Category: Uncategorized

  • First flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans departs from Islamabad to UK today

    The first flight carrying asylum-seeking Afghans will depart from Islamabad International Airport for the United Kingdom on Thursday.

    200 Afghan refugees are reportedly going to fly out today.

    The Independent has reported that around 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, are to be given UK residency after the Afghan Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021.

    For the time being, the UK has accommodated them in Pakistan since 2022, whereas hundreds have been stuck and await their turn to get relocated.

    The Independent wrote that in “A U-turn of government policy, ministers have pledged that all Afghans eligible for the UK’s resettlement schemes will no longer have to wait for accommodation to be confirmed before coming to Britain”.

    This u-turn was taken after Pakistan gave an ultimatum to all undocumented foreign nationals to leave by November 1 after which they will be deported.

    A British High Commission delegation met senior officials from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) on Tuesday.

    According to the senior CAA official, around 2,000 Afghan refugees will be repatriated by mid-December through one or two weekly chartered flights from Islamabad to the UK.

  • Israel picks fight with United Nations: What do we know about day 19

    Israel picks fight with United Nations: What do we know about day 19

    Israel versus the United Nations

    Israel has refused to issue visas to United Nations officials after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres obliquely condemned Israeli orders to evacuate Gazans from the north to the south. Above all, he also said Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 did not happen “in a vacuum” as the Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”.

    According to Al Jazeera’s reporter Gabriel Elizondo, Israel was “furious” and its officials called on the UN chief to resign.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who was at the debate, “was so upset”, said Elizondo, “that he cancelled a meeting with the secretary-general that was supposed to happen Tuesday afternoon”.

    Additionally, the UN had been raising concerns over the lack of fuel in Gaza and the potential pause in its operations. In response to one of the UN’s posts on Tuesday, the Israeli military suggested the UN should approach Hamas for fuel supplies.

    The Israeli military claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that Hamas has more than 500,000 litres of fuel in tanks inside Gaza.

    “Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the military wrote.

    103 killed in occupied West Bank

    Increasing Israeli raids since October 7 in the occupied West Bank have resulted in 103 deaths.

    Syrian army attacked by Israel

    The Israeli military claims to have targeted Syrian army infrastructure and mortar launches, asserting that it was a response to Syrian aims at Israel.

    “Lebanon was never an aggressor”: Ambassador

    During the UN Security Council meeting, Lebanon’s ambassador, Hadi Hachem, stated that his country “is exerting every effort to disassociate” from this “bloody conflict”.

    He added that Lebanon was never an aggressor.

    “It has always been a victim of aggression by Israel since the [1960s].”

    Referring to Gazans, he said “There is no law or doctrine that justifies the systematic killing of a population that lives in an open-air prison for more than a half a century.”

    Hachem also shed light on the killings of 13 journalists in Gaza (including the killing of Lebanese journalist Issam Abdallah in southern Lebanon) because of Israeli attacks, “proof” of Israel’s “policy to suppress freedoms”.

    Earlier in the debate, the US accused Iran and its proxies of destabilising the region, claims the Iranian ambassador categorically rejected.

    600,000 Palestinians displaced

    The UN is reportedly sheltering nearly 600,000 Palestinians who have been internally displaced in 150 facilities whereas at least 40 UNRWA installations have been affected following Israeli attacks.

    “Our shelters are four times over their capacities. Many people are sleeping on the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed,” the agency said in a post shared on X.

  • Pakistani rupee continues to lose against US dollar

    Pakistani rupee continues to lose against US dollar

    The Pakistani rupee experienced a 0.16 per cent depreciation against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Wednesday, settling at 279.88, marking a decrease of Re0.45, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    The previous day, the rupee had depreciated by 0.11 per cent, closing at 279.43 against the US dollar. In a related development, the SBP anticipates an increase in remittances to Pakistan due to a notable rise in labour migration. 

    In fiscal years 2022 and 2023, Pakistan observed a significant surge in labour migration compared to the preceding two years, with around 0.8 million Pakistani workers registered through the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) and Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) during FY23.

