Tag: Kashmir

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has submitted a resolution in the House of Representatives on Tuesday in which she condemned the human rights abuses in India.

    The resolution said that the House has expressed grave concern about the “worsening treatment” of religious minorities in India and called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

    The resolution includes two reports i.e. a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and a Report on International Religious Freedom 2021 by the US State Department which was published on June 2, 2022.

    The resolution highlighted that the USCIRF had called for designating India as a country of particular concern for three consecutive years.

    According to the resolution, the report mentioned cases of the Indian government’s “repression of religious minority leaders and voices for religious pluralism in India, including the Jesuit human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and the Muslim human rights advocate Khurram Parvez”.

    According to the resolution, the report said: “Many of the incidents [on minorties] were violent, unprovoked, and/or encouraged or incited by government officials.”

    The resolution said that in the International Religious Freedom 2021 report by State Department there are numerous examples of violence and threats of violence against religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in India throughout 2021.

    It added that while presenting the report, Blinken himself said that “In India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we’ve seen rising attacks on people and places of worship.”

    In April, Omar made a visit to Pakistan’s part of Kashmir. She said the issue should get more attention from the US which prompted an angry response from India. The congresswoman has always highlighted the Kashmir issue on several platforms.

  • ‘Foreign minister’s views interpreted out of context’: FO says no change in Pakistan’s policy on India

    ‘Foreign minister’s views interpreted out of context’: FO says no change in Pakistan’s policy on India

    Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson has said in a statement that Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks on India were being “interpreted out of context and portrayed incorrectly”.

    “There is no change in Pakistan’s policy on India on which there is a national consensus. Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India. We have consistently advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” the statement said.

    “India’s unabated hostility and retrogressive steps, however, have vitiated the environment and impeded the prospects of peace and cooperation. The onus, therefore, remains on India to take the necessary steps to create an enabling environment conducive to meaningful and result-oriented dialogue,” the FO statement said.

    Bilawal clearly articulated this perspective, “referring to India’s illegal and unilateral actions in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) since 5 August 2019, describing them as an assault on the rights of the Kashmiri people, as well as rising Islamophobia in India, that created an environment unconducive for meaningful engagement,” it added.

    “The foreign minister’s remarks are better understood in the overall context of his key message of conflict resolution that he emphasised in his address at the think-tank event,” the FO statement concluded.

    ‘Does it serve our objective that we have practically cut off all engagements with India?’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Bilawal advocated for re-engagement with India asking whether cutting ties with India served the country’s interests.

    “Does it serve our interests, do we achieve our objectives whatever they may be, be it Kashmir, be it rising Islamophobia, the Hindutva supremacist nature of the new regimes and the governments in India? Does it serve our objective that we have practically cut off all engagements,” asked Bilawal while speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

    Bilawal identified India and the United States (US) as countries with which Pakistan’s relations were problematic.

    The foreign minister contended that if Pakistan had achieved economic engagement with India in the past, it would have been in a better position to influence Delhi’s policy and prevented both countries from taking extreme positions.

    In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached out to Bilawal soon after he took the foreign minister’s office and invited him to a food security conference. The two also met in New York on the sidelines of the forum.

  • After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock tested positive for Covid-19, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    Earlier, Baerbock met her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. She has also cancelled all further dates of the trip, which also included stops in Greece and Turkey.

    Responding to the news, FM Bilawal wished Baerbock a quick recovery. He tweeted, “Building on our excellent talks today, I look forward to our continued engagement and future interactions to further solidify Pakistan and Germany partnership.”

    Baerbock reached Islamabad today (Tuesday) on a two-day visit.

    Baerbock and Bilawal held a joint presser in the capital. It has been reported that Pakistan will inaugurate its Consulate General in Munich soon.

    ‘We support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir’: FM Baerbock

    During the presser, Bilawal said, “If India fails to condemn the comments, then it’s a reflection that it’s not a secular India but rather a Hindu-superiority India. We would want to engage with India but with a rationale.”

    Talking about the Kashmir issue, Baerbock said, “The foundation of human rights is indivisible and this counts for every region in the world. This also counts for Kashmir, this counts for women’s rights. This counts for minority rights and religious rights Therefore, we support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir to ensure that all human rights are being guaranteed.”

    “We believe that constructive approaches and measures from both sides are the only way forward to improve the relationships between India and Pakistan. The bilateral agreement along the line of control last year was a positive step”, she added.

    ‘Pakistan had been Germany’s closest and most reliable partner‘: FM Baerbock

    About the Afghan situation, the German FM said, “It is not the mistake of the people that the Taliban overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society,” she said, promising that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid and support people who need it, especially women and girls.

    The diplomat highlighted that Pakistan had been Germany’s “closest and most reliable partner” in that regard, revealing that under this close cooperation between the two countries, 14,000 Afghans, who were at risk in the country, could travel to Germany via Pakistan and were able to start a new life in safety and without fear.

    ‘Pakistan does not want to be dragged in conflict’: FM Bilawal

    Bilawal also highlighted that Pakistan was playing an outside role in mitigating the economic crisis in Afghanistan. “This is the face of Pakistan. A modern Muslim country”, he said.

