Current Final

Category: Politics

  • ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    A three-day “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, India, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made, reports The Quint.

    The gathering had speakers like Annapurna Maa, Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar, Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Swami Premanand Maharaj, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

    “If you want to finish them off, then kill them… We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them to win this,” said Annapurna Maa.

    Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar said: “If I was present in the parliament when Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh said that minorities have first right over national resources, I would’ve followed Nathuram Godse, I’d have shot him six times in the chest with a revolver.”

    “If the governments do not listen to our demand [the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against minorities], we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt,” said Anand Swaroop Maharaj.

    According to the report, religious leader Swami Anandswaroop gave an example of how Muslim street vendors should be treated. “The street in which I live, every morning I used to spot a mullah with a big beard and nowadays they keep a saffron beard. This is Haridwar, Maharaj. There is no Muslim buyer here, so throw him out,” he said.

    Videos of the event have been circulating on social media and people are reacting to the threats being directed towards the minorities in India.

  • United States and Russia ready to talk

    United States and Russia ready to talk

    Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed tensions with the west over growing concerns about troop buildup on its border near Ukraine, reports BBC.

    The Russian president wanted quick surety on the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to stem the crisis.

    “The ball is in their court, they have to give us some response,” Putin said at his annual press conference.

    The United States (US) warned of sanctions if Putin does not refrain from his actions.

    Ukraine security officials say more than 100,000 Russian troops have been sent close to its borders, and the US has threatened Putin with sanctions “like none he’s ever seen” if Ukraine comes under attack.

    Russia wanted Nato to give up all military action in Eastern Europe.

    “It’s you who must give us guarantees, and give them immediately, now,” Putin said on Thursday, stressing that military measures were not his preferred choice.

    United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she welcomed the fact that Moscow had “signalled it is willing to enter talks in January”, but warned any Russian attack would be met with sanctions that would hit Russia’s economy.

  • Chief Justice proposes Justice Ayesha Malik’s name for SC judge, again

    Chief Justice proposes Justice Ayesha Malik’s name for SC judge, again

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has proposed the name of Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) once again. A meeting of Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has been again called by the CJP on January 6 to consider Justice Ayesha’s nomination.

    CJP Gulzar Ahmed is due to retire in February 2022.

    Read more- Judicial reforms and the question of representation

    The decision to propose her name again has been welcomed by Women In Law, which is an initiative that brings together female lawyers of Pakistan and works for their equality of opportunity in the profession.

    Earlier, the JCP in September did not approve the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik for SC appointment.

    Read more- In-depth analysis: Everything you need to know about Justice Ayesha Malik’s SC appointment

    If appointed, Justice Ayesha Malik will be the first woman to reach the apex court, and in the future can be appointed as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

    As per the Lahore High Court website, Justice Ayesha Malik completed her education from Paris and New York and did her Senior Cambridge from the Karachi Grammar School. She did her A-Levels from the Francis Holland School for Girls in London. She assumed office in March 2012.

    Read more- Pakistan judiciary’s missed moment

  • PM Imran Khan forms committee to devise strategy for local government elections

    After a major setback for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the first phase of the 2021 local government (LG) elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has directed the Punjab government and PTI leadership to begin homework for the upcoming local government elections in the province, adding that he would personally oversee the preparations.

    “The government and party leadership should strictly select candidates on merit and avoid dynastic politics, which was exposed after causing damage to the party in KP,” said PM Khan, reports Dawn.

    “The mistakes made in KP must not be repeated in Punjab,” he stressed. With candidates selected on merit, PM Khan said, the PTI would give a tough time to its opponents in the local government elections in Punjab.

    The premier advised that the Punjab leadership should consult with senior leaders to devise a plan of action to perform better in the Punjab LG elections.

    He was presiding over a meeting of PTI members and senior leadership to hold consultations on local body elections in Punjab.

    PM Imran Khan said that he has always respected the views of senior workers and leaders of the party.

  • 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.

  • CM Buzdar cancels overseas convention over differences with Governor Punjab

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Usman Buzdar has reportedly ordered to cancel the first ‘Overseas Global Convention’ of nearly 1,000 overseas Pakistanis living around the world, reports Murtaza Ali Shah for Geo News.

    The media outlet report states that CM Punjab has said that affairs related to the event were being used for the projection of a “few groups” and that many who had travelled to Pakistan were considered close to Governor Punjab Muhammad Sarwar.

    “The Punjab Chief Minister gets intelligence reports from various sources. Evidence was shown to him that many people who were invited as main guests of the event defamed Buzdar in WhatsApp groups and social media,” revealed the source.

    “They belong to a particular group which doesn’t align ideologically with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and criticises Usman Buzdar’s policies, who has the full trust of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. The governor’s remarks in London about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) taking over Pakistan have not gone down well with the power circles.”

    However, according to the organisers, the convention which has cost tens of thousands of dollars was cancelled due to “security reasons”. On the contrary, a source close to Governor Punjab has rejected the allegations that the event is not an initiative of the Governor House and said, “The Governor House is one of the most secure places in the country, we have no idea what the security issue was. A dinner event at the Governor House will be organised for those who have travelled to Pakistan from overseas as the convention has been cancelled.”

