Tag: waziristan

  • Pakistan Army promotes two Hindu officers to Lieutenant Colonel

    Pakistan Army promotes two Hindu officers to Lieutenant Colonel

    The Pakistan Army has promoted two Hindu officers, Kelash Kumar and Aneel Kumar, to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the first time in the history of Pakistan.

    Dr Kelash Kumar belongs to the Tharparkar district in Sindh province and Dr Aneel Kumar belongs to the Badin district.

    They are the first officers from the Hindu community who received a promotion from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.

    They both are serving in the Medical Corps of the Pakistan Army.

    Prior to the year 2000, Hindu officers were not appointed to senior positions in the Pakistan Army. However, a former dictator, General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf had issued orders under a decree appointing Hindus to senior positions in the Army. Since then, six Hindu officers have risen to the rank of Major, of which Kelash Kumar and Aneel Kumar have now become the first officers to reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

    Dr Kelash was honored with a ‘Medal of Defense’, on his courage as he performed a 36- day duty at the Saddle Checkpost in Baltoro Sector near K2 at an altitude of 22,000 feet, which is a record in itself.

    Major Dr Kelash got a commission in Pakistan Army in 2007. He joined a hospital in North Sudan as a senior doctor in 2012. He later took part in Operation Al-Mizan in Orakzai Agency of Waziristan and Operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat.

    Major Dr Aneel Kumar got a commission in Pakistan Army in 2008.

    Until now, six Hindu Army officers have been appointed in Pakistan Army.

    Hindu activist, Kapil Dev took to Twitter to celebrate the inclusivity of the Hindu community in the Armed Forces.

    He said, “History in Making Kelash Kumar becomes the first #Hindu officer to have been promoted as Lieutenant Colonel in #PakArmy. Congratulations, Kelash!!!.”

  • ‘My government will never reconcile or give NRO to those who did corruption’: PM Khan

    ‘My government will never reconcile or give NRO to those who did corruption’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday said, “My government will never reconcile or give NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) to those who did corruption.”

    His remarks came during a public procession in Mianwali.

    “We are ready to talk to everyone who has a different ideology or whom we call right or left,” said the prime minister.

    “We are ready to resolve our issues with them peacefully, be they in Balochistan or erstwhile tribal areas of Waziristan. The only ones whom we will never have any reconciliation with are those who looted and laundered Pakistani people’s money,” said the premier.

    “Every respectable society puts its thieves in jails and doesn’t strike deals with them. The prosperous countries have [one] rule of law, while those that are poor have different laws for the powerful and the weak are in jails,” said PM Khan.

  • Waziristan at par with Pakistan after PM launches 3G, 4G services; ‘olive revolution’ also announced

    Waziristan at par with Pakistan after PM launches 3G, 4G services; ‘olive revolution’ also announced

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has announced that 3G/4G internet services will become operational in Waziristan from today (Wednesday).

    PM Imran shared that the news with the people of Waziristan while addressing a Kamyab Jawan Programme’s cheque distribution ceremony in Wana.

    “We are trying to resolve your problems. From today, 3G and 4G services will become functional,” he said, adding that it was the demand of the youth of the area that they had 3G and 4G services.

    The premier shared that 3G and 4G services were not available in the region earlier as the government feared that it might be used for terrorism. He added that he spoke to the army leadership about the issue and was informed that it was a need of the youth of the area.

    “I spoke to the army and we decided that we will provide this facility,” said PM Imran.

    The premier assured the people that the government will also allocate more scholarship for the people of the area.

    He also told the people that he will bring an olive revolution to the area, as the product is commonly grown there.

    “Olive will bring a lot of money to the area,” he said, announcing that a dam will also be built in the area to resolve water woes of the locals.

    The PM assured the people that his government will work on uplifting the poor segments of the society and backward areas including the tribal districts.

  • Noor Khadija becomes first female head of South Waziristan’s education department

    Noor Khadija becomes first female head of South Waziristan’s education department

    For the very first time, the South Waziristan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province has hired a woman as the head of the Education Department.

    As per reports, the area has the lowest female literacy rate in the country.

    Noor Khadija, who comes from a family of educators and has been linked with the education department for ten years, was appointed South Waziristan’s deputy district education officer in August.

    “It was my long-standing desire to serve my community, specifically girls, to remove obstacles in the way of their education,” Khadija told a local media outlet.

    A portrait of Fatima Jinnah hangs on the wall in Khadija’s office.

    “As a woman, Fatima Jinnah proved that women could make a difference and play a decisive role to lead the society for positive change,” Khadija said.

    “I will strive to provide girls schools with all missing facilities, to empower girls through education, which is of paramount importance for a vibrant society,” she added.

  • VIDEO: Man in Waziristan celebrates recovering from COVID-19 with traditional dance

    A man in Waziristan broke into a cultural dance after he was discharged from quarantine.

    The man was quarantined in the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. However, after being in self-isolation and taking the necessary precautions, his tests came out negative and he started dancing to celebrate his recovery. The video of his cheerful dance went viral on social media.

  • Pictures of Switzerland tagged as North Waziristan trending on Twitter

    Pictures of Switzerland tagged as North Waziristan trending on Twitter

    This tweet from Khalid Wazir, whose bio on the popular social platform says that he is a ‘Pushtun, Engineer-Photographer’ has gone viral.

    Viral tweet showing pictures of Switzerland with the caption “My cows, Razamk North Waziristan”

    Khalid tweeted pictures of Switzerland saying, ‘My cows, Razamk North Waziristan’. The tweet went viral and was misleading. Khalid tweeted the pictures and then, replying to his own tweet said:

    In an obvious jab at analyst Saleem Safi, Khalid seems to have meant that Safi is trying to say that all is perfect in Waziristan.

    His first tweet went viral and politicians retweeted the pictures, not realizing the context of the tweet.

    Khalid then clarified why he had posted the pictures.

    Despite his clarification, the pictures are still trending on Twitter.