On August 15, India’s 75th Independence Day, balloons with ‘I love Pakistan’ imprinted on them were found in the fields of Sandoa village in the Rupnagar district of India’s Punjab, ANI cited police as saying.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Rupnagar Dr Akhil Chaudhary said it can be “activities of some miscreants”, adding that a probe is underway regarding the matter.
“It looks like balloons came from a nearby place but we can’t rule out other angles. A probe has been initiated,” Chaudhary was quoted as saying.
Punjab: Balloons with Pakistani flag & ‘I love Pakistan’ imprinted on it found from agricultural field of Sandoya village in Rupnagar
It looks like balloons came from the nearby place but we can’t rule out other angles. A probe has been initiated: SSP Rupnagar, Akhil Choudhary pic.twitter.com/UQYDXnsmx4
Earlier, Indian forces lodged an First Information Report (FIR) against Pakistani spy pigeon. The pigeon was allegedly carrying a “suspicious piece of paper tied to its legs” when it landed on the shoulder of an Indian army officer who was on guard duty about 500 meters from the border.
Last year in May, Indian forces were engaged in the same operation when a pigeon with a pink patch and tag on its leg was captured as a “suspected Pakistani spy.”
President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan fled the country as the Taliban entered Kabul, amidst severe criticism from his opponents, saying that now is not the time for him to leave his country as the dreaded Taliban come back to rule once more.
Ashraf left a note for his countrymen on social media, stating, “The Taliban have made it to remove me, they are here to attack all Kabul and the people of Kabul. In order to avoid the bleeding flood, I thought it was best to get out.”
“Taliban have won the judgement of swords and guns and now they are responsible for protecting the countrymen’s honour, wealth and self-esteem. Didn’t they win the legitimacy of hearts,” wrote Ashraf Ghani.
“Never in history has dry power given legitimacy to anyone and won’t give it to them. They are now facing a new historical test; either they will protect the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will prioritze other places and networks,” penned Ghani.
Ghani further added, “Many people and many Aqshar are in fear and are unreliable in the future. It is necessary for the Taliban to assure all the people, nations, different sectors, sisters and women of Afganistan to win the legitimacy and the hearts of the people. Make a clear plan to do and share it with the public.”
“I will always continue to serve my nation with an intellectual moment and a plan to develop. Lots more talk for the future. Long live Afghanistan,” said Ghani.
The Taliban declared that the war in Afghanistan was over after its fighters swept into the capital, Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday.
Ghani did not say where he had travelled to, but leading Afghan media group Tolo News suggested he had gone to Tajikistan.
Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the peace process, had earlier accused Ghani of “leaving the people to this situation”.
However, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday in a televised speech said that the remobilisation of Afghanistan’s armed forces was a “top priority”.
“As a historic mission, I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths,” said Ashraf Ghani.
“In the current situation, the remobilisation of our security and defence forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard,” he said on Saturday. A day later, he fled Afghanistan.
The Governor of Punjab Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar conferred actor Hira Mani with the ‘Global Women Media’ award. The Do Bol star’s work in the field of television was acknowledged on August 15 in Lahore.
A court in Islamabad has handed over Therapyworks Owner Tahir Zahoor, and five others to day-long physical custody in Noor Mukadam’s murder case reports DAWN.
The six suspects were arrested on Saturday night and were presented on Sunday morning before the court, in front of Magistrate Shahzad Khan who granted their remand.
They were accused of “concealing evidence”. Reportedly, Tahir Zahoor was in contact with Zahir’s parents after the murder, and eventually, a team from Therapyworks was sent to the crime scene.
Zahoor’s counsel told the court that his client is diabetic and has cooperated when called for an investigation. “This is the first case in which witnesses have been arrested,” he said.
Moreover, the suspects said that they had cooperated with the authorities and were at the police station for four days but no investigation was conducted.
They will be presented before the court tomorrow (Monday) at 10:30 am.
How is Therapyworks is related?
Therapy Works, a counseling, and psychotherapy center allegedlygranted murder suspect Zahir Jaffar a certification to become a therapist.
