Baloch activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch was recently offloaded from a flight to New York by the federal government just before she boarded the flight to attend a Time magazine event this week.
Dr Mahrang Baloch accused the government of illegally offloading her from the flight, saying the action reflected the state’s “growing fear and insecurity” toward Baloch voices.
Dr Baloch was featured in the list of 100 most influential people for “advocating peacefully for Baloch rights.”
In a post on X, Dr Mahrang said she was offloaded from her flight to New York by a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official “without any valid or legal justification,” adding that her passport was also confiscated.
“I was unjustly stopped at Karachi International Airport with no legal or valid given reason, which is a clear violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement,” Baloch wrote while adding, “This action reflects the growing fear and insecurity of the state toward Baloch voices.”
Her lawyer and human rights activist, Jibran Nasir, posted a picture of her along with a video showcasing her fellow activist, Sammi Baloch, being manhandled by unidentified men.
Jibran Nasir wrote, “The State in order to cover up its lapses, failures and inability to provide effective security against terror attacks chooses to target and harass peaceful activists. Not only was Mahrang Baloch not allowed to board her flight last night but later as per reports her and Sammi Baloch while leaving airport were stopped and manhandled, their driver beaten up and car keys taken away. Mahrang was travelling to New York for Time Magazine’s gala where she along with other ‘Most Influential Emerging Leaders of the Year’ were invited.”
Dr Baloch protested and promised to fight back against this action. “I will fight back against this unjust restriction on my rights to movement.”
‘TIME Magazine’ just released its yearly list of the top 100 most influential people worldwide, highlighting the individuals who’ve made big impacts on the global arena. One standout this year is Motaz Azaiza, famous for being one of the brave journalists exposing Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Motaz, a photo journalist from Gaza, got onto the TIME100 list after gathering a worldwide following who watched the genocide unfold through his camera lens.
TIME described Motaz as the “World’s eyes and ears in his native Gaza”. The description continued to read, “Armed with a camera and a flak jacket marked ‘PRESS,’ the 25-year-old Palestinian photographer spent nearly four months documenting life under Israeli bombardment: families displaced from homes, women mourning loved ones, a man trapped beneath the rubble. His pictures showed what life is like in Gaza, which most international reporters can’t see because they’re not allowed in there. But doing this was dangerous. Since October 7, at least 95 journalists have been killed in Gaza. This is the deadliest time for journalists since 1992. Many more have been hurt or arrested. Motaz left Gaza in January. Now, he works to tell people about the crisis and asks for help from other countries.”
As 2023 draws to a close, everyone is looking back at the past 12 months one more time before entering a new year. TIME’s magazine has published its Top 10 Photos of 2023 among which two are from Gaza.
A young girl stuck under her house rubble after it was bombed by Israeli airstrikes, Al Nusairat refugee camp, Oct. 31.Motaz AzaizaPalestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embraces the body of her 5-year-old niece Saly, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 17.Mohammed Salem—Reuters
After years of oppression, on October 7, Hamas took Israel by surprise and penetrated into their territory. Using the incident as an excuse to eradicate Hamas, Israel has been conducting air raids and ground operations in Gaza — which have intensified over the weeks, being categorised as genocide by international experts.
Residential areas, market places, hospitals, shelters have been completely destroyed and razed. Israel has also blocked aid, resulting in lack of medical supplies, food, and basic everyday necessities, making it more challenging for Palestinians to survive.
Out of Gaza’s total population of 2.3 million, 1.9 million people have been internally displaced, more than 21,000 killed, and more than 55,000 injured as a result of Israeli atrocities being committed against Palestinians.
Israeli forces have also been detaining and killing Palestinians residing in the Occupied West Bank.
Time magazine announced yesterday that the coveted title of ‘Person Of The Year’ 2023, went to singer Taylor Swift. The decision was met with severe backlash from the internet, who called it out as another example of how the Western media has silenced journalists in Gaza, who were risking their lives to reveal the realities of the genocide.
A Twitter user is going viral for drawing a comparison between Ukraine-Russia war and Israel’s aggression.
times person of the year when russia invaded ukraine vs when israel is committing literal genocide against palestinians pic.twitter.com/rvhzkUUXxu
Twitter users were outraged at Gazan journalists like Motaz Azaiza, Plestia, Bisan and Saleh being ignored, stressing that censorship lays bare that Gazan lives are considered disposable by the western media.
