Category: National

Renowned poet Afkar Hussain Alvi has signed an affidavit stating that he will not recite poetry that defames national institutions or causes discord in the country.

According to the affidavit associated with Afkar Alvi on social media, he has said, “I will write poetry that promotes peace in the country.”

“I solemnly declare that I have never recited any poem that defames any institution. If my poetry is being quoted against any institution, I have no connection or association with it.”

The poet clarified that he has no affiliation with any political party. 

Alvi further wrote: “I solemnly declare that I have deleted all my videos. If any video is uploaded from my account, action may be taken against me.”

Afkar Alvi is known critical poetry towards national institutions, and he also addresses social issues through his poetry.

This comes days after famous satirist and writer Anwar Maqsood apologised for his recent controversial remarks about navy officers.

Speaking at the Aalami Urdu Conference at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on Sunday, Maqsood said, “I can’t even imagine joking about our martyrs. Their sacrifices are the reason the country exists, and I am alive today.”

Poet Afkar Alvi’s alleged signing of an affidavit by force received strong condemnation from the social media users.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) official social media account on X (formerly Twitter) accused the Pakistani authority of forcing the poet to sign an affidavit, noting, “After silencing journalists, social media activists, lawyers, politicians, and even bureaucrats, poets are now also being harassed and coerced into silence. Pakistani poet Afkar Alvi was forced by the authorities to sign an affidavit banning him from reciting his own poems, which were critical of the state. He was also compelled to remove his videos from social media.”

Another social media user wrote, “Pakistan poet Afkar Alvi forced to sign affidavit banning recital of own poems deemed ‘critical of state departments.’ Videos deleted from social media. The poet hails from Bhakkar, a small city in South Punjab.”

A Netizen critically stated, “If Maloko doesn’t sing, Afkar Alvi doesn’t recite poetry, Anwar Maqsood doesn’t write humor, and Krispy Kreme doesn’t make donuts, will the nation’s opinion change? If the public doesn’t protest, social media doesn’t raise questions, the media doesn’t show Khan’s pictures, and the courts don’t deliver justice. Will the country progress from this?”

One social media user stated that it was unfortunate to restrict the poet from reciting progressive poetry.

Former director general (DG) of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (r) Faiz Hamid has formally been charged with engaging in political activities and misusing his authority as the chief of the country’s premier intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the former spymaster was also charged for violating the Official Secrets Act, misusing authority and government resources, and causing wrongful losses to individuals.

“These actions have compromised state security and interests,” ISPR added.

According to the statement, the process of Hamid’s field general court-martial (FGCM) was initiated on August 12, under provisions of the Pakistan Army Act.

Additionally, the military’s media wing said, the former spymaster’s role in creating agitation and unrest, including the May 9 riots, “in collusion with vested political interests”, was also being investigated.

“Lt Gen (r) Faiz Hamid is being afforded with all legal rights as per the law,” it added.

The development comes four months after reports said and the ISPR confirmed that the ex-ISI chief was taken into custody by the military on charges of abuse of power and violating the Army Act.

The former spy chief was in August arrested in connection with a Supreme Court petition filed by a housing society’s chief executive officer, who accused Hamid of land grabbing and stealing valuables during a raid.

The Pakistan Army, following orders of the apex court, had conducted a detailed inquiry to investigate the complaints.

Gen (r) Faiz Hamid appointment and retirement 

Gen Hameed hailed from the army’s Baloch Regiment. He was appointed as the ISI director general in June 2019, replacing incumbent Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, who was then a lieutenant general.

Gen Hameed had opted to seek early retirement and sent his resignation to the high command in November 2022, according to unnamed sources. He was made the ISI chief in June 2019.

The army had announced on October 6, 2021, that Gen Hameed was appointed the Peshawar corps commander, while Lt Gen Anjum was appointed in his place. But the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had not issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment until three weeks later, leading to frenzied speculation of strains in civil-military relations.

After delays, the PMO had eventually notified the appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum as the new ISI chief on Oct 26, 2021. Imran had later said he never wanted to “bring his own army chief” and that he “never meddled” in Pakistan Army’s affairs.

Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, while addressing a conference on Seminary Reforms and Registration in Islamabad on Monday, indirectly warned the government of mass mobilisation if the existing system of religious school registration was not maintained.

Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said, “This statement may sound harsh. We have enough madrassas in Islamabad which can easily mobilise twenty-five to thirty thousand people: and if Maulana Tayyab Tahiri were informed, then five to six lac supporters will arrive.

“Someone else may have manpower in the realm of politics, but in the field of madrassas, we have manpower numbering in the hundreds of thousands,” he warned.

Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi remarked, “Separate platforms exist for politics; we will not allow playing with the future of hundreds of thousands of students of seminaries.”

Ashrafi passed the comments after Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded revisions in the seminary registration process.

Ashrafi criticised JUI-F’s demand, highlighting a 2019 agreement that settled the registration issue, warning against repetitive demands for new laws.

“You accepted the agreement in 2019 and are now demanding a new law; you will demand another law after four years,” Tahir Ashrafi lamented.

It should be mentioned here that Ashrafi is of the view that madrassas are educational institutions and should, therefore, be registered under the Ministry of Education. However, Maulana Fazlur Rehman maintained that madrassas should be registered under the Ministry of Industries, and the government should revive the 2019 madrassas registration process.

Societies Registration Amendment Act 2024 was passed along with the 26th Constitutional Amendment, according to which it was decided that the madrassas registration would brought under the Societies Act 1860.

However, following the approval from the parliament, President Asif Ali Zardari objected to the bill (Societies Registration Amendment Act 2024) and sent it back to the parliament.

On Monday conference along with Ashrafi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, while commenting on the Madrassa Bill, stated that it could not become law due to some legal complications, adding, “the suggestions given by the scholars had been noted, and the final solution would be found after thorough consultations.”

“Registration of 18,000 Madrasahs is the result of the efforts of the Department of Religious Education”, he added.

Meanwhile, reacting to the conference on seminary reforms and registration, Maulana Fazlur Rehman in a press conference at Charsadda on Monday said that his party doesn’t want confrontation with the state, but registration of seminaries. “They wanted to give us a new system in 2019, but it was just an agreement,” he said.

“All relevant stakeholders, including the agencies, agreed on the bill, which the National Assembly and the Senate later passed,” he said, asking why President Asif Zardari returned the amendment bill?

He also accused the authorities of pushing the seminaries towards extremism, alleging that they want to control the religious seminaries on orders of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States and the West.

Even the most cursory look at Pakistan’s education statistics paints a bleak picture, particularly for girls and women. More than 12 million girls are out of school, a number that is staggering in what it entails for our future. Over the past few decades, despite much discussions and a few initiatives, girls’ education still remains a hinderance in the country’s plans for progress and economic stability. 

At almost every level of education, boys outnumber girls among school going children. For those parents who do want to send their girls to school, a huge challenge is the lack of educational institutions within reasonable traveling distance. Cultural norms and conservative attitudes, along with poverty and lack of security, are formidable obstacles in girls education.  

From among the determined few who make it through schools to pursue higher education, many are denied opportunities because of early marriages. 21 percent girls are married off before they reach 18, further reducing the number of females in educational institutions. 

Higher education fares slightly better. Around 60 percent of the students enrolled in graduate programs are female. 

No progress without girls education 

Mired in its deepest financial crisis in decades, Pakistan is now at the point where reforms are an absolute necessity, vital for its survival. Those reforms do not just include financial reforms but also increasing Pakistan’s incomes through various means. Lawmakers spend hours making rules and regulations for different industries, provide incentives for different sectors but ignore that simply improving girls’ education statistics would create perhaps the most lasting impact on our economy, much more so than most other reforms will. 

Multiple studies and research by such prestigious organisations such as Lancet, World Bank, United Nations, WHO, Atlantic Monthly and Scientific American show that educated girls are more likely not just to earn better but also to survive childbirth, marry later, have healthier children, invest in her community and be safer. 

