Tag: Pakistan

  • ‘Afghanistan is a matter of humanity and cannot be ignored’: Malala Yousafzai

    ‘Afghanistan is a matter of humanity and cannot be ignored’: Malala Yousafzai

    Nobel Peace Prize laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai, during a conversation with Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath”, extensively spoke on how the Pakistani government should welcome and facilitate Afghan refugees, and provide education to the refugee children.

    Malala said that the safety of the people of Afghanistan is “a matter of humanity and cannot be ignored”.

    “These people have nothing to do with the war, so we must support them,” said Malala.

    “They are those people who lost their homes, their lives, or their loved ones. It is important we think of these people, especially children, a lot of whom have been born during the war. They are not able to understand why this is happening, why foreign wars are being fought on their land and why their own people are failing them in this fight for peace,” she said.

    “Every country has its own political interests but the people suffer the most,” she reiterated.

    “Neighbouring countries must open their borders and provide such people shelter.”

    “Children who are not feeling safe, they must be saved and must be provided education,” she emphasised.

    Malala said that several reports have surfaced that women are not being allowed to leave their homes or go to work.

    “I myself spoke to a journalist who told me that whenever she would leave the house to go to work, she would be sent back,” Malala said.

    She said that there is always this “excuse” presented that women will be allowed to go to work and school “when it is safe” for them.

    “I hope, when it comes to Afghanistan and Pakistan, we will be able to define within our own cultures, what equal rights are. And it is possible to safeguard women’s rights within our own culture,” said Malala.

    “So if we want to ensure our country succeeds, it is very important that women succeed. Their rights, their education (are ensured). This is not just a matter related to women, it pertains to humanity and the entire nation,” she said.

    Talking about her health and remembering the nine years-long journey to recovery, Malala said, “Early August I had my surgery and the very day news that the Taliban had taken Kunduz, the first major city to fall in Afghanistan.”

    “This made me think how many people have suffered. So many have lost their lives and home to this war. And the struggles still continue.”

  • Netizens troll Nadia Hussain for advocating LGBTQ rights in Pakistan

    Nadia Hussain recently appeared in an interview on a local media news channel. The anchor asked the Ladies Park diva, “Should there be a debate about LGBTQ/Gay rights in Pakistan?” to which she replied: “We can not deny the fact that they are humans, then why don’t we talk about human rights?”

    The Noor Bano actor further clarified that she is not talking about [Gay] marriage and suggested that we should talk about them staying in our traditions and norms, from a human right’s point of view.

    She added: “They do need rights to get an education, they do need to have rights of equal salary, they do need to rights of equal representation”, “forget about marriage rights,” stated Nadia.

    Netizens expressed their disagreement on the Jalan star’s statement.

    Earlier, Nadia slammed Abrar-ul-Haq for his comments on modern-day mothers.

    On the work front, Nadia can be seen currently on Hum TV’s Yun Toh Pyar Hai Bohat co-starring Javed Sheikh and Affan Waheed.

  • PM Khan arrives in Tajikistan for SCO summit, Taliban leaders to be present

    PM Khan arrives in Tajikistan for SCO summit, Taliban leaders to be present

    Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO’s) Heads of State Summit.

    “The prime minister was received by Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda and was accorded a red carpet welcome at Dushanbe International Airport,” according to a tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    PM Khan, while addressing Pakistan-Tajikistan Business Forum, said, “We just wish and pray that finally after 40 years of conflict there will be peace in Afghanistan. It is extremely important for our [Pakistan and Tajikistan] trade for that region to be at peace so there would be better connectivity.”

    “Your president and I will be trying everything to make sure that there is peace especially between the two major communities [Pashtuns and Tajiks] so they get together and there is an inclusive government in Afghanistan”, he added.

    Right after his speech, PM Khan met President of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Dushanbe on the side-lines of SCO.

    PM Imran’s talks with the Tajik president will cover “the entire gamut of bilateral relations, especially enhancing trade, economic and investment ties with a particular focus on regional connectivity”, reports Radio Pakistan.

    Moreover, the premier will be holding bilateral meetings with other participating leaders as well during the summit.

    The SCO summit is the first meeting of the heads of states since the Taliban entered Kabul so all eyes will be on the Afghan representative at the meeting.

    According to details, if there will be representation from Afghanistan, it will be PM Khan’s first interaction with the Afghan interim government, as per The News.

    This is the third visit of the prime minister to Central Asia.

    The SCO was founded in Shanghai in 2001 by the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia and China.

