Tag: India

  • Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir: Pakistan highlights Indian oppression in IOK

    Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir: Pakistan highlights Indian oppression in IOK

    Pakistan is observing Youm-e-Istehsal Kashmir today to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, as August 5 marks two years of Indian Occupied Kashmir’s (IOK) military siege by the Modi regime in India.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a series of tweets, said: “Today marks two years since India’s unilateral and illegal actions of 5 Aug 2019 in IIOJK. In these two years, the world has witnessed unprecedented oppression in IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) by Indian Occupation forces. It is also witnessing Indian efforts to force demographic change and destroy Kashmiri identity.”

    PM Khan further said that the government and the people of Pakistan salute their Kashmiri brothers and sisters for their “sacrifices in their determined & legitimate struggle” for their inalienable rights.

    The Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR), the military’s media wing, quoted Cheif of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying that the “continuation of an inhuman military siege, machinations to bring demographic changes and gross violations of human rights and international laws are perpetuating humanitarian and security crises in IIOJ&K” that imperil regional security.

    Speaking to a rally arranged to salute the bravery and courage of Kashmiri brothers and sisters in Islamabad, President Arif Alvi said no Pakistani will rest until occupied Kashmir, under Indian military siege is liberated. 

    “Pakistan will liberate occupied Kashmir,” he said. “Let me warn India that Pakistan is a strong nation.”

    President Arif Alvi addressing a rally in Islamabad. -Radio Pakistan

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Pakistan will continue to support oppressed Kashmiris. 

    Events have been arranged in order to call out India’s unilateral, illegal actions against the Kashmiri people. Solidarity walks of one mile have been planned in all the main cities, including the federal capital. 

     A one-minute silence was observed across the country while traffic was also halted for a minute, and sirens were sounded.

    Two years ago, on August 5, 2019, the Narendra Modi government revoked the special status of the people of Kasmir. The Indian government rushed through a presidential decree and abolished Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave a measure of autonomy to the Muslim-majority Occupied Kashmir.

  • UK criticised for removing India from Red List despite worse Covid-19 situation than Pakistan

    UK criticised for removing India from Red List despite worse Covid-19 situation than Pakistan

    The United Kingdom (UK) has recently announced that it is removing India from the Red List and moving it to the to Amber List from August 8 while Pakistan is still on the Red List.

    Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps took to Twitter to announce the news.

    The website of the UK’s government states the rules if you are travelling from a country that lies in the Red List.

    “What you must do if you have been in a country or territory on the Red List in the 10 days before you arrive in England,” states the website.

    “If you have been in a country or territory on the Red List in the last 10 days you will only be allowed to enter the UK if you are a British or Irish National, or you have residence rights in the UK,” it added.

    Travellers who are fully vaccinated will have to follow these rules:

    Before you travel to England you must:

    Take a Covid-19 test – children aged 10 and under do not need to take this test

    Book a quarantine hotel package, including 2 Covid-19 tests

    Complete a passenger locator form

    On arrival in England you must:

    Quarantine in a managed hotel, including 2 Covid-19 tests

    Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari criticised the move and tweeted: “I had stated in April this year that UK was playing politics on Covid restrictions when they put Pak on Red List 2 weeks before India despite the Covid management disaster in India as opp to Pak’s good management raised internationally. NOW UK again playing politics targeting Pak.”

    Social media users are not happy with the decision as Pakistan’s Covid-19 situation is not as bad as India.  

  • Pakistan condemns Modi for not allowing India-based foreign journalists to visit Pakistan

    Pakistan condemns Modi for not allowing India-based foreign journalists to visit Pakistan

    India has refused permission to allow five India-based international journalists to travel to Pakistan via Wagah.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi pointed out how the Indian government’s decision indicated that the space for free speech and independent journalism was shrinking in India under a “dictatorial regime”. Qureshi said the five journalists were to travel to Pakistan and were also to visit the Azad Kashmir Assembly.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also condemned New Delhi for refusing permission to the international journalists to visit Azad Kashmir. 

    The minister took to Twitter and questioned India for its freedom of expression.

    National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf said these “are the actions of an insecure government that has much to hide”.

    Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari questioned whether the foreign journalists will expose the growing myth of Indian democracy under the fascist Modi regime.

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar tweeted, “We want the world to see what is happening in Azad Kashmir and they want to hide what is happening in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The difference between right and wrong cannot get more stark than this.”

    A request by Pakistan to allow a group of five India-based foreign journalists to travel to Islamabad through Wagah has been declined by Indian authorities as the border crossing is virtually closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, reported Times of India.

