Tag: racism

  • More than half a million Afghans return from Pakistan

    More than half a million Afghans return from Pakistan

    More than 500,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in the four months since Islamabad ordered undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Monday.

    According to the latest figures reported by the UN migration agency, 500,200 Afghans left Pakistan between September 15, 2023 and January 13, 2024.

    Most rushed to the border in the days leading up to a November 1 exit deadline Islamabad set for the 1.7 million Afghans it said were living illegally in Pakistan, and as police opened dozens of holding centres.

    “Since the initial peak around November 1, the number of individuals crossing these official border points have consistently decreased but remains higher than pre-September 15th,” an IOM statement said.

    Pakistan defended the crackdown by pointing to security concerns in its regions bordering Afghanistan and pressure on its struggling economy.

    “Some Afghans forced to return may be at risk of persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention and/or torture or ill-treatment,” the UN’s Afghan mission said in a report on Monday.

    Meanwhile, the busiest border crossing between the two countries remained closed for the tenth day running in a dispute over document rules for commercial drivers.

    The row centres on demands for drivers from both sides to have visas and passports — documents many Afghans do not have — as Pakistan cracks down on cross-border movements.

    More than 400 trucks were stranded on the Pakistan side of the Torkham crossing on Monday, according to a border official who asked not to be named.

    Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have grown increasingly fraught in recent months, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban government of failing to root out militants staging attacks in Pakistan from their soil.

    Kabul has always rejected the allegations.

    Millions of Afghans fleeing conflict have poured into Pakistan over the past four decades, including some 600,000 since the Taliban ousted the US-backed government and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.

    Some of the Afghans crossing into Afghanistan as a result of Islamabad’s eviction scheme were entering the country for the first time, having lived their whole lives in Pakistan.

    Upon arrival, migrants have received modest assistance from the government and NGOs in a country contending with one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

  • Talk TV presenter Julia lambasted for racist interview with Palestinian MP

    Talk TV presenter Julia lambasted for racist interview with Palestinian MP

    British radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer has been slammed on social media for an unprofessional and racist interview after a clip from her show went viral.

    During an interview on Wednesday with Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative, Hartley-Brewer raised her voice while he was speaking to say he was “not used to women talking” and disrespectfully spoke to him throughout the interview.

    While Julia’s tone was aggressive and harsh, Dr Barghouti kept his tone calm and listened to her patiently, winning over the hearts of netizens with his courtesy.

    In the clip, Julia can be seen aggressively counter-arguing, not letting him speak, and using the rhetoric of telling Muslim men that they are not used to hearing women.

    Barghouti was interrupted several times by the journalist, who prevented him from finishing his remarks on Benjamin Netanyahu and the moral imperative of supporting Palestinians’ struggle for a dignified life in their homeland.

    “Please don’t say that again, we don’t have time for that, you’ve made that point five times already,” she said in one instance.

    When Barghouti attempted to respond, she screamed, saying: “For the love of god, let me finish a sentence man.”

    She then made a sexist accusation: “Maybe you’re not used to women talking, I don’t know, but I’d like to finish the sentence!”

    Barghouti remained calm during the interview while stressing that the journalist has been attempting to “mislead the public.”

    In response, the presenter raised her voice again: ‘If you don’t think Israel’s reaction is acceptable, what would have been an acceptable reaction to you? You’ve got ten seconds left.”

    The Palestinian politician then replied calmly, calling for ending the occupation and oppression of Palestinians to allow peace to prevail for both people.
    Seemingly unsatisfied with the reply, the presenter sarcastically responded: “Brilliant.”

    Hartley-Brewer’s haughty attitude throughout the interview has been heavily criticized, with many pointing out that the show was a display of Islamophobia.

    Social media user Nadene commented that Julia is an utter disgrace in this interview, showcasing Islamophobic tropes 101.

    Another pointed out that she is using imagined sexism to hide her racism.

    Dima Khatib wrote, “Journalism is committing suicide after this interview.”

    Sana Saeed posted, “What an absolutely disgusting, racist display of whatever “journalism” this is supposed to be.”

    Bisan poured her heart out and said that after this I have discovered that Western media is a lie.

    Maryam Alkhawaja lamented that not only are Palestinians being subjected to a genocide, they also have to put up with being dehumanized and insulted.

  • Angelina Jolie slams global hypocrisy on human rights

    Hollywood A-lister and human rights activist Angelina Jolie, has talked about the hypocrisy in the world when it comes to human rights application.

    “The world is suffering from ambivalence on the issue of human rights,” she remarked in a recent interview.