The center denied allegations that Zahir Jaffar was seeing clients of the organisation, despite evidencecoming forward that he was.
Other suspects
Other than Zahir Jaffar and his parents, two security guards were also been arrested for assistance-in-crime, hiding evidence and tampering with evidence in order to save the accused. Currently, the murder suspect is in Adiala Jail.
Celebrity couple of Danish Taimoor and Ayeza Khan celebrated their elder daughter Hoorain’s first tooth falling in an intimate yet well decorated event. The Meray Paas Tum Ho actor took to her social media handle to share the pictures from the celebration.
On the work front, Ayeza is currently featuring in Laapata opposite Ali Rehman Khan and Sarah Khan, whereas Danish can be seen romancing Minal Khan in ARY’s Ishq Hai.
Pakistani Twitter has lashed out at ministers of the ruling party for celebrating the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Two notable Ministers, including Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul and Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, tweeted on the situation in Afghanistan.
WAIT A MINUTE…WHAT’S HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN?
In a rapid turn of events, President Ghani of Afghanistan has reportedly fled the country as the Taliban enter Kabul, amidst severe criticism from his opponents, saying that now is not the time for him to leave his country as the dreaded Taliban come back to rule once more.
The Taliban took the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, late on Saturday, and on Sunday morning, they seized the city of Jalalabad. They are now in control of the Torkham border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Within a week they have taken down Afghan government flags and hoisted their own white banners.
Despite two decades of war with American-led forces, and reportedly more than 83 billion dollars spent by the US, the Taliban have survived and are now effectively in control of Pakistan’s neighbouring country. They have managed to do this in 10 days time with little resistance from the Afghan forces.
WHAT DID PAKISTANI POLITICIANS DO ON TWITTER?
Zartaj Gul in a tweet said, “India gets an appropriate gift on its Independence Day- its fascist terror-oriented Government should celebrate now today with tears and sorrow.”
“The Kabul regime it used to wreak terrorism in Pakistan across many years has fallen and people are rejoicing all across Afghanistan,” said Zataj Gul in a tweet, which was later deleted.
People on social media are calling out the ministers for their tweets.
Shireen Mazari posted an image of the US leaving from Vietnam after the war ended in 1975 with an image of a US carrier leaving Afghanistan. Many on Twitter thought it was a ‘celebration’ of the US leaving an occupied territory, although she tried to clear her stance that it is not what she meant.
Madam this is beyond ignorant. This is debilitating to our relationship with the most influential stakeholder in the world and a key relationship for us as we navigate a world full of crisis. What are you doing?????
Different shades of hypocritic apologists. All out of their holes today. Look out for all those celebrating the take-over with guns and by force. Trying desperate to project a renaissance. Would always prefer a US visa over Afghanistan’s for them and children.
According to a video message circulating on social media, the former president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has said that he will stay in Kabul with his family.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he is remaining in Kabul with his daughters and his family, calls on the Taliban and Afghan army to protect Afghans.
Three diplomatic sources said Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic and former Afghan interior minister, could be named head of an interim administration in Kabul, though it was unclear whether the Taliban had agreed, Reuters has reported.
A Taliban spokesman has told the BBC that the group “will respect rights of women” as it takes control of Afghanistan.
A spokesperson for the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen, told BBC News: “We will respect rights of women…our policy is that women will have access to education and work, to wear the hijab.”
PAKISTAN’S STANCE:
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says Pakistan will keep on playing a positive role in the establishment of peace in Afghanistan. Addressing the media in Multan, he said the whole world has acknowledged Pakistan’s stance regarding the Afghanistan issue. He further said that Afghan people want peace in their country and they are to decide their future for themselves. The minister added that Pakistan has no favourites in Afghanistan and whoever forms the government there, Pakistan will accept it.
Meanwhile, an Afghan political delegation led by Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani arrived in Pakistan on Sunday evening.
