Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

India-Pakistan

Pakistan locked 20 Indian jets but chose to down only six: Bilawal

2025-06-10

[GEO.TV] Pakistain has called on the world powers to intervene in resolving key issues with arch-rival India amid ongoing tensions following a conflict last month.

The call was made by former foreign minister and Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during his visit to London, where he held several high-profile meetings.

Bilawal is leading a delegation to present the Pak perspective on the recent conflict with India to the world and counter New Delhi's unproven allegations. As part of its global outreach, the team has visited the United States, is currently in London, and will also head to Brussels.

The delegation comprises former foreign ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Subzwari and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior envoys Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.

Bilawal Bhutto said, speaking to Pak media in London: ''We had the upper hand [during the conflict]. Despite that upper hand, we agreed to the ceasefire on the condition that there would be further dialogue in the future on all friction points at a neutral location,'' Bilawal told news hounds in London. When asked whether he thought that the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir

...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
dispute would soon be resolved after the US mediated the ceasefire, Bilawal expressed the hope that ''moving forward, Trump or his government will keep its promise'' as Pakistain's defence position was better than India's during the conflict.

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India-Pakistan

Senate throws out bill seeking public hanging of rape convicts

2024-02-20

[GEO.TV] Senate rejected a bill seeking to publicly execute those convicted of rape with a majority vote on Monday, with parliamentarians strongly opposing the idea as a "counter-effective measure in deterring sexual crimes".

The upper house of parliament rejected the move to amend the Pakistain Penal Code,1860, and Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, through the Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023 with a 24:14 vote.

The bill presented by Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
’s (JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmed was supported by Senators Mehr Taj Roghani, Kamran Murtaza, Maulana Faiz Muhammad, Hafiz Abdul Kareem, Kamal Ali Agha, Abdul Qadir, and others.

The senators who had voted against the bill called for improved prosecutions, investigations for combating sexual crimes, and a better jail environment to ensure that such heinous crimes are averted in the future.

Defending his proposal after it had been defeated, JI’s Mushtaq said the senators did not talk about the "basic issue" and noted that the politicians spoke about "brutality" becoming rife due to public executions, but it’s already rife.

"I want to halt brutality through public executions. Did the motorway rape case woman and Zainab have no respect? [How] does a rapist have respect?" he wondered, claiming that publicly hanging such criminals would act as a "deterrence".

Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...the political wing of the Pak Taliban...
-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Faiz Muhammad, backing Mushtaq, said that culprits who commit such heinous crimes should be hanged publicly.

Voicing concerns, Pakistain Peoples Party’s (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman strongly opposed the proposal, calling it a counter-effective measure in deterring sexual crimes, and urged improved prosecutions and investigations to address the matter.

Speaking during the session of the Senate, she said: "The Peoples Party has always had a principled stance against the death penalty

, whether public or private."

"While the PPP staunchly condemns rape as a heinous and grave crime, calling for the death penalty or public executions, as seen in various countries, have not proven to be effective in deterring sexual crimes. We must prioritise enhancing prosecutions and investigations rather than resorting to barbarism and violence within society."

Link

India-Pakistan

Five policemen deployed for polio duty martyred in Bajaur blast

2024-01-09

[GEO.TV] At least five police officials were martyred and 24 were maimed Monday in a bomb explosion targeting a police vehicle in Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district, Geo News reported.

Police said the cops were going to provide security to polio
polio

...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set. Currently the disease is only found in Pakistain and Afghanistain...
vaccination teams. More deaths were feared in the incident, they said.

The dear departed and injured have been shifted to Khar hospital, where an emergency was declared, they added. Police said blood donation was sought by the hospital for treatment of the victims.

The police spokesperson said all the casualties were police personnel.

Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman condemned the attack on the police officials deployed for the security of the anti-polio team in Bajaur.

Taking to X, she said the PPP stands in solidarity with the families of the five personnel martyred in the earth-shattering kaboom.

