Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Video Report - #US #Blinken #Mideast - #US Secretary of State Antony #Blinken arrives in Israel, for the first leg of his #Mideast tour

Video Report - #JoeBiden #VladimirPutin #UsaRussia - Biden and Putin to meet in Geneva: What will they discuss?

Video Report - Blinken says 'two-state solution' only way forward for Israel, Palestinians

Video Report - Grand jury convened in NY criminal Trump probe, WaPo reports

Prosecutors Convene Grand Jury That Could Weigh Potential Trump Charges: Report

 

Sara Boboltz

The Manhattan district attorney’s office has not brought any official charges.

Prosecutors in New York have convened a special grand jury that may hear evidence against former President Donald Trump and potentially decide whether he will face charges, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Trump and his businesses have been under investigation in the state for more than two years by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.Jurors were convened “recently,” the Post said, citing two people familiar with the probe, and will be expected to sit three days a week for six months.
Prosecutors have not yet announced whether or not they will bring charges, but if they do, the special grand jury is expected to hear the evidence for them and decide whether to indict the former president, according to the Post.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/prosecutors-new-york-grand-jury-trump_n_60ad6a3be4b019ef10e06bb8

سعودی عرب کی زیر زمین ثقافت - سعودی معاشرے پر رکھے تقدیس کے مہین پردے کے نیچے ہر طرح کی عیاشی عام ہے


 بین الاقوامی ذرائع ابلاغ میں ان دنوں سعودی معاشرے کی منافقت کا چرچا ہو رہا ہے۔سعودی عرب میں وقت گزارنے والے مغربی شہری پےدر پے انکشاف کر رہے ہیں کہ سعودی معاشرے پر رکھے تقدیس کے مہین پردے کے نیچے ہر طرح کی عیاشی عام ہے۔ نوجوان لوگ شراب اور منشیات میں دھت نظر آتے ہیں اور ایسی پارٹیوں کا منعقد ہونا عام ہے جہاں کھلے عام جنسی افعال سے لطف اٹھایا جاتا ہے۔ سعودی عرب کی سخت گیر پولیس ان سرگرمیوں سے چشم پوشی کرتی ہیں۔برطانوی میڈیا میں سعودی عرب پر تنقید کا یہ سلسلہ تب شروع ہوا جب سعودی حکام نے ایک بزرگ برطانوی شہری کارل آندرے کو وائن کی بارہ خانہ ساز بوتلیں رکھنے پر 350 کوڑوں کی سزا سنائی۔

نامعلوم برطانوی شہریوں نے سنڈے مرر کو بتایا ہے کہ سعودی عرب کے اشرافیہ کے بچے اسلامی قوانین کی کھلے عام خلاف ورزی کرتے ہیں۔ ٹنڈر جیسی موبائل سہولتوں کی مدد سے طوائفیں حاصل کی جاتی ہیں۔ چرس کا استعمال عام ہے ۔ زیر زمین مارکیٹ میں اسقاط حمل کی ادویات آسانی سے مل جاتی ہیں ۔ گھریلو طور پر تیار کی ہوئی ایسی وہسکی عام طور پر مل جاتی ہے جس میں الکحل کی مقدار ننانوے فیصد تک ہوتی ہے۔

سعودی حکومت دنیا بھر میں اپنے سخت مذہبی قوانین پر فخر کرتی ہے لیکن تقدیس کی اس چادر کے نیچے صحیح قیمت ادا کرنے پر سب کچھ دستیاب ہو سکتا ہے۔ دنیا کے چند امیر ترین ممالک میں سے ایک ہونے کے باعث بہت سے لوگوں کے لیے پیسہ کوئی معنی نہیں رکھتا چنانچہ پولیس کی ہمدردیاں جیتنا بہت آسان ہے۔ جن علاقوں میں مغربی گھرانے آباد ہیں وہاں آلو سے ننانوے فیصد پروف والی شراب تیار کی جاتی ہے اور اسے کھلے عام سعودی عرب کے تمام بڑے شہروں میں خریدا جا سکتا ہے۔ بتایا گیا ہے کہ پلاسٹک کی بوتلوں میں الکحل صرف چند پاﺅنڈ کے عوض خریدی جا سکتی ہے ۔ پولیس افسروں کی تنخواہ عموماً سات سو پاﺅنڈ ماہانہ سے زیادہ نہیں ہے چنانچہ انہیں بالائی آمدنی کی ضرورت رہتی ہے۔

ایک اخبار نے لکھا ہے کہ سعودی عرب میں زیر زمین پارٹیاں مغربی معیارات سے کئی گنا زیادہ کھلی ڈھلی ہوتی ہیں۔ بہت سے گھروں میں گرم پانی کے تالاب موجود ہیں اور وہاں لوگوں کو کھلے عام جنسی سرگرمیوں میں مصروف دیکھا جا سکتا ہے۔ بہت سے سعودی نوجوان ایسی ادویات استعمال کرتے ہیں جو داعش اپنے لڑاکا فوجیوں کا حوصلہ بلند رکھنے کے لیے استعمال کرتی ہے مثلاً کیپٹا گان۔ سعودی نوجوان یہ دوا استعمال کر کے تیز رفتار گاڑیوں میں خوفناک کرتب دکھاتے ہیں۔

