Video - #NayaDaur #FaiazAhmedFaiz Faiz Ahmed Faiz Reciting 'Aaj Bazaar Mein Pa-ba-jaulaan chalo'

#Pakistan #Balochistan - Right should be given to the deserving people

 By: Ismail Baloch

COVID-19 has become a great challenge worldwide. It is affecting people in every walk of life, with different impacts in every country. It is also affecting people in Pakistan financially and it will most likely increase poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan was confirmed on 26 February 2020. Till today thousands of cases have been tested positive and registered in entire country.  Numerous steps are underway to control COVID-19. With the limited resources, apart from health facilitated measures Pakistan has also taken actions for awareness campaign and lockdown to control the spread of virus.

It goes without saying that due to the long lockdown millions of Pakistanis were compelled to strive. While lockdown was imposed on April 2nd in Balochistan, and it is still continued till today on the federal direction. 

So as to assist people the government of Pakistan launched Ehsaas Emergency Cash program to financially support vulnerable people during the lockdown.  Ehsaas Emergency Cash program was launched by the Prime Minister on April 1, 2020 in the context to cope with the economic hardship.    Also a large number of the beneficiaries in Balochistan included female. Government of Balochistan also announced to provide food commodities to 1.20 million households in Balochistan and in case of prolonged lockdown government could facilitate to 2 million households. 

 In the current situation social activists, philanthropists and charity organizations are actively playing role to help needy people with food commodities and cash amounts. However, there is great need to handover the food and aid to the right people since in such situation hundreds of fake and so called organizations become active and exploit the right of deserving people.  

Some so called organizations collect aid and then misuse them for social disorganization and in terrorism activities. In order to control the misuse of charity or aid the philanthropists and the receiving hands should properly be monitored. For long time there has been no proper check and balance of on humanitarian activities, giver and receivers of the charity.

So as to deliver the charity, food commodities or cash should be carried following the set laws of the country. The commodities be handed over to the trustworthy and registered organizations or trust distributed among the deserving people.  The cash amounts should be paid through banks. This will help the individuals and other organizations to convey the Right to the Right people.  Since it is not only our religious, responsibility but also social, and ethical duty.

No doubt the misuse of public wealth and charity increase sense of deprivation in society which affects mental health. The HARD Balochistan, Awaz Foundation Pakistan, Center for Development services and Ujala Network have also highlighted the issues related to mental health due to fear of lockdowns and coronaviruses.

The fear of lockdowns and coronaviruses, changes in daily routine / daily routines have radically changed attitudes, irritability, stress and social issues. In this situation, women are being subjected to all kinds of violence. According to survey reports, the first quarter of this year saw a 200% increase in violence against women and children due to the corona virus lockdown in Pakistan. 90% of the incidents of violence against women and children took place in different cities and villages.

Similarly, in the first three months of this year, 74 cases of child abuse were reported in Pakistan. Of these, 61 cases were reported in March when the country began partial lockdown.

In the first quarter of this year, homicide cases increased by 142.1%, while 164 kidnappings were reported, apart from the with incidents of sexual violence and suicides. Unemployment and stress will increase in the country. As a result, crime and suicide are on the rise, along with suicides.

http://thebalochistanpoint.com/right-should-be-given-to-the-deserving-people/

Ahmadi Muslims Under Attack In Pakistan - Teenage boy guns down Ahmadi doctor, injures 3 others at their home in Nankana

A doctor belonging to the Ahmadi community was shot dead while his father and two uncles were injured when a teenage boy opened fire on them in their home in Punjab's Nankana Sahib district on Friday.

Police said the Ahmadi family were offering prayers on Friday afternoon at their house in Murh Balochan area of Nankana when they heard a knock on the door.

One of the family members, Dr Tahir Mahmood, 31, went to open the door where a teenage boy carrying a pistol opened fire on him.

According to police, the victim suffered bullet wounds and fell on the ground, while his family members rushed to the door on hearing the gunshots.

Saleem ud Din

@SaleemudDinAA

Fatal attack on a house of Ahmadi in Murh Balochan, district Nankana Sahib. An Ahmadi Dr Tahir Ahmed age 31 died as a result while his father is in critical condition fighting for his life. Two other members of the same family who gathered for prayer are injured.

