Category: Politics

News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.

  • ‘Army chief agrees fake news, disinformation a threat to national security’: Fawad

    ‘Army chief agrees fake news, disinformation a threat to national security’: Fawad

    Federal Minister for information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while addressing the Defence Day function, said fake news and disinformation were a threat to national security.”

    Fawad wrote, “This analysis is based on the truth, and therefore the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) is being brought to deal with these threats, as yellow journalism happens to be the biggest threat to freedom of media.”

    Representatives of media organisations rejected the proposed PMDA and termed the concept as an unconstitutional and draconian law against the freedom of press and expression and a step toward imposing state control to regulate all segments of media under over-centralised body.

    The Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement said that as part of its crackdown on freedom of expression, the government of Pakistan is seeking broad new powers in the garb of the proposed PMDA.

    Information Minister faced a hard time as members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting demanded to see the draft law of PMDA.

    Spokesperson of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Marriyum Aurangzeb, demanded that the draft of the law should be presented for the establishment of the authority instead of a verbal briefing by the minister.

    Adding to her point, Aurangzeb said, “The attitude of the information minister was dictatorial.”

    However, Fawad Chaudhry said that some people did not want to have any regulations in the media industry, adding that Pakistan cannot turn a blind eye to conspiracies being formulated against it.

  • Indian media runs Arma-3 game clip, calls it Pakistan Air Force attacking Panjshir

    Indian media runs Arma-3 game clip, calls it Pakistan Air Force attacking Panjshir

    Republic TV and Zee Hindustan ran footage from a video game Arma-3 as visuals claiming that it was the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) attacking the anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir Valley.

    The channel aired the footage stating it was from Hasti TV and shows airstrikes by Pakistani drones in Panjshir Valley against resistance fighters.

    Republic TV posted the video with the caption, “Pakistan army supporting Taliban against Northern Alliance in Panjshir”. During the broadcast, the anchor can be heard repeating the claim that the footage shows airstrikes in Panjshir and claiming that Pakistan was behind it.

    Various Indian media outlets shared the fake video, claiming it as Pakistani Air Force attacking Panjshir.

    The video started doing the rounds on Twitter.

    Indian journalist Swati Chaturvedi tweeted, “No bigger disgrace to journalism than the shouty clown & his channel.”

    A Twitter user tweeted, “It’s not that Pakistani 5th Gen Warriors aren’t as skilled, but I think they just lack the sheer brazen confidence that Indian 5th Gen Warriors have.”

    Another person tweeted, “Indian media in a nutshell.”

    https://twitter.com/Ibn_e_Channa/status/1434840247553122304

    Schooling the channel for fake news, a Twitter user wrote, “This is so embarrassing and misleading at the same time. It’s a shame that we let channels like @republic test our sensibilities time and again. Shame on us for letting them exist.”

  • Defence Day: Pakistani leaders pay tribute to martyrs

    Defence Day: Pakistani leaders pay tribute to martyrs

    Pakistan paid a befitting tribute to the country’s armed forces, as it observed Defence Day with traditional spirit and enthusiasm.

    This year’s Defence and Martyrs’ Day theme is “Our martyrs our pride, a salute to all the relatives belonging to Ghazis and Shaheeds.”

    The day began with a 31-gun salute in Islamabad and a 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals.

    In his message on Defence Day, President Arif Alvi vowed that Pakistan would never compromise its integrity.

    “Today we are actively fighting a hybrid war being waged against us. I commend the security agencies for their relentless efforts towards exposing the enemy carrying out covert activities,” he added.

    “We stand by the people of Kashmir in their just struggle for the right to self-determination guaranteed under the UN Security Council resolutions,” said the president.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan also paid tribute to the brave soldiers of the Pakistan Army. “The Armed Forces must fight the enemy with unparalleled fearlessness in the world. Our brave officers, soldiers, pilots, and sailors have proved to the world that they are always ready to defend every inch of the homeland. Even if they have to pay a price for it.”