72 Journalists and their families have been killed by israel since october 7th, they are among the 20,000+ palestinians slaughtered. We can honor ukraine in 2022 but god forbid you honor the brown people risking their lives to show whats happening in Gaza. Screw this. https://t.co/uwg7mPzzSP
Today I choose to honor the real people of the year: the Journalists in Palestine. Their constant strength and courage in the midst of a genocide is something so admirable. They lose family and friends but never stop showing us what’s actually happening in Gaza. #freepalestinepic.twitter.com/jBCCdnNnWI
Many Twitter users are also criticising Taylor Swift to be a white feminist, after a quote from her article with Time went viral where she spoke about the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy.
“What has existed since the dawn of time? A patriarchal society. What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made. It’s extremely heartening.”
She’s basically saying that her being rich is because of feminism and her “female art” (whatever that means) is justified in making money because it’s feminist. Guys look she’s such a feminist for using feminism to profit more money even if she’s a billionaire. White feminist https://t.co/SzaDsgZ7oG
— সব নিপীড়িত মানুষের মুক্তি Ujala/নিশিথিনী (@shimmeringolds) December 6, 2023
i’m so glad she did this interview. She’s the final (girl)boss liberal white woman, and I am saying this neutrally. stuck in a vacuum, staid politics, pussy ear hats, daughter of a witch they couldn’t burn https://t.co/kogXstlqjN
— Bolu Babalola is technically on leave & (@BeeBabs) December 6, 2023
Writing about the crackdown of the government against his party, the police raids and the assassination attempt of November 2022, the magazine wrote: “The state appears to flirt with the idea. Police raids on Khan’s home in the Punjab province capital of Lahore in early March left him choking on tear gas, he says, as supporters brandishing sticks battled police in riot gear before makeshift barricades of sandbags and iron rods. This sort of crackdown has never taken place in Pakistan, says Khan.”
Imran Khan tells Campbell that political stability in Pakistan comes through elections. But, the magazine adds, from the U.S. perspective, he may be far from the ideal choice to helm an “impoverished, insurgency-racked Islamic state”. But is he the only person that can hold the country together, the magazine asks.
“Never has one man scared the establishment … as much as right now. They worry about how to keep me out; the people how to get me back in,” Khan tells Campbell.
Talking about Khan’s relentless taunting of the United States, Campbell wrote, “To journalists and supporters, he[Khan] has accused the U.S. of imposing a ‘master-slave’ relationship on Pakistan and of using it like ’tissue paper.’ To TIME, he insists that ‘criticizing U.S. foreign policy does not make you anti-American.’ Still, by 2022, the generals no longer had his back. The common perception among Pakistan watchers is that Khan’s fleeting political success was owed to a Faustian pact with the nation’s military and extremist groups that shepherded his election victory and he is now reaping the whirlwind.”
Khan presented a step-by-step plan to get Pakistan back on track, which Campbell pointed out was thin on details. After the elections, Khan says that a “completely new social contract” is required to enshrine power in political institutions rather than the military. If the army chief “didn’t think corruption was that big a deal, then nothing happened,” Khan complained while talking with TIME. “I was helpless.”
However, the path to this utopia remains murky, the news outlet pointed out. Asked how he plans to turn his much trumpeted Islamic Welfare State ideal into a reality, Khan talks about Medina under the Prophet and the social conscience of Northern Europeans. “Scandinavia is probably far closer to the Islamic ideal than any of the Muslim countries.”
Campbell further wrote that Khan still claims that the crisis in Pakistan can be solved by elections, despite his broken relationship with the military. “The same people who tried to kill me are still sitting in power,” Khan says. “And they are petrified that if I got back [in] they would be held accountable. So they’re more dangerous.”
Fresh off the rumour mill is that BTS member Jimin is dating South Korean actress Song Da Eun. In the past, other members of the K-pop group have been under the limelight over similar rumours. Kim Taehyung, aka V, was said to be in a relationship with Blackpink’s Jennie.
