulting in
34 deaths and 73 injuries.
In the tribal districts, 17 attacks were
reported, causing 19 deaths and 18 injuries. The data showed 20 reported
attacks in Balochistan with 77 casualties and 46 injuries, while Sindh reported
four militant attacks, which resulted in five deaths and two injuries.
There was also a lone attack in Azad
Kashmir — the assassination of an activist who was formerly associated with the
proscribed Jamaatud Dawa in Rawalakot town on September 8.
Source: dawn.com
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CAIR Expresses Solidarity with Native
American Community After Shooting of Activist in N.M.
Ismail Allison
October 2, 2023
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 10/2/2023) – The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil
rights and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with members of the
Native American community after an Indigenous activist was shot in New
Mexico.
That activist, Jacob Johns, was
reportedly shot on Thursday morning, allegedly by a man wearing a Make America
Great Again (MAGA) hat. The shooting reportedly occurred during a protest
against the construction of a statue honoring a Spanish conquistador in the New
Mexico city of Espanola. The suspected shooter, 23-year-old Ryan Martinez, was
arrested and faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon. Johns is in the hospital and is reportedly recovering.
The Red Nation Calls For Safety After
Racist Attack In New Mexico
New Mexico State Police Respond to
Espanola Shooting Incident
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy
Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We stand in solidarity with the Native
American community of New Mexico. We also call on law enforcement to take all
appropriate action to address this act of violence and ensure that people can
peacefully protest without fear of violence.”
He added that CAIR and the American
Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism,
systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all
other forms of bigotry.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil
rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American
Muslims.
La misión de CAIR esproteger las
libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y
empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstadosUnidos.
Source: cair.com
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Hunter Biden to plead not guilty to gun
charges
October 3, 2023
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden's son
Hunter is to appear in federal court in Delaware on Tuesday and is expected to
plead not guilty to charges of illegally possessing a handgun.
Hunter Biden, 53, is facing three felony
charges stemming from his 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver.
Biden is charged with two counts of
making false statements for claiming on forms required for the gun purchase
that he was not using drugs illegally at the time.
He faces a third charge, based on the
same statements, that he illegally possessed the gun – which he had for only 11
days in October 2018 – before it was gotten rid of.
Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, has
informed the court that the president's son plans to plead not guilty at
Tuesday's 10:00 am (1400 GMT) arraignment at a federal courthouse in
Wilmington, the hometown of the Bidens.
Lowell had also asked Judge Christopher
Burke to allow Biden, who lives in California, to appear by video instead of in
person but the request was denied.
"The defendant should not receive
any special treatment in this matter," Burke wrote in his ruling.
In July, a deal with federal prosecutor
David Weiss – which would have erased the gun charges while Biden pleaded
guilty to two tax charges and avoided prison – fell apart.
That led to Weiss filing the three
felony gun possession charges against Biden.
If convicted, Biden could in theory face
25 years in prison, though in practice such offenses, if not accompanied by
other charges, are seldom punished by any jail time.
Weiss, who was elevated to special
counsel for the Biden probe after the plea deal fell through, in the meantime
has signaled that he is still investigating Biden on possible tax charges.
Hunter Biden's business dealings in
Ukraine and China while his father was vice president under Barack Obama have
been a constant target of Republicans.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, bowing to
pressure from the party's hard right, authorized the launch last month of an
impeachment investigation into the president.
The younger Biden has not been charged
with any crimes related to his foreign business dealings, however, and no
credible evidence has emerged so far that his father was involved in anything
illegal.
Hunter Biden is a Yale-trained lawyer
and lobbyist-turned-artist, but his life has been marred by alcoholism and
crack cocaine addiction. His legal woes threaten to cast a shadow over his
father's campaign for reelection next year.
The 80-year-old president has stood
firmly by his only surviving son throughout his personal and legal struggles,
saying in an interview earlier this year that Hunter has "done nothing
wrong."
"I trust him. I have faith in
him," Joe Biden said. –AFP
Source: nst.com.my
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Trump reaped over US$100 million through
fraud, New York says as trial starts
03 Oct 2023
NEW YORK, Oct 3 — A defiant Donald Trump
attacked New York’s attorney general and the judge overseeing his civil fraud
trial as it began yesterday, with a state lawyer accusing the former president
of generating more than US$100 million (RM472.50 million) by lying about his real
estate empire.
Attorney General Letitia James is
seeking at least US$250 million in fines, a permanent ban against Trump and his
sons Donald Jr and Eric from running businesses in New York and a five-year
commercial real estate ban against Trump and the Trump Organization.
Testimony in the Manhattan courtroom
began following opening statements, with Donald Bender, a partner at Mazars USA
and longtime accountant for Trump’s businesses, as the state’s first witness.
Trump told reporters before the trial
began that the case was a “scam”, a “sham”, and a political vendetta by James,
and during a lunch break called the Democrat “a corrupt person, a terrible
person. Driving people out of New York.”
He was equally unsparing of the judge,
Arthur Engoron, calling him a partisan Democrat who is using the case to
interfere with the 2024 presidential election, where Trump holds a big lead for
the Republican nomination.