"Terrorists have attacked not only the police but also the health of our children. An attack on the security of the anti-polio team should not be tolerated under any circumstances, it is directly related to the health of our children," she said.

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International-UN-NGOs

Three long decades and we have finally delivered climate justice.' ‐ Seve Paeniu, finance minister for Tuvalu

2022-11-21

[MarketWatch] For the first time ever, rich nations, including a top-polluting U.S., will pay for the climate-change damage inflicted upon poorer nations.

These smaller economies are often the source of the fossil fuels CL00, -0.91%, minerals PICK, -0.20% and other raw materials behind the developed world’s modern conveniences and technologicial advancement, including many practices responsible for the Earth-warming emisisons. And yet the developing world shoulders the worst of the droughts, deadly heat, ruined crops and eroding coastlines that take lives and eat into economic growth.

The deal, called "loss and damage" in summit shorthand, was struck as the U.N.’s Conference of Parties, or COP27, gaveled to a close near dawn Sunday in Egypt. Official talks ended Friday, but negotiations extended into the weekend.

It was a big win for poorer nations which have long sought money — sometimes viewed as reparations — because they are often the victims of climate-worsened floods, famines and storms despite contributing little directly to the pollution that heats up the globe. It took last-minute, pre-summit negotiations to even get the topic on the official agenda.

"Three long decades and we have finally delivered climate justice," said Seve Paeniu, the finance minister of island nation Tuvalu, according to the Associated Press. "We have finally responded to the call of hundreds of millions of people across the world to help them address loss and damage."

Pakistan’s environment minister, Sherry Rehman, said the establishment of the fund "is not about dispensing charity." Pakistan, hit by devastating drought and more, dominated climate-change headlines this year.

"It is clearly a down payment on the longer investment in our joint futures," she said, speaking for a coalition of the world’s poorest nations.

According to many conference participants, the U.S. was a late-stage roadblock to establishing this official payout language, though it signed off in the end. U.S. participation was also impacted once chief climate negotiator John Kerry tested positive for COVID-19, although he continued to work from his hotel.
How does COP27 ’loss and damage’ work? And where’s China?

According to the agreement, the fund would initially draw on contributions from developed countries and other private and public sources such as international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

While major emerging economies such as China wouldn’t automatically have to contribute, that option remains on the table. This is a key demand by the European Union and the U.S., who argue that China and other large polluters currently classified as "developing" countries have the financial clout and responsibility to pay their way.

The fund would be largely aimed at the most vulnerable nations, though there would be room for middle-income countries that are severely battered by climate disasters to get aid.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT METHANE
Attention on methane, a more-potent but shorter-lasting greenhouse gas than carbon, was considered a major win at the summit. Some 150 countries have now signed on to the voluntary Global Methane Pledge, an official effort to cap the release of the GHG whose reduction presents perhaps the easiest way to reduce the global warming.

With the pledge, countries representing 45% of global methane emissions have vowed to reduce their emissions by 30% by 2030. If methane-reduction pledges are met, the result would be equivalent to eliminating the GHG emissions from all of the world’s cars, trucks, buses and all two- and three-wheeled vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency.

China, the world’s largest polluter by some measures, has not signed the deadline-based pledge, but has agreed to reduce methane emissions.
Still largely voluntary

COP27 talks wrapped without concrete progress on the contentious issue of shifting an overall 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit from a voluntary marker to an established requirement of nations. Most voluntary pacts among nations and private entities, including a vow by Amazon.com AMZN, -0.75%, Ford Motor F, +0.58%, Apple AAPL, +0.38% and others signing on to a "First Movers" pledge, loosly use the 1.5-degree limit set in 2015 when talks took place in Paris.

Private banks, insurers and institutional investors representing $130 trillion said they would align their investments with the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, toward a pledge to net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. Advocacy groups cheer the pledge and its expanding roster but are also keeping up pressure on the signatories to speed up progress toward this goal and to stop undermining the pledge with fossil-fuel investment.