    Internationally, the US dollar gained strength on Wednesday, supported by robust US economic data. Meanwhile, the euro faced challenges due to a dimming growth outlook in the Eurozone. US business output showed improvement in October, signalling a recovery from a five-month contraction, as reported on Tuesday. 

    In contrast, data from the same day indicated an unexpected downturn in business activity in the Eurozone. The euro, against the dollar, was up 0.05 per cent at $1.0595 but had declined by 0.75 per cent the previous day. This shift boosted the dollar index, which steadied at 106.23, moving away from a one-month low of 105.35 recorded in the previous session.

    Furthermore, oil prices remained above $88 on Wednesday, driven by concerns about escalating conflicts in the Middle East, which offset worries about reduced demand due to the gloomy economic prospects in Europe.

  • ECP invites international observers, media ahead of January elections

    ECP invites international observers, media ahead of January elections

    In a bid to ensure transparency and fairness in the upcoming electoral process, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) extended invitations to international observers and media, signaling its intention to conduct nationwide polls tentatively scheduled for the last week of January 2024, as reported by Nausheen Yusuf for Geo.

    In a two-page invite, sent under Section 238 of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP explained the process for international observers and media to avail accreditation cards and visas to enter the country for the nationwide polls.

    “The Election Commission has announced General Election is tentatively scheduled in the last week of January 2024. The Election Commission of Pakistan, has an Open Door Policy for accreditation of any national and international Observer subject to the fulfillment of codal formalities (Section 238 of the Elections Act 2017),” said the ECP.

    The commission laid out a detailed procedure for obtaining necessary visas, directing interested parties to the Pakistan Online Portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Alongside the visa application, applicants were instructed to submit the accreditation application form accessible on the ECP’s official website.

    For the visa process, the ECP has explained that it may be obtained via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “Pakistan Online Portal”. Along with the visa application, those wishing to come to the country for the polls will also need to attach the “accreditation application form” that is available on the ECP’s website.

    “After completion of codal formalities as per law, ECP will issue accreditation cards to security cleared international observers/media and arrange briefings for observers in ECP Secretariat,” added the commission. It also advised them to follow the advisories of the Foreign Office and the interior ministry.

    “We believe that the presence of international observers will add a valuable dimension to the electoral process, ensuring its transparency and impartiality while lending credibility to our electoral process. In this connection, all necessary arrangements will be made available for international observers to carry out their duties effectively and independently,” said the ECP.

    Pakistan has been embroiled in a state of political flux since the removal of the Imran Khan government through a no-confidence motion in April 2022. Subsequently, the coalition government that took over, dissolved the National Assembly on August 9, leading to the necessity of holding elections within 90 days, as per constitutional requirements.

    However, the ECP faced obstacles in meeting the deadline due to the need to establish new electoral boundaries following the approval of the census by the Council of Common Interest (CCI). Notably, the major political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had urged the ECP to expedite the electoral process to quell the prevailing political uncertainty in the country.

  • Jahangir Tareen ki party mein kaun kaun shaamil?

    Jahangir Tareen ki party mein kaun kaun shaamil?

    Senior politician Andleeb Abbas, along with two other former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) women MPAs joined the ranks of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) on Tuesday. 

    In a significant show of support, the IPP patron-in-chief Jahangir Khan Tareen met the trio of former women MPAs, where they officially severed ties with PTI and pledged their allegiance to the IPP.

    Flanked by IPP Information Secretary Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Andleeb Abbas said: “The IPP will make a strong Pakistan. We have a cause to follow, which is above a party and an individual. We have joined the IPP for a cause.”

    Sadia Sohail said: “We are sitting here together for Pakistan. May 9 should not have happened. All institutions should be respected.”

    Sumaira Bokhari said nothing was more important than Pakistan. When asked why they chose to join hands with Tareen and Aleem Khan who [allegedly] represent mafias in the country and their reason to quit the PTI, the trio chose not to respond to any of these queries.

