Category: Uncategorized

  • Indian-occupied Kashmir: Articles 370 and 35A explained

    Indian-occupied Kashmir: Articles 370 and 35A explained

    The Indian government has rushed through a presidential decree to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave a measure of autonomy to the Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    Here is everything you need to know about Article 370 and what could follow the development that comes as tensions mount in the troubled valley.

    WHAT IS ARTICLE 370?

    Article 370 was the basis of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to the Indian union at a time when former princely states had the choice to join either Pakistan or India after their independence from the British rule in 1947.

    The article, which came into effect in 1949, exempts Jammu and Kashmir state from the Indian Constitution.

    It allows IoK to make its own laws in all matters except finance, defence, foreign affairs and communications. The article established a separate constitution, a separate flag and denied property rights in the region to the outsiders.

    That means the residents of the state live under different laws from the rest of the country in matters such as property ownership and citizenship.

    WHAT IS ARTICLE 35A?

    Article 35A is a branch of Article 370, which was introduced through a presidential order in 1954 to continue the old provisions of the territory regulations.

    The article permits the local legislature in IoK to define permanent residents of the region. It forbids outsiders from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region.

    While Article 35A has remained unchanged, some aspects of Article 370 have been diluted over the decades.

    WHY ARE THEY BEING ABOLISHED?

    The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its right-wing allies have challenged Article 35A which it calls discriminatory. Last month, a senior BJP leader had hinted that the government was planning to form exclusive Hindu settlements in the region.

    With the special status repealed, people from the rest of India would have the right to acquire property in IoK and settle there permanently.

    Kashmiris fear the move would lead to a demographic transformation of the region from majority-Muslim to majority-Hindu, paving way for Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s hardliner BJP in the disputed territory.

  • Walmart to keep selling guns despite recent shootings at its store

    Walmart to keep selling guns despite recent shootings at its store

    Despite two deadly shootings at its stores in less than a
    week, American retail giant Walmart has no plans to stop selling guns and
    ammunition, Agence France-Presse (AFP)
    has reported.

    A man opened fire with an assault rifle at a Walmart in
    Texas on Saturday, killing 20 people, just four days after a disgruntled
    employee shot dead two coworkers and wounded a responding police officer at one
    of the massive chain’s stores in Mississippi.

    “We are focused on supporting our associates, our customers and the entire El Paso community,” reports quoted Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove as saying.

    Following the El Paso shooting, Walmart Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Doug McMillon posted a note on Instagram saying he “can’t believe” it was the second such in a week.

    “My heart aches for the community in El Paso,
    especially the associates and customers at store 2201 and the families of the
    victims,” he wrote.

    “I’m praying for them and I hope you will join
    me.”

    Walmart founder Sam Walton loved guns — so much so that the
    American gun manufacturer Remington named a hunting rifle model after him. But
    the retail giant maintains that its target audience is sport shooters and
    hunters.

    Walmart has made gun policy changes over the years, such as
    in 1993, when it stopped selling handguns.

    The company stopped selling semi-automatic rifles in 2015,
    and after the Parkland, Florida shooting in February 2018 — which saw 17
    people killed at a high school — Walmart raised the minimum age to buy guns
    and ammunition in its stores to 21.

    Additionally, “Walmart goes beyond federal law
    requiring all customers to pass a background check before purchasing any
    firearm,” said Hargrove.

    He also noted that all new Walmart employees are required to
    complete an active shooter training program, which they then must pass on a
    computer four times a year.

    But since it is the largest retail chain in the United
    States, Walmart continues to attract criticism for its enduring stock of
    firearms.

    When the company tweeted it was “in shock” after
    the tragedy in El Paso, many Twitter users replied: “Stop selling
    guns.”

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mehwish Hayat among others raise their voice for Kashmir

    Hamza Ali Abbasi, Mehwish Hayat among others raise their voice for Kashmir

    With tensions mounting in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) as the government revokes special status granted to the valley, calls in additional troops and orders tourists to evacuate the region, there is panic in countries on both sides of the borders. Information regarding what exactly is happening the disputed territory is limited resulting in rising fears.

    A plethora of Pakistani actors are among those raising their voice against the Indian atrocities and are calling for the world to support those in the valley.

