Tag: UN

  • Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    Pakistan chooses not to vote in the UNGA session to censure Russia

    In the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) emergency session on Wednesday, Pakistan abstained from voting to censure Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

    Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram delivered a speech, in which he said, “Pakistan is committed to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter: self-determination of peoples, non-use or threat of use of force, sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and pacific settlement of disputes.”

    “We hope the talks initiated between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine will succeed in bringing about a cessation of hostilities and normalisation of the situation,” he said while adding that Pakistan supports all efforts to provide humanitarian relief to civilians in the affected areas.

    The ambassador stated that Pakistan was more concerned about the safety of Pakistani citizens and students in Ukraine.

    The session was called by the UN which demanded that Russia should stop fighting and urged it to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine.

    141 member states voted in favour of the resolution. Besides Russia, four other countries voted against the resolution. While India, Bangladesh, China (one of the five permanent members) abstained.

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) received a letter from top diplomats of 22 countries on Tuesday, urging Islamabad to support a UNGA resolution, reports Dawn.

  • Taliban call for Muslim nations to recognise them

    Taliban call for Muslim nations to recognise them

    Afghan Prime Minister (PM) Mohammad Hassan Akhund has called on Muslim nations to be the first to officially recognise the government that seized power in Afghanistan in August.

    “I call on Muslim countries to take the lead and recognise us officially. Then I hope we will be able to develop quickly”, Akhund said and stressed that it’s for the public.

    No country has yet recognised the Taliban government. After they gained power, they promised rights for women but they are largely excluded from government employment, and secondary schools for girls are closed.

    According to the recently released report by United Nations (UN), jobs have dried up and women’s employment levels are extremely low by global standards.

    The lack of work also threatens to worsen child labour levels in Afghanistan, where only 40 per cent of children aged five to 17 years old attend school. Moreover, the UN has warned that half the population is threatened with food shortages.

    Last month, a special meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was held to discuss the Afghanistan crisis. However, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister (FM) was excluded from the official photograph taken during the event.

  • ‘Women are still the victims of war’: Angelina Jolie opens up about violence against women

    ‘Women are still the victims of war’: Angelina Jolie opens up about violence against women

    Hollywood star Angelina Jolie talked about the violence against women act (VAWA).

    She had a meeting with politician Cori Bush speaking about domestic violence and giving some steps to cure it.

    Reflecting on their meeting Bush tweeted, “I’m forever grateful to get to work in partnership with such strong women across the country in our movement to end domestic violence.”

    “As a survivor myself, this fight is personal,” the Tweet read.

    She also expressed gratitude towards Jolie while adding, “Thank you to Angelina Jolie for your leadership to put an end to violence against women.”

    The 46 year old actor on her meeting at Capitol hill in September, she upheld the cause of the act and consistently expressed her feeling for children’s better health.

    Earlier during her speech at the Eternals press meet, she stated: “I am thinking tonight of all the women who are bringing us through the pandemic: the scientists, the doctors, nurses… so many others who are showing us what strength and sacrifice are and whose contribution transcends borders.”

    She stated in 2019 that the world “will remain stuck in a cycle of violence and conflicts” as long as nations continue to put almost every other issue ahead of women’s equality, rights and participation.

    Jolie, who is a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, added in a keynote address to a ministerial meeting on U.N. peacekeeping that “denying half a population representation in peace negotiations or in government is not the route to long-term stability.”

    There are many examples around the world of successful and inspiring women, she said, “but women and girls are still the majority of the victims of war,” over half the world’s refugees, and “the vast majority” of victims of rape and sexual violence.

  • Putin says insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is not artistic freedom

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that insulting Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) doesn’t count as an expression of artistic freedom. Putin made a bold plea for religious freedom and against the gross neglect of human rights. Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at people hurting the feelings of Muslims.

    Insults to the Prophet (PBUH) are a “violation of religious freedom and the violation of the sacred feelings of people who profess Islam,”, Putin said on Thursday during his annual news conference, Russian News Agency TASS reported. 

    Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned placing Nazi photos that praised the Immortal Regiment of Russians.

