Wednesday, August 31, 2022
#Pakistan - #FloodsInPakistan2022 #FloodSituation #FloodReliefFund2022 - Bilawal’s appeal generates ‘Rs1.03trn aid in one hour’
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
It was beyond my expectations Imran would sink so low, says Bilawal on leaked audio
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday took a jibe at PTI chairperson Imran Khan for passing instructions to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab's finance ministers to withdraw from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) deal.
The revelations came to the fore in an audio leak Monday where the ex-finance minister Shaukat Tarin could be heard directing Punjab Finance Minister Mohsin Leghari and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra to cite recent floods as a core reason for withdrawing from the deal.
Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said that it was "beyond his expectations" that Imran Khan would sink so low.
The foreign minister said that Khan chose this moment — when Pakistan is facing a catastrophic flood situation — to exploit the KP and Punjab governments to sabotage the national interest.
"First he [Khan] entered into a deal with the IMF, then he almost pushed the country to default to save his premiership. Now he tries to sabotage IMF economic bailout of the mess he created!" he wrote.
Referring to the leaked conversation between former finance minister Shaukat Tarin with Punjab and KP's ministers, Bilawal said that KP's finance minister called it "blackmailing" while the other said that this would "damage the state".
"Imran’s been caught corruptly abusing charity donations for his personal and political purposes. exposed in a foreign funding case. To avoid getting caught, he’s been on a relentless campaign against every institution. That he would sink so low now, was beyond even my expectations," wrote the minister.
Earlier today, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail also castigated the PTI leadership during a press conference.
"Shaukat Tarin is the architect behind PTI's move. Is Imran Khan so power-hungry that he will do anything to get back? Is Imran Khan bigger than Pakistan?" he questioned.
"You have crossed all lines this time," he told the PTI.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/436830-it-was-beyond-my-expectations-imran-would-sink-so-low-says-bilawal-on-leaked-audio
پاکستان کو عالمی برادری کی مدد کی فوری ضرورت ہے، بلاول بھٹو
وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا ہے کہ پاکستان گلوبل وارمنگ کی وجہ
سے براہ راست متاثر ہو رہا ہے، پاکستان کو عالمی برادری کی مدد کی فوری ضرورت ہے۔
بلاول بھٹو نے کہا کہ کلاؤڈ برسٹ اور طوفانی بارشوں سے سیلاب آیا، سیلاب زدہ علاقوں میں بحالی اور تعمیر نو کی ضرورت ہے، موسمیاتی تبدیلیوں کے باعث پاکستان میں ہیٹ ویو نے ریکارڈ توڑ دیے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ موسمیاتی تبدیلیوں کی وجہ سے پاکستان کو شدید بارشوں اور سیلاب کا سامنا ہے، 72 اضلاع میں 3 کروڑ افراد کو سیلاب کی صورتحال کا سامنا ہے۔
ان کا یہ بھی کہنا ہے کہ سیلاب متاثرین کی کھانے پینے کی اشیاء تک رسائی مشکل ہورہی ہے، امداد پر دوست ملکوں اور عالمی برادری کے شکر گزار ہیں۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ پاکستان کو ٹینٹس اور مچھر دانیوں کی فوری ضرورت ہے۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1129929
Monday, August 29, 2022
Pakistan foreign minister says help needed after 'overwhelming' floods
Yahoo.com
سیلاب سے 1500 سے زائد افراد جاں بحق ہوئے، وزیر خارجہ
وزیر خارجہ بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ پاکستان میں سیلاب سے 1500
سے زائد افراد جاں بحق اور 3 کروڑ 30 لاکھ افراد متاثر ہوئے۔
سوشل میڈیا پر بلاول بھٹو نے پیغام میں لکھا کہ سیلاب سے خیبرپختونخوا، جنوبی پنجاب، بلوچستان اور سندھ متاثر ہوئے ہیں، سیلاب لوگوں کا سب کچھ بہا کر لے گیا۔
انہوں نے اپنے پیغام میں زور دیا کہ ہر پاکستانی کو سیلاب متاثرین کی مدد کے لیے اقدامات کرنے چاہئیں۔
https://jang.com.pk/news/1129605
Sunday, August 28, 2022
Pakistan flooding: Death toll in 'climate catastrophe' tops 1,000
Authorities are racing to evacuate residents as provinces brace for more flooding. Pakistan's top climate official Sherry Rehman tells DW much of the country "resembles a small ocean."