    It comes as no surprise that the first person to raise his voice on the matter was none other than Hamza Ali Abbasi who also encouraged his fellow actors to use their popularity to create awareness against the “zulm.”

    Following Hamza’s tweets, several actors took to Twitter to voice their concerns and Hamza even thanked a few of them.

    The situation in the Himalayan territory has been worsening as Indian armed forces martyr at least 10 Kashmiri youth within the last three days and the government announcing its decision to scrap Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

    ARTICLE 370

    Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a “temporary provision” that grants special autonomous status to occupied Kashmir. All the provisions of the constitution that are applicable to other states are not applicable to the disputed territory.

    According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and communications, the Indian Parliament needs the state government’s approval for applying all other laws.

    The residents of occupied Kashmir, therefore, live under a separate set of laws as compared to Indian citizens elsewhere in the country, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights.

    As a result, Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property in occupied Kashmir. With the government moving to revoke the article, the fate of IoK’s 13 million population hangs in balance.

  • PML-N MPA ‘rapes, records, blackmails’ university student

    PML-N MPA ‘rapes, records, blackmails’ university student

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Attaur Rehman has been accused of raping, recording and blackmailing a university student in Multan, The Express Tribune has reported.

    According to reports, the Punjab Assembly lawmaker was sexually assaulting the girl for over 11 months and was blackmailing her on the basis of the video he had recorded of the victim’s ordeal.

    The police, under political influence, initially refused to lodge a complaint despite repeated attempts made by the victim, reports said and added that she was a first-year student at National College of Business Administration & Economics (NCBAE) in Multan.

    Due to studies, she relocated from Lahore to Multan over a year ago and had been working at Pakistan Human Development Foundation (PHDF), a local non-government organisation (NGO) run by the accused lawmaker.

    The accused took her to an undisclosed location, around 11 months back, in the guise of office work, where he allegedly raped and filmed her.

    Rehman later threatened her of dire consequences if she refused to obey him.

    The victim has filed an application with a local magistrate for her medical examination and attached medical records of the hospital she was recently admitted to after sodomy.

  • #TheCurrentWala reviews Red Dragon Chinese Cuisine

    This week #TheCurrentWala heads up north to Nathia Gali to enjoy the scenic beauty and weather but did he like the food there? Watch the video to find out.

  • Badshahi Masjid, Lahore

  • Anupam Kher believes Muslim genocide is ‘Kashmir solution’?

    Anupam Kher believes Muslim genocide is ‘Kashmir solution’?

    With tensions mounting in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) as the government revokes special status granted to the valley, calls in additional troops and orders tourists to evacuate the region, a statement by veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has left people stunned.

    Prominent Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani had on Saturday taken to Twitter to urge the global Muslim community to help “save their souls” from “the biggest genocide” India is about to launch in held Kashmir.

    With the situation in the Himalayan territory worsening as Indian armed forces martyr at least 10 Kashmiri youth within the last three days and the government announcing its decision to scrap Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, actor Anupam Kher believes that “Kashmir solution has begun”.

    Kher, a Kashmiri Pandit, has been seen supporting Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on several occasions. His wife Kirron Kher is also a lawmaker of the hardliner ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    The veteran actor had earlier said that “all the issues in the valley will be resolved if Article 370, which provides special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir is abolished”.

    ARTICLE 370:

    Article 370 of the Indian Constitution is a “temporary provision” that grants special autonomous status to occupied Kashmir. All the provisions of the constitution that are applicable to other states are not applicable to the disputed territory.

    According to this article, except for defence, foreign affairs, finance and communications, the Indian Parliament needs the state government’s approval for applying all other laws.

    The residents of occupied Kashmir, therefore, live under a separate set of laws as compared to Indian citizens elsewhere in the country, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights.

    As a result, Indian citizens from other states cannot purchase land or property in occupied Kashmir. With the government moving to revoke the article, fate of IoK’s 13 million population hangs in balance.

  • WATCH: President Trump says he has ‘good chemistry’ with PM Imran

    WATCH: President Trump says he has ‘good chemistry’ with PM Imran

    It has been a few days since Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from his first official visit to the United States and it appears that he left quite an impact on the US President, who continues to shower praises on him.