The Egypt pact was also void of firmer language on emissions cutting and the desire by some officials to target all fossil fuels NG00, -1.71% for a phase-down.

Natural gas, which is relatively cheaper to produce than other fossil fuels, has been the major alternative to more-polluting coal in electricity generation. Still, it has its own emissions risk.

In the U.S., for example, electricity is the most common energy source used for cooking — electricity often powered by gas. Still, about 38% of U.S. households use natural gas directly for cooking, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Natural gas providers also own an established pipeline infrastructure that may serve alternative energy, and is pushed by the industry as a viable alternative alongside solar, wind ICLN, -0.15% and other means. The industry also promotes its efforts to cap methane leaks.

Link

India-Pakistan

Priest shot dead, another injured in Peshawar

2022-01-31

[Dawn] A priest was killed while another was injured after armed assailants opened fire on them in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar

...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
on Sunday.

According to a police statement, the incident occurred near Ring Road within Gulbahar cop shoppe limits. The statement said a heavy police contingent had reached the scene and a search operation was underway.

"Evidence is being collected from the scene of the crime and CCTV cameras are also being checked," police said.

The statement added that the body had been shifted to the hospital for conducting an autopsy while further investigation was underway.

"William Siraj was a padre at a church within Chamkani cop shoppe limits," the statement said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, bullets whapped! around Butch as he tried to tie his scarf around his shoulder as a tourniquet......
a spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital said that the injured priest was discharged after being provided medical treatment for minor injuries.

Speaking to the media at the scene of the crime, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abbas Ahsan said that the attack on the Christian community was tragic.

He added that according to initial reports, there were two attackers involved in the incident. "A comprehensive investigation has been launched," he said. CCPO Ahsan stated that members of the minority community were targeted, adding that it was a "terrorist act".

He said that in the past, police had identified the perpetrators of attacks targeting minorities and said that the same would also be done in this case. The officer said that officials were conducting geo-fencing and looking at other data.

"We are determined to protect minorities," the CCPO said, adding that a team consisting of officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Peshawar police had been formed to probe the case.

For a given value of protection, of course...

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, bullets whapped! around Butch as he tried to tie his scarf around his shoulder as a tourniquet......
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took notice of the incident and directed the IG to take necessary steps for arresting the culprits.

He also condemned the fact that religious leaders of the Christian community were targeted, adding that the perpetrators would not be able to escape the clutches of the law.

Which law might that be? Pakistan is a Muslim country, openly submissive to Sharia law. And Sharia law places all unbelievers at the mercy of any passing member of the Master Religion. This time the mercy was withheld.

Khan offered his condolences to the Christian community and the family of the dear departed.

“Sorry your guy was attacked. Had he been Muslim, he wouldn’t have been.”

He also prayed for the swift recovery of the other padre injured in the incident.

The chief minister directed officials to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment.

Speaking to the media, PTI MPA Wilson Wazir said that the dear departed padre did not face any threats and was coming and going freely.

"Police are investigating the incident and will reach the perpetrators soon," he said. The MPA said that it would be premature to comment on the incident at this time, adding that he had full confidence in the police.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, bullets whapped! around Butch as he tried to tie his scarf around his shoulder as a tourniquet......
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman strongly condemned the attacked.

"Terrorism that targets anyone, especially for their faith, is heinous and must be fought against with the full force of [a] clear, concerted policy and state power. No compromise, no equivocation," she said.

Link

India-Pakistan

'Horrific, cold-blooded murder': Civil-military leadership deplores Sialkot mob lynching

2021-12-05

[GEO.TV] Pakistain's civil-military leadership on Friday strongly reacted to the Sialkot mob lynching, where a Sri Lankan national was tortured to death over allegations of blasphemy

...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran...
.The man, identified as Priyantha Kumara, was working as a production manager at a private factory on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot. The workers also vandalised the factory premises and blocked traffic.

Authorities have been able to arrest "more than 100 people" and claim to have apprehended the main suspect behind the incident, which has drawn sharp rebuke from a wide section of society.

