'Don't Justify Terrorism': India Slams Islamic Nations' Group for Comments made by Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission on Yasin Malik Court Ruling
New Age Islam News Bureau
28 May 2022
A special NIA court this
week awarded life sentence to Malik in a terror-funding case.(Image: AFP)
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• Taliban Dismisses UNSC’s Call to Reverse
Restrictions on Afghan Women Human Rights
• Palestinian, Lebanese Resistance Hail Iraqi
Parliament’s ‘Historic’ Criminalization of Ties with Israel
• US Top Diplomat Urges Israel to Conclude Shireen Abu
Akleh Investigation
• In Southeast Asia, Social Media Preachers under the
Spotlight
India
• Bihar parties agree on extending caste census to
Muslims: ‘Why exclude anyone?’
• Gyanvapi Mosque Committee Urges Varanasi Court to
Not Make Survey Visuals Public
• Mathura case: Application Filed for Status Quo on
Mosque Premises in Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Dispute Case
• Petition in Supreme Court Seeks 'Confidential'
Survey of All Mosques With Wells, Ponds
• Kashmiri artiste Amreena’s killers among 4 LeT
terrorists shot dead
• Karnataka: Dalit man killed over interfaith relationship,
2 arrested
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South
Asia
• WHO to Immunize Over 5 Million Covid-19 Vaccinations
across Afghanistan
• Doval says India guided by interest of Afghans,
urges Taliban to ensure education for girls
--------
Arab
World
• YPG/PKK Terrorists Building Cells To Hold Civilian
Detainees In Tunnels In N. Syria
• Kurdish asylum seekers on hunger strike in Poland
• Relatives of Albanian ISIS fighters to be
repatriated from Syria
• Lebanon’s exit from default still tough after inconclusive
election, Fitch says
--------
North
America
• Canada court reduces Quebec mosque killer's parole
sentence
• US sanctions Iran’s Quds Force, Hezbollah
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Crazy to ‘enforce’ Malay in civil service, says
Rafidah
• Putrajaya, Tokyo ink deal to send skilled Malaysians
to work in Japan
• Bar To Hold Protest over ‘Judicial Intimidation’
--------
Mideast
• Hamas Challenges Israel over Nationalist Flag March
in Jerusalem
• Iran's Top Security Official: US Should Unfreeze
Afghanistan's Assets, Compensate for Damages
• Iranian Official Raps Ottawa for Failure to Separate
Sports from Politics
• Palestinian teen killed by Israel forces in occupied
West Bank
• Turkey seeks ‘concrete steps’ from Finland, Sweden
to accept their NATO membership
--------
Pakistan
• Religious Affairs Minister, Mufti Abdul Shakoor,
Delivers Self-Aggrandising Speech On Foreign Trip
• Army kept Nawaz Sharif in the dark whether Sindh or
Balochistan would be the final destination
• PM Shehbaz tells court he refused salary as CM
during Rs16bn money laundering hearing
• Judges give Sindh IGP last chance to recover
‘abducted’ girls, Dua Zehra and Nimra Kazmi
• Maryam urges SC to stay away from ongoing political
tussle
• On anniversary of nuclear tests, PM Shehbaz vows to
make Pakistan economic power
• Overseas Pakistanis not deprived of voting rights,
Tarar refutes reports
• Jamat-e-Islami recommends special seats for
Pakistani expats
--------
Africa
• Insecurity Puts Mali’s Historic Djenné Mosque at
Risk
• African journalists closely follow Turkish media
outlets
• Tunisia party leader banned from travel: court
--------
Europe
• Winners of Quran Memorization Competition in Italy Awarded
• Turkish president receives foreign ministers of UAE,
Poland, Romania
• ‘Closer US-Greece ties part of scramble to contain
Turkiye’s growing regional power’
• Turkiye cannot remain indifferent to developments in
Syria: Russia
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/terrorism-india-islamic-nations-yasin-malik/d/127117
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'Don't Justify Terrorism': India Slams Islamic
Nations' Group for Comments made by Independent Permanent Human Rights
Commission on Yasin Malik Court Ruling
A special NIA court this
week awarded life sentence to Malik in a terror-funding case. (Image: AFP)
-----
MAY 28, 2022
India on Friday described as “unacceptable" the
comments made by OIC-IPHRC (Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission)
criticising New Delhi for the court ruling against Kashmiri separatist leader
Yasin Malik.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi
said the world seeks “zero tolerance" against terrorism and urged the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) not to justify it in any manner.
“India finds unacceptable the comments made by
OIC-IPHRC today criticising India for the judgement in the case of Yasin
Malik," Bagchi said. “Through these comments, OIC-IPHRC has implicitly
expressed support for the terrorist activities of Yasin Malik, which were
documented and presented in the court," he said.
Bagchi was responding to media queries regarding the
comments made by the OIC-IPHRC on the judgement of an NIA court against Malik.
“The world seeks zero tolerance of terrorism and we urge OIC not to justify it
any manner," the spokesperson said.
A special NIA court this week awarded life sentence to
Malik in a terror-funding case.
The Kashmiri leader had earlier pleaded guilty to all
the charges, including those under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention
Act (UAPA) in the case. The NIA court awarded life imprisonment based on
section 121 (waging war against India) of the IPC and section 17 (raising funds
for terror act) of the UAPA.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which was
probing the case, had sought death penalty for Malik.
Malik, 56, has also been fined more than Rs 10 lakh as
the court imposed different amounts for different sections he has been booked
under.
Special Judge Praveen Singh also awarded varying jail
terms for various offences under the UAPA and IPC. All the sentences will run
concurrently.
Special judge Praveen Singh had on May 19 convicted
Malik and directed the NIA authorities to assess his financial situation to
determine the amount of fine likely to be imposed. Malik was facing a maximum
punishment of the death penalty, while the minimum sentence for the offences
committed by him is life imprisonment.
Source: News18
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Taliban Dismisses UNSC’s Call to Reverse Restrictions
on Afghan Women Human Rights
Representative image (file photo)
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28 May, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], May 28 (ANI): The call of the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to lift the Taliban’s strict measures on
Afghan women has been dismissed by the Taliban forces who have termed it as
“unfounded.”
Reaffirming the Taliban’s commitment to Afghan women’s
rights, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the concerns of the
UNSC on Friday regarding the restriction of human and fundamental rights
imposed upon Afghan women, reported Khaaama Press.
“Since the people of Afghanistan are predominantly
Muslim, the Afghan government considers the observance of Islamic hijab to be
in line with the religious and cultural practices of society,” stated Abdul
Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson of the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf
of the Ministry.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Security Council called on the
Taliban to “swiftly reverse” the policies restricting the human rights and
fundamental rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, Khaama Press reported.
UNSC, in a joint statement, expressed deep concerns
over the situation of Afghan women and girls following the Taliban’s
restrictions on education, employment, freedom of movement, and the full,
equal, and meaningful participation of women in public life.
The UN Security Council also called on the Taliban to
reopen the schools for all female students without further delay, reported
Khaama Press.
The Taliban’s statement comes at a time when the
United Nations(UN) Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennet recently
commented that the measures such as the suspension of girls’ secondary
education, enforcing a strict form of Hijab, and no opportunities to
participate in political and public life, among others, fit the pattern of
absolute gender segregation and are aimed at making women invisible in society.
Concluding his 11-day visit to Afghanistan to assess
the condition of human rights in Afghanistan, Bennet said, “I expressed serious
concern about the deterioration of human rights across the country, and the
erasure of women from public life is especially concerning,”
Unrecognized by most of the international community,
the Taliban-led government has committed to disrespecting the human rights of
women. (ANI)
Source: The Print
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original story:
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Palestinian, Lebanese resistance hail Iraqi
parliament’s ‘historic’ criminalization of ties with Israel
Palestinian resistance
groups, along with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have praised the Iraqi parliament’s new
law to make it illegal for the country to ever normalize its relations with the
Israeli regime.
-----
27 May 2022
Palestinian resistance groups, along with Lebanon’s
Hezbollah, have praised the Iraqi parliament’s new law to make it illegal for
the country to ever normalize its relations with the Israeli regime.
In a statement on Friday, the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine depicted the passing of the new law as a “historic and
decisive” move that expresses support for the Palestinian cause.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also hailed the move,
stressing that the Iraqi parliament’s decision blocked the infiltration
corridors for the Zionist enemy.
The statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said
that yesterday’s resolution would prevent the enemy from trying to infiltrate
the Arab capitals further through the normalization project.
In a separate statement, Hezbollah noted that the
“honorable and courageous stance” shows “Iraq’s firm and permanent position
alongside the Palestinian cause, which was affected by neither the American
occupation nor the difficult economic and political conditions that Iraq has
experienced in recent years.”
The movement said that it considers the decision a
major and a key step in confronting the shameful process of normalization
undertaken by some Arab countries.
Hezbollah called on Arab nations to learn from the
Iraqi example and work in various arenas to issue the necessary legislations
and laws to confront normalization at all levels.
US ‘disturbed’ by anti-normalization law
Meanwhile, the US government expressed its anger over
the new law, claiming that it was in violation of freedom of expression and
promoted an “environment of anti-Semitism.”
In a press statement on Friday, the US State
Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington is “deeply disturbed by the
Iraqi Parliament’s passage of legislation that criminalizes normalization of
relations with Israel.”
Meanwhile, Iraq’s influential Shia cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr hit back at the remarks, saying that the Iraqi nation is not anti-Semitic,
but anti-oppression, anti-occupation, and anti-terror.
The cleric wrote in a statement on Friday that “We
support the Christian and Jewish minorities while you expel the Arabs and the
Muslims. We condemn the behavior of ISIS (Daesh), while you support Western
extremism.”
Referring to the double standards by the western
governments, he sarcastically addressed their actions and wrote: “Anti-Semitism
is forbidden, compromise [with the Zionist regime] is mandatory; The killing of
worshipers in New Zealand mosques is not terrorism; Resistance to occupation
means terrorism; Moving the Arabs from Al-Quds and preventing them from
entering it, is a humane act! Is this your policy?!”
Back in September 2020, the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain signed normalization deals with Israel. Morocco and Sudan later signed
similar agreements with the Israeli regime as well.
The so-called Abraham Accords were pushed by the US
under former president Donald Trump.
Palestinians have denounced the normalization deals,
describing them as a “stab in the back” and a “betrayal” to their cause.
Back in late November last year, the Iraqi Foreign
Ministry reiterated Baghdad’s support for the Palestinian cause, stressing that
the Arab country categorically rejects any normalization scheme with the
Israeli regime.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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US Top Diplomat Urges Israel to Conclude Shireen Abu
Akleh Investigation
A file photo of Al Jazeera
journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh. Courtesy Khuloud Assaf attari
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Michael Hernandez
27.05.2022
WASHINGTON
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel on
Friday to conclude its inquiry into the murder of veteran journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh.
Blinken "underscored the importance of concluding
the investigations into the death of Palestinian-American Shireen Abu
Akleh" during a call with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, State
Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Abu Akleh, a 51-year-old reporter for Al Jazeera, was
killed May 11 while reporting on an Israeli raid in Jenin, a city in the
occupied West Bank.
Eyewitnesses and her employer maintained she was
killed by Israeli forces.