    While talking about the Ukraine crisis, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan “does not want to be dragged in conflict particularly given that we have just experienced decade after decade of conflict in Afghanistan”.

  • Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted extreme heatwave conditions across Pakistan for the coming week, warning that high pressure will hold the upper atmosphere starting Sunday, May 8.

    Day temperatures are expected to steadily increase in most parts of the country from Sunday due to this high pressure, as per a notification from PMD.

    The temperature in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir was expected to hover between 7-9 degrees Celsius beyond average during the day.

    Meanwhile, the daytime temperature of Upper and central Sindh, central and south Punjab and areas of Balochistan will likely experience temperatures between 6-8 degrees Celsius above usual.

    Read more: Pakistan starts oil and gas production from Dhok Sultan DS X-1

    The department also tweeted a warning about the heatwave’s potential effects, stating that extremely hot and dry weather might affect dams, crops, vegetables, and forests.

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar meets PM Shehbaz and Khan: Who is she?

    Democratic United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Abdullah Omar landed in Islamabad on Thursday for her first ever visit to Pakistan.

    Omar met Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi. It has been reported that during the meeting with the premier, Pakistan-US bilateral relations as well as regional situations were discussed.

    She also met the former PM Imran Khan and expressed her admiration on his work against Islamophobia globally.

    During her four-day-tour, she will explore Lahore and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to have a greater understanding of Pakistan’s cultural, social, political, and economic potential, the PM’s Office said.

    The visit has come at a time when the former PM was voted out after a series of allegations against the US.

    After living in a refugee camp for four years before applying for asylum in US, Ilhan Omar became first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018.

    She became a US citizen in 2000 at the age of 17 and in 2016 won a seat in the Minnesota House. In 2019, Omar assumed the office as the Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 60B district.

    Born in 1982, Omar grew up in a middle-class family. Half of Omar’s childhood saw the affects of Somalia’s civil war. When she was 8, her family fled the country and ended up living in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years. When she arrived, Omar couldn’t speak English.

    She is the first hijabi woman to legislate from the House floor. Omar’s arrival in Congress resulted in the lifting of a 181-year-old ban on head coverings on the House floor.

    According to several American websites, her decision to wear the hijab was influenced by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as she wanted to signify her cultural identity.

    Omar has always supported Kashmiris in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.

    In 2019, right after the annexation of Kashmir by Indian PM Narendra Modi, in a tweet, she said, “We should be calling for an immediate restoration of communication; respect for human rights, democratic norms, and religious freedom; and de-escalation in Kashmir.” She also urged international forums to take action.

  • PTI rejects PM Shehbaz letter of regional peace, security to Modi

    PTI rejects PM Shehbaz letter of regional peace, security to Modi

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written a letter in response to Indian PM Narendra Modi’s letter. In his letter, Modi had expressed his desire for developing constructive relations with Pakistan.

    “Reciprocating your sentiments, I wish to convey that Pakistan remains committed to the maintenance of regional peace and security. Our sacrifices and contributions in fighting and eliminating terrorism are well known and globally acknowledged,” wrote PM Shehbaz.

    PM Shehbaz added that peaceful and cooperative ties between Pakistan and India are “imperative for the progress and socio-economic uplift of the people of the two countries as well as for the region”.

    “This can be best achieved through meaningful engagement and peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir,” wrote PM Shehbaz. “Let’s secure peace and work for the progress and prosperity of our people.”

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry criticised Shehbaz Sharif’s letter to Modi.

    “We reject this letter. We will not let imported government to bargain away Kashmir. Until and unless Modi restores Kashmir’s status, any offer to talk will tantamount to betraying the people of Kashmir.”

  • ‘Impose economic sanctions on India’: Azad Kashmir President urges OIC

    ‘Impose economic sanctions on India’: Azad Kashmir President urges OIC

    Addressing a special meeting of the Kashmir Contact Group of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry asked the forum to help stop oppression in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IoK) by imposing economic sanctions on India and boycotting its products.

    He said that since August 5, 2019 (when India changed IoK special status) Indian authorities have issued fake domiciles to 4.2 million non-state Hindus to change the proportion of population there.

    He said the OIC should play its role for the release of political leaders and youth who have been arrested before and after August 5, 2019.

    On the occasion, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) representative Syed Faiz Naqshbandi and Ghulam Mohammad Safi also briefed the OIC delegations about the current situation of violation of human rights in IoK. They also presented a memorandum to OIC Secretary General Hussain Ibrahim Taha.

    APHC is a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict.

  • ‘Amazed that the sex crimes, child abuse, rape fastest growing crime in Pakistan’: PM Khan tells OIC

    ‘Amazed that the sex crimes, child abuse, rape fastest growing crime in Pakistan’: PM Khan tells OIC

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said, “We have failed both the Palestinians and the people of Kashmir. I am sad to say that we have been able to make no impact at all.”

    The premier delivered a keynote address at the inaugural session of the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Tuesday.

    “We (Muslims) are 1.5 billion people and yet our voice to stop this blatant injustice is insignificant.”