In response to the incident, Prime Minister Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five...
said he was supervising the probe and vowed that the government would take action against the culprits.

"The horrific vigilante attack on [a] factory in Sialkot and the burning alive of [the] Sri Lankan manager is a day of shame for Pakistain," the prime minister said.
One of many. Usually they don't murder foreigners, but the dear departed probably looked like a Hindoo.
The premier said he was "overseeing the investigations and let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with [the] full severity of the law".

"Arrests are in progress," he added.

'DEFINITELY VERY SAD'
President Arif Alvi appreciated the "prompt action" taken by the prime minister and the government, as he termed the incident "definitely very sad and shameful, and not religious in any way whatsoever".
Just another disgrace on a disgraceful nation.
"Islam is a religion that established canons of deliberative justice rather than mob lynchings," the president noted.
That's why we never see them in other Islamic countries.
'COLD-BLOODED MURDER'
The Inter-Services Public Relations issued a statement on behalf of Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa which termed the act a "cold-blooded murder".

"The cold-blooded murder of Sri Lankan [national], Mr Priyantha Kumara, by a mob in Sialkot is extremely condemnable and shameful," the statement said.

"Such extrajudicial vigilantism cannot be condoned at any cost," it added.
Two thirds of them will be released without charges. The remainder will either skip bail or be acquitted down the road.
The ISPR said that Gen Bajwa has directed the army to extend "all-out support to civil administration to arrest perpetrators of this heinous crime and bring them to justice".

RASHEED CALLS FOR NATION'S COLLECTIVE EFFORT
Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed said the heartbreaking incident was condemnable and assured that federal agencies were assisting the Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
government in apprehending the culprits.

"National Crisis Management Cell is monitoring the situation [...] we will present the culprits before the court," the interior minister said.
While you're at it, why not round up the people who killed the Christian couple at the brickyard? Remember, they were burnt alive too.
Rasheed added that the entire nation would have to work to halt "extremism in the name of religion".
This happened in Pakistain, not in the world.
'MOST REPREHENSIBLE ACT'
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan termed the incident "shameful and most reprehensible".
They don't feel shame like we do, and they never get reprehended.
"No one can take law into their own hands and kill and maim. [The Government of Pakistain] will make sure that those who did this act are arrested, brought before law and justice is delivered ASAP," he said.
Sure they will.
'HORRIFIC'
Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said mob violence was not acceptable under any circumstances as Pakistain had laws to deal with "all" offences.
Happens all the time. Ask Mukhtaran Mai.
"Horrific and condemnable act of the mob attack on factory and murder of Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot [...] Punjab govt's action must & will be firm and unambiguous," the minister said.

'HEARTBREAKING; BRUTALITY'
PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz said the incident was heartbreaking and wondered whether "this brutality" was the country's identity.
It's the sort of thing I think of every time I think of Pakistain.
"Is this brutality our identity and the future of our coming generations? Will this country be considered a safe country? Will this state be considered safe? Whom will a person ask a question, when there is no such thing as a government?" she asked.

'TIME WE FOLLOWED PROPHET'S (PTUI!) MESSAGE'
PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif

...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
dubbed the incident as "utterly horrific and shocking", as he said that such actions must be condemned and discouraged.

The PML-N president said the people responsible should be held responsible in line with the law. "It is time we followed our beloved Prophet's (PTUI!) message of peace, compassion, love, and mercy for all in true letter and spirit!"

'WEAPONISING RELIGION LEADS TO MOB RULE'
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said "weaponising religion leads to mob rule" and stressed that religion could not be used to justify unlawful acts.

"Justice lies at the heart of legitimacy and must be done by the state. [...] Sialkot is a terrible example that has to be addressed head on," the PPP senator said.

TLP DEMANDS TRANSPARENT PROBE
Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain's (TLP) spokesperson said that it was a disappointment that some elements were connecting the TLP to the incident.

"The Sialkot incident must be investigated transparently keeping in mind various angles, including the context of the incident and the conspiracy factor," stated the spokesperson.