    PM Khan’s involvement:

    According to the details in the report, PM Khan had accepted the invitation by the Overseas Pakistani Commission Punjab Vice Chairman Syed Makhdoom Tariq Ul Hassan. The premier was also expected to address the convention.

    Upon asking, whether PM Khan was aware or not that the convention had been cancelled at the last minute, the Punjab government source said that the CM takes decisions on his own and later takes the premier into confidence when needed.

  • Bhang will bring in more dollars in Pakistan, says Shibli Faraz during the crop’s inauguration

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz said that the experiment to plant bhang (edible mixture made from the buds, leaves, and flowers of the female cannabis, or marijuana, plant) has remained successful as it helps in producing medicines to deal with cancer, body pain, and other illnesses, reports ARY News.

    He shared that other than the medicine industry, the bhang plant is also used extensively in the textile and paper industries. “Medicines produced from CBD [cannabis] oil could also be exported,” he said.

    “A seed of bhang is worth US$12 in the international market and encouraging its lawful export will help in curbing its illicit trade,” Shibli Faraz said and added that bhang plantation is 10 times more fruitful than profits from the sale of drugs.

    He shared that the CBD or cannabis oil is being sold at Rs10,000 per litre in the international market. The minister said that bhang could prove to be an alternate crop for cotton and would help the country in earning foreign exchange.

    Shibli also informed that plans to establish an authority to improve bhang plantation were in process, adding that foreign investors have also shown their interest in its plantation.

    The minister further announced to improve ginger plantation in order to shun its imports.

  • Senate official suspended for harassing woman

    An 18-grade employee of the Senate’s legislative branch, Rana Azhar Siddique has been suspended for harassing a woman by filming her without her consent in the federal capital, Islamabad.

    The video of the incident went viral on social media and clearly shows the man caught by a woman while filming her at an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). She lashed out and threatened to call the police helpline 15 when he was asked to show the video but the man ran away from the scene.

    The Islamabad police took notice of the incident and the woman was contacted and a case was filed under her name.

    The Kohsar police station booked the accused and anti-harassment provisions were added in the case. Officials said that more facts would come into light during interrogation.

    In the first information report (FIR), the woman stated that she stopped by an ATM and he started recording her.

    The complainant said, “I asked the person why he was shooting the video. At this, the man admitted that he was filming me and made a run for it.”

    Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani suspended him and ordered further investigation regarding the harassment matter.

  • ECP reserves verdict in Faisal Vawda’s disqualification case

    ECP reserves verdict in Faisal Vawda’s disqualification case

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has reserved its verdict on a disqualification petition filed against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda.

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the petition filed against Vawda in Islamabad pertaining to his dual citizenship. Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Qadir Khan Mandokhel and Faisal Vawda appeared before an ECP bench.

    CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja asked Mandokhel whether he wanted to present more documents or give additional arguments.

    Mandokhel said today is the 30th hearing of the case but he could not get the answers to his questions. The PPP leader said, “ECP has been issuing warnings for the last one-and-a-half years.”

    On this, Raja said that the ECP will decide the case whether it gets the answers or not.

    Mandokhel was of the view that Faisal Vawda had held United States (US) nationality at the time of filing his election nomination papers. He said that the concerned RO was not punished as he had rejected his papers instead of disqualifying Vawda.

    The PPP leader said that Vawda had falsely declared in an oath to the ECP that he did not hold any foreign nationality. The PTI leader had concealed his dual nationality during the scrutiny of his nomination papers, said Mandokhel.

    Vawda’s counsel rejected the allegations, saying that his client had never applied for another country’s nationality. He said Vawda was born in the US and that his client had cancelled his American passport.

    As per NADRA’s record, Vawda’s US citizenship had been seized on May 29, 2018, said his counsel.

    The chief election commissioner inquired whether NADRA could issue a certificate that says an individual is a Pakistani citizen and not that of any other country.

    “How can NADRA know this? We will look into this matter,” said the chief election commissioner.

    After hearing the arguments of both sides, the ECP reserved its verdict in Vawda’s disqualification case.

    The ECP had adjourned the hearing till December 23 while directing Vawda to submit his arguments by this date.

  • Kashmiris rage at India’s proposal to redraw voting map

    A proposal to redraw the Indian-administered Kashmir’s electoral map has given rise to a controversy in the region, reports BBC.

    Many view that the recommendation is an assault on the political centrality and supremacy of the Indian people. The proposal has raised eyebrows as the Muslim population thinks that it will lessen their choice for electing their leaders.

    People in the Kashmir Valley believe that the proposal of redrawing the voting map is part of India’s ‘dream project’ of installing a Hindu minister in the Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir.

    It will further dissociate the Muslim majority from the rest of India.

    The people of Kashmir have another fear of constant security clampdowns and communication jamming of Kashmir, keeping it away from the world.