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Tag: Kashmir

  • Janhvi Kapoor blames Sara Ali Khan for choosing a non-heater room in freezing cold to save Rs 6,000 on their vacay

    Janhvi Kapoor blames Sara Ali Khan for choosing a non-heater room in freezing cold to save Rs 6,000 on their vacay

    The much-awaited Koffee With Karan season 7 is back with stirring cups of steamy confessions, secrets, and manifestations. In the season’s second episode, the new Bollywood besties, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor graced the couch with stories about their style, wits, and misadventures.

    Host Karan Johar asked them about life, work and love; the dynamic duo reveals stories of their travel and adventures. Bonding over the scenic beauty of Kedarnath, Janhvi and Sara’s trip hit a roadblock as they faced two near-death experiences.

    Recollecting Khan’s choice of a low-cost no-heater hotel in a bid to save Rs 6000, Janhvi shared how this choice nearly froze them. She said, “I had traveled to Kedarnath with two thermals, one puffer jacket, three shawls, two-track pants, and two sweaters. Karan, I wore every single piece of clothing I had owned and was still shivering,” adding that by the time Sara returned to their room after meeting her friends, her lips had turned blue and she was shivering! She even added that apart from the absence of a heater in the freezing -7℃ weather, the bathroom in the hotel was also doubtful, “If I had sat on that pot, it would have shattered,” said Janhvi Kapoor adding to her bad-hotel stay story.

    Sara Ali Khan And Janhvi Kapoor's Kedarnath Trip

    Later Janhvi chose a hike at Bhairavnath over walking a normal path, the duo were faced with an unexpected twist in their adventure. Sara Ali Khan said, “We decided to go to Bhairavnath and there was a normal path for walking. But we thought ourselves to be better. We chose to hike instead. There was an 85 incline of just rocks and Janhvi is like let us just climb this,” Though skeptical of climbing the incline, Sara admitted that she was afraid of being called a buzzkill. However, the adventure turned sour as their climb became very scary. Admitting about fear kicking in, Sara mentioned how at one point, she was sure they would fall off owing to dangerous rocks.

    With no escape in sight, they found solace when they saw a fan coming toward them as they hung off the cliff. Much to their dismay, he was of no help, as he only wanted to take a selfie with them. Eventually, Sara’s driver found them after almost 30 minutes of being stuck, and they were rescued with the help of special forces.

  • ‘A reminder of sacrifices’: Pakistan observes Kashmir Martyrs’ Day

    ‘A reminder of sacrifices’: Pakistan observes Kashmir Martyrs’ Day

    On the occasion of Kashmir Martyrs’ Day today (Wednesday), Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has said it is a reminder of the sacrifices that Kashmiris have rendered for their inalienable and UN-sanctioned right to self-determination.

    In a tweet, he further said, “The flame of freedom from the Indian yoke has been kept alive by the generations of Kashmiris in the face of Indian tyranny and oppression.”

    In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the government and Pakistanis are solemnly observing the 91st Kashmir Martyrs’ Day.

    Moreover, Ahmad said Kashmiris are still struggling against India’s illegal occupation. He urged India to immediately halt its state-terrorism in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), cease all human rights violations, release all political prisoners, lift the in-human military siege, stop its attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory, and let the Kashmiri people exercise their legitimate right to self-determination.

    Ambassador of Pakistan to Germany Dr Mohammad Faisal paid homage to the Kashmiri martyrs. He said, “We observe 91st Youm-e-Shuhada-e-Kashmir (Kashmir Martyrs’ Day) paying homage to 22 Kashmiri martyrs, who rendered the ultimate sacrifice, braving the indiscriminate force unleashed on them in 1931 by the Dogra forces. We stand with our Kashmiri brethren.”

    People all over the world are observing Kashmir Martyrs’ Day to pay homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931 and all other Kashmiri martyrs.

    According to Radio Pakistan, IIOJK is in complete shutdown today. The Indian authorities did not allow people to visit the Martyrs’ Graveyard to pay their tributes.