    Jolie lamented the duplicity and discrimination of the world regarding human rights, saying that the scale of human rights is different for everyone, the fact is that the world works on business interests. Her comments come on the heels of her unequivocal demand for a ceasefire of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

    “Human rights can be for some people and some people can never be. Accountability for some people’s crime and not at all for some people, this is the ugly face of the world.”
    The actress said that she does not know of any country in the world which is free from these things.

    “Some people think that the colonial system has ended but the fact is that the control and exploitation of developing countries is still going on,” the actress observed.

    In her statement about Gaza, the Hollywood actress said that what happened in Israel cannot be a justification for bombing the civilian population of Gaza, pointing out that a few trucks cannot meet the aid needs of the besieged population, more than 20,000 of whom have been killed by Israel while the rest are at risk of starvation and disease.

    Angelina Jolie added that Gaza has a total population of two million, half of whom are children, who have been living under siege for two decades.

  • Afghan migrants barred from supporting or funding elections

    The Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that Afghan migrants are barred from supporting candidates in the upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8 next year.

    The caretaker government, citing security concerns, has initiated a nationwide campaign to expel millions of illegal foreigners, predominantly Afghan citizens, residing in the country.

    The Ministry of Interior specified that both illegal and “legal” Afghans residing in Pakistan are prohibited from funding political and electoral activities, including providing funds to any candidate, in the upcoming polls.

    “Any Afghan citizen involved in such activities will be deported regardless of his or her legal status in Pakistan,” it stated.

    Pakistanis were also cautioned not to provide employment to illegal aliens or assist such individuals in obtaining employment.

    “Information about any such illegal alien or the person providing employment to him should be provided to the Ministry of Interior for legal action on the helpline available on the website of the Ministry.”

    Of the over four million Afghans in Pakistan, an estimated 1.7 million are undocumented, many having fled their war-torn country during decades of internal conflict, with another exodus occurring after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.

    While the government asserts that its policy targets all illegal aliens, irrespective of nationality or ethnicity, human rights organizations, including the UN, have expressed concerns, emphasizing the importance of a “voluntary” return.

    Amidst the ongoing efforts, several Pakistani politicians and Human Rights activists have approached the Supreme Court, seeking judicial intervention against the caretaker government’s deportation of illegal foreign nationals, including Afghans.

  • Merub Ali shut down criticism on her visit to a gurdwara

    Merub Ali shut down criticism on her visit to a gurdwara

    It’s 2023, can we please stop prying into religious beliefs? On Sunday, actress Merub Ali shared pictures on Instagram of her visit to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

    Some users responded with hateful rhetoric. Instagram commentators trolled the actress by claiming she wasn’t Muslim enough and that she wasn’t supposed to visit a Sikh temple. And honestly, we love the way Merub responded to a troll.

    “News flash: ANYONE can go to a gurwara!! You should go to. The people were really kind there. Maybe you can learn a thing or two.”

    We also have to appreciate how some users responded warmly to Merub’s visit, and encouraged others as well to visit the temple.

  • No ‘illegal alien’ sent back on Friday thanks to verification process installed by Afghan Consulate General

    For the first time since the start of the repatriation plan of undocumented immigrants early this month, not a single ‘illegal alien’ was sent home via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday as Afghan authorities has announced to link the acceptance of deportations with the verification of their status by the Afghan consulate-general here.

    The decision was made after multiple cases of Afghan-looking Pakistanis being deported to Afghanistan surfaced. “Multiple cases of Pakistanis being sent to Afghanistan as illegal migrants have been reported,” an official source in the Afghan Consulate told Dawn.

    Unfortunately, whenever Afghan authorities took such Pakistanis to the border, Pakistani officials refused to receive them.

    The other reason stated by Afghan consulate is the harassment Afghan deportees are facing at the hands of Pakistani authorities even though many of them are repatriating voluntarily.

    “Many illegal aliens are leaving Pakistan voluntarily but they’re stopped and taken into custody on their way before their repartition. They’re not given time to carry their belongings,” an official told Dawn.

    Afghan consulate expressed concern over the separation of families that has been observed over the month. They said in “many” cases, men from undocumented families were deported, leaving behind their female dependants.

    Pakistani authorities have said that they have not been informed about the deportation condition, claiming that all allegations leveled by Afghan consulate are “baseless”, delaying the process of deportation.

    “Only deportation is linked with the verification letter. The voluntary repatriation is still continuing without any hurdle,” Pakistan responded.

    However, around 119 illegal migrants were deported from Punjab to Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing on Thursday, according to officials.

