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Tag: Pakistan

  • India revokes journalist Aatish Taseer’s overseas ID because of ‘Pakistani father’

    The Indian government has revoked the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card of journalist Aatish Taseer over his alleged attempt to “conceal information” that his father, Salmaan Taseer, was of Pakistani origin, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, in an official statement, has said that Aatish “failed to dispute the notice” it had sent, asking him to explain the lapse, however, Aatish has denied this claim.

    The statement further said that Aatish had only provided details of his mother, who is a veteran Indian journalist, Tavleen Singh.

    Disputing the government’s version, Aatish on Thursday tweeted the picture of an email exchange with the Indian consul general, wherein he had objected to the ministry’s claim.

    He said that he would not be able to travel to India now, even on a tourist visa, adding, “They have accused me of fraud. They have blacklisted me. I cannot come to India as an ordinary citizen. My grandmother is 90 years old and lives in India and I may never see her again.”

    Aatish also said that cancellation of his Indian overseas citizenship was part of a “sinister plan”. “First they ruined my reputation by getting one of their men to call me a radical Islamist and then they moved against me after leaking the story to the press,” he added.

    He said he had lived in India between the ages of two and 10, and then 26 to 35. “I have local bank accounts, a biometric identification number and have paid taxes in the country.”

    Aatish, who grew up in Delhi and studied at the Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu, now lives in New York. He had received his Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card in 2000.

    PIO is a facility that provides visa-free travel to India, which in Aatish’s case, had later converted into an OCI card.

    In his OCI application, he had referred to his mother as an Indian national and his father, former Pakistani Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, who was assassinated in 2011, as a “British national” as, to the “best of his knowledge”, his father held a British passport.

  • Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    Viral image: Woman commando guards Indian Sikh pilgrims

    An old image of a woman commando guarding Indian Sikhs as they arrive in Pakistan for a religious tour has gone viral over the internet.

    Captured at Wagah Railway Station back in 2015, the startling picture reflects many things, but respect is the common emotion one can feel out of it.

    Serving two purposes, while the image dissolves religious differences between the two countries, it also buries stereotypes about Pakistan regarding women.

    Thousands of Indian pilgrims arrive in Pakistan every year by a special train to participate in the three-day festival marking the birth anniversary of their spiritual leader Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

    KARTARPUR CORRIDOR:

    Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary is being observed this year and thousands of Sikhs from across the globe have converged in Nankana Sahib. What makes the occasion special this year is that it also marks the opening of Kartarpur Corridor between Pakistan and India.

    Notwithstanding a chill in bilateral ties over occupied Kashmir, the two countries, after tough negotiations, signed a landmark agreement last week, to operationalise the corridor allowing Indian pilgrims to visit the holy Sikh shrine.

    The three-day event will be held from November 10 to 12 in the Punjab district — the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak — located around 80km from Lahore.

    According to The Express Tribune, it will coincide with a separate event in the border town of Kartarpur, which also houses a historic Gurdwara — Sikh house of worship — where Guru Nanak settled and died in 1539.

    The two neighbouring countries have decided that 5,000 pilgrims from India can visit this shrine daily without showing travel permits.

  • Russia to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both countries resolve 40-year-old dispute

    Russia to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both countries resolve 40-year-old dispute

    Russia has decided to invest $8 billion in Pakistan as both the countries finally agreed to settle a four-decade-old trade dispute, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to reports, during the 1980s, some companies in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) were importing textile products from Pakistan. For facilitating the trade process, USSR had opened two bank accounts in the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP).

    The Economic Affairs Division (EAD) deposited funds in these bank accounts through the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). After the collapse of the USSR, numerous exporters didn’t get paid. The Pakistani companies claimed to have paid large sea freight fees for the unshipped goods.

    The exporters and Pakistani companies had to move their dispute to the Sindh High Court (SHC) that later issued a stay order stopping NBP from transferring $104.93 million to Russian banks.

    Since then, every effort to resolve the issue between the two countries was in vain.

    In November 2015, both countries initiated a dialogue at the 3rd Pakistan-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission session. Both governments reached an agreement that Islamabad will return $93.5 million in 90 days after officially signing the agreement.

    Chairman of Board of Investment negotiated a deal with the exporters in October 2016. However, the Pakistani companies never withdrew their petitions from the SHC. As a result, the agreement was never officially signed.

    In 2017, the Pakistani companies reached an agreement with the government and withdrew their cases. This included Tabani Group, Mercury Group, ABS Group, Fateh Industries/Fateh Sports and Fateh Jeans.

    On October 4, 2019, SHC dismissed the case as the involved parties reached an out of court agreement, paving way for the agreement to be officially signed.

    Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia will now sign the agreement on behalf of Islamabad. Under the agreement, Russia will get the pending $93.5 million within 90 days, while exporters and companies will receive $23.8 million as agreed.

    After this agreement, Russia will go ahead with its plan of investing $8 billion in different energy projects and Pakistan Steel Mills. Russia was unable to invest in Pakistan during the dispute since Russian laws prohibit investment in countries with pending disputes.

  • Army follows govt’s orders, has nothing to do with politics: Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan Army is not meddling in politics as it is busy in ensuring the security of the country.

    “Marches and sit-ins are a political activity and the army, as a state institution, has nothing to do with them,” he told a private media outlet and added that it had also supported the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government during the 126-day sit-in staged by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2014.

    “The army had followed the government’s instructions at that time and as an institution, had deployed troops for the security of important buildings and performed other tasks assigned by the government,” the military spokesperson said.

    “The army follows the government’s orders,” he said while talking about the military’s deployment during the general elections and added it was only for security reasons.

    “The work we are involved in does not allow us to become a part of any such [political] activity,” he said in an apparent response to the allegations levelled by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the military’s involvement in politics.

    The ISPR chief further said that the army’s primary focus was ensuring national security and they would not allow any efforts to harm national stability. “We will always support the government within the ambit of the constitution.”

  • ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has featured on its social media a Pakistani American couple watching the first T20 match played between Pakistan and Australia on Sunday.

    “Here’s a message we got from a fan in the US [United States],” ICC wrote as it shared the couple’s picture as well as the groom’s message.

    “As a die-hard cricket fan, I wanted to submit a photograph from my wedding this past weekend. As per tradition, after the completion of the wedding, the bride is brought home for a little traditional welcoming ceremony among the close family,” Hasan Tasleem wrote, adding that as they reached back home around midnight in Detroit, the game was underway.

    “Over the years, residing in North America, I’ve stayed up at all sorts of odd hours at night to catch Team Pakistan play. Even though it was my wedding night, I wasn’t going to miss the game,” he added.

    On Sunday, rain abandoned the first T20I between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney. The hosts were motoring along at 41-0 in just 3.1 overs as they chased 119 in 90 balls. The match was, however, abandoned after rain interrupted play for the second time.

    Australia won the second T20 on Tuesday by seven wickets with nine balls remaining.

  • ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    ‘Pakistan may have released poisonous gas to pollute air in India,’ alleges BJP leader

    A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vineet Agarwal Sharda has said alleged either Pakistan or China could have released poisonous gases into India to pollute its air, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, the BJP leader that our neighboring countries should be blamed for the high levels of pollution in Delhi and adjacent areas, adding that “I feel that Pakistan or China are afraid of us”.

    “Ye jo zehreeli hawa aa rahi hai, zehreeli gas aayi hai ho sakta hai kisi bagal ke mulk ne chhori ho jo humse ghabraya hua hai (There is a possibility that this poisonous gas could have been released by any neighboring country which is afraid of us), BJP leader said.

    “We must seriously consider whether Pakistan has released any poisonous gas,” Vineet Agarwal said.

    Sharda said that Pakistan was “frustrated” ever since Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah took charge and was resorting to all sorts of tactics against India.

    Terming Modi and Shah as Lord Krishna and Arjuna from Mahabharata, Vineet said that both leaders were capable of solving all problems.

  • India’s Davis Cup tie in Pakistan shifted to neutral venue

    India’s Davis Cup tie in Pakistan shifted to neutral venue

    India’s Davis Cup tie against Pakistan at Islamabad this month must be played at a neutral venue after the latest advice from the International Tennis Federation’s independent security advisors, the world governing body said on Monday, Reuters reported.

    According to the details, the Asia/Oceania Group I tie, originally scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in Islamabad, was postponed by the ITF to Nov. 29-30 following a security review amid political tensions between the bitter neighbors.

    The All India Tennis Association (AITA) had asked the ITF to shift the tie to a neutral venue.

    “As per the Davis Cup Regulations, the Pakistan Tennis Federation now has the choice to nominate a neutral venue and has five working days to confirm their proposed venue,” the ITF said in a statement.

    Pakistan expelled India’s ambassador and suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with its neighbor in August after New Delhi removed “special status” from its portion of the contested region of Kashmir.

    The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

    They came close to a third in February after a deadly attack on Indian police by a Pakistan-based militant group resulted in air strikes by both countries.

    The AITA had named a six-member squad in August for the tie against Pakistan but a couple of players and captain Mahesh Bhupathi had made themselves unavailable to travel to the neighboring country due to security concerns.