“This is a judge that should be
disbarred,” Trump told reporters. “This is a judge that should be out of
office.”
Trump’s election campaign used the start
of the trial for fundraising, saying he was defending his family and reputation
from New York Democrats it called “corrupt tyrants”.
The case concerns accusations by the
attorney general that Trump inflated his assets and his own net worth from 2011
to 2021 to obtain favourable bank loans and lower insurance premiums.
‘Mona Lisa properties’
James has accused Trump of materially
overvaluing assets including his Trump Tower penthouse apartment in Manhattan,
his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and various office towers and golf clubs, and
inflated his own fortune by as much as US$2.2 billion.
“This isn’t business as usual, and this
isn’t how sophisticated parties deal with each other,” Kevin Wallace, a lawyer
from James’ office, said in his opening statement. “These are not victimless
crimes.”
Christopher Kise, a lawyer for Trump,
countered in his opening statement that Trump’s financials were entirely legal.
“He has made a fortune literally being
right about real estate investments,” Kise said. “There was no intent to
defraud, there was no illegality, there was no default, there was no breach,
there was no reliance from the banks, there were no unjust profits, and there
were no victims.”
Alina Habba, another lawyer, separately
told Engoron that Trump’s assets were “Mona Lisa properties” that could fetch
premium prices if Trump sold them.
Trump wore a dark blue suit, a brighter
blue tie and an American flag pin on his lapel in court.
As he entered, he called the case “a
continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time.”
James said her office was ready to prove
its case.
“The law is both powerful and fragile,”
she said. “No matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the
law.”
Six claims
Engoron is hearing evidence without a
jury.
Last week, the judge found Trump, his
adult sons and 10 of his companies liable for fraud, describing in scathing
terms how the defendants made up valuations.
He said these included valuing the Trump
Tower apartment as if it were three times its actual size and worth US$327
million, and estimating that Mar-a-Lago was worth up to US$739 million though
its assessed value was no more than US$28 million.
The judge cancelled business
certificates for companies controlling pillars of Trump’s empire, and said he
would appoint receivers to oversee their dissolution.
Trump responded at the time by calling
Engoron “deranged.”
The trial will review six additional
claims including falsifying business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy,
and address how much in penalties the defendants should pay.
Before opening arguments, Engoron
described himself as a generalist on the law. “One thing I know a lot about is
the definition of fraud,” he said.
Many legal woes
Wallace played an excerpt from a
deposition where Michael Cohen, who had been Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer
but has since turned against his former boss, said the goal was “to attain the
number that Mr. Trump wanted.”
Kise countered that just because people
disagree about valuations does not mean one valuation must be fraudulent.
“They are not designed to be absolutes,”
he said.
In his testimony, Bender said he relied
on information provided by Trump and his companies when compiling Trump’s
personal financial statements.
“The original numbers come from the
Trump Organization, and any changes that would have been made at the end would
have been approved by the Trump Organization,” Bender said.
Trump frequently spoke with Habba while
Bender was on the stand. Bender is expected to resume his testimony on Tuesday.
The trial is scheduled to run through
early December.
More than 150 people including Cohen
could testify, though much of the trial may be a battle of experts opining on
financial documents.
Trump also faces several other legal
headaches, which have been a financial drain, and made him the first sitting or
former US president to be criminally charged.
He has been criminally charged in
Washington over his efforts to undo his loss in the 2020 presidential election,
in Georgia over moves to reverse election results there, in Florida over his
handling of classified documents upon leaving office, and in New York over hush
money payments to a porn star.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing and
pleaded not guilty. — Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
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US Senator alongside family killed in
Utah plane crash
October 03, 2023
Authorities in Utah said that North
Dakota state senator Doug Larsen was killed with his family of three, including
his two young children in a plane crash that hit the ground 15 miles north of
tourist hotspot Moab, as they were headed home after paying a visit to
relatives.
The death of Doug Larsen was confirmed
by US media reports that cited an email from Republican David Hogue.
The plane took off from Canyonlands
Airfield north of Moab, according to a Grand County Sheriff’s Department
statement posted on Facebook.
The sheriff’s office said all four
people on board the plane were killed.
"Senator Doug Larsen, his wife Amy,
and their two young children died in a plane crash last evening in Utah,"
Hogue wrote in his email, as quoted by the Guardian.
"They were visiting family in
Scottsdale and returning home. They stopped to refuel in Utah. I’m not sure
where the bereavement starts with such a tragedy, but I think it starts with
prayers for the grandparents, surviving stepchild of Senator Larsen, and
extended family of Doug and Amy. Hold your family close today."
In a post on X, formerly called Twitter,
the National Transportation Safety Board said that it has commenced an
investigation into the crash that killed a Republican Senator with his family.
Doug Larsen was elected to the North
Dakota Senate in 2020. His district comprises Mandan, the city neighbouring
Bismarck to the west across the Missouri River. Larsen chaired a senate panel
that handled industry and business legislation.
He was also a lieutenant colonel in the
North Dakota National Guard. He and his wife, Amy, were business owners.