    The report stated that Pakistan planned to take the journalists for interactions with top political leadership and senior officials on the overall situation in Afghanistan.

    “One of the persons familiar with the development said the visit was planned from August 3 to 7,” read the report.

     

  • Viral Pakistani meme makes it to Hong Kong museum

    The disappointed Pakistani cricket fan Sarim Akhtar, who got famous after a video clip of him went viral in 2019, has been featured in Hong Kong’s Museum of Memes.

    His ‘disappointed face’ after Asif Ali dropped David Warner’s catch in Pakistan vs Australia became a meme, and it was widely shared by social media users.

    Sarim took to Twitter to share the video clip of a video featuring him in the museum. He tweeted, “My sister found the video of the Hongkong K11 Museum of Memes on YouTube.”

    https://twitter.com/msarimakhtar/status/1421599534258565120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1421599534258565120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F362910-disappointed-fan-sarim-akhtar-featured-in-hong-kongs-meme-museum

    The meme museum consists of seven themed zones, each showcasing famed memes from different periods in various forms such as imagery, 3D figures and even scent, allowing visitors to review some of the most humorous memes.

    Moreover, the famous Pakistani meme that went viral in 2015 “friendship ended with” has been put online for auction by a Lahore and London-based startup, Alter, as an NFT artwork.

  • Lahori man finds Rahul in London to return his wallet in the most Bollywood way possible

    A Twitter user named Ghazi Taimoor has won the hearts of many people with a detailed story of how he found and returned the wallet of a man named Rahul. Ghazi Taimoor, who describes himself on Twitter as the Head of Professional Education at the Lahore University of Management Sciences School of Education, found the wallet on Shoreditch High street.

    “Guys! Just found this wallet on Shoreditch High street,” he wrote on Twitter, sharing a picture of the wallet. “Name on the bank card suggests the wallet belongs to a Rahul R******. Time to HUNT RAHUL DOWN,” he added.

    https://twitter.com/ghazi_taimoor/status/1420738743133097985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1420738743133097985%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ndtv.com%2Foffbeat%2Fhow-one-man-went-to-great-lengths-to-find-rahul-in-london-return-his-wallet-2498668

    He started by looking for Rahul on Google and several social media sites. On LinkedIn, he eventually discovered a lead.

    Taimoor finally found the address of Rahul’s office.

    https://twitter.com/ghazi_taimoor/status/1420746403165335565

    https://twitter.com/ghazi_taimoor/status/1420754689155473421

    Ghazi received a lot of love on his thread and he took to Twitter to thank people for all the love. “I’m slightly teary-eyed as I type this, but I’m GRATEFUL for so much kindness & love I’ve received from strangers in this past one day. Thank you.”

    “It’s been a terribly tough year for us all and it’s little acts of kindness that make this world a better place to live in,” he added.

  • Man snatches woman’s earrings to fund birthday party

    Police arrested a 31-year-old junior engineer for allegedly snatching the gold earrings of a woman in the Mansarovar Park area of India’s Delhi and selling them to bear the expenses for his birthday celebrations.

    As per reports, a case was reported on Friday at Mansarovar Park police station regarding the snatching of gold earrings of a woman by a man riding a bike.

    Police checked over 30 CCTV footages during the investigation and found out the escape route of the suspect.

    Read More: Bride refuses to go with groom due to his three missing fingers

    CCTV footage showed the suspect wearing a mask a senior police officer said, adding that there was no registration number on both the number plates of the bike.

    On Sunday, police spotted a motorcycle of the same features with blank number plates and detained the suspect, Mohit Gautam, the officer said.

    During interrogation, Gautam told that he snatched the gold earrings of the woman to celebrate his birthday on Sunday as he was running out of money, they said.

    Gautam said he had sold the earrings to a goldsmith, who police say is on the run.

  • ‘Will seek India’s help’: PML-N’s Ismail Gujjar served show-cause notice over remarks

    ‘Will seek India’s help’: PML-N’s Ismail Gujjar served show-cause notice over remarks

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal has served a show-cause notice to Ismail Gujjar for his controversial statement a day ago during the Azad Jammu and Kashmir election wherein he threatened to “call India for help” if attempts were made [by the government] to rig the polls.

    Talking to the media, Chaudhry Ismail Gujjar said, “If you try to commit such an act [rig elections], I will call India for help … I warn you this is the election of Azad Kashmir and its people, let it be peaceful.”

    Reacting to the statement, Ahsan Iqbal issued a show-cause notice to Gujjar.