Pakistan's Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said that Pakistan is experiencing a "serious climate catastrophe" as the death toll from devastating flooding passed 1,000 on Sunday.
"We've had to deploy the navy for the first time to operate in Pakistan because much of it... resembles a small ocean," Rehman told DW.
More than 100 people have died in the past day alone, officials said, with most of the new casualties reported in the southeastern province of Sindh and northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Rehman noted extreme weather conditions that have hit Pakistan this year as proof of a climate crisis.
"That started literally in early March, late February, when we went straight from winter to spring. Pakistan became one of the hottest places on the planet, crossing 53 degrees [Celsius] in the south. And that triggered... a whole season of forest fires, which we had to battle in areas where we already have low forest cover," Rehman said.
Observers have pointed to corruption and poor infrastructure in Pakistan. But Rehman argues that UN experts on the ground now don't "see it as anything but a climate catastrophe."
"I don't know anyone that could have planned for eight weeks of unrelenting monsoons in cities... taking 700% more water than ever. I don't think that's about planning. But having said that, of course, we need to plan better," she said.
Further torrents expected in Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa evacuates thousands
Officials warned further torrents of water are expected to reach Sindh in the coming days."Right now, [the Indus river] is in high flood," said Sukkur Barrage supervisor Aziz Soomroo. The barrage redirects water from the Indus to a vast system of canals.Years of neglect have meant that the barrage's canals have not been capable of dealing with today's record volumes.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he had never seen anything like it.
"Village after village has been wiped out. Millions of houses have been destroyed. There has been immense destruction," Sharif said during a visit to Sindh.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes to relief camps set up in government buildings. The provincial government spokesperson, Kamran Bangash, said that many evacuees have also taken shelter on roadsides.
Local Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa officials cited by Pakistani news portal Dawn said that areas of the province had been "cut off" from the rest of the country, and many residents had been attempting to evacuate by foot, some traveling for days.
International support
Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal told the EFE news agency that "some countries have promised aid that is on its way, but we need more assistance for the millions of people affected by the rains."
The US, UK, China and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that have pledged support.
The prime minister's office said that the first delivery of international assistance occurred at the Noor Khan airbase near Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's capital Rawalpindi, and 15 more planes delivering aid will arrive over the coming days.
Pope Francis asserted his "closeness to the people of Pakistan struck by flooding of disastrous proportions." He called for international solidarity to be "prompt and generous."
Rehman also called for international help. "I would like not to be hectored by Western communities that have gotten rich on the back of burning fossil fuels. We are less than a 1% emitter in the world," she said.