"All those who are part of the Sialkot lynching should be arrested."

The TLP spokesperson added that no one would be allowed to take the law into their hands if rule and law were established in the country.

"Our country cannot tolerate chaos and bloodshed."

'INSULT TO ISLAM AND HUMANITY': JI
Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
chief Siraj-ul-Haq condemned the Sialkot lynching in the strongest words, saying that it was an insult to Islam and humanity.

"The cold-blooded murder of the Sri Lankan factory manager has brought shame to Pakistain," he lamented. "A transparent inquiry should be held into the incident and all those found guilty should be handed exemplary punishments."

Special Assistant to the Punjab Chief Minister on Information Hasaan Khawar updated the number of arrests to 118, saying that 200 raids had been conducted and that among those detained were 13 primary suspectshttps://t.co/h8PE6eOdDn
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 4, 2021

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Afghanistan

BBC liveblog: Taliban step up hunt for collaborators - UN report

2021-08-19

Posted at 10:09 REACTION FROM PAKISTAN: GLEE - AND WARNINGS
When the news of Taliban taking over Kabul broke on Pakistani news channels, the responses were mixed.

But most - including some Pakistani politicians and a majority among the religious parties - couldn’t hide their glee that America had “lost”.

Many began pointing to a clip of the late former director-general of Pakistan’s spy agency – called the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) - describing the US withdrawal as “his vision”.

In the May 2014 clip, Hamid Gul, also known as the "Father of the Taliban", can be heard saying that "when history will be written it will be said that ISI defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan with America's help.

“But it will also be added that ISI defeated America (in Afghanistan) with America's help."

Not everyone is overjoyed at developments over the border – and warnings have begun to emerge aimed at those who might hope to pull strings from afar.

Pakistan has long been accused of playing a paradoxical role in Afghanistan. The country has previously been accused by the US, India, and most importantly by its own politicians and activists of using Afghanistan as a "backyard" to provide safe haven for militants to be used against India.

Senator Sherry Rehman, talking to the BBC, said that it would be a mistake for Pakistan to once again see Afghanistan as a “strategic backyard”.

Meanwhile, the former chairperson for Pakistan’s senate committee for human rights, Afrasiab Khattak, has come under fire from the state for his blunt criticism of Pakistan’s previous mistakes.

“Basically [the Taliban] are against the concept of a modern state,” he said. “Unfortunately, they are being supported from the outside.

“And those supporting them will pay a heavy price just the way they did in the past."

Posted at 8:10 'TALIBAN INTENSIFYING HUNT FOR PEOPLE WHO COLLABORATED WITH US AND NATO TROOPS'
A UN document says the Taliban are intensifying their hunt for people who worked for and collaborated with Nato and US forces.

The confidential paper was produced by the Norwegian Centre for Global Analyses, which provides the UN with intelligence information.

“The Taliban are arresting and/or threatening to kill or arrest family members of target individuals unless they surrender themselves to the Taliban,” the document, seen by the BBC said.

It said that those at particular risk were people with positions in the military, police and investigative units.

“The Taliban have been conducting advance mapping of individuals prior to take take-over of all major cities,” it said.

It added that the militants were screening for individuals while permitting some evacuation of foreign personnel from Kabul airport but the situation there remained “chaotic”.

According to the report, the Taliban are recruiting new informer networks to collaborate with the new regime.

Posted at 7:02 PROTESTS ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
National flag-waving Afghans have been seen protesting in several cities on Thursday, which marks the 102nd anniversary of Afghanistan's independence and falls at a time of great uncertainty and upheaval for the country.

One clip shared on social media appears to show a crowd in Kabul chanting "our flag, our identity" about the black, red and green tricolour national flag.

The Reuters news agency, citing witnesses, reports that several people may have been killed at a similar protest on Thursday in Asadabad - either by gunfire or in stampedes the firing triggered.

