Category: Uncategorized

  • PM Kakar, President Putin decide to increase collaboration in various fields.

    PM Kakar, President Putin decide to increase collaboration in various fields.

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the sidelines of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. They talked about a variety of topics, including trade, investment, and energy cooperation.

    During their conversation on Tuesday, the two leaders conveyed their contentment with the consistent growth of relations between Pakistan and Russia while emphasising the necessity of increased collaboration in various fields.

    President Putin received PM Kakar before they held a meeting that encompassed bilateral, regional, and international affairs.

    They also talked about the potential for improving Eurasian connectivity along with Pakistan’s crucial role in regional integration through rail, road, and energy corridors.

    The prime minister highlighted the significance of increased regional cooperation to foster economic growth in the region and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen and enhance its bilateral relations with Russia in areas such as energy, connectivity, trade, investment, and the fight against terrorism.

    The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the evolving situation in the Middle East.

  • Good news for Imran Khan

    Good news for Imran Khan

    Former Prime Minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, who is currently in Adiala jail, facing Cipher case trial, can finally take a breath of relief.

    The judge of a special court under the Official Secrets Act has granted permission to Imran Khan to speak to his sons over the phone.

    Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, the judge of Islamabad’s official secret court, heard the request to allow a telephonic conversation between the Chairman of PTI and his sons. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Shiraz Ranjha, appeared before the court.

    During the hearing, the judge stated that no information had been received yet regarding the telephone conversation with the Adiala Jail Superintendent. However, the judge added that if any information came to light concerning the telephone conversation in the jail, he would address it accordingly.

    Lawyer Shiraz Ranjha said during the hearing that Imran Khan wants a bicycle for exercise in jail.

    Judge Zulqarnain responded that he had already issued directives to the jail officials for providing a cycle, to which Ranjha said he could provide the cycle today if the court allowed.

    “I do not want the cycle to be misused such that the jail superintendent keeps using the cycle. We also have to keep the jail manual in mind. For us, the security of an under-trial prisoner is important,” the judge said.

    At this, the lawyer offered that the court may appoint a person in whose supervision the cycle could be used.

    After a brief adjournment, the court resumed the hearing, during which Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain mentioned that certain SOPs had been brought to his attention, prohibiting the accused from speaking.

    He further stated that he would look into the matter of telephone conversation according to jail manual regulations.

    However, he requested written authorization for international communication from the jail manual. He stated, “I grant permission for telephonic conversation in your favor.”

    The judge, in a one-page written order, directed the Adiala jail superintendent to ensure that Khan speaks to his sons over the phone.

    The judge also noted that the jail superintendent had “submitted his comments with the respect of SOPs in which there is no doubt that this sought of desired communication through telephone or by other mode in abroad are not warranted, specifically case in hand which is of Official Secret Act Court but the agonies of [the] family cannot [be] kept isolated”.

  • ‘My heart aches’: Dua Lipa, Malala call for ceasefire in Gaza

    ‘My heart aches’: Dua Lipa, Malala call for ceasefire in Gaza

    After videos emerged online of the horrifying bombing by Israel on a hospital in Gaza, activist Malala Yousafzai and singer Dua Lipa have joined the voices calling for a ceasefire.

    Pop singer Dua Lipa addressed the situation in Palestine with a lengthy statement on her Instagram stories along with a link attached to a post asking for donations for Gaza. The singer penned: “With each passing day, my heart aches for the people of Israel and Palestine. Grief for the lives lost in the horrifying attacks in Israel. Grief as I witness the unprecedented suffering in Gaza, where 2.2 million souls, half of them children, endure unimaginable hardships.”

    The Grammy winning singer ended her note by urging for a ceasefire in Gaza and called for governments to “halt the unfolding crisis.”

     

    Nobel Prize winning activist Malala Yousafzai shared a video where she urged for peace and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, writing:

    “I’m horrified to see the bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and unequivocally condemn it. I urge the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterate the call for a ceasefire. I am directing $300K to three charities helping Palestinian people under attack.”