Moab is a tourism-centered community of
about 5,300 people near Arches and Canyonlands national parks.
In mid-September, the husband of
Democratic Representative Mary Peltola, Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr
lost his life after his plane crashed in a mountainous region in Alaska.
Condolences continued to pour in after
the news broke about the death of her husband in a plane crash as Mary Peltola
will be going to Alaska.
According to National Transportation
Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, the plane crashed in a remote and
mountainous region of Alaska 64 miles north of St. Mary's.
It was said that only the pilot was on
the plane and had flown a hunter and equipment into the area. On Tuesday night,
an emergency locator beacon transmission was received by officials at 8:48pm.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Southeast Asia
Deaths in police custody need
addressing: Kepong MP
Nuqman Adam
October 3, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: In a statement today,
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng has called for more stern action in addressing deaths in
police custody in the country.
Lim's statement follows the death of a
Sri Lankan citizen who died while in police custody in the centralised Jinjang
lockup in Kepong on Sept 30.
He highlighted that this is not the
first time a suspect has died while in police custody and that it warrants more
attention from authorities.
"I urge all parties, including
family members and NGOs out there, to provide space and time for the police to
conduct further investigation into this death," he said, adding that
follow-up actions can be done after the investigation results are released.
Lim said that the police need to conduct
a forensic investigation and examine the closed circuit television (CCTV)
footage within the lockup.
"Clarification statements need to
be issued if there are no existing CCTV recordings.
"I will also be meeting with the
Kuala Lumpur police chief, Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid, in the near future to
discuss issues like this and public safety concerns in Kuala Lumpur," he
said.
Source: nst.com.my
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Penang High Court acquits five in T.
Nhaveen’s murder case, citing unreliable witness
By OpalynMok
03 Oct 2023
GEORGE TOWN, Oct 3 — The Penang High
Court today acquitted and discharged five men over the murder of T. Nhaveen in
2017.
Justice Radzi Hamid said the prosecution
had failed to prove a prima facie case against the five due to various
inconsistencies in the evidence produced.
The five men, who were immediately
released after the judge delivered his decision, are S. Gopinaath, 32, J.
Ragesuthan, 24, S. Gokulan, 24, V. Sharmah, 24 and K. Tatisan, 23.
The five men were charged with jointly
murdering Nhaveen at the JalanBunga Raya park sometime between 11pm and
midnight on June 9, 2017.
When reading his grounds for the
decision, Justice Radzi said the key witness in the case, Previin, was found to
be unreliable.
“The court finds that the facts and
evidence presented for the murder charge were unclear and does not prove that
the five accused had intentions to kill the victim,” he said.
He said there were serious doubts in the
case against the suspects.
“The police has failed to conduct
investigations into this case fairly,” he said.
He added that the prosecution has also
failed to call in other corroborating witnesses to support Previin’s testimony
in court, and added that Previin had presented contradictory evidence and was
not credible.
“Due to his lack of credibility, his
testimonies heard in court are rejected and could not be used as evidence for
this case,” he said.
Although there was evidence that Nhaveen
succumbed to his injuries including blunt force trauma to the head a few days
after the incident, Justice Radzi said there were no clear details of what
happened that day.
The five men were also discharged and
released from a second charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous
weapons on Previin near the Karpal Singh Learning Centre in Bukit Gelugor at
the same time and day as Nhaveen’s murder.
Justice Radzi said since Previin’s
testimony was found to be not credible and was fully rejected in the murder
case, his testimony for the assault case similarly could not be accepted.
Immediately after he ordered for the
five men to be immediately released, there were muffled cries of relief from
the men’s family members sitting in the public gallery.
The five men were respectively represented
by Manveer Singh Dhillon, S. Yagoo and Datuk Naran Singh while Deputy Public
Prosecutor Mohd Azhar Hamzah prosecuted the case.
Nhaveen, who was 18 years old, was
reportedly on his way home with his friend, Previin, when they got into an
altercation with a group of boys.
It was reported that both Nhaveen and
Previin were beaten but the latter managed to escape and get help.
Nhaveen was later found unconscious in a
field next to Jalan Kaki Bukit in Bukit Gelugor. He was subsequently declared
brain dead and succumbed to his injuries five days later.
Source: malaymail.com
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Former cooperative chairman arrested by
MACC over alleged false claims
MAZWIN NIK ANIS
03 Oct 2023
PUTRAJAYA:A former chairman of a
cooperative has been arrested for allegedly submitting documents with false
claims amounting to about RM60,000.
The suspect is a Datuk Seri in his 60s,
and he was arrested at around 2pm on Monday (Oct 2) when he was summoned to the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Kuala Lumpur for his
statement to be recorded.
It is learnt that the suspect had made
the false claims between 2020 and 2021 when he was the cooperative’s chairman.
According to sources, the suspect is
believed to have submitted claims for advisory services for a project in Johor
and advance payment for a mixed development project in Kuala Selangor.
“However, it was found out that the
projects were not implemented,” said a source.