  • BBC edits out multiple calls for ceasefire during Scottish BAFTA awards

    BBC edits out multiple calls for ceasefire during Scottish BAFTA awards

    At the Scottish Bafta awards, multiple actors who took the stage to call for a ceasefire were edited out by the BBC, sparking criticism from audiences. An exclusive piece written by The National reveals that the media giant edited out the producers of ‘A Long Winter’ who won the award for Best Short Film And Animation. In their speech, Eilidh Munro and Finlay Pretsell urged audiences to pressure institutions and governments to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    The speech was shared widely on the livestream produced by BAFTA Scotland, but removed from BBC iPlayer’s edit.

    Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry was also censored in the BBC coverage. Before announcing the nominees for the Best Actress category, he said: “Before I start, I just want to echo the sentiments earlier in saying my heart goes out all women, men and children who are suffering right now in Gaza. Let’s hope and pray that we see peace in the region and an imminent ceasefire.”

    Speaking to The National, Munro revealed he was deeply concerned at how mainstream media censored peaceful protests in this manner

    “It is deeply concerning that the BBC decided to cut the entire segment of our award acceptance speech from their coverage of the Bafta Scotland Awards.

    “October was the deadliest month for Palestinian journalists and filmmakers in the last 30 years and the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region is horrific.

    “Awards ceremonies have always been a platform to express solidarity and humanity, and we wanted to use this opportunity as filmmakers to call for peace. For the BBC to cut this, as well as actor Amir El-Masry’s appeal to a ceasefire, is simply shocking.

    “It is also somewhat surreal that an event which celebrates artists and filmmakers for using their voices and creating work to speak out against injustice can also be censored.

    “In my opinion, the BBC’s editorial decision to omit these peaceful signs of solidarity is neither neutral nor impartial.

    “As an emerging director creating and celebrating independent documentaries, it’s also disappointing to have this platform taken away from a sector that is already largely underrepresented in mainstream media.”

    The censorship of pro-Palestinian voices by the BBC has caused outrage on social media.

  • ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is currently dominating Netflix Pakistan and seriously, this is the comedy series we have all been waiting for. Created by Saudi filmmaker Nora Aboushousha, the family drama tackles Saudi norms with comedy and ends with the enduring message that love conquers all.

    The drama follows the hilarious and fiercely independent Razzan, a single mother who lives in Britain with her daughter Lamar. She proposes to her British-Pakistani boyfriend Sameer, under the assumption her family back home in Saudi Arabia would approve of their marriage. However, sheer hilarity breaks out when her parents refuse to recognise their engagement, and the couple tackle racial divisions, prejudice and cultural norms to get married.

    Since this series hit Netflix, it is already getting rave reviews from Pakistani users, who praised the series for not holding back on tackling the racism Pakistanis face in Arabic countries.

    “The comedy series “Crashing Eid” is a good window into Arabs’ racist tendencies, bigotry, and toxic masculinity. As someone who visited a Gulf country earlier in the year, this comedy series portrays only but the tip of the iceberg,” one user wrote.

    Speaking to Arab News, Aboushousha spoke about how she came up with the concept of the series.

    “We started off with a concept of someone who is different from their family, and that grew into this story of a single mother who returns from abroad. We started wondering, what will inspire the clash with the rest of the family? And immediately we realized, ‘oh, she should come back ready to be married to someone from outside the culture!’ Everything fell into place from there.”

  • Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    In a significant development on Monday, the Supreme Court decided to entertain a petition challenging the government’s move to force out Afghan refugees from the country. The decision comes after the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office initially raised objections to the petition’s maintainability, putting a temporary halt on its progress.

    Despite the decision to entertain the petition, a specific date for the hearing is yet to be announced. According to sources, Justice Yahya Afridi of the Supreme Court heard the appeal against the objections in his chamber on Monday, as confirmed by a counsel for the petitioners.

    Mohsin Dawar took to X (former Twitter) and said, “We appeared before Justice Yahya Afridi for the Chamber Appeal against the Registrar’s objection on our petition against the mass deportation of Afghan Refugees. Our appeal has been accepted and the petition will be heard by the Supreme Court.”

    The petition, returned by the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office on November 8, faced objections related to its maintainability. One notable objection was the absence of a specific question of public importance regarding the enforcement of fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution, warranting the invocation of Article 184(3).

    In response to the objections, the petitioners contended that their case raised critical issues pertaining to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The appeal, filed by Umer Ijaz Gillani on behalf of human rights activists and politicians, argued that the issues presented in the petition are essential for safeguarding the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

    “The issues raised in the petition are critical for securing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution,” stated the appeal. It emphasized the need to prevent constitutional promises from becoming mere rhetoric, asserting, “The promises contained in the Constitution must never be allowed to become mere verbiage, the harbingers of false hope.”