    While the national governing body chose Rohit Rajpal in Bhupathi’s absence, they will soon name a new team for the tie with Bhupathi having made himself available again.

    “We are very happy and welcome the ITF decision about the venue change,” AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee told Reuters by phone. “We will wait for the PTF to choose the venue and then name our team.”

    Pakistan was forced to host Davis Cup ties at neutral venues for more than a decade as teams refused to travel to the country citing security concerns.

    They played their first home tie after a gap of 12 years against Iran in 2017, while Hong Kong were relegated and fined by the ITF after refusing to travel to Pakistan the same year.

    An Indian tennis team last traveled to Pakistan in 1964 for a Davis Cup tie, defeating the hosts 4-0, while Pakistan lost 3-2 on their last visit to India in 2006.

    Multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Bhupathi said it was great news and he was “of course available” to captain the side now that the tie has been moved out of Islamabad.

    “I think it’s just a sensible decision with the current situation,” he said in a text message.

    “Davis Cup is already a high pressure situation and having additional stress on security issues was not ideal for anyone.”

  • Sarfaraz sacked on PM Imran’s order: report

    Sarfaraz sacked on PM Imran’s order: report

    Pakistan cricket team’s wicket-keeper batsman and former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was removed from his position on direct orders from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Cricket Pakistan reported.

    According to the details, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wanted to retain Sarfaraz Ahmed in the same role till the T20 World Cup next year, however, Imran Khan was unhappy with him and forced the decision of his eventual removal.

    Not only this but PCB had earlier also blamed PM Imran for nullifying the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) granted to its players to feature in the upcoming T10 League.

    When players protested against the decision, they were told that the instruction had come from the PM’s office.

    Moreover, according to website ESPNcricinfo, PM Imran had instructed PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani to avoid the T10 League due to the involvement of Indian owners and financial benefactors. The same report cited a probable mutiny by the players in this regard as well.

    Reports further reveal that a PCB official leaked the news to media personnel so that the government could be blamed for the decision. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is also unhappy with the attitude of the PCB on this matter.

    In this regard, the International Cricket Council (ICC) might also begin investigations to find out if the government is influencing PCB’s decisions.

  • Pakistan is one of the best performing nations for social entrepreneurship: Reuters

    Pakistan is one of the best performing nations for social entrepreneurship: Reuters

    Innovative Pakistanis are pushing boundaries by starting and leading start-ups that focus on social entrepreneurship. Along with Australia and the Netherlands, Pakistan is one of the top three countries whose overall ranking has improved the most since the first experts’ poll on the best countries for social entrepreneurs was conducted by the Thomas Reuters Foundation in 2016.

    Maheen Bashir, co-founder of Dot and Line a start-up which trains women to become tutors , was recently at the World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC to speak about their work

    In just three years, Pakistan has jumped 18 spots to place 14th among the world’s 45 biggest economies and the foundation credits a lot of this to start-ups which are focusing on pressing social issues – such as turning organic waste in fertilizers, plans for solar powered mobile carts for street vendors and helping farmers share farming equipment.

    Aerosync, founded by Neelum Hassan, in 2016 was created to design and manufacture products with a social or environmental impact.
    Photo Courtesy: Faceebook

    Young Pakistanis, are interested in creating growth and since two-thirds of Pakistans 210 million people are younger than 30, a lot more is expected from this ‘youth boom’.

  • Pakistani social media is seriously debating why we celebrate Halloween

    Pakistani social media is seriously debating why we celebrate Halloween

    On Halloween Day, while the world is breaking the internet by posting their pictures of themselves in their Halloween costumes, Pakistan is debating why a ‘foreign holiday’ being celebrated in our country?

    Wasim & Shaniera Akram with Sharmila Faruqi and Hisham Riaz at a Halloween party last year

    The debate ranges from people discussing how it’s against Islam to celebrate a ‘pagan’ holiday and others saying that ‘The West’ does not celebrate Eid, so why is Pakistan celebrating their holidays? The counter-argument to this is that if that’s the case, then we should also not celebrate birthdays.

    Sheheryar Munawar at a previous Halloween party

    Others are pressing the fact that Pakistanis need to live and let live and if people want to celebrate Halloween they should be allowed to do so; the counter to which is that celebration of the event is ruining our culture and should not be promoted.

    Ahmed Ali Butt at a Halloween celebration

    Despite people passing judgement against the celebration of Halloween, there are many events happening in major cities for children to dress up and enjoy the holidays. Some people are planning small trick or treating events in their areas, hoping it also promotes their children to get to know their neighbours.