The reports of casualties come a day after several deaths were also reported at flag-related demonstrations in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Videos on social media have shown some protesters appearing to remove and replace Taliban flags in places - pocket displays of defiance against the group's swift rise to power.

Posted at 6:46 UK AMBASSADOR PERSONALLY PROCESSING VISAS IN KABUL
The UK's Ambassador in Afghanistan, Sir Laurie Bristow, has remained in Kabul to help the evacuation of remaining Britons and has also been personally processing visa applications at the airport.

He has been praised for putting his own evacuation plans on hold, with people including the leader of the UK's Labour party, Sir Keir Starmer thanking him for staying behind to help.

Sir Laurie, who only took up his position as Ambassador in June, said on Wednesday that his team was working on the basis that they have "days not weeks" to get British nationals and Afghan's who worked with the UK's armed forces to safety.

While several countries have already evacuated their embassy staff, Bristow joined the French and American Ambassadors, who have also remained at Kabul airport.

Link

India-Pakistan

PPP and JUI-F agree on sending government home, opposition leaders say after meeting

2019-09-26

[DAWN] Leaders of the PPP and Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...a Pak religious party. It is usually part of the govt, never part of the solution...
-Fazl (JUI-F) on Wednesday said that there are no differences between their parties on sending the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) government packing, but that the method of accomplishing that objective is still open to discussion.

The resolve came after JUI-F leader and convener of the opposition’s Rahbar Committee Akram Durrani called on PPP leaders Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari and Sherry Rehman at the latter's office in the parliament.

The meeting was a part of JUI-F's efforts to get the PPP on board for its anti-government long march which is scheduled for next month. The PPP leadership has previously announced it will not join the march but promised to provide "moral and political support" to the JUI-F.

Speaking to news hounds following their meeting, Durrani said leaders of the two parties had "good" discussions.

He said the JUI-F and PPP had reached complete consensus on one idea: "We have to send this government home. We have to send this prime minister home."

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India-Pakistan

Child marriage

2019-05-03

[DAWN] JUST a day after the Senate approved a bill by the PPP’s Sherry Rehman to increase the minimum age of marriage to 18, a similar bill that was pushed by the PTI’s Ramesh Kumar Vankwani was heavily debated in the National Assembly.

Both bills agree on increasing the age of marriage to 18, but they differ on what punishment should be meted out for violations.

Interestingly, while the women parliamentarians of the PTI and PML-N seemed to be in favour of passing the bill, citing the example of other Muslim countries, their male compatriots remained divided on the issue. They could be heard either vocally opposing the bill or seen passively refraining from the vote.

Similarly, loud opposition could also be heard when the bill was passed in the Senate — expectedly from the religious parties, but also from some members of the government.

The reaction from some elected parliamentarians and senators is not surprising as we have witnessed similar responses each time such a move has been included in the national debate before. But it is still disheartening to note how many continue to endorse the marriage of children under the guise of religion.

Although Pakistan is a signatory to international rights treaties that recognise anyone under the age of 18 as a child, deep-rooted cultural beliefs are not easily eroded with a single flick of the pen.

So far, Sindh is the only province to have successfully increased the age of marriage to 18 — and that too after much opposition.

During the recent resistance, Senator Rehman correctly pointed out the inconsistencies in Pakistani laws when it comes to recognising who is a child. For instance, one cannot vote in elections before the age of 18; in fact, one cannot even be issued a CNIC. So how can these youngsters be considered mentally mature to be married off?

Early marriages deprive children of the right to complete their education, and they are forced to take on the burden of adult roles and responsibilities.

Young mothers face health-related complications during pregnancy and childbirth as their bodies are not yet fully developed. Having little to no agency, child brides are especially vulnerable to rape and domestic abuse.

Let it be said in unequivocal terms that child marriage is a harmful cultural practice that deprives the child — and particularly the girl child — of the opportunities that every individual deserves in life.

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India-Pakistan

Senate sees off religious parties' opposition to pass bill against child marriage

2019-04-30

[DAWN] The Senate on Monday passed the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018 which proposes that the legal minimum age of marriage in the country be set at 18.