The MACC had applied for a remand order
from Magistrate Atiqah Mohamed@ Mohamad Saim who allowed for the suspect to be
remanded for a week from Oct 3 (Tuesday).
Kuala Lumpur MACC chief Datuk Mohamad
FauziHusin confirmed the arrest, stating that an investigation under Section 18
of the MACC Act was underway.
Source: thestar.com.my
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Man killed in car-lorry accident near
Mersing
03 Oct 2023
REMAR NORDIN
MERSING: A 44-year-old man was killed after
his car collided with a lorry at KM13 Jalan Kota Tinggi–Mersing here.
Mersing Deputy OCPD DSP Sharif Shai
Sharif Mondoi said that the incident occurred on Sunday (Oct 1) at 11pm when
the victim was heading towards Mersing.
“Investigations revealed that a
36-year-old man was driving a lorry from Mersing towards Kota Tinggi when he
suddenly lost control of his vehicle and entered the opposite lane,” he said.
“The lorry then rammed into a vehicle
driven by the victim and another vehicle behind it,” added DSP Sharif in a
statement here on Tuesday (Oct 3).
The victim suffered a serious injury to
the head and was pronounced dead at the location, while the lorry driver
suffered an injury to his arm and is being treated at the Mersing Hospital.
The case is being investigated under
Section 41(1) of the Road and Transport Act of 1987.
Source: thestar.com.my
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--------
Nhaveen murder trial: High Court acquits
and discharges 5 men without calling defence
Audrey Dermawan
October 3, 2023
GEORGE TOWN: Five men, accused of
murdering T. Nhaveen, were acquitted and discharged by the High Court here
today, without their defence being called.
The verdict came more than six years
after they were first charged with the offence back in June 2017.
The trial proper only began in May 2021
following numerous postponements over paperwork.
The Nhaveen murder case garnered
attention on social media back then, with Malaysians expressing an outpouring
of sympathy towards him and his family.
High Court Judge Radzi Hamid, in
acquitting the five, said the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie
case against the five.
"Based on the evidence adduced, the
court found that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against
the five.
"As such, the court acquits and
discharges all of you," he told the five men who immediately had their
handcuffs removed by the court police.
At the public gallery, their family
members were seen shedding tears of joy and offering thanks for their release.
The five were brothers S. Gopinaath, 32,
and S. Gokulan, 24, as well as J. Ragesuthan, 24, and two other unnamed persons
who were juveniles when the offence took place.
The two have since been identified as V.
Sharmah, 24, and K. Tatisen, 23.
They were charged with committing the
offence at PusatPembelajaranKarpal Singh in Jalan Kaki Bukit here between 11pm
and 12am on June 9, 2017.
At the time of the offence, Nhaveen was
18 years old.
They were also charged with committing a
grievous assault on Nhaveen's friend, T. Previin, near the Karpal Singh
Learning Centre in Bukit Gelugor that night.
Previin was 19 years old then.
Gopinaath was initially not considered a
suspect. He was charged midway through the trial in December 2021.
A total of 16 prosecution witnesses were
called to testify.
Radzi, in his ground of judgment, ruled
that the prosecution could not determine for sure that Nhaveen had indeed died
as a result of "blunt force trauma to the head" as stated in the
post-mortem report following an attack on him or due to an existing illness.
He said the doctor treating him directly
was not called to testify.
"The failure to call the doctor
concerned led to uncertainty if the blunt force trauma had directly led to his
death.
"Also, it could not be ascertained
as to whether the necessary assistance had been given to save him," he
said.
Radzi said the testimony given by
Previin, the main and only direct witness in this case, was also not credible,
contradictory and cast serious doubts.
He said what Previin said when giving
his statement to police soon after the incident and a police report he lodged
four years later was filled with contradictions.
"Four years is such a long time. If
indeed he was close to Nhaveen, which he had so claimed, he should have acted
sooner and not waited for four years.
"What he testified does not prove
that the five accused had intended to kill Nhaveen when he alleged that there
were more than 20 people at the scene. He also could not say for sure where the
attack occurred.
"Due to his lack of credibility,
his testimony is rejected and cannot be used as evidence in this case," he
added, noting that the facts and evidence presented for the assault case
similarly could not be accepted.
As such, Radzi acquitted and discharged
them from a second charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous
weapons on Previin.
In his ground of judgment, Radzi also
said that the police had failed to conduct investigations into these cases
fairly.
He said the prosecution had also failed
to call in other corroborating witnesses to support Previin's testimony in
court.
The five men were respectively
represented by Datuk Naran Singh, Manveer Singh Dhillon and S.Yagoo, while
Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Azhar Hamzah prosecuted.
Sukhindarpal Singh held a watching brief
for the Bar Council.
Lead defence counsel Datuk Ranjit Singh
Dhillon died of a heart-related ailment mid-trial in March last year.
Source: nst.com.my
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---------
Africa
29 Niger soldiers killed by suspected
jihadists: defence ministry
Oct 3, 2023
Twenty-nine soldiers were killed in
western Niger in an attack by suspected jihadists, the defence ministry said on
Monday night, declaring a three-day national mourning period.