    Stressing the need for peace, PM Khan wrote, “On this occasion, I want to make it clear once again that our desire for peace should never be seen as our weakness, but should be answered in the same positive way for the prosperity and betterment of the people of the region.”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter and said, “Today the people & armed forces of Pakistan came together to defend their motherland against the Indian military aggression.”

    “We will always remember the sacrifices of our brave soldiers!”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the sacrifices of the martyrs, the unwavering determination of the soldiers, and the invincible unity of the people of Pakistan is our strength and the guarantee of our bright future.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, paying a tribute to the families of our martyrs, tweeted, “Today, in the names of martyrs.”

    Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari tweeted, “Today is a day to remember & pay our respects to our martyrs esp the soldiers for whom there’s not to reason why and the families they leave behind.”

    PPP leader Sherry Rehman tweeted, “On this #DefenceDay, we pay tribute to our valiant heroes who sacrificed their lives to protect our country and people. We forever owe their families a forever debt.”

  • ‘Don’t call us terrorists and extremists,’ TTP issues warning to Pak media

    ‘Don’t call us terrorists and extremists,’ TTP issues warning to Pak media

    “You call us terrorists and extremists, which shows your bias…stop it or you will be responsible for making enemies,” Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said in a statement addressed to the Pakistani media and journalists.

    “It discredits your profession, so from now on, call us by our name, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,” read the statement.

    “If you fail to do so, you will not only be doing injustice to your profession but will be responsible for making enemies,” the statement further added.

    Twitter reacted to the TTP statement.

    Journalist Azaz Syed wrote, “#TTP issues a latest threat to media in #Pakistan.”

    Journalist Ziyad Faisal wrote, “Notification rejected. My desk will refer to TTP as ‘the banned/outlawed TTP’ & to their activities as ‘terrorist attacks’ – & nothing will ever change that.”

    Four personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) were martyred and 21 others injured in a suicide bombing at a convoy on Quetta-Mastung road on Sunday in Balochistan.

    TTP claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released to CNN.

  • Taliban stop at least four planes from leaving Afghanistan: Report

    Taliban stop at least four planes from leaving Afghanistan: Report

    At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people trying to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have not been successful in leaving the country for days, reported TIME.

    Contradictory reports are emerging about why the flights weren’t able to take off as pressure builds upon the United States (US) to help those left behind to flee.

    An Afghan official at the  Mazar-e-Sharif airport said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out.

    Residents of Mazar-e-Sharif also said the passengers were no longer at the airport. At least 10 families were seen at a local hotel waiting, they said, for a decision on their fates. None of them had passports or visas but said they had worked for companies allied with the US or German military. 

    Republican Michael McCaul of Texas told Fox News Sunday that American citizens and Afghan interpreters were being kept on six planes.

    “The Taliban will not let them leave the airport,” he said, adding that he’s worried “they’re going to demand more and more, whether it be cash or legitimacy as the government of Afghanistan.” He did not offer more details.

    The US State Department has no reliable way to confirm information about such charter flights, including how many American citizens might be on them, since it no longer has people on the ground, according to a US official, reported AP.

  • ‘We should export Burnol to India after seeing their jealousy over Afghanistan’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘We should export Burnol to India after seeing their jealousy over Afghanistan’: Fawad Chaudhry

    “Seeing India’s jealousy over the situation in Afghanistan, we should export Burnol to them,” said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1434458264553639936

    Regarding Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency’s director-general Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed’s visit to Kabul, Chaudhry said, “General Faiz is not the first intelligence chief to visit Kabul. Earlier, according to the United States (US) media, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief, Turkish and Qatari intelligence chiefs had visited Kabul as well.”

    “Pakistan’s efforts to evacuate foreigners from Afghanistan are immense and we will continue to do so,” added Fawad.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1434444791580868608

    “It would not be fair to say that we should not care for the people who did not leave Kabul,” added the minister.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1434444791580868608

    The federal minister further said, “Unconventional contacts are necessary for discussion on various issues at a time when there is a power vacuum in Afghanistan.”