  • ‘Pakistan open to pardoning banned TTP’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    ‘Pakistan open to pardoning banned TTP’: Shah Mahmood Qureshi

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview with The Independent has said that the government would be “open to giving” a pardon to members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) if they promise not to get involved in terrorism and follow the Constitution of Pakistan.

    Qureshi said Pakistan was concerned about the reports of TTP figures being released from prisons in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

    “If those guys come and start creating problems for us over here, it will affect innocent lives and we don’t want that,” he said while referring to the TTP.

    Qureshi added, “If [the TTP] are willing to mend fences and not take the law into their hands and not get involved in terrorist activities and they submit and surrender to the writ of the government and the Constitution of Pakistan, we are even open to giving them a pardon.”

    “But as long as they do not come and start undertaking terrorist activities [in Pakistan]. That is our concern,” the minister stressed.

    The minister’s comments come days after President Arif Alvi while speaking on Dawn News programme, ‘Khabar se Khabar’, said, if anyone wants to leave the ideology of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and work as per the Constitution of Pakistan, the government may consider a general amnesty.

  • ‘Trump administration enabled Taliban takeover, not Pak’: US Senator

    ‘Trump administration enabled Taliban takeover, not Pak’: US Senator

    United States (US) Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Tuesday that former US President Donald Trump’s administration had enabled the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, reports Dawn.

    The senator, a Maryland Democrat, argued at the first Senate hearing on the US withdrawal from Afghan soil that it was in Pakistan’s interest to “prevent chaos and civil war” in its neighbourhood.

    Responding to allegations that President Joe Biden’s administration was responsible for the chaos and the Taliban takeover, Senator Van Hollen engaged in a dialogue with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was the main witness.

    “Is it not the fact that the Trump administration asked the Pakistani government to release three top Taliban commanders as part of that process?” he asked.

    “That’s correct,” Blinken responded.

    Van Hollen asked Blinken that the former Afghan government was not included in the Doha talks and was pressurised to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners who were later involved in Kabul’s takeover, to which Blinken responded: “That’s correct.”

    The US senator also raised the agreement reached that said US forces would leave by May and would not be attacked but there was no such restriction on attacking Afghan forces, to which Blinken said he was correct.

    “And so, we pick a date. We say to the Taliban you can attack Afghan forces and then we say, now let’s negotiate the future of Afghanistan. Isn’t the way it was set up when you walked in?” the senator asked. “That’s essentially, yes,” Blinken replied.

    “There is a saying in Afghanistan, partners have watches, we have the time. So, the Trump administration, with this negotiation, set it up perfectly for the Taliban. Greenlight to attack the Afghan forces. No discussions going forward,” Van Hollen said.

    Blinken responded: “I believe that’s accurate.”

    Senator Van Hollen reminded Secretary Blinken that Trump even criticised Biden for not withdrawing the forces by May, as agreed in the US-Taliban agreement.

    He noted that the Biden administration now had both Pakistan and India on the table because the Afghan dispute could not be resolved without involving regional players.

    “I think a number of those countries, at least Pakistan — like India, like the others — have an interest in preventing chaos and civil war in Afghanistan,” he added.

    Then returning to Pakistan, he said: “Obviously, we asked them to release prisoners that they had locked up, Taliban prisoners. So, obviously, we have to keep an eye on the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), [I] get that, but let’s all work together to achieve the goal of a stable Afghanistan that protects the rights of its people.”

    On the other hand, National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf on Wednesday said that the US should listen to Pakistan’s message as it reassesses its relationship with the country.

    “If there has to be a reassessment, the reassessment has to conclude that what Pakistan was saying made sense. So now what Pakistan is saying we should give a fair hearing to,” he said.

    On Monday, Antony Blinken said the US would be looking at its relationship with Pakistan in the coming weeks to formulate what role Washington would want it to play in the future of Afghanistan.

  • India world’s top source of misinformation on Covid-19: Study

    India world’s top source of misinformation on Covid-19: Study

    India disseminated the largest amount of Coronavirus misinformation on social media due to the country’s higher internet penetration rate, increasing social media usage and users’ lack of internet literacy, according to a new study.

    The study titled ‘Prevalence and Source Analysis of COVID-19 Misinformation in 138 Countries’ was published in Sage’s International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions journal.

    As per details, the study examined 9,657 pieces of misinformation made in 138 countries. They were fact-checked by 94 organisations to understand the prevalence and sources of misinformation in different countries.