  • Met predicts more heavy rains during Eid days

    Met predicts more heavy rains during Eid days

    For Eid-ul-Azha on Sunday, July 10, the Met department has predicted a nationwide rainy spell, warning the relevant authorities to be alert during the religious occasion.

    The Met Office advised tourists and travellers to exercise extra precautions during the forecasted period.

    The weekend of July 9–10, Saturday, and Sunday, is when the monsoon system is predicted to strengthen and bring widespread rains. In Pakistan, Eid-ul-Azha will be observed on July 10 with the possibility of rain interfering with the festival’s rituals, which include prayers and animal sacrifice.

    According to the forecast, additional rain-windstorms with thundershowers are predicted for Islamabad, Kashmir, Swat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Kurram, Kohat, Mianwali, Sargodha, Hafizabad, M. B Din, Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, Sahiwal, and Okara, intermittently between July 9 and July 12.

    On July 9 through Sunday, there is also a chance of significant rainfall in the following locations: Kashmir, Murree, Galiyat, Peshawar, Mardan, Kurram, Dir, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Islamabad, Potohar region, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Hafizabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Sargodha.

    In Mirpurkhas, Dadu, Karachi, and Hyderabad, it’s expected to rain, wind, and thundershowers with sporadic heavy falls. The following cities will be affected on July 8 and July 9: Thatta, Badin, Zhob, Ziarat, Barkhan, Loralai, Bolan, Kohlu, Quetta, Kalat, Khuzdar, Lasbella, Awaran, Naseerabad, Sibbi, Panjgur, and Turbat.

    From July 9, heavy rains could cause urban flooding in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, and Sialkot.

    During the predicted period, flash floods could occur in the local nullahs of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Kashmir, Bolan, Kalat, Khuzdar, and Lasbella. In Kashmir, Galiyat, Murree, Chillas, Diamir, Gilgit, Hunza, Astore, and Skardu, rainfall may cause landslides.

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has submitted a resolution in the House of Representatives on Tuesday in which she condemned the human rights abuses in India.

    The resolution said that the House has expressed grave concern about the “worsening treatment” of religious minorities in India and called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

    The resolution includes two reports i.e. a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and a Report on International Religious Freedom 2021 by the US State Department which was published on June 2, 2022.

    The resolution highlighted that the USCIRF had called for designating India as a country of particular concern for three consecutive years.

    According to the resolution, the report mentioned cases of the Indian government’s “repression of religious minority leaders and voices for religious pluralism in India, including the Jesuit human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and the Muslim human rights advocate Khurram Parvez”.

    According to the resolution, the report said: “Many of the incidents [on minorties] were violent, unprovoked, and/or encouraged or incited by government officials.”

    The resolution said that in the International Religious Freedom 2021 report by State Department there are numerous examples of violence and threats of violence against religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in India throughout 2021.

    It added that while presenting the report, Blinken himself said that “In India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we’ve seen rising attacks on people and places of worship.”

    In April, Omar made a visit to Pakistan’s part of Kashmir. She said the issue should get more attention from the US which prompted an angry response from India. The congresswoman has always highlighted the Kashmir issue on several platforms.

  • ‘Foreign minister’s views interpreted out of context’: FO says no change in Pakistan’s policy on India

    ‘Foreign minister’s views interpreted out of context’: FO says no change in Pakistan’s policy on India

    Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson has said in a statement that Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s remarks on India were being “interpreted out of context and portrayed incorrectly”.

    “There is no change in Pakistan’s policy on India on which there is a national consensus. Pakistan has always desired cooperative relations with all its neighbours, including India. We have consistently advocated constructive engagement and result-oriented dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” the statement said.

    “India’s unabated hostility and retrogressive steps, however, have vitiated the environment and impeded the prospects of peace and cooperation. The onus, therefore, remains on India to take the necessary steps to create an enabling environment conducive to meaningful and result-oriented dialogue,” the FO statement said.