https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-flooding-death-toll-in-climate-catastrophe-tops-1000/a-62955961
#Pakistan - #PPP - Bilawal wins $1b Saudi investment pledge
Saudi Arabia will invest $1 billion in Pakistan as part of its plan to help revive the country’s economy that has been reeling from one crisis to another since the last few months. The Saudi investment will give a boost to the government’s desperate measures to bring some semblance of stability in the fragile economy. The announcement from Saudi Arabia came following a telephonic conversation between Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, issued a directive to invest $1 billion in Pakistan, in confirmation of the kingdom's support of the Pakistani economy and the Pakistani people,” read the statement issued by the Saudi State media on Thursday. The statement said the Saudi foreign minister informed the Kingdom’s decision to Bilawal during a telephone call. “In addition to discussing the strong Saudi-Pakistani relations and ways to boost them, regional and international issues of common interest are also discussed during the call,” the statement added.In a tweet Bilawal confirmed the telephonic conversation with the Saudi foreign minister. Bilawal welcomed the Saudi commitment to invest $1 billion in Pakistan. He also briefed his Saudi counterpart on the damages caused by unprecedented floods. Bilawal thanked Farhan for the Saudi assurance to extend all possible assistance. It is not clear where and when the latest investment would be made. Saudi Arabia is one of the key countries that Pakistan has been seeking financial support from. Riyadh has agreed to roll over a $3 billion loan later this year. The latest pledge from Saudi Arabia came on the heels of Qatar announcing $3 billion investment in Pakistan. Islamabad is desperately looking for financial assistance from friendly countries to shore up its depleting foreign reserves. The expected release of $1.2 billion next instalment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will certainly avert any possibility of default.But Pakistan needs assistance from other countries and international financial institutions to keep its economy afloat. With the ongoing devastation caused by floods in Sindh, Baluchistan and parts of Punjab, the country’s economic woes will certainly be compounded.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2373118/bilawal-wins-1b-saudi-investment-pledge
#Pakistan #PPP - Bilawal hits out at Imran for holding public rallies despite flood devastation
Saturday, August 27, 2022
#Pakistanfloods: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnesses another day of deaths, devastation
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https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-floods-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-witnesses-another-day-of-deaths-devastation/1103730/
Friday, August 26, 2022
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
#PakistanFloods #FloodSituation - Foreign Minister Wang Yi has expressed sympathy to Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the floods
China has noted the severe floods raging across Pakistan and the heavy casualties and loss of property ensued. We express sincere condolences to the victims, and our hearts go out to the bereaved families, the injured and those in the stricken areas.
Considering the current situation, China has decided to provide another batch of emergency humanitarian supplies, including 25,000 tents and other supplies in dire need, to be delivered as soon as possible. The Red Cross Society of China will provide USD 300,000 in emergency cash assistance to the Pakistan Red Crescent Society. China will continue to promote bilateral cooperation in disaster prevention and mitigation and against climate change. It is believed that under the leadership of the Pakistani government and with the joint help of the international community, the people in the disaster-hit areas will overcome the difficulties and life and work will go back to normal at an early date.
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/202208/t20220824_10750725.html
#Pakistan - #PakistanFloods #FloodSituation - FM Bilawal appeals to UN to help flood-hit families
Talking to the media in ShahdadKot, he said that there is a great need for tents in the affected areas of Sindh, adding that we all have to face the difficulties together, too many houses and crops have been damaged, and the Sindh government will provide relief to the victims through Benazir income support program.
“I am appealing to UN to help us in this difficult time, please help with rations, tents. Europe tour has been cancelled due to floods,” he added.
Bilawal Bhutto further said that people cannot imagine being left alone, diseases are spreading in flood-affected areas, flood victims need immediate help, and the administration is assessing the damages in flood-affected areas.
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/664733-FM-Bilawal-appeals-to-UN-to-help-flood-hit-families
Pakistan - Bilawal most vocal speaker in NA, says report
Then leader of the opposition Shehbaz Sharif of the PML-N got the second position in speaking for one hour and 57 minutes followed by Khawaja Mohammad Asif of the PML-N who spoke for one hour and 27 minutes. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary of PML-N, Shazia Marri of the PPPP got fifth and sixth position, respectively. During this period in the house of 342 members, 174 members did not speak for a single minute in the assembly. Out of these, 149 were male and 25 female. Eighty-four of these MNAs belonged to the PTI, 48 to the PML-N and 23 were affiliated with the PPPP.
174 MNAs did not speak even for single minute in assembly in three years and eight months
Legislative activity witnessed a decrease of 8pc in the fourth year of the 15th National Assembly as it passed 55 laws compared to 60 bills passed during the third year of the assembly.
The house passed 24pc more laws in the same period compared to the previous assembly.
The Pildat comparative analysis also looks at how the three years and eight months period of the National Assembly under the prime ministership of Imran Khan was different from the same period in the 14th National Assembly.
The 15th National Assembly passed 155 bills in the four-year period while the 14th National Assembly passed 125 bills in its first four years. During the fourth year of the assembly, 32 government bills were introduced compared to 31 in the third year while private members introduced only 46 bills which was a decline from third year when 74 bills were introduced.