    I’m horrified to see the bombing of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza and unequivocally condemn it. I urge the Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterate the call for a ceasefire. I am directing $300K to three charities helping Palestinian people under attack. pic.twitter.com/JiIPfnTUvY

    — Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) October 17, 2023

    Malala’s statement was criticised for not naming who was responsible for the Gaza bombing. Writer Fatima Bhutto wrote: “Call it what it is: a genocide. Call Israel by its name: an apartheid state”

    Call it what it is: a genocide.
    Call Israel by its name: an apartheid state. https://t.co/LNzWMmYgBY

    — fatima bhutto (@fbhutto) October 17, 2023

    Journalist Alia Chughtai wrote:

    “We heard for years @Malala speaking against terrorism, yet you can’t name Israel as the occupying force, or them being the one being the perpetrators. Your PR team clearly manages your statements, and you are disappointing for not speaking up against this terrorism. Shame.”

    We heard for years @Malala speaking against terrorism, yet you can’t name Israel as the occupying force, or them being the one being the perpetrators. Your PR team clearly manages your statements, and you are disappointing for not speaking up against this terrorism. Shame. https://t.co/HZRBNfcLiu

    — Alia Chughtai (@AliaChughtai) October 18, 2023

  • ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    ‘Cry to my lord’: Pakistani celebrities shocked at Gaza hospital bombing

    On 17 October, Israeli jets bombed the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, where countless Palestinians had sought medical treatment and refuge from the ongoing genocide. Reports say that the strike was the deadliest attack committed by Israel in its history, with 500 confirmed dead and the death toll rising, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities like Ushna Shah and Osman Khalid Butt took to social media to express their outrage at the world’s apathy towards the Palestinian genocide.

    Ushna Shah wrote: “A hospital. A HOSPITAL! What do we boycott? Where do we strike? What do we do? Someone tell me what to do! All I am able to do currently is pray and cry to my Lord, hold my dear ones close and write on this platform. Someone tell us what to do, where to begin.”

    Actor Osman Khalid Butt demanded an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to enter into Gaza.

    Writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto criticised Israel’s attempts to distract the world from its crimes by attempting to thwart the narrative.

    British-Pakistani boxer Amir Khan shared videos of the sea of dead bodies found after the bombing, and expressed his grief over the loss of lives in Gaza.

  • Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja warned government officials that strict action will be taken against them if they will show “political bias”, adding that free and fair elections are necessary for a strong democracy.  

    A day earlier, while heading a meeting at the Provincial Election Commission Secretariat, Raja Sikandar said that all resources will be brought into service for unbiased and peaceful polls. He also offered assurances that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will provide full support to the provincial government.

    “There will be no tolerance for any form of political bias among government employees, and immediate action will be taken if such complaints arise,” warned the CEC.

    The ECP secretary briefly detailed preparations for general elections as well as revised the electoral rolls and process of voter registration.

    On the other hand, Sindh election commissioner also informed the meeting about preparations for general elections in the province.

    The Sindh chief secretary also told the huddle that Sindh government will fully cooperate with ECP in the upcoming polls.

  • Israel official account attacks Gigi Hadid on Insta, gets crushed on Twitter

    Israel official account attacks Gigi Hadid on Insta, gets crushed on Twitter

    Last week, the official account of Israel drew backlash on X (formerly Twitter) when it attacked Pakistani cricket player Muhammad Rizwan after he dedicated his performance in the victory over Sri Lanka to the people of Gaza. On Monday, the official account of Israel on Instagram chose to target Palestinian-American model Gigi Hadid for a statement she gave about Palestinian genocide. The model shared a post clarifying that supporting the Free Palestinian movement was not anti-semitic.

    The Israeli account shared Hadid’s post and wrote in the caption: “Have you been sleeping the past week? Or are you just turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes. Your silence is clear about where you stand. We see you.”