The soldiers were targeted using
"improvised explosive devices and kamikaze vehicles by more than a hundred
terrorists", the ministry said in a televised statement.
Two soldiers were seriously wounded and
"several dozen terrorists" were also killed.
The attack took place near the country's
border with Mali, during military operations aimed at "neutralising the
threat posed by the Islamic State" in the area, according to the ministry.
"Communications from the
terrorists, who were forced to withdraw, have been intercepted", the
ministry said, adding that the attackers "benefitted from outside
expertise", without giving any further details.
A jihadist insurgency has plagued
Africa's Sahel region for more than a decade, breaking out in northern Mali in
2012 before spreading to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.
The "three borders" area
between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso is regularly the scene of attacks by
militants affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.
The violence has fuelled military
takeovers in all three countries, with Niger the latest to fall to a coup on
July 26 that ousted Mohamed Bazoum, its democratically elected president.
In August, at least 17 Nigerien soldiers
were killed and 20 wounded in an attack by suspected jihadists near the border
between Niger and Burkina Faso.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Scholar advises Muslims on sustenance of
Islam mission
SegunShowunmi, Ibadan
October 3, 2023
Ex-dean, Faculty of Art, University of
Ibadan (UI), Prof. AfizOladosu, has advised Muslims to strive for the
realisation and sustenance of Islam mission for humanity.
He said the mission of Islam could not
be separated from prosperity, hence the need for Muslims to uphold it.
Delivering a lecture titled: “Creating A
Pathway for Sustainable Development: Muslim on Call”, organised by Political
Awareness Group (PAG), at the 2023 Delegates’ Conference/Inauguration of New
Executive Council in Ibadan, Oladosu, represented by the Head, Department of
Arabic and Islamic Studies, UI, Prof. Ibrahim Usman, said Muslims were the
custodians of sustainable development.
He called on Islamic organisations and
individuals to ensure there was compulsory universal education for Muslims, to
banish poverty in the society and ensure decent living.
He urged parents to equip their children
with knowledge, to enable them take their rightful positions in future.
The chairman of the occasion, Sen. Kola
Balogun, represented by AlhajiHaruna Adebayo, advised the new PAG executives to
run the affairs of the association with fairness, justice and equity.
The Chairman, PAG Board of Trustees and
former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Alhaji Waheed Olajide, called on the
newly- inaugurated executives to work towards taking the association to greater
heights.
The Secretary, PAG BOT, Prof.
AbideenOlaiya, tasked the PAG executives on improving on the achievements of
their predecessors and focusing on the objectives of good governance and
welfare of Muslims.
The newly-inaugurated PAG Chairman, Oyo
State chapter, Dr. Luqman Fasasi, promised to be devoted to the service of
Ummah in collaboration with the national body of the association.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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Gov’t to launch Islamic curriculum for
Sudanese refugee, returnees
October 2, 2023
Tereza Jeremiah
The Vice President for Service Cluster
Hussein Abdelbagi said the government plans to provide books for the Islamic
curriculum for the refugees and returnees arriving from Sudan.
He said this would address the needs and
complaints of the Islamic community regarding the South Sudan curriculum that
does not meet the educational needs of the Muslim communities in the camps.
Speaking during the Mawlid al-Sharif
celebration on Sunday in Juba, Abdelbagi said the government had solved the
issue by adopting Arabic languages and Islamic education in the curriculum.
“We will launch books on the Islamic
curriculum soon. The current year’s budget included printing books on the
curriculum, which will include the Arabic language and Islamic education,”
Abdelbagi said.
Also, he called on Islamic countries
globally to support the Muslims within the country by constructing Islamic
schools and places of worship.
“I also direct that Islamic facilities
must provide their services to Muslims and non-Muslims because we in South
Sudan do not differentiate citizens on the basis of religion,” he added.
The vice president for the service
cluster urged the Muslim community to embrace peace in the country and keep
away from conflicts.
He also assured the Muslims that the
government is committed to allowing them to practice their rituals freely
within the country.
“I appeal to you to cooperate with
Muslims from other communities who reside in South Sudan, from Somalis and Ugandans,
as brothers,” he said.
According to Abdelbagi, the books will
support the returnees and refugees students arriving from Sudan to continue
with their studies since most of them were studying Arabic curriculum.
Source: cityreviewss.com
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Uganda's constitutional court to hear
challenges against anti-homosexuality law
October 2, 2023
Uganda's constitutional court is set to
begin hearing three petitions challenging the anti-homosexuality law enacted in
May.
This law imposes severe penalties,
including the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which can
involve sexual acts with children or vulnerable individuals. It also applies to
cases of forced same-sex relations, life-long infections like HIV, or repeated
offences.
The petitioners, comprising individuals
and human rights organizations, contend that the law was passed without
meaningful public participation and infringed upon constitutional rights and
freedoms. Critics have labelled it as draconian, inhumane, and a grave
violation of universal human rights.
The petitioners argue that the legal and
parliamentary affairs committee conducted inadequate scrutiny and failed to
facilitate sufficient public input. They assert that the law violates
constitutional rights, including the right to equality, non-discrimination,
dignity, privacy, health, freedom of expression, and association.