    “A statement given by you appeared on the electronic media in which you have irresponsibly stated that you will seek help from India for your election,” the notice reads, asking Gujjar to give an explanation within seven days.

    Issuing a clarification on to Geo News, Ismail had said his statement was directed towards the administration. “India kills Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir and over here, these people are taking down our camps,” he had added.

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while appreciating the PML-N for issuing a show-cause notice to a “political orphan” [Gujjar], said it would have been better had the party served a notice to Nawaz Sharif for meeting Pakistan’s enemy. Fawad was referring to Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib in London.

    Fawad also commented on the Afghan NSA’s meeting with Sharif on Geo News‘ programme, ‘Jirga’.

  • Pakistan economic security on the rise, ranks top 10 in business environment

    Pakistan economic security on the rise, ranks top 10 in business environment

    Pakistan has reformed to simplify initiating a company and obtaining a construction permit, applying a series of preferential policies in the latest years, says the Annual Report on Investment Security of China’s Belt and Road Construction (2021), jointly released by China Belt and Road Think Tank Cooperation Alliance, Beijing International Studies University, and other institutions.

    The report puts forward the results of researches on the political, economic, social, cultural, and ecological investment security in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

    According to the report, these steps upgraded Pakistan’s ability to attract foreign investment and strengthened the ease of doing business year by year, making Pakistan one of the world’s top 10 economies with the most improved business environment, China Economic Net (CEN) reported.

    In terms of political security, the report stated that South Asia as a whole is greatly affected by the superpower game.

    China, the United States, Russia, Japan, and other countries outside the region have historical ties and practical cooperation here, which makes the geopolitical environment of South Asia complicated.

    The conflict between India and Pakistan has also increased pressure on political security in the region, under which the dispute over Kashmir poses a long-standing risk of war.

    From the perspective of economic security, Pakistan’s economic security scored up by 220% in 2019 compared to 2010, showing an overall trend of growth.

    The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) construction has greatly boosted public confidence, stimulated domestic demand, and driven production.

    However, it is worth noting that since 2019, the accelerated marketisation of the domestic exchange rate in Pakistan has led to market fluctuations, currency devaluation, sustained inflation, forcing the government to raise the benchmark interest rate. Besides, the debt burden increased and the international sovereign rating lowered.

  • VIDEO: Wedding horse runs away with groom

    VIDEO: Wedding horse runs away with groom

    A wedding horse ran away with the groom in India’s Rajasthan.

    As per reports, the groom was waiting outside the wedding venue when crackers alarmed the horse and it ran off with the groom sitting on its back. The groom tried to get off the horse but failed.

    The video of the incident has gone viral on social media.

    Read More: ‘No mutton, no marriage’: Groom calls off wedding

    The wedding guests and relatives followed the groom for four kilometers in their cars and bikes. The groom was not injured luckily and was taken back to the wedding site safely.

  • Our own people were involved in drone attacks says PM Khan

    Our own people were involved in drone attacks says PM Khan

    Addressing an election rally in Kotli, Azad Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “Our ally, the one we considered our friend used to do drone attacks on our country. Drone attacks used to occur in Pakistan both during the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif, and former President, Asif Ali Zardari’s time.

    They both used to condemn the attacks but deep with they had permitted for the attacks to occur. Why doesn’t any drone attack happen in my [PM Imran Khan] term.”

    “You should not blame the United States for the drone attacks, our own people were involved,” added the prime minister.

    PM Khan asked the people to question the Opposition as to what did they do for the betterment of their people while they were in power

    “Both PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) both had five years in power, how much did these two parties advocate for the people of Kashmir internationally?” questioned PM Khan.

    Khan reiterated that ever since the Indian Prime Miniter Narendra Modi’s party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power, the people of Kashmir have gone through the most turmoil.

    “The ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) being practiced by Modi is that of the Nazism, ‘borrowed by the German Nazi’,” said the PM.

    “India has the strongest lobby with Israel and our Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) was busy inviting Modi to weddings for his own benefit.

    Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan had rubbished talk of him “wishing to turn Azad Jammu and Kashmir” into a new province of Pakistan.

    “I do not know where all this talk has sprung from,” he said, dismissing any notion of such an idea.

    “But what I want to make clear now, is that in 1948, there were two United Nations Security Council resolutions which granted the people of Kashmir the right to decide their own future. According to the UN resolutions, the people had to decide whether they want to join Hindustan or Pakistan.

    “I want to clarify to all of you today. InshaAllah, a day will come, when all the sacrifices made by the people of Kashmir, will not be wasted. God will grant you that right. There will be a referendum, InshaAllah.