    A group of leaders from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Balochistan also aligned themselves with the IPP. 

    PML-N Balochistan vice president Jaleel Ahmed Khan Musakhel, and his associates met IPP President Abdul Aleem Khan in Lahore to solidify their transition.

    Expressing his thoughts on the occasion, Aleem Khan said, “We want to see more progress in the small provinces. Apart from Punjab, the key political personalities from the other provinces are also joining the IPP.’’

    “The masses are upset by the traditional politics practiced by the PML-N, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and PTI,’’ Aleem Khan added.  

    The IPP’s momentum further gained strength as Pashtun Social Community (PSC) Punjab President Muhammad Sher Khan officially announced his decision to join the party on October 17. 

    The development came after Sher Khan held a meeting with IPP General Secretary Mian Khalid Mehmood.

    Khalid Mehmood welcomed Sher Khan by presenting a party scarf to the latter.

  • ‘Congratulations Nawaz Sharif on becoming Ladla Plus’: PPP

    ‘Congratulations Nawaz Sharif on becoming Ladla Plus’: PPP

    The recent decision by the Punjab caretaker government to suspend the sentence of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference has triggered a political firestorm, with major parties, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), vehemently opposing the move.

    PPP’s Punjab chapter leader, Hasan Murtaza, lashed out at the decision, referring to Sharif as ‘Ladla Plus’ and labelling the suspension as a ‘cowardly’ act.

    “The caretaker government is doing everything it should not do,” the PPP leader said.

    “The caretaker government is not here to give relief to criminals, but to hold elections.” He added: “It is not the task of the caretaker Punjab cabinet to approve the suspension of Nawaz Sharif’s sentence.”

    He urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of the partiality of the caretaker government.

    Simultaneously, PTI’s legal affairs spokesperson, Barrister Gohar Khan, condemned the decision as a direct violation of the law.

    He took to X (former Twitter) and said, “Provincial Government has no power whatsoever to extend any relief regarding sentence under CrPC to someone convicted by NAB Court – period.”

    In response to the criticism, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi clarified that the government had not directly suspended Sharif’s sentence but had instead referred the case to the court of law under Section 401, leaving the final decision on bail to the judiciary.

    Section 401 of the criminal procedure code says, “When any person has been sentenced to punishment of an offence, the provincial government may at any time without conditions or upon any conditions which the person sentenced accepts, suspend the execution of his sentence or remit the whole or any part of the punishment to which he has been sentenced.”

  • Meta sued by 40 US states for causing mental health problems

    Meta sued by 40 US states for causing mental health problems

    40 US states sued Meta — the owner company of Facebook and Instagram.

    The renowned tech company has been accused to have caused mental health crises in youth. The attorneys general said that these social media apps tend to “exploit and manipulate” children.

    The case highlights dangers of social media platforms stemming from their focus on financial gain. The young users are exploited using a business model to get them addicted to spending too much time on social media, which can consequently harm their mental health.

    According to the complaint, various researches show that youth using Meta’s social media platforms undergo depression, anxiety, insomnia, interference with education and daily life, and many other mental health related issues .

    The complaint was made in 2021 after Meta’s own research showed the company was aware of the harm Instagram was causing to young people, especially girls.

    These states have requested the court to impose heavy fines on Meta and order them to pay compensation.

  • Iceland’s Prime Minister strikes over gender pay gap

    Iceland’s Prime Minister strikes over gender pay gap

    Tens of thousands of women in Iceland, including the prime minister, walked off the job on Tuesday to demand equal pay and protest violence against women, organisers said.

    Iceland already tops a World Economic Forum (WEF) ranking for gender equality, but organisers said the country needed to make even more progress and lead by example.

    “We are keenly aware that we have not reached gender equality, and even though the situation may be better than other places, there is no reason to just call it a day,” Steinunn Rognvaldsdottir, one of the organisers of “Kvennafri” (Women’s Day Off), told AFP.