In August, a 20-year-old man became the
first person to be prosecuted for aggravated homosexuality, facing the risk of
a death penalty.
Reports indicate that this year has
witnessed over 300 human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ individuals, including
torture, beatings, arrests, and forced outings based on their sexual
orientation and gender identity.
In a BBC report, the case has been
postponed to next Thursday, sourcing the petition's lawyers.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/02/ugandas-constitutional-court-to-hear-challenges-against-anti-homosexuality-law/
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Ethiopia celebrated local Christian
holiday
2 Oct, 2023
Orthodox Ethiopians celebrated the
commencement of Meskel, a Christian festival officially observed by the
Orthodox Church of Ethiopia, on Wednesday.
This event honors Saint Helena’s
discovery of the True Cross in 4th-century Palestine, the cross believed to
have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Legend holds that the smoke from a
ceremonial bonfire guided Helena to this sacred relic, with a fragment of it
eventually believed to have made its way to Ethiopia.
The central ceremony unfolded before the
country’s main church, drawing orthodox leaders, diplomats, and government
officials. The festivities culminated with thousands gathering around a
bonfire, a symbolic act believed to cleanse them of sins.
Notably, the Christian Meskel festival
coincided with the Muslim celebration of Mawlid this year, marking the birth of
the Prophet Mohammed. In Ethiopia, there is a tradition of mutual respect, with
Christians and Muslims, who comprise significant parts of the population,
acknowledging each other’s special occasions.
Speaking to RT on Sunday, Ahmed Zekaria,
a Muslim cleric, said the African country could be a “good example of tolerance
when it comes to living together of these different religions.” He highlighted
how mosques and churches “live side by side,” adding that it’s a “good sign”
that different faiths are “coming to reconciliation and having a peaceful
future."
Meanwhile, a joint choir from the
Trinity-SergiusLavra and the Moscow Theological Academy performed at Meskel
Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of the Meskel holiday celebrations on
September 27.
Source: rt.com
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Terrorists Invade Community In Katsina
State, Kill Ward Councillor, Attack Several Houses
October 3, 2023
Terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits,
have attacked Nasarawa community in the Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina
State, killing one Samaila Buhari Mairago, the councillor representing Nasarawa
Ward in the local council.
The ruling All Progressives Congress
member was killed by the terrorists on Monday at his residence in Funtua town.
A source told SaharaReporters that the
gunmen shot sporadically and attacked houses without hindrance.
He lamented that such attacks had become
frequent in the area and called on the government to address the situation.
“Bandits on Monday invaded Nasarawa
ward, Funtua LGA of Katsina and killed the councillor of the ward known as
Mairago,” the source said.
Katsina and other North-West states are
being terrorised by bandits and other criminals.
The gunmen kill, maim and kidnap for
ransom despite the efforts of the government to tame them over the years.
Source: saharareporters.com
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Nigerian Labour Unions, NLC, TUC Suspend
Nationwide Strike For 30 Days
October 3, 2023
The organised labour led by the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday
night, agreed to suspend its indefinite strike planned to start on Tuesday.
The resolution followed over five hours
of deliberations between the Federal Government and Labour at the Chief of
Staff Conference Room of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Announcing the outcome of the meeting to
State House correspondents, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon
Lalong, said: “The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned
indefinite nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October,
2023.”
Lalong said the Memorandum shall be
filed with the relevant court of competent jurisdiction within one week as
consent judgment by the FG.
However, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero,
said the unions would revisit the agreement if the FG fails to fulfill its
demands.
Source: saharareporters.com
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https://saharareporters.com/2023/10/03/nigerian-labour-unions-nlc-tuc-suspend-nationwide-strike-30-days
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NAF aircraft bombs terrorists’ hideouts
in Borno
Jacob SegunOlatunji
October 2, 2023
Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Monday,
said that Terrorists hibernating in the Tumbuns on the fringes of Lake Chad in
Borno State were at the receiving end of its firepower as air strikes hit their
hideouts, destroying their structures and strategic logistics base.
This was contained in a statement made
available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations
and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.
“Specifically, Tumbun Fulani and
TumbunShitu were struck between 27-30 September 2023, when activities of
terrorists in the locations were confirmed to have constituted a threat to
military formations and law-abiding Nigerians residing within the locations.
“At Tumbun Fulani, terrorists were
observed loading jerricans in 2 gun trucks concealed under shrubs.
Subsequently, NAF aircraft were scrambled to interdict the location, believed
to be a major logistics base.
“After the strike, Battle Damage
Assessment revealed several terrorists were neutralised and the gun trucks
destroyed.”
“similar strikes were also undertaken at
TumbunShitu after structures believed to be terrorists’ hideouts were observed
tucked under thick foliage.
“Additionally, 3 gun trucks with
terrorists were sighted moving into the location. The need to strike the
location thus became imperative. The aftermath of the air strike revealed
several terrorists were neutralised and the trucks destroyed,” the statement
added.