Not only him but even Jungkook was speculated to be dating Blackpink’s Lisa. Every once in a while, the singers are linked to someone, and mostly all the rumours turn out to be nothing more than that. This is why the ARMY is not believing the latest speculations around Mochi and the Once Again actress.
The rumours began after someone anonymously alleged that Jimin and Song Da Eun are in a relationship. It was based on the matching accessories they wore, coincidentally timed Instagram Stories, and even attending the same events at the same time. It caught the attention of several BTS ARMY members, but many of them don’t think it’s true.
BTS has gained global popularity hence their fans, (BTS ARMY) were completely shocked and emotional when the news of the boy band taking a hiatus, and temporarily disbanding. Even though the ARMYs were left heartbroken, they were in complete support of the boys and even wanted to see them grow individually.
RM
RM (Rap Monster) aka Kim Namjoon, who is BTS‘ leader, already has a well-established career as a solo artist. While the singer has expressed that he would want to explore more, he did mention that he wanted a break from everything to get himself recharged. The singer is currently confirmed to be seen in the new episodes of “Run BTS.”
Jungkook
Next is Jungkook who is already in plans with American singer Charlie Puth for their collaboration in the song Left and Right, which will be released in Charlie’s upcoming album. Apart from this the singer, who has talked about him making a mixtape, is still in the process, so we can expect it to come out sooner or later.
Jin
Jin aka Kim Seokjin is the oldest BTS member who originally wanted to become an actor. He said, “The reason I wanted to become an actor is that I would learn and experience lots of different things depending on the roles I get. That’s the reason I wanted to be an actor, but I became an idol instead and experienced and learned even more than I could’ve ever imagined.” While the singer did say he wants to see something in that background he hasn’t mentioned any movies or series he’ll be working in
Suga
Suga’s plans are quite different from the rest of the group. The singer plans to make his hiatus completely productive and learn new things. Suga is planning to take English lessons, dancing lessons and even work on new genres of music. Suga does have songs like Agust D and D-2 to hit the internet. Apart from this, the singer has claimed that he’ll be releasing an album real soon.
5. V
V aka Kim Taehyung claims that he has a lot to do during the hiatus. The singer who has a past series background has been seen in series like Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and The Wooga Squad” in In the Soop: Friendship Trip reality show is hoped to return to the k-drama industry. The singer claimed, “I hope there comes a chance to show my music to the world, and not just music. I won’t be just resting or not doing anything [during the hiatus]. I’ll be trying to become someone that has a lot to show you.”
6. Jimin
Park Jimin who is the lead singer of the boy band is said to have his solo album online. While we along with the fans are waiting for it, he claimed at the FESTA dinner that he is still working on the album. He said, “I get it now that I’m working on my album. It’s different when you’re writing your music. After all, I want my music to convey a message to our fans.”
7. J-Hope
Unlike the other team members who are in the planning stage of their solo careers, J-hope aka Jung Hoseok has already made his move. The singer will be soon making a big entry at the Chicago-based Lollapalooza festival and also announced the same on his Instagram account. He penned down a note saying, “This is going to be my first performance at @lollapalooza, It’s a thrilling new challenge that I think will become a memorable chapter in my musical history! I’m gonna give you guys a great show. Get ready to get crazyyyyyy!”
Palestinian rights activists Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd, whose family faces forced displacement from their home in the occupied East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, have been named in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most-influential people in the world.
The twins, aged 23, earlier this year became the faces of a global campaign to halt Israeli efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Jewish settlers.
Israeli forces detained and questioned the siblings for several hours over their activism in June.
“Through online posts and media appearances, sibling activists Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd provided the world with a window into living under occupation in East Jerusalem this spring – helping to prompt an international shift in rhetoric in regard to Israel and Palestine,” the magazine wrote about the siblings.
In a statement on Twitter on Wednesday, Mohammad El-Kurd said that although being named to the list was a “positive” development, symbolism is not enough to truly support the Palestinian cause.
Time magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal said the top-100 list features “extraordinary leaders from around the world working to build a better future” who “in a year of crisis have leaped into the fray”.
Also on the list is Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was recently named Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister after the group took control of the country.
The United Kingdom’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, American pop star Britney Spears, and US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles are also on the list.