A Palestinian investigation concluded on Thursday that
Abu Akleh was intentionally killed by an Israeli sniper.
"An Israeli sniper directly fired a bullet at
AbuAkleh’s head while she was trying to escape, although she was wearing a
helmet and a vest that was clearly marked with the word ‘PRESS,’” Palestinian
attorney general Akram Al-Khatib said Thursday.
Al-Khatib noted that other journalists who were
accompanying Abu Akleh were also "deliberately" targeted by gunfire.
He said the bullet that killed the Palestinian
journalist had general and specific markings that match a Mini Ruger
semi-automatic sniper weapon.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera announced that it will send Abu
Akleh’s murder case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"The Network vows to follow every path to achieve
justice for Shireen, and ensure those responsible for her killing are brought
to justice and held accountable in all international justice and legal
platforms and courts," it said on its website.
Blinken and Lapid also discussed "the importance
of Israelis and Palestinians working to maintain calm," Price said.
"They also spoke of common efforts to confront
global challenges, including those posed by Iran and its proxies. Secretary
Blinken reiterated the Administration’s steadfast commitment to Israel’s
security and emphasized U.S. support for a negotiated two-state solution,"
he added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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original story:
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In Southeast Asia, Social Media Preachers Under The
Spotlight
Indonesian preacher Abdul
Somad Batubara. Photo: The Straits Times
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May 28, 2022
Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara has been in
the headlines for being denied entry into Singapore over his extremist
teachings.
The Straits Times' Asian Insider looks at the rise of
social media preachers like him and why some are concerned about these
trends.
RISE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PREACHERS
Sitting before a Muslim congregation, controversial
Indonesian preacher Abdul Somad Batubara made disparaging remarks about the
Christian crucifix.
"There's an infidel djinn (spirit) in the
crucifix," he said during a sermon at a mosque in Pekanbaru, the capital
of Riau province, courting laughter. The footage went viral on social media in
August 2019, sparking massive public outcry.
Both Christians and Muslims said the 45-year-old
preacher, popularly known as Ustaz Abdul Somad or by his initials UAS, had
defamed a religious symbol, stoked anti-Christian sentiments and threatened
Indonesia's national unity.
Renowned Islamic scholar Quraish Shihab said the
preacher's remarks were excessive and advised him to apologise. In defence,
Somad insisted his teachings were confined to only Muslims and made in a
private space.
The rise of religious extremism in the world's most
populous Muslim country, coupled with a strong appetite for digital media, has
led to the ascent of new Islamic authority figures and catapulted preachers
like Mr Somad to fame.
EXTREME PREACHERS COULD TRIGGER TENSIONS, HARM IF LEFT
UNCHECKED
It has been two weeks since controversial Indonesian
preacher Abdul Somad Batubara was denied entry into Singapore for his
segregationist and extremist teachings.
The issue has blown up in the media, partly owing to
his legion of Internet fans - there are 6.5 million on Instagram, 2.72 million
on YouTube and 709,000 on Facebook.
Then his supporters staged protests demanding an
apology in Jakarta and in Medan, North Sumatra, and spammed the social media
accounts of President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other
Singapore leaders.
Voices poured in, not only from the public, but also
from political leaders, Islamic scholars, and terror experts in the region.
While some accused Singapore of Islamophobia, most
were respectful of its stance to prevent radical views from entering its
shores.
As far as the Indonesian government is concerned, any
sovereign country, be it Singapore or Indonesia, reserves the right to deny
anyone entry.
WHAT 'MESMERISING' FOREIGN PREACHERS SAY MAY AFFECT
HARMONY IN SINGAPORE
Their speeches are fiery compared with their Singapore
counterparts and sprinkled with stories that make viewers laugh, keeping them
hooked for hours. Such social media preachers from Indonesia have gained a
following in homes elsewhere in the region, including the Republic, in recent years.
Their audience, especially the older generation, might
find them "mesmerising", said Muhammad Saiful Alam Shah Sudiman, an
associate research fellow with the International Centre for Political Violence
and Terrorism Research.
"The delivery is usually full of passion, coupled
with humour or zikir that is soothing to the soul," he added, referring to
religious chants. "The language and lingo are also pleasant to the
ears."
However, observers like Saiful, who studied Islamic
theology at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, noted that such preachers can have
adverse implications for a multiracial, multi-religious society like Singapore,
and threaten harmony.
ONLINE HATE SPEECH BY PREACHER DENIED ENTRY COULD
CAUSE DIVISIONS IN SINGAPORE: EXPERT
The use of online hate speech by Indonesian preacher
Abdul Somad Batubara who was barred from entering Singapore could cause serious
polarisation between Muslims and non-Muslims here, an observer said on Friday
(May 27).
Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, who heads the International
Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS), said that based on his observations,
the authorities look at the current and past comments from preachers like Somad
in deciding whether or not to bar their entry.
The rise of such radical social media preachers is a
topic that Prof Kumar touches on in his new book Extremist Islam: Recognition
and Response in Southeast Asia, launched on Friday.
Source: The Daily Star
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India
Bihar Parties Agree On Extending Caste Census To
Muslims: ‘Why Exclude Anyone?’
By Santosh Singh | Patna |
May 27, 2022
Ahead of a meeting of 10 parties in Bihar on June 1,
all the leading outfits on Friday told The Indian Express that they supported
the inclusion of castes in the Muslim community in the state’s proposed caste
census.
Janata Dal (United) national spokesperson K C Tyagi
pointed out that the Mandal Commission had “duly identified OBCs among
Muslims”. He said, “Let the caste census or survey count all castes and clear
claims and counter-claims regarding numbers of each caste group for once and
all.”
Tyagi added that though there could be questions on
the Constitutional validity of such a survey, the state government could use
the data in its list for job reservations.
The state BJP, which has seen some of its central
leaders differ on the issue, also backed the idea. Bihar BJP president Dr
Sanjay Jaiswal said, “Castes among Muslims should be counted as well. When you
are giving OBC (Other Backward Classes) and EBC (Extremely Backward Class)
reservations (to Muslims), then it should be justified by their numbers as
well.”
A senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be named,
said the caste survey should be done along the lines of Telengana’s Samagra
Kutumb Survey in which questions were asked on families’ socio-economic status
rather than just their caste and numbers.
Jamui MP and Lok Janata Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag
Paswan said, “We mooted the idea of counting castes among Muslims and other
minority groups as we have a federal structure and there are state and central
lists. Unless we know the exact number of beneficiaries in a caste group, the
benefits of reservation and welfare schemes will not reach them. Now that we
are meeting to have our own caste census, let us count them all — castes and
sub-castes, irrespective of their religion.”
Asked if the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) wants Muslims
to be counted en bloc or caste wise, the party’s national spokesperson Subodh
Kumar said, “There is no question of any objection to counting castes among
Muslims. Caste has been the biggest socio-economic determinant. We are very
much in favour of counting castes and sub-castes among Muslims as well. The
Mandal Commission and the Sachar Committee already discussed it and several
castes from Muslims have been in central and state lists.”
Source: Indian Express
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Gyanvapi Mosque Committee Urges Varanasi Court To Not
Make Survey Visuals Public
28 MAY 2022
The Gyanvapi Mosque committee has urged the Varanasi
district court to not make videos, photographs and commission reports on the
Mosque survey matter public. A letter was written on behalf of the Anjuman
Intrageniya Committee to the court that referred to applications in the court
for the certified copy of the commission's order.
Speaking to reporters, Merajuddin Siddiqui, a lawyer
for the committee said that the committee pleaded that the survey matter is
only shared with the concerned parties. The report will be released on May 30.
Earlier, on May 20, the Supreme Court transferred the
civil suit filed by Hindu devotees on Gyanvapi mosque from civil judge (senior
division) to district judge of Varanasi, citing complexities and sensitivity of
the case and saying it is better for a senior judicial officer to handle it.
Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the
Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, said an undertaking should be
given that Hindu devotees will not proceed with the civil court proceedings.
Source: Outlook India
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Mathura case: Application Filed For Status Quo On
Mosque Premises In Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Dispute Case
28 MAY 2022
Three applications were filed in the court of civil
judge (senior division) in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh in the Krishna
Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah dispute case, requesting among other things that the
status quo be maintained on the mosque premises, officials said.
The applications were submitted in the court of Jyoti
Singh as part of a suit filed in the name of deity Sri Krishna Virajman and
Lucknow-resident Manish Yadav, who claims to be a descendant of Lord Krishna,
in 2020 for shifting the mosque.
The petitioners have claimed that the mosque is
constructed on a part of 13.37 acre land of Katra Keshav Dev temple.
Earlier, the petitioners had moved the court with a
plea for a survey of the mosque. The court has fixed July 1 as the next date of
hearing on the reopening of courts after summer vacation.
District Government Counsel (Civil) Sanjai Gaur Friday
said the three new applications demanded: a) maintaining the status quo on the
mosque premises, b) appointing two assistant advocate commissioners, and c)
ordering the presence of district level officers at the time of an on-spot
inspection of the mosque by advocate commissioner.
In the status quo application, the petitioners have
claimed that some "vital signs" of Hindu temples have been buried
inside the mosque.
The counsel for the petitioner has expressed
apprehension that these signs may be defaced, disfigured or eliminated together
during the long summer vacation of the court.
The only solution is to order the status quo on the
mosque premises, the counsel requested.
In the second application, the counsel said,
considering the large area of the mosque, the court has been requested to
appoint two assistant advocate commissioners to assist senior advocate
commissioner during a spot inspection and also present their own independent
report to the court.
Source: Outlook India
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Petition in Supreme Court seeks 'confidential' survey
of all mosques with wells, ponds
May 27, 2022
A Petition has been filed by two advocates before the
Supreme Court seeking a confidential survey of ancient prominent mosques that
have wells or ponds in India, amid a row involving Gyanvapi mosque and Qutub
Minar.
The petitioners sought a confidential survey by
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on all prominent mosques that have
wells/ponds or allow 'wazu' to be performed inside the mosque.
The petition also sought directions for the shifting
of wuzu or wudu ( the Islamic procedure followed by Muslims for cleansing parts
of the body before offering prayers) from the ponds and wells in mosques over a
hundred years old.
According to petitioners, a confidential survey could
be completed so that if any relic is discovered, unnecessary communal hatred
and hurting religious sentiments could be avoided.
The plea filed by Delhi-based advocates Shubham Awasthi
and Saptarishi Mishra, represented by advocate Vivek Narayan Sharma, claimed:
"A shivling was found at the pond/well in the Gyanvapi temple complex. It
was found in the pond/well where Muslims perform Wuzu. Over the last many
decades, the practice of Wuzu has continued there, which shows wilful malice
towards the sacred shivling and an antipathy towards Hindu gods or relics
considered sacred and worshipped by Hindus and this is tantamount to hurting
the religious sentiments of Hindus."
It further said: It is widely known that a lot of
Hindu/Jain/Sikhs/Buddhist temples and places of worship were desecrated during
the medieval period. Thus, it is common sense that a lot of relics/deities in
these ancient places of worship would belong to religions other than Islam.
Mutual co-operation and harmony demand that the remnants of mosques be
respected and steps be taken to take care of ancient religious relics and for
their return too."