It declared that the determination of
the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) to significantly limit the activities of
terrorists in the Northeast and indeed other parts of Nigeria remained on
course, stressing that “the Operational gains by the AFN are indicative of
improved synergy and cooperation by all security agencies as well as the
unwavering support of all Nigerians”.
Source: tribuneonlineng.com
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https://tribuneonlineng.com/naf-aircraft-bombs-terrorists-hideouts-in-borno/
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Arab World
Another Israeli minister arrives in
Saudi Arabia amid normalisation
October 03, 2023
Israeli Minister Communications Minister
ShlomoKarhi landed in Saudi Arabia Monday to attend a meeting of a UN
specialised agency in the capital Riyadh as the two Middle Eastern countries
are on the course of normalising their bilateral relations.
Universal Postal Union is a UN agency
which seeks to facilitate international collaboration in the postal sector.
The visit comes less than a week after
an Israeli tourism minister Haim Katz touched down in the oil-rich country last
week in the first official trip to the kingdom to attend a UN tourism
conference.
During his visit, Karhi is likely to
deliver a speech and meet with officials including the US ambassador to Saudi
Arabia and Turkey's communications minister, a statement from his office said.
"He is heading a 14-member
delegation that includes lawmaker David Bitan and representatives of the
foreign ministry," the statement said.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites
in Islam, Mecca and Medina, has never recognised Israel and long insisted it
would not do so without a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict and a just settlement for Palestinian refugees.
However, the administration of US
President Joe Biden is pushing for a landmark deal that could reorder the
Middle East.
Riyadh is bargaining hard for security
guarantees from Washington as well as assistance with a civilian nuclear
programme that would have uranium enrichment capacity.
The Palestinians have warned that they
must be taken into account in any deal, and it is unclear what concessions
Israel might be willing to make.
Last week the White House said Saudi
Arabia and Israel were moving towards the outline of a deal.
"All sides have hammered out, I
think, a basic framework for what, you know, what we might be able to drive
at," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
His comments came on the heels of a
visit to Riyadh by Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz, who attended a United
Nations World Tourism Organization event, becoming the first Israeli minister
to head an official delegation to the kingdom.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Will new Houthi attacks jeopardise
Yemen's peace process?
02 October, 2023
Following a UN-sponsored truce in April
2022, there has been a de-escalation in Yemen’s eight-year conflict.
ver the past 18 months, the Houthis
refrained from launching drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s territory, while armed
confrontations between local war rivals decreased significantly.
Since then, peace talks have gained
momentum, especially after the inception of unprecedented public Saudi-Houthi
talks in April this year.
With the Houthi visit to Riyadh last
month, peace appeared near, and a dialogue-based solution to the conflict
looked possible.
However, the latest drone attack on
Saudi territories has set back diplomatic momentum and revived border-cross
tensions.
"With this recent attack on the
Saudi border, the renewal of the Yemen conflict is likely. Even if the two
sides maintain self-restraint, the path to peace will be long"
On Monday, 25 September, a Houthi drone
strike hit a location on Saudi territory bordering Yemen, killing four Bahraini
soldiers and leaving several others wounded.
The attack raised local, regional, and
international alarm over the future of ongoing peace talks facilitated by Oman
and the UN.
"Diplomacy and dialogue have helped
put a brake on the war in Yemen since last year,” Abdulrahman Mahdi, a retired
security officer in Sanaa, told The New Arab.
“With this recent attack on the Saudi
border, the renewal of the Yemen conflict is likely. Even if the two sides
maintain self-restraint, the path to peace will be long.”
The battle for control of Yemen's ports
Trust dwindles again
According to Mahdi, killing four
Bahraini soldiers is a significant loss at a time when peace negotiations are
ongoing.
"If the attack happened in wartime,
that would be natural. However, it happened after a few days of Houthi-Saudi
face-to-face talks. This development has obliterated trust between the two
sides. And without trust, peace is hard to reach."
While Saudi Arabia has been seeking to
exit the Yemen war after seven years of futile military operations, the Houthi
group keeps dragging the kingdom into a quandary.
Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesperson of the
Saudi-led Arab coalition that launched a military campaign against the Houthis
in 2015, slammed the Houthi escalation, saying such hostile acts do not conform
with the current efforts aimed at ending the conflict and reaching a
comprehensive political solution.
The funeral of a Bahraini soldier on 26
September 2023 in Muharraq. Four Bahraini military personnel were killed by a
recent Houthi drone strike near the Saudi-Yemeni border. [Photo by Ayman
Yaqoob/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]
The coalition forces, he added, reserve
the right to reply to this provocation at the right time and place.
Houthi officials, however, said the four
Bahraini soldiers were not the sole deaths on the Yemen-Saudi border.
The coalition killed 12 Houthi soldiers
in the last month along the Saudi border, according to Houthi spokesperson
Mohammed Abdulsalam.
He added, "While we consider
incidents of truce violation to be regrettable ... we stress the importance of
entering into a phase of serious peace".