Taliban co-founder and now Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Abdul Ghani Baradar, has been named among the “100 Most Influential People” of 2021 by Time magazine, reports Dawn.
Rashid mentions Baradar as having “a charismatic military leader and a deeply pious figure”, who “is revered” among the Afghan Taliban as a founding member of the movement in 1994.
“A quiet, secretive man who rarely gives public statements or interviews, Baradar nonetheless represents a more moderate current within the Taliban, the one that will be thrust into the limelight to win Western support and desperately needed financial aid. The question is whether the man who coaxed the Americans out of Afghanistan can sway his own movement,” the profile said.
“When the Taliban swept to victory in August in Afghanistan, it was on the terms Baradar negotiated. He was said to be making all the major decisions, including the amnesty offered to members of the former regime, the lack of bloodshed when the Taliban entered Kabul and the regime’s contacts and visits with neighboring states, especially China and Pakistan,” read the profile.
“Now he stands as the fulcrum for the future of Afghanistan. In the interim Taliban government, he was made a Deputy Prime Minister, the top role given to another leader more acceptable to the younger, more hard-line generation of Taliban commanders.”
Baradar appears to be the first Taliban leader to make it to the list.
In 2004, Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was included in the list, with the magazine noting that he “galvanised disparate organisations in dozens of countries into one network, sharing a vision, logistics, and Afghan training camps”.
“The malcontented son of a wealthy Saudi construction magnate, bin Laden found meaning in the Afghan war,” wrote Richard Clarke, the former head of counterterrorism for America’s National Security Council.
Pakistani Artist Salman Toor has been listed among “2021 TIME100 NEXT”, a list revealed by Time Magazine that includes 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future.
Salman’s profile in the TIME feature says, “In his painting The Star, Salman Toor uses classical techniques—deploying brushstrokes and lighting reminiscent of the 1800s—to render a thoroughly modern scene: a young South Asian man sits backstage in front of a mirror, wearing a furry pink jacket, as a makeup artist and a hairstylist fuss over him. That these contrasts might seem unexpected is exactly the point.
“Toor, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and lives in New York City, has made his career subverting the styles of old paintings by centring openly queer men of South Asian descent in an attempt to, as he says in the audio guide for The Star, ‘play with the idea’ of societal norms. Now more people than ever are paying attention: the artist recently secured his first solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, which will be on display through April 2021.”
Dan Macsai, the editorial director of the TIME100, said: “Everyone on this list is poised to make history. And in fact, many already have.”
TIME editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal writes in his letter to readers: “Amid a global pandemic, deepening inequality, systemic injustice and existential questions about truth, democracy and the planet itself, the individuals on this year’s list provide ‘clear-eyed hope’.”
TIME100 Next list consists of Artists, Phenoms, Leaders, Advocates, and Innovators.
Time magazine’s special edition on the World Economic Forum published January 20 features Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan along with four other world leaders.
The annual summit of global movers and shakers kicks off in the Swiss resort of Davos on Tuesday and will last four days.
Other leaders alongside the Pakistani premier included founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Klaus Schwab, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Europe’s Central Bank President Christine Lagarde.
The magazine’s cover featured the five leaders sitting in a chair lift with the snow-covered Swiss Alps in the background. United States (US) President Donald Trump and young climate activist Greta Thunberg can also be seen sitting together on another chairlift in the background of the illustration.
Meanwhile, Twitterati are not shying away from speculating what the cover of the special Davos issue is supposed to mean:
Imran Khan seems to have secured both local and global releavance despite crucial governance errors during his 18 months in office. Teflon Khan? You bet. But his confidence and friends – in Pindi, palaces and the press – help him get by.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to read an article before tweeting and gushing over it based on a photo or headline. In this case the article is saying that the generation of leaders in the pic are on their way OUT as a younger generation is rising up to replace them. https://t.co/332bTRYTIo
PM Imran is expected to reach Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday for a three-day — January 21 to 23 — official visit, with his trip costing $68,000 due to austerity measures.
PM Imran’s Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Zulfi Bukhari and other officials will accompany him to Davos, where he is expected to hold meetings with several world leaders, including US President Trump. During the visit, the premier will also meet foreign investors and inform them of investment opportunities in Pakistan.