QUTUB MINAR CONTROVERSY
A controversy erupted after ASI’s ex-regional director
Dharamveer Sharma claimed that the Qutub Minar was constructed by Raja
Vikramaditya and not by Qutb al-Din Aibak, to study the direction of the sun.
India Today has accessed an Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) report from 1871-72 that unearthed evidence of the mosque on the
Qutub Minar complex having been built at the site of Hindu temples. Former ASI
director Dr Amrendra Nath corroborated the findings of the ASI report and said
the information presented in the report is “completely true”.
GYANVAPI CASE
Following a court-monitored survey of Gyanvapi mosque
in Varanasi, a structure was found inside the basement. While the Hindu side
claimed it was a shivling, the Muslim side said it was a fountain.
Later on May 17, the Supreme Court ordered the Varanasi
district magistrate to ensure the area where a shivling was purportedly found
is protected without obstructing the Muslim community's right to worship. A
Varanasi Court will hear the matter again on May 30.
Source: India Today
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Kashmiri artiste Amreena’s killers among 4 LeT
terrorists shot dead
May 28, 2022
SRINAGAR: Security forces gunned down four
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists in separate shootouts on Friday, two of whom were
said to be the killers of Kashmiri TV artiste and singer Amreena Bhat, 35, who
was murdered in front of her house at Hushroo in the Chadoora area of central
Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday night.
Kashmir range IGP Vijay Kumar said new LeT recruits
Shahid Mushtaq Bhat of Chadoora and Farhan Habib of south Kashmir’s Pulwama
district were killed in a shootout with a combined team of J&K police, Army
and CRPF in a village at Awantipora, Pulwama. An AK-56 rifle, four magazines and
a pistol were found on them.
Kumar said the two terrorists were identified as the
killers of Amreena. He congratulated the forces for “solving Amreena’s murder”
at the double. The fatal attack on the artiste, who was also popular on video
streaming platforms like YouTube, drew widespread condemnation and outrage as
she was reportedly targeted for acting and singing—considered “immoral” by
terrorist outfits and ultraconservative organisations. The murder evoked
restrictions imposed on Kashmiri women in the 1990s and thereafter.
Two more LeT terrorists were shot dead by a police
search party in the Soura area of Srinagar early Friday. A senior police
officer identified the slain men as Shakir Ahmad Waza and Afreen Aftab
Malik—both from Shopian in south Kashmir, and newly enlisted in the
Pakistan-backed banned outfit. “They were involved in several attacks on police
and security forces.”
Police also captured a Lashkar terrorist with arms and
ammunition in Srinagar’s Bemina locality. “Hybrid terrorist Nasir Ahmad Dar, a
resident of Sopore, tried to flee when guards at a checkpoint asked him to
stop. He was quickly taken into custody. A pistol and a magazine with five
bullets were seized from him,” an officer said. “He delivered weapons to
members of the outfit in Srinagar city.”
IGP Kumar said 10 terrorists—seven from LeT and three
from Jaish-e-Mohammad—were killed over the past three days in Kashmir. He
hailed it as a big success, especially the shooting of Amreena’s killers.
Source: Times Of India
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Karnataka: Dalit man killed over interfaith
relationship, 2 arrested
27th May 2022
Kalaburagi: A 25-year-old Dalit man who was in a
relationship with a Muslim woman was killed in a suspected case of honour
killing here and two persons, including her brother, have been arrested in
connection with the crime, police said on Friday.
Vijay Kumar Kamble was allegedly stabbed and attacked
with a rod on Wednesday night at Wadi here, with the incident reminding of a
similar chilling murder of a Dalit man by his Muslim wife’s brother, who was
opposed to their relationship, in broad public view in Hyderabad earlier this
month.
Police said Kamble and the woman were in love and
wanted to get married, and despite her family’s opposition to the relationship
and warnings, he continued to stay in touch with her.
The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammed
Shahabuddin, the girl’s elder brother and his friend Nawaz.
Shahabuddin is said to have assaulted the victim
earlier too and had threatened him to stay away from his sister.
Based on the complaint filed by the victim’s mother, a
case was registered against the arrested under Sections of IPC including 302 (murder)
and the SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-dalit-man-killed-over-interfaith-relationship-2-arrested-2335864/
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South
Asia
WHO to Immunize Over 5 Million Covid-19 Vaccinations
Across Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal
27 May 2022
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the
start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign across Afghanistan in the coming
days.
The Corona virus vaccine implementation campaign,
according to the WHO’s plans, will begin in June of this year, the organization
announced in a tweet yesterday, May 26.
The process will cover 34 provinces in Afghanistan,
with more than five million people over the age of 18 receiving the corona
vaccination, according to the World Health Organization.
Since the inception of the Corona virus vaccine
program, over 8.5 million people have been vaccinated, according to the latest
figures released to the media by the Taliban-led government’s Ministry of
Public Health.
According to the spokesperson for Ministry of Public
Health, 4.6 million people have been vaccinated within last nine months alone.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/who-to-immunize-over-5-million-covid-19-vaccinations-across-afghanistan46384/
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Doval says India guided by interest of Afghans, urges
Taliban to ensure education for girls
Suhasini Haidar
MAY 27, 2022
At a regional security conference, NSA asserts India’s
special relationship with Afghanistan will continue
Afghanistan must ensure education for girls, National
Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said at the 4th Regional Dialogue on Security
being held in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe.
Emphasising India’s decision to help Afghanistan with
humanitarian aid despite no India-Afghanistan relations with the Taliban
regime, he asserted that India remained an “important stakeholder”
“The special relationship with the people of
Afghanistan over centuries will guide India’s approach. Nothing can change
this,” he stated at the conference of NSAs and State Security Council Chiefs
attended by China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan.
“Women and youth are critical for the future of any
society. Provision of education to girls and employment to women and youth will
ensure productivity and spur growth. It will also have a positive social impact
including discouraging radical ideologies among youth,” he observed, according
to official accounts of the closed-door two-day meeting released to the media.
Girl students issue
In the past few weeks, international calls for the
Taliban to rescind an order that mandated girl students in secondary schools,
from grade 6-12 were not allowed to attend school. India was part of a United
Nations Security Council statement criticising the Taliban regime’s actions, as
well as other restrictions on women in education and employment.
“There is need for all present at the Dialogue to
enhance the capability of Afghanistan to counter terrorism and terrorist groups
which pose a threat to regional peace and security,” Mr. Doval remarked,
according to news agency PTI, indicating that the government is prepared to
distinguish between the Afghan regime and trans-national terror groups.
His comments are significant as India has engaged with
regional and global stakeholders over the past few weeks, with a focus on the
security situation emanating from Afghanistan. Last week, the National Security
Council hosted a five-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting of the
Regional Anti-Terror Structure (SCO-RATS) in Delhi, which included delegates
from Pakistan and China. On Wednesday and Thursday, United States Special envoy
Thomas West met with government officials and also met Afghan leader Dr.
Abdullah Abdullah, who is visiting Delhi.
“Special Representative for Afghanistan (SRA) West was
in India to consult with the Indian government about how we can work together
to support the Afghan people. India is an important partner for addressing
these challenges,” the U.S. Embassy spokesperson told The Hindu on Friday.
Earlier, Mr. West had tweeted that the U.S. would continue to “partner” India
and others in the region to support the Afghan people, citing India’s provision
of “critical humanitarian aid” and key interests to protect in the country.
Engaging Taliban officials
While India has refused to recognise the Taliban
regime, it has engaged Taliban officials in Doha and other locations since
their takeover of Kabul in August 2021. After Pakistan gave clearance for
transit trade access, India has sent about 17000 metric tonnes (MT) of wheat
out of a total commitment of 50000 MT, and has also sent vaccine doses for
COVID-19 and Polio, urgently needed medicines and winter clothing on flights to
Kabul.
Source: The Hindu
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Arab
World
YPG/PKK Terrorists Building Cells To Hold Civilian
Detainees In Tunnels In N. Syria
Ömer Koparan, Ethem Emre Özcan
27.05.2022
MANBIJ/AYN AL-ARAB, Syria
The YPG/PKK terror group is building cells to hold
civilian detainees in tunnels it is digging in northern Syria's Manbij and Ayn
al-Arab regions, according to local sources.
Despite promises by both the US and Russia on the
YPG/PKK terrorist group withdrawing 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Turkiye’s
southern border, the terror group continues to dig tunnels in the cities of
Manbij and Ayn al-Arab, which it continues to occupy in northern Syria.
Footage by Anadolu Agency teams on the ground showed
that tunnels were dug 4 meters (13 feet) under the ground.
The tunnels, about 2 m (6.5 ft) high and 1 m (3.2 ft)
wide, are connected to each other and have excavation tools, cells, crenelated
doors, ventilation gaps, and power lines.
Terrorists are also using civilians they detain in
illegal tunnel excavation works, according to local sources.
The tunnels, hundreds of kilometers long in different
regions that the terror group occupied in northern Syria, are also being
reinforced with concrete against air attacks.
YPG/PKK in Manbij, Tal Rifat, and Ayn Al-Arab, Syria
The YPG/PKK terrorists still threaten the secure
atmosphere of the safe regions with their terrorist attacks in northern Syria.
The YPG/PKK mostly carries out terror attacks in
Manbij, Ayn Al-Arab, and the Tal Rifat district of Aleppo. The terror group
even uses these regions as bases for its attacks.
The terrorist organization, which occupied around
one-third of Syria's territory with support from the US, often targets Azaz,
Marea, al-Bab, Jarablus, Afrin, Tel Abyad, and Ras al-Ayn in northern Syria
with heavy weapons.
Terrorists also often target Turkish security forces
that provide security in the Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring
operation areas, and try to infiltrate the positions of Syrian opposition
fighters from regions that the terror group was supposed to withdraw from under
the agreements with the US and Russia.
After chairing a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara
on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We will soon take
new steps on the incomplete portions of the project we launched on the 30-km
(18.6-mi) safe zone we established along our southern border." Erdogan
said the operation would be launched as soon as the military, intelligence, and
security forces have completed their preparations.
Since 2016, Turkiye has launched a trio of successful
anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the
formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents:
Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Kurdish asylum seekers on hunger strike in Poland
27 May, 2022
Ten Kurdish asylum seekers in Poland on Friday entered
their third week of a hunger strike to protest what they described as
prison-like conditions and a slow immigration process.
“The strike began on May 4,” said Dagmara Bielec, a
spokeswoman for the Polish border guard.
She added that the six Iraqis and four Turks have
requested asylum and are staying at a immigration holding center in Lesznowola,
near the capital Warsaw.
A spokesman for the hunger strikers told AFP that nine
of them had arrived via the border with Belarus and had now spent several
months “confined” to the center.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the man described
the strikers as “very weak, with some of them having begun to refuse beverages
too.”
The asylum seekers are protesting the conditions of
their confinement, including the food, limited telephone and Internet access
and difficulties contacting lawyers.
Since last year, thousands of migrants and refugees –
mostly from the Middle East – have come knocking at the EU member’s door via
its border with Belarus.
Poland has accused the Belarusian regime of
orchestrating the influx and has responded with the construction of a barbed
wire fence and alleged pushbacks.