Political leadership of Afghanistan in the State Lounge at Islamabad International Airport. pic.twitter.com/gwQI6wiMKC
Just received a high level Afghan political leadership delegation including Speaker Ulusi Jirga Mir Rehman Rehmani, Salah-ud-din Rabbani, Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Ustad Mohammad Karim Khalili, Ahmad Zia Massoud, Ahmad Wali Massoud, Abdul Latif Pedram, and Khalid Noor.
Today Around 7 pm a bullet was fired through my car’s bonnet which was parked inside the house. I was alone in the house. I consider this a clear threat to me and my family.@ImranKhanPTIpic.twitter.com/jKLQhhIohu
It is pertinent to mention here that Shah Hussain, who stabbed Khadija 23 times in 2016 was released on “technical remissions”, on July 17, 2021.
After the releaseof Hussain, Khadija while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ stated that she wrote to CCPO Lahore asking for security because her life is in danger. She said that her attacker, Shah Hussain, will be out of jail. The police did not respond to her request.
Actor Alizeh Shah took to her Instagram stories to ask a few heartfelt questions on the country’s 75th Independence Day. The Ehad-e-Wafa star asked that what sort of an independence is the country celebrating? She stated that the real independence seems to be of the rapists as they are roaming free on the roads. She questioned the plight of women in Pakistan.
She also pointed out that in this country, forget a random citizen, even a celebrity doesn’t have the autonomy on her choice of dressing.
As Pakistan celebrated its 75th Independence Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and made controversial statements degrading the sacrifices of the many people during the time of partition of the subcontinent.
Pakistan responded to Modi’s “shameful” tweets, saying that “distorting history and stoking communalism is the forte of the RSS-BJP regime”.
Modi took to Twitter and said, “In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.”
Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
“May [this day] keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony, and human empowerment,” Modi added.
May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment.
In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri dubbed Modi’s move “a political and publicity stunt”, and said that “no modern state is so much in contradiction with itself as the Indian state — the so-called ‘largest democracy’.”
As for Indian Prime Minister’s tweet about the events of 1947, no modern state is so much in contradiction with itself as the Indian state – the so-called “largest democracy”. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/S9iNxLAjhm
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 14, 2021
“It is shameful that the practitioners of ‘Hindutva’ ideology, and purveyors of hate and violence, would so hypocritically and one-sidedly invoke the tragic events and mass migration that occurred in the wake of Independence in 1947,” said the statement.
It is shameful that the practitioners of “Hindutva” ideology, and purveyors of hate and violence, would so hypocritically and one-sidedly invoke the tragic events and mass migration that occurred in the wake of Independence in 1947. 2/3
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 14, 2021
The Foreign Office further added, “Distorting history and stoking communalism is the forte of RSS-BJP regime. Far from healing old wounds, they would go to any extent to sow further dissensions for electoral gains. We are sure that people of goodwill in India would completely reject this political stunt.”
Distorting history and stoking communalism is the forte of RSS-BJP regime. Far from healing old wounds, they would go to any extent to sow further dissensions for electoral gains. We are sure that people of goodwill in India would completely reject this political stunt. 3/3
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) August 14, 2021
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Saturday the remobilisation of Afghanistan’s armed forces was a “top priority”.
In a televised speech, Ashraf Ghani said, “As a historic mission, I will not let the imposed war on people cause more deaths.”
“In the current situation, the remobilisation of our security and defence forces is our top priority, and serious steps are being taken in this regard,” he said.
د هیواد د روان وضعیت په اړه د جمهوررئیس محمد اشرف غني پیغام — پیام رئیس جمهور محمد اشرف غنی در خصوص وضعیت جاری در کشور pic.twitter.com/Pi7qRaU9OI
With the country’s second and third-largest cities having fallen into Taliban hands, Kabul has effectively become a besieged last stand for government forces who have offered little or no resistance elsewhere.
“Therefore, I have started extensive consultations inside the government with the elders, political leaders, representatives of people, and international partners on achieving a reasonable and certain political solution in which the peace and stability of the people of Afghanistan are envisaged.”
But Ghani praised the forces “that have defended the nation courageously and showed strong determination”.