    Bilawal clearly articulated this perspective, “referring to India’s illegal and unilateral actions in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) since 5 August 2019, describing them as an assault on the rights of the Kashmiri people, as well as rising Islamophobia in India, that created an environment unconducive for meaningful engagement,” it added.

    “The foreign minister’s remarks are better understood in the overall context of his key message of conflict resolution that he emphasised in his address at the think-tank event,” the FO statement concluded.

    ‘Does it serve our objective that we have practically cut off all engagements with India?’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Bilawal advocated for re-engagement with India asking whether cutting ties with India served the country’s interests.

    “Does it serve our interests, do we achieve our objectives whatever they may be, be it Kashmir, be it rising Islamophobia, the Hindutva supremacist nature of the new regimes and the governments in India? Does it serve our objective that we have practically cut off all engagements,” asked Bilawal while speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

    Bilawal identified India and the United States (US) as countries with which Pakistan’s relations were problematic.

    The foreign minister contended that if Pakistan had achieved economic engagement with India in the past, it would have been in a better position to influence Delhi’s policy and prevented both countries from taking extreme positions.

    In May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached out to Bilawal soon after he took the foreign minister’s office and invited him to a food security conference. The two also met in New York on the sidelines of the forum.

  • After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock tested positive for Covid-19, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    Earlier, Baerbock met her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. She has also cancelled all further dates of the trip, which also included stops in Greece and Turkey.

    Responding to the news, FM Bilawal wished Baerbock a quick recovery. He tweeted, “Building on our excellent talks today, I look forward to our continued engagement and future interactions to further solidify Pakistan and Germany partnership.”

    Baerbock reached Islamabad today (Tuesday) on a two-day visit.

    Baerbock and Bilawal held a joint presser in the capital. It has been reported that Pakistan will inaugurate its Consulate General in Munich soon.

    ‘We support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir’: FM Baerbock

    During the presser, Bilawal said, “If India fails to condemn the comments, then it’s a reflection that it’s not a secular India but rather a Hindu-superiority India. We would want to engage with India but with a rationale.”

    Talking about the Kashmir issue, Baerbock said, “The foundation of human rights is indivisible and this counts for every region in the world. This also counts for Kashmir, this counts for women’s rights. This counts for minority rights and religious rights Therefore, we support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir to ensure that all human rights are being guaranteed.”

    “We believe that constructive approaches and measures from both sides are the only way forward to improve the relationships between India and Pakistan. The bilateral agreement along the line of control last year was a positive step”, she added.

    ‘Pakistan had been Germany’s closest and most reliable partner‘: FM Baerbock

    About the Afghan situation, the German FM said, “It is not the mistake of the people that the Taliban overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society,” she said, promising that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid and support people who need it, especially women and girls.

    The diplomat highlighted that Pakistan had been Germany’s “closest and most reliable partner” in that regard, revealing that under this close cooperation between the two countries, 14,000 Afghans, who were at risk in the country, could travel to Germany via Pakistan and were able to start a new life in safety and without fear.

    ‘Pakistan does not want to be dragged in conflict’: FM Bilawal

    Bilawal also highlighted that Pakistan was playing an outside role in mitigating the economic crisis in Afghanistan. “This is the face of Pakistan. A modern Muslim country”, he said.

    While talking about the Ukraine crisis, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan “does not want to be dragged in conflict particularly given that we have just experienced decade after decade of conflict in Afghanistan”.

  • Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    Severe heatwave conditions predicted by Met office from Sunday

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasted extreme heatwave conditions across Pakistan for the coming week, warning that high pressure will hold the upper atmosphere starting Sunday, May 8.

    Day temperatures are expected to steadily increase in most parts of the country from Sunday due to this high pressure, as per a notification from PMD.

    The temperature in upper Punjab, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir was expected to hover between 7-9 degrees Celsius beyond average during the day.

    Meanwhile, the daytime temperature of Upper and central Sindh, central and south Punjab and areas of Balochistan will likely experience temperatures between 6-8 degrees Celsius above usual.