Rights activists have condemned the strict approach,
pointing to the fact that Poland has simultaneously been welcoming Ukrainian
war refugees with open arms.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Relatives of Albanian ISIS fighters to be repatriated
from Syria
27 May ,2022
Four Albanian women and nine children, all related to
Albanians who joined ISIS extremist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, are
being repatriated from a Syrian camp, a Kurdish official from northeast Syria
said Friday.
Abdul-Karim Omar, an official who negotiates with
countries on the return of their citizens, tweeted that, “13 Albanians (4 women
and 9 children) of the families of ISIS organization were handed over to an
official Albanian government delegation.”
He also posted a photo with Albania’s anti-terror
department chief Alban Dautaj.
The Albanian government did not confirm the report,
but an official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said
the repatriated Albanians were expected to land late Friday night.
Twenty-five other Albanian women and children whose
husbands and fathers joined ISIS and most often have been killed in the
fighting have been brought back home in three previous missions, the last one
in July 2021.
Authorities have not specified the number of Albanians
still in detention camps in Syria, only saying they have been identified. Their
relatives in Albania say 52 children are still in Syria, including the 13 being
repatriated Friday.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lebanon’s exit from default still tough after
inconclusive election, Fitch says
27 May, 2022
Lebanon still has a tough road to exit from default on
its sovereign obligations given the inconclusive outcome of the country’s
parliamentary election on May 15, Fitch Ratings said on Friday.
The election results have left parliament split into
several camps, with Hezbollah and its allies losing their 2018 majority,
raising the prospect of political paralysis that could delay implementing
financial and economic reforms, which are preconditions for support from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international partners.
“The weakening of the pro-Hezbollah bloc will give
greater voice to other parties,” Fitch said in a report on its website, “but we
believe that implementing the IMF’s preconditions will still prove challenging
government formation has historically been a lengthy process and the lack of a
clear winning faction in this latest election suggests it will again take
time.”
Lebanon’s outgoing Cabinet passed a financial recovery
roadmap during its final session a week ago before going into caretaker status.
The plan envisages cancelling “a large part” of the central bank’s foreign
currency obligations to commercial banks and dissolving non-viable banks by
November.
The Lebanese banking association, however, rejected
the roadmap earlier this week, saying that it places the full losses of the
country’s economic meltdown on depositors.
Lebanon’s local currency has lost more than 95 percent
of its value since its economic decline began in 2019, and banks have locked
savers out of hard-currency deposits.
Source: Al Arabiya
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North
America
Canada court reduces Quebec mosque killer's parole
sentence
Barry Ellsworth
27.05.2022
TRENTON, Canada
The man who gunned down six Muslims at a Quebec City
mosque will be eligible for parole after 25 years rather than 40, the Supreme
Court of Canada ruled Friday.
Andre Bissonnette was 27 when he went on a killing
spree, shooting six worshippers at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec and
injuring 19 others Jan. 29, 2017.
He was sentenced in 2019 to 40 years in prison before
becoming eligible for parole. Both the defense and the prosecution appealed the
sentence. The former argued the time should be reduced to 25 years while the
latter called for a stiffer parole ruling of 50 years.
While the court said in its ruling that the shootings
"were of unspeakable horror and left deep and agonizing scars in the heart
of the Muslim community and of Canadian society as a whole," it also said
the original 40-year sentence was unconstitutional.
"The conclusion that imposing consecutive 25-year
parole ineligibility periods is unconstitutional must not be seen as devaluing
the life of each innocent victim," the Supreme Court wrote in its
decision.
"Everyone would agree that multiple murders are
inherently despicable acts and are the most serious of crimes, with
consequences that last forever. This appeal is not about the value of each
human life, but rather about the limits on the state's power to punish
offenders, which, in a society founded on the rule of law, must be exercised in
a manner consistent with the Constitution."
The reduction in parole time was criticized by the
Justice For All Canada Muslim organization.
"The events in 2017 were Canada's worst act of
terror and victims and their families deserve sympathy and justice," Taha
Ghayyur, executive director of Justice For All Canada, said in an email to
Anadolu Agency.
"The renewed leniency in Bissonnette's sentencing
does not send a strong message to such culprits of hate. His parole reduction
also doesn't help those bent on taking their hate to the next level.
Considering how many mass shooters are inspired by Bissonnette, the world
should look to Canada for deradicalizing mass shooters who continue to threaten
minorities."
The Conservative government of then prime minister
Stephen Harper amended the criminal code in 2011 to allow judges to hand down
consecutive sentences in the case of mass murders. That could have meant 150
years with no parole until the sentence was served - 25 years for each killing.
The judge in the Bissonnette case gave a concurrent
sentence - 25 years in total for five murders then added 15 years for the other
killing.
The Supreme Court ruling strikes down the Harper
criminal court provision.
"Sentences of imprisonment for life without a
realistic possibility of parole may also have devastating effects on offenders,
who are left with no incentive to rehabilitate themselves and whose
incarceration will end only upon their death," the Supreme Court ruled.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/canada-court-reduces-quebec-mosque-killers-parole-sentence/2599424
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US sanctions Iran’s Quds Force, Hezbollah
May 27, 2022
DUBAI: The US has designated a network run by the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force an “international oil smuggling
and money laundering network.”
A US Treasury Department report on Wednesday said that
officials had facilitated the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of
Iranian oil for both the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah.
It acted as a critical element of Iran’s oil revenue
generation, and supported proxy militant groups that continued to “perpetuate
conflict and suffering throughout the region.”
The department’s undersecretary for terrorism and
financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said the US would continue to strictly
enforce sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade.
He added that similar sanctions could apply to anyone
purchasing oil from Iran.
Ruwan Al-Rejoleh, a MENA expert and consultant based
in Washington, called the sanctions an “important step.”
“Assisted by Hezbollah, this oil network has been
allowed to operate freely for too long. This is an important step, but the
administration must keep pushing Hezbollah and its allies to the margins,” she
said. “Hezbollah, who control the Lebanese Energy Ministry, recently took
advantage of Lebanon’s energy problems to secure preferential access to the
Lebanese market for their masters in Tehran.”
She said Sonatrach, a state-owned Algerian company,
had been responsible for sending fuel oil to Lebanon and that its exit had
“exacerbated the country’s already crippling” energy problems.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2090971/middle-east
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Southeast
Asia
Crazy to ‘enforce’ Malay in civil service, says Rafidah
May 28, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Rafidah Aziz has slammed Chief
Secretary to the Government Zuki Ali for calling on the public service
department (JPA) to consider punitive measures to “enforce” the use of Malay in
the civil service.
The former international trade and industry minister
said civil servants’ competence in English used to be a key driver in
attracting high-quality foreign investments.
Rafidah pointed out that when she was leading the
international trade and industry ministry (Miti), she had asked for all of the
ministry’s communications to be conducted in English, to ensure efficiency in
the delivery of its services.
“Every year, the private sector honoured Miti with the
annual enterprise award. Communication was facilitated and effective.
“The vision and reference point was ‘Malaysia in the
regional and global infrastructure’. Not Malaysia in its own ‘syok sendiri’,
tiny, self-wound cocoon.
“If this mindset of being inward-looking persists,
with penalties imposed for communicating with the rest of the world in English,
then we will be the bureaucratic pariahs in Asean,” she said in a statement
today.
Earlier this week, Zuki was reported to have said that
JPA needs to consider punitive measures to enforce the use of Malay in the
civil service and other government-related agencies, including
government-linked companies.
He said this was in line with Prime Minister Ismail
Sabri Yaakob’s announcement that Malay would be used not only within the
country but also internationally.
Rafidah described the move as regressive, saying civil
servants should instead be raising their proficiency in English and other
relevant languages.
She especially sympathised with Miti officers and
others who still needed to deal with the foreign community, should they be
forced to comply with the use of Malay on all official matters.
Rafidah said that not equipping young Malaysians with
the language and communication skills to effectively address the rest of the
world would be doing a disservice to the country.
“We should be progressing and moving forward, not
regressing and sliding backwards and downwards. We must focus on substance, not
on mere form.”
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Putrajaya, Tokyo ink deal to send skilled Malaysians
to work in Japan
May 28, 2022
PUTRAJAYA: A joint committee will be set up to
implement the memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to send skilled Malaysian workers
to work in Japan, says human resources minister M Saravanan.
The MoC was finalised between Saravanan and Japanese
justice minister Yoshihisa Furukawa on Thursday. The exchange of documents was
witnessed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Japanese counterpart,
Fumio Kishida, yesterday.
Saravanan said in a statement today that his ministry
would lead the joint committee for Malaysia.
“The MoC will act as the best platform for eligible
skilled Malaysian workers to work in the advanced technology-based ecosystem in
Japan,” he said.
Through this exposure and experience acquired, he said
Malaysian workers would have the opportunity to explore various fields of
technology which were the pulse of the industrial sector in Japan.
“(Malaysian workers) will be able to bring back the
skills they learn as well as the work culture of Japan to Malaysia after their
employment contract ends over there,” Saravanan said.
He said Japan was identified as a country that offered
high wages to skilled workers.
“Therefore, Malaysian skilled workers who participate
in the programme will be able to enjoy a higher income and improve their
socio-economic standing.
“In fact, the work experience in Japan can also
increase the marketability of the workers,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Bar to hold protest over ‘judicial intimidation’
Ho Kit Yen
May 27, 2022
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar says it will hold a
“peaceful protest” to voice dissatisfaction about judicial intimidation.
Bar Council president Karen Cheah said lawyers voted
in favour of a motion at an extraordinary general meeting today to condemn an
investigation by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) into Court of
Appeal judge Nazlan Mohd Ghazali.
The investigation was made following a report about an
unexplained sum of more than RM1 million in his bank account. MACC has said the
investigation papers have been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for
further advice and action.
The Bar said constitutional procedures should be
followed in the probe, contending that the Federal Constitution provides for
complaints about alleged judicial misconduct to be handled in a manner that
ensures continued public confidence in the judiciary.
Earlier this month, six former Bar presidents (Mah
Weng Kwai, Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, Yeo Yang Poh, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Lim Chee
Wee and Steven Thiru) urged the current office bearers to hold a “walk for
justice” to protest against claims of “intimidation” of the judiciary.
During Ambiga’s tenure, she had led 2,000 members to
walk from the Palace of Justice to the Prime Minister’s Office to urge the
government of then prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to set up a Royal
Commission of Inquiry into a judge-fixing scandal.
Cheah said a meeting would be held tomorrow to discuss
the protest.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Mideast
Hamas challenges Israel over nationalist flag march in Jerusalem
27 May, 2022
The Palestinian militant group Hamas that runs the
Gaza Strip is looking to impose new red lines in Jerusalem, epicenter of the
decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, even if that risks
provoking another war.
For years, flag-waving Israeli nationalists have
staged an annual march through Jerusalem to celebrate Israel’s capture of the
Old City in the 1967 Middle East war.
The procession through the narrow streets of the
Muslim quarter was always controversial, but legal efforts to ban the event
failed, with supporters arguing that it was a legitimate festival marking an
extraordinary moment in Jewish history.
Hamas significantly raised the stakes last year,
firing rockets into Israel minutes after the 2021 march kicked off, triggering
an 11-day war.