7:15 AM · Nov 20, 2020

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#Pakistan - Another step towards media censorship - IT ministry’s draconian rules

The Information Technology Ministry has notified rules to remove and block unlawful online content. This was done without consultation with all relevant stakeholders as promised by Prime Minister Imran Khan in February. Under the new rules, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has been empowered to block entire online systems and networks that do not comply with its requests for removal of “offensive” content— which can include criticism of the government or public office holders— and also mandates all social media companies to provide decrypted data of its entire user base. The ISPs and the SMCs could be fined up to Rs500 million for failing to abide with the directives of the Ministry.

It is maintained by the PTA that it will not restrict or disrupt the flow or dissemination of any online content except in the case of removing and blocking access to online content which goes against the interest of Islam, integrity, security and defence of Pakistan, public order, public health, public safety, decency and morality. There is a lot of ambiguity and difference of opinion about these terms which could easily be stretched to block genuine criticism of the government’s policies. The new rules could in fact stifle dissent and free speech and open the door to mass censorship for political gains. There is a perception that rules are being made, bypassing Parliament, to make social media platforms fall in line.

We are told that the vital digital economy of the country is beginning to take off. In a situation like this, restrictions on social media companies should not be on the government’s agenda. The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) which comprises mega tech companies has meanwhile reiterated that if such rules are implemented, it would become extremely difficult for them to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses. This would be highly detrimental for the growth of the digital economy in the country. Pakistan in fact needs to be an attractive destination for technology investment to realize its goal of digital transformation.

The government should step back and hold consultations with all stakeholders, including mega tech companies, internet service providers and local digital rights activists, to formulate a digital policy in sync with the times.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/11/21/another-step-towards-media-censorship/

Google, Facebook and Twitter threaten to leave Pakistan over censorship law

Manish Singh

Global internet companies Facebook, Google and Twitter and others have banded together and threatened to leave Pakistan after the South Asian nation granted blanket powers to local regulators to censor digital content.

Earlier this week, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan granted the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority the power to remove and block digital content that pose “harms, intimidates or excites disaffection” toward the government or in other ways hurt the “integrity, security, and defence of Pakistan.”Through a group called the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), the tech firms said that they were “alarmed” by the scope of Pakistan’s new law targeting internet firms.” In addition to Facebook, Google and Twitter, AIC represents Apple, Amazon, LinkedIn, SAP, Expedia Group, Yahoo, Airbnb, Grab, Rakuten, Booking.com, Line and Cloudflare.If the message sounds familiar, it’s because this is not the first time these tech giants have publicly expressed their concerns over the new law, which was proposed by Khan’s ministry in February this year.After the Pakistani government made the proposal earlier this year, the group had threatened to leave, a move that made the nation retreat and promise an extensive and broad-based consultation process with civil society and tech companies.

That consultation never happened, AIC said in a statement on Thursday, reiterating that its members will be unable to operate in the country with this law in place.

“The draconian data localization requirements will damage the ability of people to access a free and open internet and shut Pakistan’s digital economy off from the rest of the world. It’s chilling to see the PTA’s powers expanded, allowing them to force social media companies to violate established human rights norms on privacy and freedom of expression,” the group said in a statement. “The Rules would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses. If Pakistan wants to be an attractive destination for technology investment and realise its goal of digital transformation, we urge the Government to work with industry on practical, clear rules that protect the benefits of the internet and keep people safe from harm.”

Under the new law, tech companies that fail to remove or block the unlawful content from their platforms within 24 hours of notice from Pakistan authorities also face a fine of up to $3.14 million. And like its neighboring nation, India -- which has also proposed a similar regulation with little to no backlash -- Pakistan now also requires these companies to have local offices in the country.

The new rules comes as Pakistan has cracked down on what it deems to be inappropriate content on the internet in recent months. Earlier this year, it banned popular mobile game PUBG Mobile and last month it temporarily blocked TikTok. Countries like Pakistan and India contribute little to the bottom line for tech companies. But India, which has proposed several protectionist laws in recent years, has largely escaped any major protest from global tech companies because of its size. Pakistan has about 75 million internet users.

By contrast, India is the biggest market for Google and Facebook by users. “Silicon Valley companies love to come to India because it’s an MAU (monthly active users) farm,” Kunal Shah, a veteran entrepreneur, said in a conference in 2018.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/google-facebook-twitter-threaten-leave-170138883.html