    While admiring essence of freedom, nobody has the right to violate freedom of others, said Putin.

    Previously, Prime Minister Imran Khan has also called out Islamophobia.

    The premier said that the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy has recognised as an emerging threat, as it increases the tendency of right-wing, xenophobic, and violent nationalists, extremists, and terrorist groups to target Muslims.

    “We hope the Secretary-General’s report will focus on these new threats of terrorism posed by Islamophobes and right-wing extremists,” the prime minister said.

    “I call on the Secretary-General to convene a global dialogue on countering the rise of Islamophobia. Our parallel efforts, at the same time, should be to promote interfaith harmony, and they should continue,” he added.

  • UNSC adopts resolution to facilitate Afghanistan

    The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members unanimously adopted a resolution to provide vital support to Afghanistan.

    The resolution states that “payment of funds, other financial assets or economic resources, and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are permitted.”

    Such assistance supports “basic human needs in Afghanistan” and is “not a violation” of sanctions imposed on entities linked to the Taliban, added the resolution.

    The move came as Afghanistan faces an economic meltdown since the Taliban seized control of the country in August. The crisis has left nearly 23 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme.

    “Humanitarian aid and life-saving assistance must be able to reach the Afghan people without any hindrance,” China’s UN (United Nation) Ambassador, Zhang Jun, said in a tweet on Monday.

    The decision has been made to limit the scope of the resolution to one year, which only suggests that this aims to satisfy Washington’s European allies.

  • UN chief condemns travel restrictions, calls it ‘travel apartheid’

    UN chief condemns travel restrictions, calls it ‘travel apartheid’

    United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that a travel ban imposed because of the Covid pandemic that cuts off any one country or region as “not only deeply unfair and punitive – they are ineffective.”, report Geo News.

    Guterres said that tests should continually be performed on travelers to reduce the threat of transmission in other parts of the world.

    He further added, “We have the instruments to have safe travel. Let’s use those instruments to avoid this kind, of allow me to say, travel apartheid, which I think is unacceptable.”

    The new variant of the coronavirus, which was previously identified as B.1.1.529 infection was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on November 24 and named it Omicron.

    Several countries, including Pakistan, have completely banned flights from some countries in Africa.

    In African countries, the rate of vaccination was recorded as very low which Guterres has previously alarmed the world about. The main reason for the lack of vaccination was the inequality distribution of vaccines and low immunisation rates which became “a breeding ground for variants.”

    The annual meeting was also held between the United Nation and African Union to solve the concern of the travel ban.

    Speaking from the Joint-Conference with UN Secretary-General, African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat also said that the travel ban cannot be justified.

  • ‘He is not a terrorist’: UN criticises arrest of Indian Occupied Kashmir activist

    ‘He is not a terrorist’: UN criticises arrest of Indian Occupied Kashmir activist

    The United Nations (UN) has condemned and criticised the arrest of Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights activist in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) on terror funding charges.

    UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor called the act ‘disturbing’ and tweeted, “He [Parvez] is at risk of being charged by authorities in India with terrorism-related crimes. He’s not a terrorist, he’s a Human Rights Defender.”

    An Indian official told Reuters that Parvez was arrested on Monday by India’s federal National Investigation Agency (NIA). According to the official, Parvez’s residence and office were searched and a mobile phone, laptop, and books were seized. However, a spokesperson for the NIA confirmed Parvez’s arrest on Tuesday.

    Currently, the human rights activist is being held under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which allows for the detention of up to six months ‘without’ trial.

    Reuters has reported that the activist’s lawyer, Parvez Imroz, could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Back in 2016, Parvez was arrested and detained on similar charges. Later, he was released without being convicted of any crime.

    He is one of Kashmir’s best-known activists and head of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, a group of rights organisations working in the region.

  • At least 1 million Afghan children at risk of starvation, warns UNICEF director

    At least 1 million Afghan children at risk of starvation, warns UNICEF director

    At least one million children in Afghanistan will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year and could die without proper treatment, warned United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Please help us,” she said.