    The protest day has been called six times since 1975, this was only the second time that organisers made it a full-day strike, she added.

    The other times, women walked off the job at a symbolic hour after which they were technically no longer earning a salary compared to male colleagues.

    The average wage gap between men and women was 10.2 percent in 2021, according to Statistics Iceland.

    Around 90 percent of Iceland’s women took part in the first protest in 1975, “which was momentous”, Rognvaldsdottir said.

    Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir was among those striking, her office told AFP.

    “She will not attend to official duties and in that regard today’s scheduled cabinet meeting has been moved to tomorrow,” a spokesman said.

    – ‘A present for mother-in-law’ –

    Tens of thousands of women gathered for a large demonstration in the afternoon at the main square of the capital Reykjavik, and protests were also planned in other towns around the country of 400,000 people.

    In Reykjavik, where 75 percent of city employees are women, 59 daycare centres and preschools were closed and all city services were affected by the strike.

    City employees taking part in the strike will not lose pay, the city said.

    Organisers of the movement said they expected men to take charge of the unpaid work that often falls to women.

    “For this one day, we expect husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles to take on the responsibilities related to family and home, for example: preparing breakfast and lunch boxes, remembering birthdays of relatives, buying a present for your mother-in-law, making a dentist appointment for your child.”

    “We always have to be on guard when it comes to our rights,” Lina Petra Thorarinsdottir, 45, told AFP.

    “In Iceland we are proud of what we have accomplished and I am thankful for the women that came before us,” said Thorarinsdottir, head of tourism at marketing group Business Iceland.

    But she said would continue to protest until women enjoyed “equal rights in full”.

    The strikers also wanted their protest to raise awareness of gender-based violence.

    “We still see that up to 40 percent of women have experienced some form of violence or will experience some form of violence in their lifetime,” Thorarinsdottir said.

    “The strike is for both equality when it comes to paid and unpaid work, it also has to do with violence against women and non-binary people,” she said.

    Fjola Helgadottir, a 41-year-old nurse, was unable to take part in Tuesday’s strike action.

    “I would have liked to participate in today’s protest but because we work in the children’s emergency room, we have to provide that service,” she told AFP.

    “The cause is extremely important.”

  • More than 2,000 children have been killed in Israeli air strikes since Oct 7: What do we know about day 18

    More than 2,000 children have been killed in Israeli air strikes since Oct 7: What do we know about day 18

    704 Palestinians killed in last 24 hours

    The health ministry in the besieged enclave reports that Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours have killed 704 in Gaza.

    More than 19,000 displaced in Lebanon after border clashes

    The Israel-Palestine escalation has spread beyond borders. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported the displacement of 19,646 people while the United Nations has also estimated that more than 19,000 have been internally displaced in Lebanon after October 7 amid cross-border attacks.

    Friction between Hezbollah and the Israeli military is also feared to escalate.

    Killing of children

    Among the 5,087 people killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, more than 2,000 of them are children, the health ministry in the besieged enclave states.

    Between Sunday and Monday alone, 182 children were killed among the total of 436 Palestinians.

    Six more UN staff killed in Israeli bombing

    The UN Relief and Works Agency has lost six more staff members in Israeli bombing of Gaza, taking the death toll to 35.

    Occupied West Bank

    96 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces since October 7 and settlers while at least 1,800 have been wounded.

    Israel claims to have detained 500 Palestinians, allegedly linked to Hamas.

    Similarly, almost 1,500 people are trapped under the rubble in Gaza and rescue teams are unable to rescue all as Israel continues to target medical teams while authorities lack necessary equipment.

    Gaza not receiving enough relief supplies

    According to the UN, only 54 trucks with relief supplies have been allowed into Gaza since Saturday.

    Tamara al-Rifai, communications chief of the United Nations Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA, deemed it as a drop in the ocean.

    He also highlights that fuel for generators has not been sent in the shipments whereas rice and lentils delivered cannot be cooked without the water and gas which are needed for cooking.