    The ‘Jewish babies butchered’ story stems from unverified claims about 40 babies murdered by Hamas.

    READ MORE: Did Hamas actually decapitate Israeli children and women? No, they did not.

    However, the death toll of Palestinian children killed by Israeli strikes has crossed 1000, according to Defense For Children International Palestine.

    Twitter (or X) users were outraged over the blatant manner a Palestinian woman was being targeted on the internet. One user wrote: “i hope more people will see how disgusting it is for a state affiliated account to attack a celeb like this. she is palestinian, she stands with her own people, she knows what happened and they are afraid of that. stop harassing her and stop k!lling palestinians.”

    Many people were quick to remind other users that Gigi’s father, Mohammad Hadid, was forcibly expelled along with his family during the 1948 Nakba. In a podcast, Mohammad Hadid revealed his family was not allowed to go back to their home in Safa after the expulsion.

    READ MORE: There is a painful history behind why supermodels Gigi, Bella Hadid support the Palestinian cause

  • Jordan’s King refuses to meet Biden after Israeli strike on hospital

    Late on Tuesday night, following a deadly attack by Israel on the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, Jordan announced that a summit involving US President Joe Biden has been canceled. Earlier, President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine also announced that he will not meet Joe Biden as the fallout from the deadly strike continues to reverberate across the world.

    The summit will be held “when the decision to stop the war and put an end to these massacres has been taken”, the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi had said in an unusually harsh worded statement.

    ‘Nothing can justify targeting civilians’: President of France on Gaza hospital strike

    Macron has also demanded humanitarian access to Gaza ‘without delay’. He took to X (former Twitter) and said, “France condemns the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital in Gaza which caused so many Palestinian victims. We think of them. All the light must be shed.”

    Protests have erupted all over the world against Israel’s heinous and brutal attack on a Palestinian hospital which killed more than 800 people. From Sweden to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the West Bank, people are taking to the streets and protesting against the genocide in Palestine. Protestors in Jordan have surrounded the Israeli embassy with calls to end the genocide.

    After the recent attack, Scotland becomes the first country to offer refuge to the people of Gaza.

  • ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’, says Israel: What do we know about day 11

    ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’, says Israel: What do we know about day 11

    Palestinians arrested in occupied West Bank

    Israeli forces in have arrested around 30 Palestinian workers in the occupied West Bank, as per Al Jazeera Arabic.

    Up until the Hamas attacks of October 7, around 14,000 workers from Gaza were living in Israel and were heavily examined for security purposes.

    Their employment in Israel was a part of the deal between the Gaza labour ministry and Israel which helped money come into the Gaza Strip whereas Israel benefited from cheap labour and were able to avoid Israeli labour laws.

    After the escalation of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, the workers have been “dumped” in the occupied West Bank by their employers, interrogated, and sent to refugee camps. 

    Southern Gaza: 71 reported killed in Israeli air raids

    Another night went by in the southern Gaza Strip with Israel carrying out air raids, killing 71 people.

    Many of those killed were women and children.

    Medical sources have confirmed that hundreds were wounded in the air raids while houses were also bombed in Rafah and Khan Younis.

    The Israeli military has claimed to have carried out more than 200 strikes.

    The injured are being sent to hospitals that are already overcrowded while on the other hand, many people are still trapped in the rubble of bombed buildings.

    Northern Gaza: Heavy shelling

    Currently, reports of heavy Israeli artillery shelling are being reported from different areas in the northern Gaza strip. 

    So far, there are no reports of casualties.

    11,000 people injured in Gaza

    A World Health Organization official reports 11,000 injured people in Gaza, half of whom are women and children.

    So far, 115 attacks have been made on health facilities in Gaza.

    As for casualties, 2,800 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7.

    16 journalists killed in current fighting

    The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement reporting the killings of at least 15 journalists since October 7, including 11 Palestinians, three Israelis and one Lebanese.