    According to a report by CNBC, Fore implored the international community and wealthy nations to help avert further suffering after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

    “Nearly 10 million girls and boys depend on humanitarian assistance just to survive,” she said at a UN ministerial-level meeting on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan.

    Fore also emphasised UNICEF’s ability to operate in Afghanistan. She said, “UNICEF has been on the ground in Afghanistan for more than 70 years. We know what needs to be done for children. And we can get it done.”

    According to Fore, during the last week of August, UNICEF provided 4,000 severely malnourished children under five with life-saving therapeutic treatment.

    “Please help us. There has never been a more urgent time to stand with the children of Afghanistan and the people who serve them,” she said.

  • Nobody in a ‘rush’ to recognise Taliban govt says Foreign Minister Qureshi

    Nobody in a ‘rush’ to recognise Taliban govt says Foreign Minister Qureshi

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, during a meeting with the United Nations (UN) press representatives, said, “I don’t think anybody is in a rush to recognise the Taliban at this stage and they [Taliban] should keep an eye on that.”

    The minister who is in New York for five days to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), stated that the world is watching Afghanistan. If they [Taliban] want recognition they have to be more sensitive and more open to international opinion, he added.

    He insisted on stating that Afghanistan should have an inclusive government in order to have stability and peace in the region, and expressed hope that the Afghan Taliban would live up to their promise to allow girls and women in educational institutions.

    Moreover, he urged the United States and other countries that have frozen money from the former Afghan government to release it because “that’s Afghan money that should be spent on Afghan people”.

    “I think freezing the assets is not helping the situation. I would strongly urge the powers that be that they should revisit that policy and think of an unfreeze,” Shah told reporters.

    According to an official statement issued by the Foreign Office, Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the UNGA via a video link on September 24th.

  • ‘PM Khan’s phone does not have messages of Gujarat massacre like Modi’: Fawad

    ‘PM Khan’s phone does not have messages of Gujarat massacre like Modi’: Fawad

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, while speaking on Geo News’ programme ‘Jirga’, said, “Two days prior to the story of Pegasus spyware being published, I received a letter from The Guardian revealing that there was a list of phone numbers that had been hacked. Three numbers previously used by Prime Minister Imran Khan were also in the list.”

    Fawad said that the letter further added that he needed to confirm whether the numbers included in the list belonged to PM Khan or not.

    Fawad said that a team was being put together by the government, who would do the forensics to verify whether the premier’s phone was hacked or not. Only then will the government be able to tell if the attempt to hack the phone was successful or not.

    “It is confirmed that an attempt to hack the phone was made,” said Fawad.

    On being asked by Saleem Safi that if the phone was indeed hacked and the Indians did get the data from the premier’s phone, what implications would it have for the country, Fawad replied, ” PM Khan’s phone did not have messages of Gujarat massacre like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His phone does not have any orders of murder in it.”

    Fawad condemned how Modi and his government had hacked the phones of Indian journalists, judges, his own government officials, and other world leaders and said that the United Nations must intervene in this regard.

    Fawad Chaudhry added that the Foreign Office has taken notice of India’s use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus, to hack Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone and had already said: “We call on the relevant UN bodies to thoroughly investigate the matter, bring the facts to light, and hold the Indian perpetrators to account.”

    When questioned about the meeting between Imran Khan and Narendra Modi before he came into power and whether it was discussed with the then government, Fawad responded that PM Khan’s meeting was public and the media was present. Fawad criticised Nawaz Sharif’s meeting with Afghan National Security Adviser (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib in London and said this was news shared with the Afghan media.

    “I won’t call Nawaz Sharif a traitor but it was a very irresponsible act by him,” added Fawad.

    Earlier this week, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif was met by Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib and State Minister for Peace Sayed Sadat Naderi.

    The National Security Council of Afghanistan (NSCA) gave an update about the meeting on Twitter Saturday, saying that the Afghan state minister for peace and NSA discussed “matters of mutual interest” with the former Pakistan prime minister.

    Nawaz Sharif’s meeting faced extreme criticism from the government.