Leaders of the group say they are ready for renewed
violence on Sunday if the Israeli government does not keep this year’s march
out of Muslim neighborhoods.
“They can avoid a war and escalation if they stop this
mad (march),” Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters in Gaza this
week.
For many Palestinians, the march is a blatant
provocation and a gross violation of one of the few places in the city,
increasingly hemmed in by Jewish development and settlement, which retains a
strong Arab flavor.
For Hamas it is also a religious affront, given the
Old City is home to the al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in
Islam, which Jews also revere as the Temple Mount - a vestige of their faith’s
two ancient temples.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has defended a decision
by security officials to let Sunday’s procession enter Damascus Gate and pass
through the Muslim quarter.
Some members of his coalition have urged him to
rethink the route and suggested there might be a last-minute change of heart.
However, a senior Western diplomatic source doubted that Bennett would bow to
Hamas’s demand.
“He has only been in office for a year and it would
make him look weak,” said the diplomat, who declined to be named.
Funerals and riots
Israel sees all of Jerusalem as its eternal and
indivisible capital, while Palestinians want the eastern section as a capital
of their future state. Hamas sees all of modern-day Israel as occupied.
“For Israel, Jerusalem is off the table, for the
Palestinians it is the table. It is their Alamo,” said Daniel Seidemann, an
Israeli lawyer and campaigner for Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem.
Tensions have been rising in the city for weeks.
There were repeated clashes between Palestinians and
Israeli police in the al-Aqsa compound in April, during the holy month of
Ramadan, with Muslims angered by rising numbers of Jewish visitors to the
mosque esplanade.
On one night during Ramadan, youths managed to smuggle
into the site a gigantic banner showing a Hamas fighter, which they hung up in
front of the gilded seventh-century Dome of the Rock.
“A few years ago that would have been unthinkable. It
shows that Hamas’s defense of Jerusalem is resonating and that support for them
is growing,” the Western diplomat said.
Two weeks ago, the funeral of al-Jazeera journalist
Shireen Abu Akleh, killed during an Israeli army West Bank raid, descended into
chaos when police charged the mourners. Two days later, the funeral procession
of a young man fatally injured in al-Aqsa clashes led to a full-blown riot in
East Jerusalem.
A senior Israeli lawmaker from the ruling coalition
said this week it was too risky to let Sunday’s march continue in its present
form given the tensions.
“We should not, with our own hands, cause a religious
war here or all kinds of provocations that are liable to ignite the Middle
East,” Ram Ben-Barak told Kan radio.
Highlighting his concerns over likely violence, the US
Embassy in Jerusalem has banned US government employees and their families from
entering the Old City on Sunday and has said Damascus Gate is off-limits to
them until further notice.
However, calls for a rethink of the route have been
scorned by the organizers, who deny that the procession, which often features
anti-Arab chanting, is a provocation.
“It’s all about celebration, of the liberation of
Jerusalem and the return of the Jewish people to the Jewish city, Jerusalem,”
said Arieh King, a Jerusalem deputy mayor.
For Hamas such sentiment is an anathema - highlighting
the impossibility of reconciling two diametrically opposed visions of history.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran's Top Security Official: US Should Unfreeze
Afghanistan's Assets, Compensate for Damages
2022-May-28
Shamkhani made the remarks on Friday, addressing the
fourth meeting of the Regional Security Dialogue in Tajikistan’s capital of
Dushanbe.
He said terrorism and extremism are among the main
causes of insecurity in Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, we have alarming evidence of the
presence and involvement of some regional and extra-regional countries in the
transfer of terrorists to Afghanistan.”
Shamkhani urged regional countries to focus on efforts
that would boost security and put joint deterrent measures on the agenda to
prevent insecurity and instability.
Iran’s top security official emphasized that all
countries and Afghanistan’s acting Taliban government must fulfill their
responsibilities in this regard.
Shamkhani pointed to the regional circumstances, not
least in Afghanistan over the years and the disgraceful defeat of the United
States there, and said Washington must not only release the frozen assets of
the Afghan people, but also compensate for the damage it has caused in the war-ravaged
country.
He pointed the finger at the US, saying Washington and
its “wrong expansionist” policies are at fault for the “two catastrophes of the
20-year war in Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine.”
Shamkhani referred to Iran's efforts to boost security
in its neighboring country, and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always
called for the establishment of security, peace, and stability in Afghanistan
and deems it necessary for the development and welfare of Afghans and other
nations in the region.”
He said Iran has been hosting about five million
Afghans in recent years, and this issue has created a host of issues for the
country due to the absence of effective international aid and the existence of
cruel sanctions.
Shamkhani said discrimination and deprivation of
rights in various fields are among the main factors that allow terrorist groups
to abuse the situation in Afghanistan. The establishment of a broad-based
government in Afghanistan, he said, would promote stability.
Shamkhani also underscored the importance of adopting
proper ways to solve Afghanistan's problems, particularly in the economic
sector.
In relevant remarks on Friday, Shamkhani in a meeting
with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev voiced concern over the
unfolding developments in Afghanistan and the emergence of various terrorist
groups in the country.
Also, in a
meeting with National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India Ajit
Kumar Doval KC in Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe on Thursday, Shamkhani said
that the formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all
ethnic and religious groups is one of the requirements for stability in
Afghanistan.
"Developments in Afghanistan, given its direct
impact on regional security, is one of the main issues that should be
constantly on the agenda of regional talks," Iran's top security official
said.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iranian Official Raps Ottawa for Failure to Separate
Sports from Politics
2022-May-28
“Canada’s decision to call off a friendly with Iran is
testimony to the fact that the so-called Land of the Free can’t keep politics
off the pitch,” Qaribabadi wrote on his twitter page on Friday.
On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed
Khatibzadeh accused Canada of politicizing the match and warned that Canada
Soccer would be held responsible for any violations of its agreement with
Iran’s football federation if the match was cancelled.
It came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said the friendly game against Iran “wasn't a very good idea”, criticizing his
country’s football boy for plans to host the match.
Canada Soccer, the governing body of football in
Canada, on Thursday announced it had cancelled the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
friendly match with Iran that was scheduled to be held in Vancouver on June 5.
“Over the past week, the untenable geopolitical
situation of hosting Iran became significantly divisive, and in response, the
match was cancelled,” Canada Soccer said in a statement on Thursday.
“While we considered the external factors in selecting
the optimal opponent in our original decision-making process, we will strive to
do better moving forward.”
More than 40,000 tickets had been sold for the match
at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.’
Source: Fars News Agency
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Palestinian teen killed by Israel forces in occupied
West Bank
27 May, 2022
A Palestinian teenager was shot by Israeli troops
Friday near the town of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank and later died of
his wounds, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Zayd Mohammed Ghouneim was shot in the back and neck
and died in hospital of his wounds, a ministry statement said.
Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was not
immediately in a position to comment on the matter.
Earlier on Friday, Israeli forces injured almost 90
people in protests in the occupied West Bank, the Palestine Red Crescent
Society said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkey seeks ‘concrete steps’ from Finland, Sweden to
accept their NATO membership
27 May 2022
Turkish foreign minister says his country has called
on Sweden and Finland to take concrete actions and stop supporting terrorist
groups in order for Ankara to agree to their NATO membership bid.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Mevlut
Cavusoglu told reporters that “a concrete step needs to be taken regarding
Turkey’s concern.”
“They have to cut the support given to terrorism,”
Cavusoglu said, referring to the two Nordic states.
Ending decades of military neutrality, Finland and
Sweden formally applied to join NATO last week, in a bid to boost security
following Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.
All 30 NATO members must unanimously agree on
admitting new members, so that they can benefit from the pact’s
collective-security guarantee.
However, Turkey has opposed their bid, accusing the
two Nordic countries of giving a safe haven to forces linked to the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) militant group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, who
orchestrated a 2016 coup attempt.
The development came as Swedish and Finnish
delegations met with Turkish officials in Ankara on Wednesday to address their
objections to their NATO bids.
In a news conference after the talks that lasted about
five hours, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that Turkey will
obstruct their process of joining the NATO if the two Nordic states fail to
address Ankara’s “security concerns” related to the pair’s support for PKK in
Turkey.
Source: Press TV
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Pakistan
Religious Affairs Minister, Mufti Abdul Shakoor,
Delivers Self-Aggrandising Speech On Foreign Trip
Amir Wasim
May 28, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session was prorogued
on Friday without taking up any agenda item on the last day, as Deputy Speaker
Zahid Akram Durrani provided full opportunity to Federal Minister for Religious
Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor to deliver a speech during the question hour to
justify his recent visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia in
the wake of criticism in some circles.
During a self-praising speech in the name of a policy
statement on Haj, the minister told the house he had been invited by some Arab
“organisers” to Abu Dhabi to attend a conference on the issue of interfaith
harmony and how he managed to get from them a ticket to Saudi Arabia to examine
Haj arrangements.
Previously, he said, the former religious affairs
ministers used to visit Saudi Arabia for Haj arrangements by using “Pakistan’s
national exchequer”, but he had saved money for the country by putting a
condition before the UAE organisers that he would attend the event only if they
provided him with the ticket for the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
“I told [the organisers] they will have to arrange his
air ticket to Saudi Arabia and that not a single rupee of Pakistan will be
spent on it,” he boasted, adding that his condition was accepted.
Explains how he managed to get a ticket to Saudi
Arabia from UAE to examine Haj arrangements
“I reached Riyadh at their (organisers’) expense
without spending a single rupee of Pakistan,” he said, adding that he also
attended a Motamar-i-Alam-i-Islami (World Muslim Congress) there.
“Then, at the expense of Arabs, I performed Umrah [and
then] started my work and visited houses (where Pakistani pilgrims stay during
the Haj),” he added.
Without naming anyone, he said some people were
criticising him and saying that he had gone on an excursion trip. Stating that
he had never been fond of visiting places for recreation, he declared that no
one could prove that he had ever visited a foreign country before becoming MNA.
“Yes, I had gone for Haj and Umrah.”
Mufti Shakoor, an MNA of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl
(JUI-F) from the erstwhile tribal areas, said his speeches in Abu Dhabi and
Riyadh were lauded by the religious affairs ministers of the Muslim world and
other participants.
The minister said those who had arranged the UAE
programme were so impressed with his speech that they came to the airport with
him, where they informed him that they had decided to launch 14 scholarship
programmes for the Pakistani students.
In his speech, he also lashed out at former prime
minister Imran Khan and alleged that there was massive corruption in the Haj
affairs during the time of the previous Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)
government and vowed to expose it. The deputy speaker, who also belongs to the
JUI-F, expunged some of Mufti Shakoor’s remarks he had passed for Imran Khan.
The minister said he was making efforts to bring down
Haj expenses to Rs650,000. He said Saudi Arabia, which was also facing economic
problems, had fixed an expense of 9,500 riyals for each intending pilgrim of
D-category, adding that had there been the PTI government, the Haj expense
would have been up to Rs1.1 million.
The minister said his ministry had hired residential
buildings in Makkah at the rate of 2,100 riyals per head against the rate of
3,500 riyals paid in 2019. Similarly, he said, in Madina, pilgrims had to pay
2,100 riyals per bed for a week, whereas he had brought down the rate to 750 riyals.