The bill was presented by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, who told the House that according to a report by the United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
Children's Fund, around 21 per cent Paks got married before turning 18.

She also pointed out that Moslem countries including Oman, ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor....
and United Arab Emirates have already set 18 as the minimum age of entering marriage.

Rehman also apprised the upper house of the fatal threat that underage marriages pose to mothers. "One woman dies in childbirth every 20 minutes," she said, adding that the reason for these deaths were early pregnancies.

Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one that was led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spent more time running his madrassah until his secreetary rubbed him out in a jealous rage. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability...
(JUI-F) Senator Ghafoor Haideri opposed the bill, saying that complicated pregnancies were not tied to age but poor healthcare. He argued that Islam allows marriage after puberty and recommended that the bill be sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) before being discussed in the Senate.

"We are not promoting western culture, this is wrong," Rehman countered, saying that the bill stated that any person younger than 18 should be considered a child and be prohibited to enter marriage.

Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI) Senator Mushtaq Ahmad seconded Haideri's suggestion to send the bill to CII, saying that setting an age limit for marriage would be "against the Shariat".

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri said that "there is no age limit for marriage in Islam", reminding the House that a similar bill had once already been deemed "against the Sharia" by the CII .

To this, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani said that referring the bill to the CII would be "akin to sending it into cold storage".

Rehman, meanwhile, pointed out that the bill had been endorsed unanimously by the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. Haideri, however, raised objections over the committee, saying that his party had not been extended an invitation to join.

Subsequently, the bill was passed by the Senate and now awaits a debate in the National Assembly.

The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which aims to "curb the menace of child marriage prevalent in the country and save women from exploitation", underage marriage can lead to imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of at least Rs100,000 or both.

Link

India-Pakistan

In Senate, opposition parties criticise government for not being forceful enough in dealing with TLP

2018-11-07

[DAWN] The Senate convened on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani to debate the law and order situation after the Supreme Court's acquittal of Aasia Bibi in the blasphemy case against her.

Before the debate formally began, Minister of IT Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui filed a motion to withdraw proposed amendments to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act on behalf of the government, which was approved by the house.

The minister argued that the bill had been authored on the directives of deposed Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui and it was therefore proper that the government re-examine it.

Right after, the opposition pushed for a debate on Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistain's (TLP) nationwide protests.

"We do not want the state and Constitution to be sullied like this," the PPP's Parliamentary Leader, Senator Sherry Rehman said.

"The entire nation was at a standstill for three days. If we start to examine [what happened], they [the government] will say 'This was also done before; the state entered a similar agreement last year as well," she continued.

"[But] what happened this time is a grave tragedy. We are not here to taunt and challenge the government ‐ enough of that was done on the streets for [those] three days.

"[But] Our army chief was called out by name. The judiciary, the state and the army were dragged [into the mess]: what kind of message is being sent with these actions?" she asked.

"The government was all talk and no action. This was the first time we've heard the state challenged like this. How can this challenge be ignored?"

Link

India-Pakistan

Asif Zardari, Faryal Talpur appear before FIA in money laundering probe

2018-08-28

[DAWN] Former president

Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto
... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in...
, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ...
and his sister Faryal Talpur appeared before a joint investigation team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad to record their statement in a multi-billion rupee money laundering and fake bank accounts case open against them.

The two, along with several PPP leaders ‐ including Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman and Qamar Zaman Kaira ‐ reached the FIA Islamabad directorate amid tight security.

There, an FIA team questioned the siblings on fake accounts and transactions associated with them.

Zardari, while talking to the media, shrugged off the proceedings.

"It is a fake case and unfortunately the case against me was filed during the tenure of Nawaz Sharif

... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...
. It was filed on the behest of Mian Sahab," he regretted.

"The FIA (officials) can ask whatever they want, but the crux of the matter is [the] facts [speak otherwise]," the PPP supremo said when asked about the probe.

Link

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