    “Why was Islam equated with terrorism?” questioned PM Imran

    The premier began his speech by congratulating the Muslim world for the recent adoption of a resolution against Islamophobia by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), that proclaims March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

    “Why was Islam equated with terrorism?” Imran questioned, and referred to the Christchurch attack on a mosque as a consequence of this stereotyping.

    “Once that happens, how is the man in the street in Western countries, how is he supposed to differentiate between a moderate Muslim and a radical Muslim? Hence, this man walks into a mosque and shoots everyone he could.”

    “What should have been done wasn’t; the heads of Muslim countries should have taken a stand on this. Unfortunately, this narrative of Islamic terrorism, Islamic radicalisation, this narrative went on unchecked.”

    India does not feel any pressure

    The premier said that the international community promised the Kashmiris the right to decide their destiny through a plebiscite. That right was never given to them, he stated.

    He said that it was because India does not feel any pressure.

    PM Imran Khan asked the OIC nations to have a united front or else these abuses will continue.

    The world is “headed in the wrong way”

    In response to this wave of Islamophobia, PM Imran said, some Muslim heads of state said they were moderate Muslims. “When you say this, you automatically say there are some extremist Muslims.”

    The premier also spoke about the global situation, expressing his apprehension that the world is “headed in the wrong way”.

    A new Cold War had almost started and the world could be divided into blocs, he said, stressing that unless 1.5bn Muslims took a united stand, “we will be nowhere.”

    He said it was “extremely important” to stabilise Afghanistan because it was the “only way we are going to be able to stop international terrorism from Afghan soil”.

    “Let’s not be delusional that some other country can come in and fight terrorism through drones. The only way is a stable Afghanistan government that can take care of terrorism.

    “Anyone who knows the Afghan character should be cautioned, please do not push the people of Afghanistan where they feel their sovereignty is being threatened.”

    Pakistan has an increased divorce rate, rising vulgarity, which is because the more society gets permissive, the more it has a direct impact on the family system

    The premier said that when he became the prime minister of Pakistan he asked the police chief about the crime chart.

    “I was amazed to see that the sex crimes, child abuse, and rape are the fastest growing crime in this country.”

    PM Imran Khan went on to say that Pakistan has an increased divorce rate, rising vulgarity, which is because the more society gets permissive, the more it has a direct impact on the family system.

    He said that one of the most important things about Islam is that it protects the family system, it has values like respecting parents and teachers.

    “But [with] the culture that is coming through social media, we really need to think how we are going to protect our generations,” PM Imran Khan said.

    Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi welcomed the OIC foreign ministers to the conference and said that it is a matter of pride for Pakistan to host the 48th session in 2022, which marks the 77th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence.

    “The OIC is the collective voice of nearly two billion Muslims. It is the bridge among the Muslim nations and between the Muslim world and the international community,” he said.

  • ‘Gen Bajwa wanted concessions from India,’ British High Commissioner to Pakistan tells New Delhi

    ‘Gen Bajwa wanted concessions from India,’ British High Commissioner to Pakistan tells New Delhi

    British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa was looking for concessions—among them, the restoration of the Article 35A of India’s Constitution, which gave the state of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir the right to designate “permanent residents” entitled to purchase land, writes Praveen Swami for The Print. The British High Commissioner was speaking at a gathering in New Delhi.

    The news report further states that the Pakistan army chief believes he has helped New Delhi by controlling jihadists and thus ensuring violence in Kashmir remains at historically low levels.

    “The General, in his telling of events to British interlocutors, has resisted pressure from hawks to escalate in Kashmir—among them, Prime Minister Imran Khan,” writes the news outlet.

    In a report published in Dawn on April 25, 2021, it was revealed that India appro­ached Pakistan in December 2020 with an offer to reduce tension and offered backchannel talks on all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistan reciprocated favourably.

  • ‘Kya hum aap ke ghulaam hain?’ PM Khan slams EU ambassadors based in Pakistan

    ‘Kya hum aap ke ghulaam hain?’ PM Khan slams EU ambassadors based in Pakistan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday hit back at European Union (EU) envoys in Pakistan for their letter asking Islamabad to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “Are we your slaves that you think we will do whatever you ask us to do?” PM Khan also asked if the EU envoys also wrote a similar letter to India.

    PM Khan asked what Pakistan got out of supporting the West apart from losing 80,000 of its citizens, displacement of 3.5 million people, and losing over $100 billion.

    “I ask EU ambassadors: did you thank us? Did you say we helped you in your war? Did you appreciate us?”

    PM Khan said that instead of thanking us, some people in the West started blaming Pakistan for their loss in Afghanistan.

    “When India broke international law in Kashmir and abrogated Kashmir’s autonomous status, did any one of you break ties with India, ended trade with India or criticised them?”

    EU letter:

    “As heads of mission to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we urge Pakistan to join us in condemning Russia’s actions,” said a letter signed by envoys from 22 countries, including EU member states.

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) had earlier reacted to the letter and a spokesperson for the FO said, “This attitude is unacceptable and Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the embassies.”