He said the government of Saudi Arabia had also reduced food and transport
expenses at Pakistan’s request.
He said he was shocked to know about the Haj expenses
when he was briefed about it after taking charge as the minister.
“I made it clear that I would prefer to resign and
leave the government rather than announcing the expensive Haj,” he said amid
desk-thumping by some members. He vowed that an affordable package for the
minorities would also be introduced soon to facilitate them in visiting their
sacred places.
The minister’s claim of reducing the Haj expense to
Rs650,000 was challenged by the lone Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) member in the house,
Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, who questioned that if the minister was right,
why the banks were collecting Rs800,000 from the intending pilgrims.
Maulana Chitrali said: “If it is correct what the
minister has said, I would like to congratulate him. But I want to put a
question before the Maulana sahib. On the one hand, the pilgrims are being
asked to deposit Rs800,000 and on the other hand, Maulana sahib is saying that
they will bring it down to Rs650,000. Take notice of it.”
Source: Dawn
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Army kept Nawaz Sharif in the dark whether Sindh or Balochistan
would be the final destination
May 28 2022
By Rahul Kumar
New Delhi, May 28: The Washington-based Baloch
American Congress (BAC) has unfurled the campaign for the independence of
Balochistan from Pakistan. The BAC is lobbying with American Congressmen as
well as collecting petitions from the common people to pressurise Pakistan to
stop extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances of the Baloch
community.
India Narrative catches up with Dr Tara Chand,
president of the BAC, who is raising awareness about the basic human rights of
the Baloch nation amongst the people in the US. He says that because of the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) both Pakistan and China are complicit
in the ethnic cleansing of the Baloch people—which comprises less than 10 per
cent of the Pakistani population with over 45 per cent of Pakistan's landmass
endowed with minerals.
Dr Tara Chand is amplifying the voice of the Baloch
people in the US against human rights violations by Pakistan (Photo: Dr Tara
Chand)
Excerpts from the interview:
Q: At one time you were a minister in Balochistan, so
why is it that you are in exile in the US now?
Tara Chand: I was always active in Baloch politics. I
had joined the Baloch Students Organisation in school and after completing my
education joined the Balochistan National Party (BNP) led by chief of the
influential Mengal tribe, Sardar Akhtar Mengal. I won the general elections in
1997 and became a minister under Chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal's
leadership.
One day while watching the news we came to know that
the Pakistani army had conducted nuclear tests in Balochistan. The tests were
conducted at a site near the Reqo Dik and Saindak gold and copper mines.
Surprised, the chief minister rang up the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Sharif said even he was not aware of the nuclear tests as the army had kept it
a tightly guarded secret. Sharif also told Sardar Mengal that he was unaware of
the location of the tests because the army had kept two possible sites—Chagai
in Balochistan and Tharparkar in Sindh.
Our party was against the nuclear test in Balochistan.
And, we were not even informed despite running the government there. We
protested against the test. So, the army asked us why we were protesting
because the nuclear tests were done in the security interests of Pakistan. We
told the army that we were not informed despite being in government and nuclear
tests harm the environment.
The Pakistani intelligence started a conspiracy. Our
party lost the majority in the assembly and became the opposition. This is a
daily occurrence in Pakistan where the governments are formed and pulled down
by orders of the army. Soon after, there was a coup and General Pervez
Musharraf took over the government in Pakistan. Even the provincial assemblies
were dissolved.
I was asked to join Musharraf's party which I refused.
I was put on the Exit Control List (ECL). Then the intelligence agencies
developed information that I was in touch with the Indian High Commission. When
I came to know about this, I went underground for two months and came to the
US. I was scared for my life as I was getting constant threats and would keep
seeing my name in the newspapers.
Q: Do you still believe that the existence of the
Baloch nation is in danger? Is the Pakistani military actually carrying out a
genocide of the Baloch people?
Tara Chand: The Baloch people had to face four
military operations before 2005. The fifth one, which is currently on, is the
longest running operation against the Baloch nation. A racial, cultural and
linguistic genocide of my people is actually taking place.
Pakistan takes away our resources. Sui and Dera Bugti
provide natural gas to all of Punjab's factories. We ask for returns for these
natural resources because this is our wealth. Gold, gypsum, zinc, copper, coal
and iron are all mined by Pakistan. If the country does not share this wealth
with us, how do we build schools, hospitals and other facilities?
Earlier we would be arrested for showing our
displeasure. But now Pakistan has formed Death Squads. The military can pick up
people and our students from anywhere—homes, markets, hostels. They have
disappeared 80,000 in the last 15 or so years. At least 2,000 were tortured to
death and their bodies dumped. The fate of more than 5,000 is still unknown.
This is a genocide that we are facing.
Q: In the human development index, Balochistan stands
right next to some of the poorest countries in Africa. Why is there such a big
difference in development between Punjab and Balochistan?
Tara Chand: Balochistan has been kept poor right from
the start. Funds released for the province from Islamabad are used for security
of the mines and similar other projects.
Secondly, the puppet governments in Balochistan siphon
off the funds. The funds are used for making and breaking the governments. The
money never comes to the people. It is never used for the welfare of the
people.
Q: We have seen that since the start of this year,
Baloch armed groups have launched a number of attacks inflicting severe
casualties on the Pakistani army. What has ignited the rebels suddenly?
Tara Chand: The Baloch groups are carrying out a
guerrilla war, so I can't say much as I am not aware of their thinking. But I
can vouch the more the Pakistani army retaliates, the more the Baloch rebels
will resist.
Also, the Baloch nation is giving a message—that they
support the rebels.
Q: How do you view Shari Baloch's suicide bombing?
Does it not go against the secular beliefs of the Baloch movement? What impact
will Shari's action have on the future of Baloch nationalism?
Tara Chand: Tens of thousands Baloch people have died
over the decades in this war for Balochistan freedom. No Baloch fighter ever
has said that they will go to heaven once they are martyred. It is the
Pakistani army which says that its soldiers will go to heaven for conducting
jihad. For us the fight is about our land, not heaven. Ours is a nationalist
movement for our rights over homeland, seaports and natural resources.
Shari Baloch sacrificed her life. She came from a well-educated
family. By her supreme sacrifice she has sent a message to the world — "we
Baloch people can go to any length for our independence. Do not underestimate
us."
Baloch logon ko pata hai ki yeh koi chhoti jung nahi
hai'. (The Baloch people know that this is not going to be a short battle).
Shari Baloch's message is that we will not give up.
The Baloch are a secular progressive nation. The
Baloch are running the movement not from a religious standpoint but for their
national identity. Pakistan should accept that the Baloch people have lived in
their homeland for centuries before Muslim invaders brought Islam came to
Balochistan.
Q: China is shaken by the attacks on its people in
Pakistan. There have been reports in the global media that Chinese nationals
are leaving Pakistan out of fear. Do you actually think China will withdraw
from the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)?
Tara Chand: The CPEC cannot succeed without Baloch
support.
Pakistan is making a fool of a greedy China by
dangling the carrot of trade before it. It has told China that it will control
Baloch nationalism. They do not want to realise that the Baloch movement is an
indigenous movement. How much security can they put in CPEC?
I think China is showing its stupidity by investing in
Pakistan. Its projects will never become successful. China is making a big
blunder by investing in CPEC. It should stop the project and cut down its
losses. Baloch people know that if the CPEC becomes a success, it will lead to
their national instinction. It is a nation fighting for its survival.
The sacrifice of Shari Baloch has not gone in vain.
After her martyrdom, thousands of Chinese have reportedly fled Pakistan.
Q: Besides the natural resources, does China also pose
a threat to the Baloch people, its culture and its way of living?
Tara Chand: Because of the CPEC, lots of people from
outside Balochistan will settle down in the province. People from Punjab will
settle here. It will be a massive ethnic flooding. Most of our bureaucracy is
already Punjabi and they hope to gain from the CPEC project at the expense of
the local population.
The money coming to Pakistan from China for the CPEC
will clean up the Baloch people from their own land. Pakistan will do it so
that it can achieve its economic goals. But we Baloch will overcome China also.
Q: Why is it that the Baloch cause has not been able
to garner international support? The Baloch people have been fighting Pakistani
military rule since March 27, 1948 - after the Pakistani military forcibly took
over Balochistan, yet it has no international support.
Tara Chand: It is our misfortune that Pakistan was
always needed by the United States.
Initially, because of Russia in Afghanistan. Pakistan
was also used by the West to put pressure on India. Pakistan has used the
Taliban card to hoodwink the world and gain international support.
It succeeded in fooling the U.S. by telling Washington
that Islamabad was an ally in the war against terrorism. Once the U.S. located
Osama bin Laden's hideout just outside the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul,
they sniffed him out without informing Pakistan military or the devilish I.S.I.
about their operation. Things are clear now as to who stands where.
Now Pakistan is finding it difficult to survive. Its
internal situation is such that it has no money to manage its own security. How
long can a state keep borrowing monies from other countries?
Without Balochistan, Pakistan is nothing. Without
Pakistan, Balochistan is everything.
Q: Towards the end, would you like to add something from
your side?
Tara Chand: I would like to make a distinction between
the Baloch and the Bengali struggles as many comparisons are drawn between the
two nations. The Bengali leaders in India had initially supported the idea of
East Pakistan on the basis of religion. However, when they were discriminated
against on the basis of their ethnicity and culture, they revolted against the
Pakistani Punjabis.
Source: Daiji World
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https://daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=962904
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PM Shehbaz tells court he refused salary as CM during
Rs16bn money laundering hearing
Rana Bilal
May 28, 2022
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday testified in
a special court hearing the Rs16 billion money laundering case against him that
he refused to receive any salary or benefits when he was chief minister of
Punjab, terming himself a "majnoo".
His son, incumbent Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz
was also in court during the hearing of the case filed against them and their
family by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Presiding judge of the Special Court (Central-I), Ijaz
Hassan Awan, had extended their interim bails in the case till May 28 (today)
during the hearing last week.
When the hearing resumed, the judge pointed out to FIA
prosecutor Farooq Bajwa that the agency's report regarding the arrest of
Shehbaz's son, Suleman Shehbaz, and other suspects had contradictory statements.
"On one hand, the report says that D-41, Model
Town, is not an address. On the other, it also says the suspect Suleman Shehbaz
is abroad," he observed. Bajwa responded that the address did exist but
the suspect could not be found at that location.
"It is the fault of the person who wrote [the
report]. He wanted to say the suspect was not present at that location."
The judge noted that the report also failed to mention
other routine details on Suleman and another suspect Tahir Naqvi.
The FIA prosecutor said the agency would re-issue the
arrest warrants and submit a fresh report to the court.
Judge Awan then noted that another suspect, Ghulam
Shabbar, had passed away, to which Bajwa replied that the suspect's death
certificate was a year old and the inquiry had started prior to his death.
He said he would submit a detailed response.
The judge asked the investigation officer to inform
the court about the extent of the investigation conducted with regard to
Shabbar. "Apparently, this challan will have to be re-submitted."
Meanwhile, Shehbaz and Hamza's counsel, Mohammad Amjad
Pervaiz, argued that the facts in the challan were incorrect. "This case
was mala fide because it was politically motivated. The law says if there are
10 cases against someone, he cannot be arrested separately for each."