Excessive reliance on issuing ordinances was witnessed during four years of the 15th National Assembly through seventy-four ordinances laid in the assembly. A slight decrease was seen in the number of ordinances laid by the government in the house in its fourth year compared to the third year.
As many as 16 ordinances were laid in the assembly in the fourth year compared to 20 during the third year which is a decrease of about 20pc.
The incumbent assembly has only met for 87 days in the fourth parliamentary year. It has met for 10 per cent more days than it was convened during its third year which were 79 sittings. However, on average, the assembly met for 88 working days per year in its first four years in comparison with an average of 99 working days per year in the previous assembly.
This is an 11pc decrease in the performance of the 15th National Assembly compared to the 14th National Assembly.
The incumbent assembly could not dispose of nearly 41pc of planned agenda items in 87 sittings. On average, 58.87pc agenda items were left over in the sittings during the fourth year of the assembly.
During the fourth year, average attendance of MNAs was recorded at 67pc until April 9, 2022. After the PTI tenure, average attendance of MNAs during the fourth year dropped to 51pc which is 14 percentage points lower than the attendance of MNAs during the third year which was 65pc.
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Monday, August 22, 2022
Pakistan: Sikh girl kidnapped in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province; forcibly married to Muslim
By Brijesh Goswami
A Sikh girl teacher was kidnapped and forcibly converted into Islam in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near Buner district.
In another incident of human rights violation in Pakistan, a Sikh girl teacher was kidnapped on Saturday. The incident reportedly happened in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near Buner district. On the incident, the local police did not register the FIR and tried to hush up the matter. The incident was shared by the BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Twitter.
The girl has been identified as Deena Kaur. It is reported that she was forcibly converted to Islam after her marriage to a Muslim man.
In his tweet, Sirsa also demanded Foreign Minister S Jaishankar address the issue of the minority Sikh community in Pakistan. He also said that Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office turned deaf ear to his tweets on this issue.
”But how can a family silently watch their daughters being converted forcibly? This is agnst basic human rights. We stand in support of Sikh brethren of Pak. I urge @DrSJaishankar
Ji to address issue of minority Sikhs in Pak; @PakPMO turned deaf ear to our tweets on this issue,” wrote Sirsa in his tweet.
Earlier in May this year, India had lodged a strong protest over the killing of two Sikhs in the country.
https://newsroompost.com/world/pakistan-sikh-girl-kidnapped-in-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-province-forcibly-married-to-muslim/5165906.html
Pashto News - بونير کې سیکانو احتجاج کړی، وايي د ټولنې یوه جینۍ په زورمسلمانه کړی شوې او واده کړی شوې ده
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Sunday, August 21, 2022
OPINION: Even a Single Case of Polio Is a Threat
By Mary T. Bassett The case of a young adult paralyzed by polio in New York is not simply unexpected. It’s shocking. The last time polio was diagnosed in New York State was in 1990. And yet the virus has now also been found in wastewater samples in Rockland County, Orange County and New York City. As surveillance continues, we will learn more, but what we know already is enough. We have circulating poliovirus that can cause paralysis in these communities. Polio in New York today is an imminent threat. Unlike Covid-19, polio is not a novel disease. Once a source of terror in summer months, the virus seemed headed to the history books. Successful vaccination campaigns in the 1950s meant wild poliovirus was declared eliminated in the United States in 1979, and from the Americas in 1994. Today, polio remains endemic only in the political disarray of Afghanistan and Pakistan, although Malawi and Mozambique have reported cases in the past seven months. Wealthy countries with monitoring in place are on high alert. On Aug. 10, the U.K. Health Security Agency announced it would offer a booster dose to children in London because a poliovirus has been found in wastewater, seeking to avert a human tragedy that has already happened here. In a conversation, my colleague and friend Jane Cardosa, a Malaysian virologist, calmly noted, “In our part of the world, one case of paralytic polio is an outbreak.” The case in New York State is no fluke, freak accident or government conspiracy. And it’s not surprising that we have had just one person develop paralysis. Many are unaware that about 70 percent of people who contract polio have no symptoms. About 25 percent of people infected experience symptoms that are mild or flu-like — headache, fatigue, fever, stiffness, muscle pain, nausea, a sore