چند برس قبل برطانیہ میں دو لاکھ دس ہزار افراد نے ایک عرض داشت پر دستخط کیے تھے جس میں وزیراعظم ڈیوڈ کیمرون سے درخواست کی گئی تھی کہ وہ 74 سالہ کارل آندرے کو ملنے والی کوڑوں کی سزا پر عمل درآمد ر کوائیں۔ کارل کے بیٹے سائمن نے کہا ہے کہ اس کا 74 سالہ باپ تین دفعہ کینسر میں مبتلا رہ چکا ہے اور دمے کا مریض بھی ہے۔ اس کا امکان کم ہے کہ وہ اس سزا سے جانبر ہو سکے۔سائمن نے بتایا ہے کہ اس کی معلومات کے مطابق سعودی حکام نے برطانوی حکومت کو یقین دہانی کرائی ہے کہ کوڑوں کی سزا پر عمل درآمد نہیں کیا جائے گا۔ سعودی قوانین کے مطابق شراب پینے اور زنا کرنے پر کوڑے مارنے اور سرقلم کرنے تک کی سزائیں دی جا سکتی ہیں۔

https://www.humsub.com.pk/63719/newsdesk-2536/

سندھ میں غربت کی شرح میں واضح کمی اس بات کا ثبوت ہے کہ پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی نے ڈلیور کر کے دکھایا ہے، چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری

 کراچی/اسلام آباد(—–) پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ پی پی پی حکومت نے غربت کی کمی کیلئے بینظیرانکم سپورٹ پروگرام شروع کیا اور عمران خان نے اس کا نام بدل ڈالا، میڈیا سیل بلاول ہاؤس سے جاری اپنے ایک بیان میں چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی نے ایک ایسے وقت میں بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام شروع کیا کہ جب دنیا میں معاشی بحران تھا، عمران خان بتائیں کہ بینظیرانکم سپورٹ پروگرام کا نام تبدیل کرنے کے علاوہ انہوں نے غربت میں کمی کیلئے اب تک کیا کیا؟ انہوں نے کہا کہ عوام کو سب پتہ ہے کہ احساس کفالت پروگرام دراصل بینظیرانکم سپورٹ پروگرام ہی ہے، عمران خان کی غربت میں کمی کے بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کی چوری پکڑی جاچکی ہے اور اب عمران خان بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کا نام کچھ بھی رکھ دیں، پاکستان کے عوام سب جانتے ہیں،

 چیئرمین پی پی پی نے بتایا کہ بینظیرانکم سپورٹ پروگرام دراصل شہید محترمہ بے نظیر بھٹو کا ایک آئیڈیا تھا جسے پی پی پی حکومت نے عملی جامہ پہنایا، پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی نے ایک بڑے سماجی بہبود کے بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کو شروع کرکے دنیا میں ایک مثال قائم کی اور یہی وہ وجہ ہے کہ آج عالمی ادارے پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کی حکومت کی جانب سے شروع ہونے والے بینظیر انکم سپورٹ پروگرام کی اہمیت کا اعتراف کررہے ہیں،

 پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری کا کہنا تھا کہ سپریم کورٹ میں بینظیرانکم سپورٹ پروگرام کے نام کی تبدیلی کے اعتراف کے باوجود احساس پروگرام کو نیا منصوبہ قرار دینا عوام سے دھوکا ہے، وزیراعظم منصوبوں، اداروں اور عمارتوں کے نام بدلنے سے عوام کے دلوں سے شہید محترمہ بینظیر بھٹو کا نام نہیں مٹاسکتے، ان کا کہنا تھا کہ جھوٹ اور دھوکے کو یوٹرن کا نام دے کر اس پر فخر کرنا عمران خان کے مزاج کا حصہ بن چکا ہے، 

اس موقع پر پی پی پی چیئرمین نے سندھ حکومت کے حالیہ عوام دوست منصوبوں کا ذکر کرتے ہوئے بتایا کہ پی پی پی نے عمران خان کے معاشی سونامی کے دوران سندھ کی لاکھوں دیہی خواتین کو فنی تربیت دی تاکہ وہ خودکفیل ہوسکیں جبکہ سندھ میں پی پی پی حکومت نے عمران خان کی مسلط کردہ مہنگائی کی ستائی لاکھوں دیہی خواتین کو کاروبار شروع کرنے کیلئے بلاسود قرضے بھی دئیے، انہوں نے بتایا کہ یہی وہ وجوہات ہیں کہ پی پی پی کی سندھ حکومت نے اپنے عوام دوست اقدامات سے صوبے کی فی کس آمدنی کو ملک بھر میں سب سے زیادہ کردیا جبکہ سندھ میں غربت کی شرح میں غیرمعمولی 7.6 فیصد کی کمی بھی اس بات کا ثبوت ہے کہ پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی نے ڈلیور کرکے دکھایا ہے

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24898/

All that the incompetent PTI government can do is put up new plaques on old projects initiated by PPP – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

 

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) called out selected Prime Minister Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi for changing Benazir Income Support Programme’s name and presenting it as his own. According to Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had envisioned BISP, and the new title of Ehsas Programme is amongst the many deceptions the PM has committed.