    Read more: Pakistan starts oil and gas production from Dhok Sultan DS X-1

    The department also tweeted a warning about the heatwave’s potential effects, stating that extremely hot and dry weather might affect dams, crops, vegetables, and forests.

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar meets PM Shehbaz and Khan: Who is she?

    Democratic United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Abdullah Omar landed in Islamabad on Thursday for her first ever visit to Pakistan.

    Omar met Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and President Arif Alvi. It has been reported that during the meeting with the premier, Pakistan-US bilateral relations as well as regional situations were discussed.

    She also met the former PM Imran Khan and expressed her admiration on his work against Islamophobia globally.

    During her four-day-tour, she will explore Lahore and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to have a greater understanding of Pakistan’s cultural, social, political, and economic potential, the PM’s Office said.

    The visit has come at a time when the former PM was voted out after a series of allegations against the US.

    After living in a refugee camp for four years before applying for asylum in US, Ilhan Omar became first Somali American and one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018.

    She became a US citizen in 2000 at the age of 17 and in 2016 won a seat in the Minnesota House. In 2019, Omar assumed the office as the Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from the 60B district.

    Born in 1982, Omar grew up in a middle-class family. Half of Omar’s childhood saw the affects of Somalia’s civil war. When she was 8, her family fled the country and ended up living in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years. When she arrived, Omar couldn’t speak English.

    She is the first hijabi woman to legislate from the House floor. Omar’s arrival in Congress resulted in the lifting of a 181-year-old ban on head coverings on the House floor.

    According to several American websites, her decision to wear the hijab was influenced by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as she wanted to signify her cultural identity.

    Omar has always supported Kashmiris in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.

    In 2019, right after the annexation of Kashmir by Indian PM Narendra Modi, in a tweet, she said, “We should be calling for an immediate restoration of communication; respect for human rights, democratic norms, and religious freedom; and de-escalation in Kashmir.” She also urged international forums to take action.

  • PTI rejects PM Shehbaz letter of regional peace, security to Modi

    PTI rejects PM Shehbaz letter of regional peace, security to Modi

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written a letter in response to Indian PM Narendra Modi’s letter. In his letter, Modi had expressed his desire for developing constructive relations with Pakistan.

    “Reciprocating your sentiments, I wish to convey that Pakistan remains committed to the maintenance of regional peace and security. Our sacrifices and contributions in fighting and eliminating terrorism are well known and globally acknowledged,” wrote PM Shehbaz.

    PM Shehbaz added that peaceful and cooperative ties between Pakistan and India are “imperative for the progress and socio-economic uplift of the people of the two countries as well as for the region”.

    “This can be best achieved through meaningful engagement and peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Jammu & Kashmir,” wrote PM Shehbaz. “Let’s secure peace and work for the progress and prosperity of our people.”

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry criticised Shehbaz Sharif’s letter to Modi.

    “We reject this letter. We will not let imported government to bargain away Kashmir. Until and unless Modi restores Kashmir’s status, any offer to talk will tantamount to betraying the people of Kashmir.”

  • ‘Impose economic sanctions on India’: Azad Kashmir President urges OIC

    ‘Impose economic sanctions on India’: Azad Kashmir President urges OIC

    Addressing a special meeting of the Kashmir Contact Group of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry asked the forum to help stop oppression in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IoK) by imposing economic sanctions on India and boycotting its products.

    He said that since August 5, 2019 (when India changed IoK special status) Indian authorities have issued fake domiciles to 4.2 million non-state Hindus to change the proportion of population there.

    He said the OIC should play its role for the release of political leaders and youth who have been arrested before and after August 5, 2019.

    On the occasion, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) representative Syed Faiz Naqshbandi and Ghulam Mohammad Safi also briefed the OIC delegations about the current situation of violation of human rights in IoK. They also presented a memorandum to OIC Secretary General Hussain Ibrahim Taha.

    APHC is a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict.