The Taliban government’s refugees minister, Khalil Haqqani, has said in an interview with AFP that, “They [Pakistani authorities] should not give Afghans a hard time, they should not make more enemies.” The statement was said in the context of the mass exodus of refugees from Pakistan under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.
Authorities on the Afghanistan side have established centres several kilometres from a border crossing along with camps for families in what was described as an “emergency situation” by the Afghan officials. “We are constantly in contact with them [Pakistani authorities] asking for more time. People must be allowed to return with dignity,” he reiterated.
Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi also visited the Torkham border and asserted that the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is in violation of International laws. He also mentioned that the ones coming back are their brethren and this is their home. To address all their problems will be the first priority of the government.
Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, issued a firm warning to the country’s media during a hearing of multiple pleas seeking timely elections within 90 days of the dissolution of the assemblies.
“If media raises suspicions about the elections, they will be committing a violation of the constitution,” he remarked, adding that journalists cannot simply grab a microphone and say there are doubts about the elections.
“An anchor or reporter cannot raise doubts about whether the elections will happen or not,” he stated.
Faez Isa warned that if rumors or speculations are spread about the elections, action will be taken by PEMRA.
The head of the apex court stressed that, “Media outlets should know that they do not have the right to lie. Media freedom has been granted in the constitution.”
He further said that if a media person has suspicions about the elections, he will not tell the public, but he can tell his wife.
The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the government to ensure the conduct of general elections on February 8, a day after President Arif Alvi and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja unanimously agreed on the aforementioned date during a meeting held at the President’s House.
A three-member bench headed by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amin-Ud-Din Khan heard the case.
The court, in its order, mentioned that the notification of the general election date has also been issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), stating that no party has any objection to holding elections on February 8.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa asked everyone in the courtroom as well as the Attorney-General for Pakistan, Mansoor Usman Awan, if they had any objection to the election date, but all replied in the negative.
“After all the requirements are fulfilled, the Election Commission should announce the election schedule,” CJP Isa said. The chief justice said: “Elections will definitely be held on February 8, God willing.”
The caretaker setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by Chief Minister Azam Khan inaugurated the first-ever Institute of Mental Health Sciences in the provincial capital Peshawar on Thursday.
The landmark project has incurred a total cost of Rs2.52 billion. The larger plan includes an emergency unit, OPD, ICU, a psychiatric unit, family counseling, and a rehabilitation centre among other facilities. It will start with providing OPD services and will move on to add other services in later stages.
Landmark Achievement by the KP Government: The caretaker Chief Minister, Muhammad Azam Khan, inaugurated the “Institute of Mental Health Sciences, Peshawar.” This groundbreaking institution, the first of its kind in the region, aims to revolutionize mental health education,… pic.twitter.com/4vfD7CVuqQ
In the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister spoke about the facilities offered by the institute and the courses on various areas concerning mental health offered there. He emphasised the growing need for understanding and treating mental illnesses that are rampant globally and the opening of one of its kind institute is a step in the right direction. He promised that the state-of-the-art institute will provide facilities for the treatment of mental illnesses and all services related to mental health.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire by netizens for his son’s pictures in a “headless” halloween costume, as people are reminded of the ongoing bombing in Gaza.
The headless costume showing a decapitated head in hand is a classic halloween costume which his youngest son Hadrien wore for the halloween. This provoked internet users to point out that more than 3,500 children have been killed in Israel’s bombing of the Gaza strip. People deemed it to be inappropriate in times like these and from a leader like Trudeau who is so keen to be politically correct.
Another user suggested that the PM should dress up as an Israeli Soldier because the halloween they’re living is a reality, thanks to Canada’s terrifying support for one of the bloodiest, settler-colonial occupations that practices all war crimes in Palestine, including ethnic cleansing, extermination, and displacement.
It seems that Justin Trudeau’s son chose to represent the innocent children of Gaza who were killed by the criminal Israeli occupation forces. 4000 children were cold-bloodedly murdered in just 24 days, with unwavering support from Canada and the Trudeau government. Here’s a…
This is not for the first time that Justin Trudeau has earned flak from the internet. School pictures of the Premier in halloween costume dressed as a black Aladdin got him into trouble, for which he had to apologise later. One user Jay Nelson reminded the world about that.
Schools were shut across India’s capital on Friday as a noxious grey smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants.
Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket Delhi in a choking haze.
The public health crisis has persisted for decades and researchers have blamed the smog for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths across India.
A beautiful view of India Gate.
Thank you Aam Aadmi Party for making Delhi so clean with such good air to breathe. Your Smog Tower is wonderful. You have made sure no parali is burning in Punjab.
Now can you just readjust your pollution control budget too? If you can spend… pic.twitter.com/XbuOXHrC35
Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles — so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were on Friday almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir.
“In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days
Delhi, one of the largest urban areas on the planet, is also regularly ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities.
Visible smog is a burden for residents through much of the year but the problem peaks at the start of winter around the Hindu festival of Diwali.
The holy day coincides with the weeks when tens of thousands of farmers across north India set fire to their fields to clear crop stubble from recently harvested rice paddies.
the smog in and around delhi is so bad, it’s almost post-apocalyptic; it hangs thick and acidic, buildings are obscured and it makes my eyes burn. not exaggerating. and diwali is two weeks away
That practice is one of the key drivers of Delhi’s annual smog problem, worsening the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions.
It persists despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different clearing methods and threats of punitive action for those who defy burning bans.
Eye-stinging and lung-burning smog peaks from October to February when colder air traps pollution, with residents advised to wear face masks outside at all times.
Authorities regularly announce different plans to reduce pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect.
India is hosting the Cricket World Cup and organisers have banned fireworks at matches in Mumbai and Delhi to avoid compounding hazardous air pollution levels.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are due to play in Delhi on Monday, with little likelihood of the air clearing for their match.
India captain Rohit Sharma told reporters Wednesday that the situation was “not ideal” for the tournament.
Everyone knows that,” he said. “Looking at our future generation… it’s quite important that they get to live without any fear.”
A Lancet study in 2020 attributed 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India during the previous year, including almost 17,500 in the capital.
And the average city resident could die nearly 12 years earlier than expected due to air pollution, according to an August report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.
India is heavily reliant on polluting coal for energy generation. Its per capita coal emissions have risen 29 percent in the past seven years and it has shied away from policies to phase down the dirty fossil fuel.
The spokesperson for The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan and caretaker Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, held a discussion with Afghan High Commissioner Ahmed Shakaib, deciding that children and women will be exempted from scanning by NADRA. Only male adults will be scanned for verification.
“The interior ministry issued directions that females and children below the age of 14 will not be scanned for entry by NADRA. Only male adults would be scanned during the voluntary repatriation,” reported Dawn. Only a “head count” of women and children will be done for record purposes.
The decision was made keeping in context the heavy influx of Afghan citizens on the borders as the deadline for leaving has passed and deportation has started. A huge number of people are also coming in for voluntary repatriation and it was feared that the situation could spiral out of control. This directive could smoothen the process a bit.
Authorities are asked to be gentle as any aggression will lead to consequences. A special helpline number has been set up by the ministry and every complaint will be catered to on an emergency basis. The Afghan Embassy has also been asked to send a representative who can work closely with the Interior Ministry.
وزیراعظم پاکستان @anwaar_kakar کی خصوصی ہدایت پر غیر قانونی طور پر پاکستان میں مقیم غیرملکیوں کے انخلاء کے حوالے سے وزارت داخلہ نے خصوصی ہیلپ لائن قائم کی ہے، جس کے نمبر 051111367226 اور 0519211685 ہیں۔ pic.twitter.com/NPjcuLFU1m
So far, 165,000 Afghan immigrants have left for Afghanistan during voluntary repatriation. On Thursday, a total of 19,344 undocumented immigrants left via Torkham.