Prime Minister Shehbaz then took the rostrum and said
the case against him was "false".
"I have not taken anything from the government in
12.5 years," he said, adding that he used to get the government car in his
use refuelled from his own pocket.
"God has made me the prime minister of this
country. I am a majnoo. I did not take my legal right, I did not take salary
and benefits."
He recalled that the secretary had sent a summary to
him for sugar export during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, adding that he
had set an export limit and rejected summaries.
"My family lost Rs2bn because of my decision. I
am telling you the reality. When my son's ethanol production plant was being
set up, I still decided to impose a duty on ethanol. My family lost Rs800
million annually because of that decision. The previous government withdrew
that notification stating that it was injustice with the sugar mills."
Subsequently, the judge gave Shehbaz and Hamza
permission to leave, saying the hearing could proceed without their presence.
Their counsel, Pervaiz, argued that the prime minister
did not have any connection to the accounts mentioned in the FIA report.
"It is the prosecution's job to prove [his
connection] to the benami accounts. The FIA has been unable to bring forth even
one statement in 10 years that Shehbaz has any connection to these
accounts."
The defence did not yet know whether the prosecution
witness statements in the case were true, he said, adding that according to
those statements, the accounts were opened for Suleman.
"The witnesses do not say these accounts were
Shehbaz's. Mushtaq Cheeni also opened accounts but no FIR was registered
against him."
Charges against Hamza, Shehbaz
The FIA had in December 2021 submitted the challan
against Shehbaz and Hamza to a special court for their alleged involvement in
laundering an amount of Rs16bn in the sugar scam case.
"The investigation team has detected 28 benami
accounts of the Shehbaz family through which money laundering of Rs16.3bn was
committed during 2008-18. The FIA examined the money trail of 17,000 credit
transactions," according to an FIA report submitted to the court.
The amount was kept in "hidden accounts" and
given to Shehbaz in a personal capacity, the report added.
This amount (Rs16bn) has nothing to do with the sugar
business (of Shehbaz family), it claimed. The money received from the accounts
of low-wage employees by Shehbaz was transferred outside Pakistan via
hundi/hawala networks, ultimately destined for beneficial use of his family
members, the FIA had alleged.
Source: Dawn
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Judges give Sindh IGP last chance to recover
‘abducted’ girls, Dua Zehra and Nimra Kazmi
Ishaq Tanoli
May 28, 2022
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday came down hard
on the inspector general of police for failing to trace out Dua Zehra and Nimra
Kazmi, the two teenage girls who were allegedly kidnapped in Karachi and later
surfaced in Punjab, directing him to recover and produce them in court on May
30.
A two-judge bench comprising by Justice Mohammad Iqbal
Kalhoro and Justice Agha Faisal expressed dissatisfaction over a progress
report and observed that the court was being told same stories on every
hearing.
The bench warned the IGP-Sindh and other police
officials of action if the girls were not produced on the next hearing.
The court directed the interior secretary to
facilitate the Sindh police in the recovery of the two girls.
When the bench took up for hearing a petition filed by
mother of Nimra Kazmi who went missing on April 20 from her house in Saudabad,
it observed that on May 20, the investigating officer of the case had submitted
that he was waiting for the permission from the Punjab home department to carry
out a raid for the recovery of Nimra.
Unhappy with progress, SHC orders interior secretary
to facilitate Sindh police to produce Dua, Nimra on 30th
The bench said that on May 25, the IO told the court
that the abductee girl would appear before a judicial magistrate in Taunsa
Sharif, Dera Ghazi Khan, on May 26 to record her statement under Section 164 of
the criminal procedure code and thereafter, she would be taken into protective
custody and police would produce her before the SHC on May 30.
However, on Friday the IO could not produce the girl
and submitted that one of the nominated accused had been arrested and
information gleaned from him would lead to the recovery of the missing girl.
“We are not satisfied with the progress and the
stories IO is telling us on each date of hearing,” the bench stated in its
order.
The court adjourned the hearing to May 30 and observed
that the petition seeking recovery of Dua Zehra was also fixed on the same day.
“A last chance is being given to IG Sindh to recover
the girls and produce them before the SHC on next hearing,” it added.
The IO in his report submitted that the police
conducted raided in Taunsa Sharif and on May 26, they were at the court of a
magistrate, but the girl did not appear to record her statement.
The petitioner submitted that she came to know through
social media that Nimra had allegedly contracted marriage with Najeeb Shahrukh,
a resident of Tunsa Sharif.
She stated that the age of the girl on the day of the
alleged marriage was 14, as she was born on Jan 6, 2008 and the Sindh Child
Marriage Restraint Act (SCMRA) 2013 did not permit marriage of any
minor/underage person.
On May 24, the same bench had directed the IG-Sindh
for the recovery of Dua Zehra and asked the interior secretary to issue
directions to all relevant law enforcement agencies to extend cooperation with
the Sindh police for the recovery of the girl.
The Sindh police chief had assured the bench that they
would be able to trace out the girl and produce her before the SHC within a
week.
Dua’s father Mehdi Ali Kazmi had approached the SHC
stating that his daughter went missing from their Malir home on April 16.
He submitted that the age of his daughter was 13 and
under the SCMRA 2013 it was illegal to marry with a minor/underage.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1691819/judges-give-sindh-igp-last-chance-to-recover-abducted-girls
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Maryam urges SC to stay away from ongoing political
tussle
May 28, 2022
LAHORE: PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz Sharif has
urged the Supreme Court to stay away from the prevailing political tussle to
prevent deepening of the impression that it is partial in the current
situation.
In a series of tweets on her Twitter account on
Friday, she said the ‘Fitna’ Khan (ex-premier Imran), who was abusing the
Supreme Court a few days ago, wanted to accomplish his agenda of chaos by
taking cover of the apex court.
The SC would have to be cautious and stay away from
this political battle; otherwise, the impression of [its] partiality would
strengthen, which would be harmful to the judiciary as an institution, Maryam
warned.
She had earlier held the Supreme Court’s decision to
allow Imran Khan enter Islamabad as responsible for rioting in the federal
capital two days ago.
Maryam Nawaz said the mental condition of the wretched
[the PTI chairman] was pathetic since he could hardly assemble 20,000 workers
against claims of two million people [for the march] as the masses rejected
him.
About the former prime minister’s claims that the
people could not join the march because of police barricades, Ms Sharif said a [real]
revolution would find its own way and could not be checked by police.
A revolution running away on seeing police should
drown itself to death [in shame], she said, adding there were only 10,000
spectators against the claims of three million. Quoting the Urdu proverb
khisiani billi khamba noche (meaning an embarrassed person tends to vent his
feelings by quarrelling], she said ‘the embarrassed cat has a pole to scratch’
but this ‘semi-insane person’ lacked even this facility. “It is better to keep
oneself away from the media in such a mental condition,” she said, apparently
in a reference to the abrupt ending of the presser by Imran Khan on some hard
questions by the newsmen.
Commenting on a video clip in a tweet in which the PTI
chairman along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had been
shown visiting the family of a deceased party worker, Maryam Nawaz quipped that
he should have visited the families of the law-enforcers who fell prey to the
mischief of this ‘mischief-monger’ and died at the hands of his rioting workers
and armed gangs, seeking forgiveness while confessing his ‘sin’.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1691789/maryam-urges-sc-to-stay-away-from-ongoing-political-tussle
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On anniversary of nuclear tests, PM Shehbaz vows to
make Pakistan economic power
Naveed Siddiqui
May 28, 2022
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday
congratulated the nation on the 24th anniversary of the country's successful
nuclear tests and vowed to make Pakistan an economic power.
In his message on 'Youm-i-Takbir', the day Pakistan
became an atomic power, he said, "Today in 1998, [then] PM Nawaz Sharif
rejected pressures & inducements in a bold show of leadership & made
Pakistan nuclear power of the world. Now we are resolved to turn it into an economic
power."
The prime minister also expressed gratitude to
everyone who had made the country's defence "invincible".
The Foreign Office, in its message on the occasion,
said the nuclear tests conducted in 1998 had not only demonstrated the nation's
resolve to safeguard the country's territorial integrity, independence and
sovereignty but also its determination to preserve the strategic balance in
South Asia.
"Pakistan is committed to the promotion of
environment of peace and stability in South Asia, while preserving its
capability to ward off aggression or adventurism in any form. It is a partner
in international efforts to strengthen the global non-proliferation regime
based on the principles of non-discrimination and equal security for all
states.
"It adheres to the latest international standards
on export controls and maintains highest standards of nuclear safety and
security," FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said in a statement.
He said that threats to the region's strategic
stability highlighted Pakistan's Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR), which
includes measures for the resolution of outstanding issues including the
Kashmir dispute, nuclear and missile restraints and conventional balance.
He paid tribute to scientists, engineers and
technicians who had "ensured Pakistan's safety".
The FO spokesperson's statement also highlighted
Pakistan's beneficial use of nuclear technology in the energy, water and food
security, education, health, agriculture and industrial sectors.
It noted that Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 had
been successfully connected to the national grid earlier this year. In
addition, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was operating 20 cancer
hospitals throughout the country.
Source: Dawn
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Overseas Pakistanis not deprived of voting rights,
Tarar refutes reports
May 27, 2022
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar
on Friday refuted the news item about depriving overseas Pakistanis from voting
rights.
He claimed that overseas Pakistanis had not been
deprived of voting rights under Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022.
The National Assembly on Thursday had approved the
Elections Amendment Bill 2022 and the Senate has also passed the bill.
Addressing a press conference along with Pakistan
People Party (PPP) leader Faisal Karim Kundi and Jamiat Ulame Islam-Fazal
(JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza, he said that the coalition government held the
presser to clarify to the people about the legislation as some people were
trying to distract the masses.
He said that the National Assembly with majority
approved three amendments in Election Act and around 25 amendments were
approved in the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance as the courts
mentioned flaws in NAB laws and civil society also raised objections and the
law was being used ruthlessly. “I should clarify that overseas Pakistanis are
our asset for the country.
They have a major contribution to the country’s
progress and otherwise, they have a vital role in Pakistan’s wellbeing,” Law
Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said.
Tarar said that the government wanted to give overseas
Pakistanis representation in Senate and National Assembly.
He said that the matter regarding Electronic Voting
Machine (EVMs) had been left to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),
which had said in front of the Supreme Court that if elections were to be held,
this should be done within six to eight months and this is not enough time to
figure out the logistics of electronic voting.
The minister said the ECP had given its views after
reviewing the internet connection, electricity problems in several parts of
Pakistan, and the training that would need to be given to polling staff. He
said recent legislation was only aimed at enabling the ECP to devise a strategy
to ensure the right to vote for overseas Pakistanis in a transparent manner.
“I want to tell that overseas Pakistanis are not ended
with the bill,” he said and added that the bill was approved by the Senate on
Friday by a majority vote amid the opposition’s protest.
He said that overseas Pakistanis ‘right to vote’ would
remain intact.
He said it was unfortunate that the Electronic Voting
Machines (EVMs) were introduced without having any technical expertise, public
awareness to use them and logistics as it was not practicable to implement them
at once across the country.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Jamat-e-Islami recommends special seats for Pakistani expats
May 27, 2022
Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Chief Siraj-ul-Haq has recommended
special seats for overseas Pakistanis and advised Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to
return to assemblies.