    “There’s no government in Afghanistan at present and there’s a power vacuum there. In such a situation, who should a leader from the political setup of Pakistan meet there? The prime minister and foreign minister will meet their counterparts [who are not there],” said the minister.

  • ISI Chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed arrives in Kabul on invitation of Taliban Shura

    ISI Chief Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed arrives in Kabul on invitation of Taliban Shura

    Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed arrived in Kabul this morning, leading a delegation of senior Pakistani officials.

    Gen Faiz Hameed is in Kabul to hold talks with the Taliban’s top leadership, including Mullah Baradar, who is tipped to head the Taliban’s future government.

    Baradar, who heads the Taliban’s political office, will be joined by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, in senior positions in the government, three sources said.

    “All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are in final stages to announce the new government,” one Taliban official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

    Taliban forces have taken full control of Afghanistan, including the Panjshir Valley where opposition forces had been holding out, three Taliban sources said on Friday as heavy celebratory gunfire was heard in the Afghan capital.

  • Taliban have taken control of Panjshir: Sources

    Taliban have taken control of Panjshir: Sources

    Taliban forces have taken full control of Afghanistan, including the Panjshir Valley, three Taliban sources said on Friday, reported Dawn.

    “By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have been defeated and Panjshir is now under our command,” said one Taliban commander.

    Former vice president Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of the opposition forces, told Tolo News that reports he had fled the country were lies.

    Meanwhile, the Taliban are due to form a government within days despite fighting in Panjshir Valley.

    China confirmed the country will be keeping its embassy in Kabul open.

    “We hope the Taliban will establish an open and inclusive political structure, pursue moderate and stable domestic and foreign policy and make a clean break with all terrorist groups,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

  • Taliban paint over mural demolishing art in Afghanistan

    Taliban paint over mural demolishing art in Afghanistan

    Activist Omaid Sharifi took to Twitter to share how the Taliban have started painting over murals in Afghanistan.

    He tweeted, “And it begun. The Taliban have started painting over our murals.”

    They started with the historic one that marked the signing of #DohaDeal. #BaradarKhalilzadMural is no more. Instead, the black and white message says don’t trust the enemy’s propaganda, quoting Mullah Haibatullah,” read the tweet.

    Twitter reacted when Omaid shared the pictures on the platform.

    Journalist Magda Gad tweeted, “Staden förändras varje dag [The city changes every day].”

    Journalist Amie Ferris-Rotman tweeted, “First they whitewashed images of women. Now they’re going for the art.”

    A Twitter user wrote, “These Taliban terrorists are intent on destroying joy. They want to extinguish everything that makes us human.”

    Journalist Lyse Doucet tweeted, “The face of the city is changing .. the colour and character of #Kabul erased #Afghanistan.”

    Prior to this, images of women were covered up or vandalised on storefronts around Kabul. One of the salons in Kabul was whitewashed to cover up advertisements pasted on its outdoor walls, showing the faces of smiling women in bridal regalia.

  • US refuses to acknowledge claim that Pakistan involved in Taliban attack on Kabul

     The United States (US) State Department distances itself from former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s claim that 10-15,000 Pakistanis had joined the Taliban attack on Kabul, reported Dawn.

    US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, when asked to comment on Ghani’s claim, said, “I’m just not in a position to comment on that, to confirm those reports.”

    “If we have anything more, we’ll provide it,” said Price when asked if he would comment on another claim that the Taliban forces now in Kabul include foreign troops.

    “We’re enormously grateful to the huge network of countries that have provided critical assistance for our evacuation efforts,” said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland.

    Praising the countries, she named Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE among the countries that supported the evacuation. She also named America’s key European allies – Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and others – “who have helped transit Americans and others to safety”.

    “Our close coordination with our allies and partners remains critical both on evacuation and relocation, but also as we begin to scope our ongoing relationship with the Afghan people and with the Taliban,” she said.