    Obama on Israel

    Former President Obama issued a new statement on Israel-Palestine escalation.

    In his statement, Obama condemns the October 7 attacks launched by Hamas, calling it an “unspeakable brutality” and supports Israel’s right to defend itself but under “international law.”

    “But even as we support Israel, we should also be clear that how Israel prosecutes this fight against Hamas matters. In particular, it matters — as President Biden has repeatedly emphasized — that Israel’s military strategy abides by international law, including those laws that seek to avoid, to every extent possible, the death or suffering of civilian populations,” Obama wrote.

    Obama also warns that blocking supplies into Gaza can put support for Israel at risk.

    “The Israeli government’s decision to cut off food, water and electricity to a captive civilian population threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel’s enemies, and undermine long term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region,” he wrote.

    Obama further stresses on dismissing antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian narratives. And while he believes that Israel has “every right to exist,” he also notes that Palestinians have “also lived in disputed territories for generations.”

    “But if we care about keeping open the possibility of peace, security and dignity for future generations of Israeli and Palestinian children — as well as for our own children — then it falls upon all of us to at least make the effort to model, in our own words and actions, the kind of world we want them to inherit,” he concluded.

    Macron arrives in Israel on ‘solidarity’ visit

    The French president Emmaneul Macron also paid a visit to Tel Aviv to “express” France’s “solidarity” with Israel.

    Referring to October 7 attacks by Hamas, the President stated that “what happened will never be forgotten.”

    On the other hand, Israeli President Isaac Herzog asserts that his country is committed to “destroying” its adversaries, adding that, “We demand the immediate release of all our citizens,”

    Shedding light on Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah, he stated that “We are following very closely the situation,”, adding that Lebanon was “playing with fire”.

    “If Hezbollah drags us into a war it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price”.

    Credits: Al Jazeera

  • All ‘good news’ for Nawaz Sharif

    All ‘good news’ for Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal battles continued as the accountability court in Islamabad undertook the hearing of the Toshakhana reference today. The proceedings, overseen by Judge Muhammad Bashir, saw significant developments and stringent security measures.

    Rana Muhammad Irfan, the designated pleader, was present at the court. The lawyer representing Nawaz assured the court of his client’s compliance with any orders issued by the court. The judge subsequently postponed the Toshakhana reference hearing until November 20, calling for arguments on the appeal concerning property confiscation.

    Additionally, the judge honored the request made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor to suspend Nawaz’s warrant in the case.

    The court made it clear that copies of relevant documents would be distributed during the upcoming session, while also issuing a notice to the NAB regarding the property confiscation request.

    Ahead of the hearing, strict security protocols were observed, with a bomb disposal squad conducting a thorough sweep of the courtroom premises. The Federal Judicial Complex in Islamabad was heavily guarded by police, allowing only relevant legal representatives and journalists to access the accountability court.

    Notably, the case also involves Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Zardari and former Prime Minister, Senator Yusuf Raza, Gilani as co-accused.

    Nawaz’s legal representative, Qazi Misbah, filed several applications on his behalf, including the restoration of annexed property, the appointment of a pleader, and the submission of bail bonds.

    Meanwhile, Asif Zardari’s lawyer and senior PPP leader Farooq H Naek sought an exemption from attending the hearing on his client’s behalf.

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended Nawaz’s bail pleas in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references till October 26 (Thursday), after issuing notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over the pleas seeking restoration of appeals in the graft cases.

    A special bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb had taken up the pleas seeking restoration of appeals against the accountability courts’ verdicts in the graft cases.

    The high court had granted protective bail to the three-time prime minister — who returned to Pakistan after four-years-long self-imposed exile on Saturday — prohibiting his arrest in the case.

    The anti-graft body had not objected to Nawaz getting the security bond.

    His counsel filed the petitions, requesting the court to hear the appeals on merit as earlier they were discarded for non-compliance when the PML-N supremo did not return from London after he was granted permission by the court in November 2019 to go abroad for medical treatment.