    President Donald Trump, in a recent media interaction, said that he has a lot of respect for PM Khan with whom he had developed “good chemistry.”

    “We’re doing very well, as you know, with Pakistan,” Trump said, “I met a gentleman who I liked a lot — as you know — last week, from Pakistan. I have a lot of respect for him. We have a good friendship — a good feeling, good chemistry. I think Pakistan will help us, and I think others will get involved.”

    The two world leaders met late last month when PM Imran visited the US on Trump’s invitation. During their meeting, while talking to the media, the President had described PM Khan as “one of the greatest athlete and a very popular PM”, and said that he would help him get re-elected.

  • BBC clarifies Channel 5 misreporting on Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik

    BBC clarifies Channel 5 misreporting on Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik

    Amid fear that grips Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) ever since the government called in additional troops and ordered tourists to evacuate the region, Channel 5 reported that Hurriyat leader Mohammad Yasin Malik is dead as reported by BBC.

    The reports came a day after the Kashmiri separatist leader’s wife, Mushaal Hussein Mullick, demanded notice of her husband’s fast deteriorating health in the notorious Tihar Jail for raising voice against atrocities unleashed by Indian occupying forces.

    She said that Yasin was in solitary confinement for the past four months, strengthening the perception that unspoken orders to inflict miseries had been given to the jail authorities so that the Hurriyat leader may die a slow and painful death.

    The statement was followed by reports citing BBC as claiming the separatist leader’s death in confinement.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    With the video report taking over the internet by storm, it wasn’t later that BBC took to Twitter and issued a clarification.

    “The claim circulating on social media that the BBC has reported the death of Yasin Malik is fake,” it tweeted, urging the people to verify stories they see on social media by visiting its official news website.

    While the reports regarding his death have been rejected, it is pertinent to note that incarcerated Yasin is being tortured and denied basic health facilities by the Indian government for being a political adversary.

    According to his wife, being a heart patient, the separatist leader suffers from certain serious ailments related to vital organs of his body and needs certain life-saving drugs, which he was not allowed to take in jail.

  • Six new Pakistani songs to add your playlist ASAP

    Six new Pakistani songs to add your playlist ASAP

    With three big Eid releases hitting the cinemas next week, the Pakistani movie and music scene is pretty lit these days. Here are some of the songs from the upcoming films that we truly enjoyed.

    Bekha Na – Parey Hut Love

    Sung by Ali Tariq and Harshdeep Kaur, Bekha Na is the romantic ballad of the year. The soft, soulful melody is a treat to the ears and you can truly feel the song. The music has been done by Azaan Sami Khan while Asim Raza has penned the lyrics.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n752iGBw28

    Ik Pal – Parey Hut Love

    This song has ‘Shaadi anthem of the Year’ written all over it. After Shakar Wanda Re, Asim Raza has presented with yet another song we can all groove to on all the mehndis to come. The video of the song is also a fun watch. It’s colourful and features the evergreen Meera. What more can a Lollywood fan ask for?

    The song has been sung by Hadiqa Kiani and Harshdeep Kaur. Azaan Sami Khan has composed the music while Shakeel Sohail has penned the lyrics.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RccpEkRwXYo

    In Dinon – Superstar

    In Dinon is the Atif Aslam song we’ve been waiting for, for a long time. The soft, romantic tune is classic Atif and we couldn’t be happier.

    Noori – Superstar

    Noori may remind us of Madhuri Dixit’s Ghagra and Aaja Nachle, but it has a unique tune to it which is quite catchy. More than the music or song, it’s Mahira Khan’s dance that gets you hooked to it.

    Kuch Toh Hua Ha – Heer Maan Ja

    One thing is for sure. The Eid releases have nailed their romantic ballads. Aima Baig and Rameez Khalid are a winning combination and it shows in the song, which has a lovely, feel-good touch to it.

    Badlan – Baaji

    Zeb Bangash is a gifted vocalist. Absolutely love the way she has presented this tappa. The traditional tune mixed with her melodious voice is beautiful.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY8ZRr8mcAs

    On an ending note, I’d just like to give a special round of applause to Azaan Sami Khan for his brilliantly composed music. Though he’s worked on both Superstar and Parey Hut Love, the music of both the films is different and there’s no repetition in it. He is without a doubt a star of the season.