    “Of all the countries, India (18.07 per cent) produced the largest amount of social media misinformation, perhaps thanks to the country’s higher internet penetration rate, increasing social media consumption and users’ lack of internet literacy,” the study stated.
    The results also showed that India (15.94 per cent), the US (9.74 per cent), Brazil (8.57 per cent) and Spain (8.03 per cent) are the four most misinformation-affected countries.

    Read More: Study reveals Pakistanis prayed for India during Covid-19 crisis

    Based on these results, the study stated that it is presumed that the prevalence of Covid-19 misinformation can have a positive association with the pandemic situation.

    “Social media (84.94 per cent) produces the largest amount of misinformation, and the internet (90.5 per cent) as a whole is responsible for most of the Covid-19 misinformation. Moreover, Facebook alone produces 66.87 per cent of the misinformation among all social media platforms,” it added.

    Earlier, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had also cautioned that false information on the virus is spreading and putting people in danger. WHO had advised people to make sure to double-check everything they hear with trusted sources before believing or sharing them with others.

  • PM Imran shares pictures of Bushra Bibi

    Yesterday, Prime Minister, Imran Khan took to Instagram and posted a few pictures of his wife, Bushra Bibi, visiting the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore.

    The premier captioned the pictures, “First Lady, Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health, Lahore and was briefed on the facilities provided there.”

    First Lady Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore on Wednesday. The video of her visit shows Bushra Bibi visiting different departments and checking the facilities at the institute.

    Bushra Bibi was briefed about the facilities provided by the institute. The staff told her about the timings when patients are fed and the activities of the women admitted there.

  • Petrol price goes up by Rs 5 per litre

    The federal government has issued a notice to increase the price of petrol by Rs 5.0 per litre and diesel by Rs 5.1 per litre, reported Geo News.

    Apart from this, the prices of kerosene and light-diesel oil (LDO) have also been increased by Rs 5.46 and Rs 5.92 per litre, respectively. Now the new price for petrol will be Rs. 123.30 per litre, diesel will be 120.4 per litre, kerosene will be 92.26 per litre and LDO will be 90.69.

    Earlier the price of petrol was increased by Rs 5 per litre in July.

    According to Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin the prices will be implemented from today (Thursday).

  • VIDEO: Bushra Bibi visits Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore

    VIDEO: Bushra Bibi visits Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore

    First Lady Bushra Bibi visited the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in Lahore on Wednesday. The video shows Bushra Bibi visiting different departments and checking the facilities.

    Bushra Bibi was briefed about the facilities provided by the institute. The staff told her about the timings when patients are fed and the activities of the women admitted there.

    Earlier, Bushra Bibi visited a Panah Gah (shelter home) in Lahore to inspect the facilities given to the people residing there.

  • Pakistan should deny legitimacy to Taliban till they give rights to women, minorities: US

    The United States (US) has urged Pakistan that it should not recognise the Taliban government until it gives women their due rights and allows Afghans who want to leave the country to do so, reports Khaleej Times.

    Testifying before Congress on the Taliban victory in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “What we have to look at is an insistence that every country, to include Pakistan, make good on the expectations that the international community has of what is required of a Taliban-led government if it’s to receive any legitimacy of any kind or any support.” He said the priorities included ensuring the Taliban let out people who want to leave Afghanistan and respect the rights of women, girls and minorities, as well as adhere to promises that the country not again become “a haven for outward-directed terror”.

    “Pakistan’s policies have been on many occasions detrimental to our interests, on other occasions in support of those interests. It is one that involved hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan, it’s one that’s involved harboring members of the Taliban … It is one that’s also involved in different points cooperation with us on counterterrorism,” Blinken said.

    “This is one of the things we’re going to be looking at in the days, and weeks ahead – the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years but also the role we would want to see it play in the coming years and what it will take for it to do that,” he said.

    Commenting on the US-Taliban relationship, Blinken said, “We achieved our objectives in Afghanistan,” adding that it was time to end the two-decade-long war.

    “The US will continue to play its role to promote anti-terrorism in the region,” he said, adding that the Taliban had also promised to not let Daesh and Al-Qaeda use the country for militant activities. 

    Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the practice of human rights by the Taliban in Afghanistan was connected to economic pressures, reports Dawn.

    “Ensuring sustainable development and promoting respect for human rights requires political stability and peace in Afghanistan. And peace cannot consolidate unless Afghanistan is provided the necessary economic and fiscal space,” said Qureshi in a video statement made at the UN conference on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.