The JI amir, Siraj-ul-Haq, talking to media persons in
Lahore on Friday said that overseas Pakistanis send over Rs30 remittances, and
they should not be deprived of their right to vote. There should be special
seats for overseas Pakistanis in the National Assembly, he added.
Siraj also advised the PTI to come back to the
assemblies and play the role of tough and effective opposition. The JI chief
also urged for a proportional representation system in Paksitan.
Siraj-ul-Haq added that the Rs30 hike in petroleum
prices is a suicide attack by that government. Prices of everyday use items would
skyrocket following the increase in fuel prices, he added. The JI head rejected
the fuel price hike and announced to protest against it on Sunday.
He said that it is pertinent to do electoral reforms
ahead of the elections and that all parties should take part in the process.
Taking to the judicial system he said that only the
powerful have access to justice in our system, while poor man’s cases take
years to reach conclusions.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Africa
Insecurity Puts Mali’s Historic Djenné Mosque at Risk
May 27, 2022
BAMAKO, MALI —
Experts say Mali's struggle against Islamist militants
is putting its World Heritage sites at risk. For the first time in modern
history, officials say, the annual replastering of the mud mosque in the town
of Djenné in central Mali will likely be canceled because of security concerns.
The concerns cast doubt onto the government’s claim it is winning the fight
against terrorism.
The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick
building in the world and was a main attraction in Mali’s formerly thriving
tourism industry.
Each year the mosque is replastered in an event known
as the “crépissage.” This year, the event is on the verge of cancellation for
the first time, as Mali’s decadelong conflict has gradually moved south into
the center of the country.
A Djenné resident who wished to remain anonymous,
speaking via a messaging app from Djenné, said that in recent weeks he saw
ambulances circulating in town and military helicopters flying overhead, signs
of unrest in neighboring villages. The Malian army said on its Twitter account
this month that four soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack near the
town.
He said that due to insecurity, village residents have
decided not to hold the crépissage this year, an event he has participated in
since he was a child.
Abdramane Dembele, deputy mayor of Djenné, said that
the crépissage has not yet been officially canceled, but has been delayed due
to insecurity. If rescheduled, it would need to be held before the rainy season
begins in June. One of the objectives of the crépissage is to protect the
building from rain.
Abdoulaye Deyoko is an engineer and city planner and
founder of Bamako’s School of Engineering, Architecture, and Urbanism, and a
tireless advocate for Mali's mud architecture.
Deyoko explained that the mosque is built from
“banco,” a mixture of mud and small pieces of rice bran.
When it rains, he said, these small pieces have a
tendency to break away. Traditionally, villagers have a celebration, a type of
ritual that allows them not only to repair the mosque but to celebrate.
Deyoko said that despite this, he thinks the Djenné
mosque can hold up for a year or two without the crépissage, although he said
the event is important for the social life of the town, not just for technical
maintenance.
The Djenné mosque and surrounding mud brick town is on
the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.
Ali Daou, UNESCO’s culture program director in Mali,
said Djenné, like all of Mali’s four World Heritage sites, is in danger because
of the ongoing hostilities. It is not just the threat of direct conflict, he
said, but the difficulty of conducting the annual crépissage that puts the site
at risk.
In recent months, Mali’s military government has
launched a highly publicized offensive against Islamists. Many locals, though,
say that these military operations target civilians rather than extremists.
Source: VOA News
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https://www.voanews.com/a/insecurity-puts-mali-s-historic-djenn%C3%A9-mosque-at-risk/6593258.html
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African journalists closely follow Turkish media
outlets
Gökhan Kavak
28.05.2022
African journalists who attended the recent
Turkiye-Africa Media Summit in Istanbul said they closely follow Turkish news
outlets, especially Anadolu Agency (AA) and TRT.
As many as 80 media persons, diplomats, public
officials and civil society members from 45 African countries attended the
summit organized by Turkiye’s Communications Directorate on May 25-26, marking
Africa Day.
The program aimed at strengthening Ankara's
cooperation with African media outlets and professionals.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ismael Mukhtar Omar,
director of the Somali National News Agency (SONNA), said SONNA has an
agreement with AA and TRT, from which it receives news not only about Somalia
but the entire world.
Abdullah Adinani Myusa from Daily News Tanzania said
AA and TRT provide an important news flow, and their stories make a significant
contribution in improving Turkiye's relations with the African continent.
Meanwhile, a cooperation agreement was also signed
between the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and AA.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-journalists-closely-follow-turkish-media-outlets/2599628
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Tunisia party leader banned from travel: court
May 28, 2022
TUNIS: A Tunisian court has imposed a travel ban on
the speaker of the country’s now-dissolved parliament, a court spokeswoman
said.
The interdiction against Rached Ghannouchi is part of
an inquiry into alleged obstruction of justice in connection with the
assassination in 2013 of two left-wing figures, the court spokesman said on
Friday.
The travel ban was imposed on “34 suspects in this
case, including Rached Ghannouchi,” Fatima Bouqtaya, spokeswoman for the court
in the Tunis suburb of Ariana, told AFP.
Ghannouchi heads the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party
that has dominated Tunisia’s post-revolution politics.
Ghannouchi, 81, is a fierce critic of President Kais
Saied who in July 2021 suspended the Ennahdha-dominated parliament, sacked the
prime minister and assumed executive powers.
Saied then dissolved parliament in March this year. His
moves have stoked fears of a return to autocracy in a country where a
revolution in 2011 triggered the pro-democracy Arab Spring movement in the
wider region.
Tunisia’s judiciary in January opened an investigation
against the suspects for allegedly “concealing information” linked to the
killing nine years ago of Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2091286/middle-east
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Europe
Winners of Quran memorization competition in Italy
awarded
May 28, 2022
Those winning the top ranks in a competition on
memorization of the Holy Quran in Italy were honored in a ceremony.
The contest was organized by Italy’s Holy Quran
Society in two sections for men and women.
The contenders competed in the categories of
memorization of the entire Quran and memorization of one Juz (part), three
Juzes, five Juzes, 10 Juzes, 15 Juzes, and 20 Juzes of the Quran, Akhbarak.net
website reported.
Six prominent Quran experts made up the competition’s
panel of arbiters.
Fomer Sheikh-ul-Qurra of Egypt Sheikh Ahmed Isa
al-Mi’sarawi, and representative of the World Association of Quran Memorization
Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Awsi as well as imams of mosques and Islamic centers of
Italy attended the awarding ceremony.
After recitation of some verses for the Quran, the
speakers underlined the need for reading and memorizing the Holy Bok and
contemplating its concepts.
They also stressed the need for acting upon the
Quranic teachings and culture.
Also at the ceremony, Italy’s Holy Quran Society the
graduation of 70 Quran learners who have learned the entire Quran by heart.
Source: ABNA24
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https://en.abna24.com/news//winners-of-quran-memorization-competition-in-italy-awarded_1261558.html
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Turkish president receives foreign ministers of UAE,
Poland, Romania
Berk Özkan
28.05.2022
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the
foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Poland and Romania in
Istanbul on Friday.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al
Nahyan’s visit to Turkiye comes as another step in the two countries’ ongoing
efforts to revitalize ties and to end a feud that has long defined geopolitics
in the Middle East and North Africa.
Al Nahyan also held talks with Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Erdogan held a joint meeting with Romanian Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, who were in
Istanbul for a trilateral meeting of the top diplomats of Turkiye, Poland and
Romania.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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‘Closer US-Greece ties part of scramble to contain
Turkiye’s growing regional power’
Ahmet Gencturk
27.05.2022
Weapons, money and increasingly close military ties
have all been prominent features of recent bilateral engagements between the US
and Greece.
Washington has secured three more bases in Greece this
month, in addition to the one it was already operating, and finalized deals to
give Athens state-of-the-art weapons systems, all but shedding its purported
neutral stance on the longstanding rivalry between Turkiye and Greece.
President Joe Biden hosted Kyriakos Mitsotakis in
Washington last week, watching on as the Greek premier regurgitated timeworn
claims against Ankara in his address to the US Congress.
Analysts view these steps as a reflection of a
creeping fear that the Russia-Ukraine war has fundamentally changed the
transatlantic security architecture and cemented Turkiye’s place as legitimate
regional power.
“Turkiye’s rise as an autonomous regional power is the
main factor in this intensifying Greek-US cooperation,” said Hasan Koni, a
scholar on strategic studies at Istanbul Kultur University.
“Turkiye’s Mavi Vatan, or Blue Homeland, doctrine and
consequently growing capabilities of the Turkish Navy, as well as the country’s
decisive role in the conflicts in Libya and Karabakh, has had a profound impact
on Greek decision-makers,” he explained.
The American security apparatus has also recognized
that the balance of power in the region is shifting toward Turkiye and needs to
be “checked by empowering Greece,” he said, adding that Washington’s push for
more Greek bases is aimed at “containing Turkiye.”
Messages and signals
Arda Mevlutoglu, an expert on defense affairs, said
the renewal of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) and increasing
military cooperation could be viewed as an “American endorsement for Greece’s
ambitions in the region.”
The US military buildup in Greece and joint drills
with the Greeks in Eastern Thrace do not pose a direct military threat to
Turkiye, but the “context and timing of this military activity sends a direct
message” to Ankara, he added.
This view was echoed by Sine Ozkarasahin, an analyst
at the EDAM think tank in Istanbul.
“While these exercises do not pose an imminent threat,
they do send negative signals to Turkiye, which was left out in the cold during
drills that happened right on its doorstep,” she said.
She explained that the US efforts to control more
bases in Greece were part of its new strategy for the wider Eastern
Mediterranean region and the Balkans.
She warned that the MDCA renewal and consequent
actions could “spoil the already fragile balance of power between Turkiye and
Greece.”
“Historically, the US played a buffer role between the
two NATO members and de-escalated any tensions. This mediation was critical for
the alliance’s cohesion,” said Ozkarasahin.
“Such a disruption would have implications for
Turkish-Greek bilateral relations and also impact regional security in critical
areas of contestation, such as the Eastern Mediterranean and NATO’s eastern
flank,” she added.
Her advice to Washington was “to maintain the balance
of power between Ankara and Athens” and take steps to “prove its impartiality.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkiye cannot remain indifferent to developments in
Syria: Russia
Zeynep Hilal Karyagdi
27.05.2022
Turkiye cannot remain indifferent to developments
taking place in Syria, said Russia’s foreign minister.
In an interview with RT Arabic news channel on
Thursday, Sergey Lavrov asserted that the Russian presence in Syria is in line
with UN Security Council Resolution 2544 and at the invitation of the Syrian
regime.
We will continue to help Damascus reclaim all of its
territory, he added.
Lavrov pointed out that there are also “uninvited”
troops in Syria.
“American soldiers occupy a significant portion of
Syrian territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River,” he said, adding
that their aim is to create “a so-called state.”
He reaffirmed that Moscow has been in touch with Kurds
in Syria, just like any other group in the country, and has urged them to
maintain dialogue with Damascus.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/terrorism-india-islamic-nations-yasin-malik/d/127117