Rays of sunshine 

As dark as the picture is, there are rays of sunlight offering hope. The Malala Fund has been paving the way for girls to access education since 2017. Having herself gone through trauma in her quest to gain education, Nobel Laureate  Malala Yousafzai, through her organisation, has worked tirelessly to address barriers that prevent girls from gaining education, increasing government funding and increasing girls’ access to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. 

OPP Scholarships at University of Oxford

Three remarkable female scholars, two from Pakistan and one from Palestine, have become the latest recipients of scholarships supported by Malala Yousafzai under the Oxford Pakistan Program (OPP) at University of Oxford.

Recently, Malala met with Pakistan’s Zainab Aziz and Ayeda Hamid, and Palestine’s Suha Albanna at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. All three are pursuing graduate studies at Oxford. The event welcomed Pakistani scholars for 2024 and highlighted the transformative role of OPP in empowering talented students. 

Malala first met privately with the three women to have a heartfelt discussion about their journeys, challenges and aspirations. 
 

The main reception was attended by LMH Principal Stephen Blyth, Oxford Vice-Chancellor Irene Tracey, and OPP donors Suleman Raza and Hamid Ismail. Malala emphasized the importance of education in unlocking potential and fostering societal progress, particularly for women. She expressed gratitude to OPP donors for their support and reflected on the programme’s impact, which has supported over 50 scholars in its four years.

Malala underscored the OPP’s mission of providing world-class education to deserving students and envisioned a brighter, education-driven future for Pakistan.

“I believe that initiatives like Oxford Pakistan Programme, where Pakistani students come to Oxford University to receive world class education and then return to server their communities in Pakistan, have the potential to change the course of Pakistan’s future,” Malala said. 

She reflected on OPP’s impact in fostering a vibrant and diverse community of scholars at the University, applauding LMH for its unwavering support for the programme. 

The Nobel Laureate then expressed gratitude for the programme’s supporters and donors. “Together we are investing in a future where every deserving student, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to excel and contribute to society,” she stated.

Through programmes such as OPP, through organisations such as The Malala Fund and through the government’s firm commitment to enrolling more female students, Pakistan indeed has a chance to walk out of the financial quagmire it finds itself in. The way to prosperity lies through every home that has a girl waiting for educational opportunity.

Renowned writer and satirist Anwar Maqsood has apologised for his recent controversial remarks about navy officers after receiving criticisms from social media users on his satirical jibe at the country’s soldiers.

Speaking at the Aalami Urdu Conference at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on Sunday, Maqsood expressed deep regret regarding his recent remarks about navy officers, saying, “I can’t even imagine joking about our martyrs. Their sacrifices are the reason the country exists, and I am alive today.”

He faced backlash when three days ago at the same Aalami Urdu Conference in Karachi, he recalled a visit to the navy dockyard, saying, “Navy is the most honorable among the army, airforce and navy because they [navy officers] drown themselves to death.”

On Sunday, he clarified, “I only make humorous comments about people who are alive, but I will no longer do so. Many people in the Navy are my friends, and I intended no harm. However, I will not make such jokes again.”

The satirist revealed that some of his friends and family members associated with the navy had grown distant from him due to the controversy. “If my comments hurt anyone, I apologise to them,” he stated.

Maqsood, while rubbishing rumours on social media that he was arrested after his satirical jibe at the navy officers, clarified, “Many friends and family members have been calling from across the world and asking if I was abducted, but I want to clarify that these reports are false.”

However, following his remarks about the Navy officers, social media users were divided. 

One social media user said, “It’s a sad reality when the people of #Pakistan can’t even take a joke. #AnwarMaqsood’s satire stings too much for some, but what’s worse is the silence on real issues. Attacks on free speech are common—it’s only a miracle he hasn’t been arrested yet.”

Another social media user wrote, “Dear Anwar Maqsood, you’re 85 years old, right? A Navy soldier who drowns at the age of 20 or 30 has lived a far better life than you.”

Many social media users also posted about his “abduction” after his satirical statement about Navy officers.

Many netizens spread the false news that Anwar Maqsood was abducted or arrested.