Officials at the border crossing in Angoor Adda in KP’s South Waziristan district said that 294 Afghan immigrants, including 129 children, voluntarily left for Afghanistan on Thursday.
Out of 572 refugees taken into custody, 200 were sent back as they produced valid documents while 384 were sent to Chaman for deportation. 1,176 Afghans volunteered to reach Chaman on their own.
The crackdown in Punjab will start today as per the officials.
President Arif Alvi announced on Thursday that the general elections will take place in the country on February 8, 2024.
The X (former Twitter) account tweeted, “On today’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr. Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, came to meet President Dr. Arif Alvi, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, to discuss the date for holding the forthcoming General Elections in the country. The President heard about the progress the ECP has made in delimitation and for elections.”
On today’s order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr. Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with the Attorney General for Pakistan, Mr. Mansoor Usman Awan, and four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan, came to meet pic.twitter.com/1uXi7v7Y7N
— Election Commission of Pakistan (OFFICIAL) (@ECP_Pakistan) November 2, 2023
The development comes hours after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa directed the ECP to confer with Alvi on the poll date after the electoral body said that elections would be held on February 11.
“Let the ECP meet with the President of Pakistan today and the date for holding general elections in Pakistan be appointed,” the top judge said in a written order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.
He directed AGP Awan to arrange the meeting, provide Alvi with the court order and be available to render assistance. “We expect that the matter of appointing a date for holding general elections shall be settled, and this court will be informed tomorrow (Nov 3),” Justice Isa added.
The order was issued after a three-judge bench comprising the CJP, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan and Justice Athar Minallah heard a set of petitions, calling for holding elections within 90 days after the dissolution of the National Assembly and the provincial legislatures.
Bahrain has severed its economic ties with Israel, recalling its ambassador as the country continues bombarding Gaza.
Bahrain took the step in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza to show its support for the Palestinian cause and “The legitimate right of Palestinian people.”
The Israeli ambassador had already left Bahrain. This announcement comes on the heels of Jordan’s decision to summon its envoy back home.
Bahrain is the first Arab country to recall its ambassador from among the four that signed the Abraham Accords with Israel back in 2020. This agreement of normalization of ties brought in huge economic deals and the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Since October 7, Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia have cut ties with Israel and Bahrain is the newest addition to the list.
A man from Saudabad, Karachi has been arrested for killing his eight-year-old son. The father, Amir, has confessed in front of the police that he was enraged as the boy refused to call him “papa”.
Amaan’s body was found in Bhains Colony a few days after the father’s complaint of the boy being lost. However, the investigation revealed that the boy was tortured, killed, and dumped by his own father.
Amaan had come to visit his biological father, as he stayed with his adoptive parents. He was adopted by Amir’s friend and had come to meet his mother, a few days before his death. Amir forced the child to call him ‘papa’, to which the child refused.
In a fit of rage, Amir then assaulted the child, killing him.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, was hearing petitions filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SBCA) and others seeking directives to hold general elections within 90 days as stipulated by the Constitution.
During the hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) lawyer, Sharjeel Sawati, said that elections will be held on February 11, as per Geo News.
Former leader of the opposition in National Assembly (NA) Raja Riaz had said on August 12 this year that the upcoming general elections would be held in February 2024 – three months later than the constitutionally allowed limit of 90 days.
Talking to Maria Memon on Sawal ye Hai on ARY News, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident leader said, “Elections will be held 4 to 5 days before or after February 15.”
While talking to Kashif Abbasi on his program, Off the Record, on Tuesday, August 15, he said, “The ‘elders’ have decided that the general elections will be held in February.”
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday, August 15, that his party’s supremo, Nawaz Sharif, was confident that general elections would be held in the country in February next year.
Raja Riaz says the “elders” have decided that general election will be held in February. pic.twitter.com/QnnkTzodsU
“He (Nawaz) is sure that elections will take place in February. Delimitation of constituencies has to be completed before then, and it will be completed by December,” Sanaullah said while responding to a question about Nawaz’s expected return to Pakistan during an appearance on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’.