    Eight journalists were reported injured and three others were reported missing or detained.

    Israeli captives under Hamas

    Hamas’s Qassam Brigades have claimed to have 200 Israeli captives whereas other Palestinian groups are said to be having 50 more. A spokesperson said the Qassam Brigades has stated that they will release captives with foreign nationalities “as soon as it was feasible to do so”.

    ‘This will be a long war; the price will be high’

    The defence minister of Israel, Yoav Gallant, has stated that the attack on Gaza will be “a long war” and “the price will be high”.

    A “great ally”, as described by Gallant after his meeting with Blinken, the US has been deploying aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean. 

    The minister believes that no matter the time and cost the war against Hamas takes, Israel will win.

    On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden is also expected to pay a visit to Israel to express his support  while the country prepares for the potential ground operation against Hamas in Gaza, Anthony Blinken has said. 

    A total of 500 Palestinians, including those that Israel alleges are Hamas members, have been arrested across the West Bank. 

    Iran’s strongest warning so far

    On Monday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian gave his most stern statement so far, warning of a possible preemptive strike in the coming hours.

    He asserted that Iran-backed groups will not allow Israel to commit atrocities in Gaza, mentioning Lebanon’s Hezbollah who has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel in the past week. 

    At least 55 Israeli police officers killed since war started

    The Israeli police say at least 55 officers have been killed since the war started on October 7.

    Police added the latest officer to lose his life was Mumtaz Enin Sivan, a member of the Bedouin community police unit in the Negev region of the country’s south.

    UN says concerned by risk of waterborne diseases in Gaza

    On one hand, Gaza is said to be running out of water due to Israel’s embargo while on the other hand, the UN has said that there is a risk of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

    “Concerns over dehydration and waterborne diseases are high given the collapse of water and sanitation services, including today’s shutdown of Gaza’s last functioning seawater desalination plant,” the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement.

    Southern Gaza reportedly received water for three hours on Tuesday that could only provide for only 14 per cent of the population.

    $10m in assistance to Gaza civilians from Japan

    Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has stated that Japan will provide $10m in assistance for the people in Gaza.

    Credit: Al Jazeera

  • Five-member committee to probe fake passport case

    Five-member committee to probe fake passport case

    The interior ministry has constituted a five-member committee to extensively probe cases pertaining to the issuance of over 12,000 fake passports to Afghan nationals.

    The ministry issued a notification stating that the Director General of Immigration and Passports (IMPASS) will be the convener, whereas Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) deputy secretary, a representative of National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) and assistant director of IMPASS headquarters will be members of the committee. 

    The committee will investigate lapses in the issuance of passports, determining the connivance of various institutions to facilitate the departure of fake passport holders from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, to determine the responsibility of various officers in NADRA, IMPASS and FIA in the process and suggest remedial measures to curb the menace in the future.

    The report is expected to be submitted to authorities within 15 days.

    On October 14, 12,000 fake Pakistani passports were retrieved from Afghan nationals in Saudi Arabia.

    The law enforcement agencies initiate a crackdown against people and groups involved in the issuance of fake citizen documents to illegal immigrants.

    The Pakistani embassy in Riyadh was informed of the passports by Saudi authorities.

  • ‘Special relief’ to Nawaz Sharif; PPP expresses concerns

    The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has lifted up concerns about speculation that former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif will get “special relief” on his return to Pakistan on October 21.

    PPP’s Secretary General, Syed Nayyer Husain Bukhari, said in his statement on Monday that the PML-N supremo had been legally convicted by courts, stressing that Nawaz Sharif will have to face the law after his return to the country.

    “It is surprising [for PML-N] to hope that the judiciary will set a precedent of special relief for Nawaz Sharif,” he added.

    The PPP leader also said that the election is necessary for the prolongation of the parliamentary system in the country, demanding that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announce a polling date as soon as possible.

    “The PPP demands a level playing field for all,” he maintained.