"The Houthi engagement in talks and
their visit to Riyadh in September for negotiations do not necessarily reflect
the group's desire to end the war"
Searching for recognition, not peace
The Houthi engagement in talks and their
visit to Riyadh in September for negotiations do not necessarily reflect the
group’s desire to end the war.
One of their key aims is to bolster
their legitimacy as the ruling authority in North Yemen.
A political researcher in Sanaa, who
wished to remain anonymous, told The New Arab that the Houthi group does not
deal with the Saudis as a party to the war - they negotiate as if they are the
legitimate authority in Yemen.
"The group has obtained popular
recognition by force, and the Houthi leadership is trying to be recognised by
regional powers, especially Saudi Arabia, through talks," he said.
He added, "The rejection of the
Saudi approval of the Houthi authority in North Yemen will infuriate the
latter, which means cross-border attacks will resume".
Direct negotiations between the Houthis
and their local opponents are not feasible at present. The former has the financial
and military capabilities to fight all local rivals and only aspires to be
recognised by foreign powers.
On Sunday, informed sources in Oman told
Sheba Intelligence, a platform focusing on Yemen, that the second phase of
negotiations, which was supposed to begin in Muscat between the Houthis and the
Yemeni government, failed.
According to the sources, the Houthis
asked Saudi Arabia to sign an agreement declaring the end of the war between
them and Saudi Arabia. The excessive Houthi demands returned the negotiations
to square one, said the sources.
A delegation from Saudi Arabia and Omani
mediators arrived in Yemen's capital Sanaa in April to negotiate a new truce
with the Iran-allied Houthi group, as Riyadh seeks a way out of the war in
Yemen. [Getty]
Additional discouraging signs
The killing of the Bahraini soldiers has
not been the sole development that jeopardises negotiations in Yemen. Other
political moves have also occurred in recent days, revealing the fragility of
building an enduring peace.
Last week, the Houthi group’s chief
Abdulmalek Al-Houthi declared the reshuffle of the Sanaa-based government, a
striking development demonstrating the movement's long-term goals and deepening
influence.
This effectively means that the Houthi
leadership in North Yemen is the ultimate authority in the country, and other
political parties, including the former ruling party, the General People's
Congress, must obey Houthi directives.
Given the unopposed authority the Houthi
leadership enjoys in North Yemen, it is unlikely that they will accept a pact
that compels them to share power with their Yemeni opponents.
"The calm we have enjoyed since
last year may turn into chaos at any moment"
The suspension of commercial flights
from Sanaa Airport is another discouraging signal of the destiny of Yemen peace
talks.
On Saturday, Yemenia Airways announced
it will suspend its flights from Houthi-controlled Sanaa Airport over
money-related disputes with the Houthi authorities.
The carrier has been operating six
commercial flights from Sanaa to Jordan since the reopening of the Sanaa
Airport as part of the UN-brokered ceasefire in April last year.
The suspension of these flights will
complicate peace talks and create massive disruption for thousands of citizens
who travel abroad for treatment, work, or education.
All of these recent developments
seriously jeopardise the peace process and risk plunging the country into a
fresh cycle of strife, causing consternation for ordinary Yemeni civilians.
"The killing of the Bahraini soldiers
on the Saudi border and the halt of commercial flights from Sanaa Airport are
worrying matters,” Hamid Abdullah, a school teacher in Sanaa, told The New
Arab.
“The calm we have enjoyed since last
year may turn into chaos at any moment."
Source: newarab.com
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Saudi king, crown prince condemns terror
attack in Ankara
October 02, 2023
RIYADH: In cables to Turkiye President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
condemned the terror attack on the Turkish capital, Ankara.
On Sunday a suicide bomber detonated an
explosive device at the entrance of the country’s interior ministry injuring
two policemen. Turkiye on Monday said it had carried out attacks on suspected
Kurdish military targets in Iraq.
The PKK, which maintains bases in
northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, according to a news
agency close to the rebel group.
The Saudi leaders said that the Kingdom
stands with Turkiye and its people, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2384361/saudi-arabia
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KSrelief Distributes 42 Tons of Food
Baskets in Somalia
02 Oct, 2023
King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief
Center (KSrelief) on Saturday distributed 42 tons of food baskets in Somalia,
benefiting 3,600 people.
The assistance is part of a project aimed at
providing food security to the most vulnerable groups and flood-affected people
in Somalia.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/cc9f424e14c0401283238507f974328d
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Visitors of RIBF Praise Islamic Affairs
Ministry’s Scientific and Religious Publications
02 Oct, 2023
Visitors of Riyadh International Book
Fair 2023 (RIBF) have expressed admiration for the exhibits at the pavilion of
the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call, and Guidance.
The pavilion showcases the ministry's
scientific and religious publications, interactive digital screens from the
Islamic electronic library, as well as manuscripts from the Makkah Library.
Additionally, it features copies of the Holy
Qur'an translated into over 77 languages.
The RIBF’s visitors stressed that these valued
contents reflect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's efforts in serving Islam and
Muslims.
RIBF is being held on the campus of King Saud
University (KSU) and will last for ten days.
Source: wenews.pk
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/radicalised-delhi-police-isis-terrorists/d/130813