throat — all of which could be mistaken for many other illnesses. Fewer than 1 percent of infected individuals develop paralysis. Of those paralyzed, 2 to 10 percent die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. On this virus, we simply cannot play the odds. The greatest danger is to adults and children who are unvaccinated. While you may assume that you and your children are up to date with polio immunizations, now is the time for all adults, including those who are pregnant, to ensure that this is true.The answer is simple, although the solution is not so easy. Vaccination coverage is too low in too many places, and unvaccinated and undervaccinated individuals are too often clustered together. Approximately 60 percent of 2-year-olds in Rockland and Orange Counties have completed their initial three-dose regimen. Well over 90 percent coverage is the goal, and immunizing young children on time is what we are after. Immunized people have a virtual wall against paralysis and may shed less virus if they get infected. Community spread is what drives the emergence of paralytic strains. Up-to-date polio immunizations are a requirement for school-age children. But more vaccinations are needed, and sooner. The greatest hurdle is vaccine resistance, which has grown astronomically. True, many people have lost confidence in government, and public health departments have borne the brunt. Some believe they can protect themselves and their families by going against the advice of public health experts and flouting state-mandated immunization programs. The problem is not just those who resist. Today, health departments fight not only infectious diseases but also disinformation campaigns designed to wage war against vaccines. During the 2018-19 New York State measles outbreak, reporting showed highly targeted misinformation meant to seed doubt about vaccines in the community suffering the outbreak. According to a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation in November 2021, 78 percent of adults said they heard at least one of eight false statements about Covid-19 or the vaccines and, worse, that they believed that statement to be true or were unsure if it was true or false. Bad actors with clever marketing prey on their victims openly. Polio, like other recent viral threats, exposes societal fissures. There has been a loss in understanding that government performs necessary functions that individuals and families cannot do alone: Government protects our air, water and food. It suppresses contagion. A damaging cycle perpetuates when underresourced health departments are unable to mount the kind of response the public seeks, further diminishing trust. Budgets and policies may expand to meet a crisis, only to shrink when it passes. When public health bodies respond reactively, it’s too little, too late. The damage is done, the suffering has ensued, and faith in the institutions people need is left devastated. This is where we are. The emergence of new pathogens like Covid-19 or unusual presentations of more recently identified viruses in the U.S., like monkeypox, will only be the beginning. Polio, an ancient scourge, can come back. The good news is that we can change this grim scenario. Already, the New York State Health Department — in coordination with local and national health authorities — is working tirelessly. Together, we are conducting a case investigation, assessing spread and communicating openly and honestly. Driving immunizations is the goal of our public health response. To be successful, local health care providers, community-based organizations and trusted leaders are urged to join us. We must reconvince America that innovation in science, like space, and our medical advancements — whether the speed at which vaccination can be developed or the deployment of those already proven to be safe and effective — should be a great source of comfort and pride, never a political football. There are many reasons, whether individual or group-based, that make some people more fearful of vaccines than of the diseases they protect against. We must therefore address every concern. The result means more public health, not less, integrated into our routine activities, school lessons and national consciousness while accounting for community-based nuances and norms. Public health is public safety, and we must start investing in it as such. It is my fervent hope that one day, we will declare that, like smallpox, polio has been eradicated. Vanished as a source of human illness. Global eradication remains within reach. If we get there, it will be because of vaccines. Childhood immunization will be the hero of the story.https://connect.xfinity.com/appsuite/#!!&app=io.ox/mail&folder=default0/INBOX
Ousted Pakistan PM Imran Niazi booked under terror act, arrest likely
A case under Anti Terrorism Act section 7 has been registered against Former PM Imran Khan by Islamabad police on the alleged threats that he gave to the IG Police Islamabad and a Female magistrate during a public rally in Islamabad on 20th August.
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