    The petitioners include prominent figures such as Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Human rights activist Amina Masood Janjua, National Democratic Movement Chairman Mohsin Dawar, lawyer Jibran Nasir, Rohail Kasi, Syed Muaz Shah, Pastor Ghazala Parveen, lawyer Iman Zainab Mazari, Ahmad Shabbar, Advocate Imran Shafiq, Luke Victor, and Sijal Shafiq.

    The petitioners stated in their press release on Sunday, “After 18 days of eager wait and continuous legal struggle, the Supreme Court has finally fixed our Case against the Caretaker Government’s Mass Deportation drive for a preliminary hearing. The hearing will be conducted by a 1-member bench comprising Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi inside his Chamber. It is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Monday, 20th November, 2023.

    Needless to say that under Article 184(3), the principal responsibility for taking charge of the situation and preventing systemic violation of fundamental rights vests in the Court itself. The petitioners’ role is that of informants who apprise the Court about what is happening and prick its judicial conscience.

    What has been happening to scores of people since October 3, when this draconian Deportation Drive was launched by a government lacking all mandate, is clear to all and sundry. However, in order to assist the Court in discharge of its sacred duty, the counsel for the Petitioners will appear before the bench.”

    The government of Pakistan decided to deport all the illegal aliens from the country early in October.

    A vast majority of them are Afghans who were given a deadline of November 1 to leave the country voluntarily or else there would be a crackdown.

    The government has identified phases in which these Afghan immigrants will be repatriated under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    There is a large number of 1.7 million Afgan refugees which the government aims to repatriate in the first phase of the plan. More than 200,000 of them have been repatriated until now.

    Aurat March protests

    Aurat March Lahore reiterated its demand that the Government of Pakistan immediately halt deportations of Afghan refugees, during a protest on Saturday.

    The protestors further stated that the hastily imposed 1 November expulsion deadline is an authoritarian decision that exceeds the caretaker government’s limited constitutional mandate. It effectively overturned decades of refugee policy overnight without accountability or transparency.

    Furthermore, the ill-thought-out decision has resulted in the denial of Afghan refugees’ rights to liberty,due process, and, in many cases, citizenship.

    On 29 October 2023, Aurat March chapters from across the country marked their protest and addressed an open letter urging the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, to reverse his decision.

    However, this caretaker government has failed to yield to these demands and has since doubled down on its decision by announcing that the second phase of deportations will be of “documented” refugees.

    Aurat March stated, “We refuse this insidious distinction between “documented” and “undocumented” refugees; all refugees have the non-derogable right to non-refoulement and deserve support, not persecution.”

  • ‘Grace is a quality few have’: Indian designer Masaba Gupta shuts down Ramiz Raja over racism

    ‘Grace is a quality few have’: Indian designer Masaba Gupta shuts down Ramiz Raja over racism

    Pakistani commentator and former cricketer Ramiz Raja landed in a storm of controversy when a viral video showed him laughing at a racist joke about West Indies cricketer Sir Viv Richards and his former partner actress Neena Gupta.

    The clip was from Cricket Mastiyan on Suno News HD where Ramiz was seen laughing about a racist joke regarding Vivian’s skin color. One of the hosts said: “I do watch cricket matches and my heart broke when Vivian Richards went into a relationship with Neena Gupta. I wrote a couplet then. ‘Jo ladkiyan khud ko kehti hain malika-e-aliya, Unko fir milta hai Mr Kaliya.’”

    The couple’s daughter, fashion designer Masaba Gupta slammed Ramiz, calling him out in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter)

    “Dear Ramiz Raja (sir) grace is a quality few have. My father, mother, and I have it in spades. You have none. Sickening to see you laugh on national TV in Pakistan at something the world stopped laughing at about 30 years back. Step into the future. All 3 of us are here with our chin up.”

    Sharing her tweet on her Instagram account, Masaba wrote she will never stop calling out those who target her mother with racist comments.

    “It’s nearly 2024 – no matter who you are I will call you out on racism and shaming my mother on television. Won’t have it. That is still my fight.”

    The incident follows the scandal of former cricketer Abdul Razzaq who was slammed for a misogynistic comment about Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai during a panel. Shahid Afridi, sitting next to Razzaq, laughed at the distasteful comment.

    Razzaq has since issued an apology.

    Social media users applauded Masaba for calling out sexist behavior, and slammed Pakistani cricket players for using women as punching bags to score points.