 
In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that PPP government launched BISP to alleviate poverty and provide aid to the poor at a time when the world faced the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. PPP then implemented the programme to provide the needy with financial assistance. The past two and half years of this government have shown that selected PM lacks the vision or the ideology to launch a project so big that it attributes to reducing Pakistan’s poverty levels. 
 
The ongoing Ehsas Kafaalat Programme is originally the BISP, and the puppet Prime Minister has exposed himself to the people. This government’s petty attempts to erase the legacy of Pakistan’s first female Prime Minister would always fail, as Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is synonymous with the welfare of the poor. It does not matter how the puppet Prime Minister tries and change the name to erase the name of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, she lives in the hearts of the people and they will  always see through these petty and regressive steps. 
 
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated, “PPP implemented the social welfare programme under the title of BISP, and the project is recognised and admired by international institutions as a unique and progressive way of addressing extreme poverty and the need for women empowerment.” 
 
Today, the PTI-led Federal government is shamelessly trumpeting the drums of pioneering the Ehsas Kafaalat Programme despite previously confessing before the country’s apex court that the BISP’s title has been amended to the Ehsas Kifalat Programme. The PTI-led Federal government is deceiving the people, he remarked.
 
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is the most incapable and incompetent PM in Pakistan’s history. All he can do is rename projects and put up new plaques on old projects initiated by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. “No matter what the illegitimate selected Prime Minister does, he can never erase the love and respect people have for Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. In contrast, the only legacy Imran Khan will leave behind is one of economic turmoil, unemployment, and poverty. This governments lack of direction, as is evidenced by its constant U-turns on all matters of national importance, is an apt reflection of the lack of vision of the Prime Minister himself.”  
 
Referring to the people-friendly, social welfare projects in Sindh by the PPP-led government, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that though PTI has exposed the people to economic ruin, the Sindh government is doing its best to stem the tide of destruction and protect the most vulnerable. One of Sindh’s flagship initiatives, the Peoples Poverty Reduction Program, has imparted Vocational training to millions of women of the province so as to make them economically self-reliant. Interest-free soft loans have also been released to aid them in establishing and growing their enterprises, he added.
 
The PPP-led Sindh government has also successfully managed to boost the per capita income in Sindh through its public-friendly social welfare programmes. In addition, the decline in the poverty by 7.6 percent is proof that the social welfare policies and measures the PPP government has adopted are reaping dividends for some of the most marginalized communities in the province, he asserted.

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24900/

Pakistan: Government attempts to 'Islamize' mainstream curriculum

 Prime Minister Imran Khan's administration is preparing to implement a uniform education system in the country with a strong focus on an Islamized syllabus and teaching the Quran.

Pakistan's government is all set to implement a uniform education system across the country, which critics fear could increase Islamization of schools and universities.   

The first phase of the implementation involves primary school students in the first through fifth grades. The plan mandates the students to read the entire Quran with translation, learn Islamic prayers and memorize a number of hadith (words, actions and approval of the Prophet Muhammad). 

It also stipulates that every school and college must employ a pair of certified Hafiz (a person who has memorized the Quran) and Qari (a Quran reciter) to teach these subjects.

Critics believe that the move will increase the influence of Islamic clerics, sharpen sectarian fault lines and greatly damage the social fabric.

Urdu, English and social studies have been heavily Islamized, Abdul Hameed Nayyar, an Islamabad-based academic, told DW. He added that students will also study the Quran's 30 chapters and a translation of the entire book at a later stage, besides the book on Islamic studies.

Nayyar said critical thinking was a basic tenet of modern knowledge but the government seemed to be promoting ideas that are antithetical to this through the syllabus.

Kowtowing to Islamic forces

Since Pakistan's creation in 1947, there has been an alliance between the state and Islamic conservatives.

Though Islamization creeped in gradually during the 1950s and '60s, it picked up pace in the 1970s before intensifying in the '80s, under the dictatorship of General Zia-ul Haq.

Haq launched a vigorous drive to change the liberal nature of the constitution. He also introduced Islamic laws, Islamized the educational curriculums, opened up thousands of religious seminaries across the country, inducted Islamists into judiciary, bureaucracy and the army and created institutions headed by Islamic clerics to oversee the affairs of the government.

Since his death in 1988, almost all governments have tried to appease the religious forces through Islamization.

The current government, under Prime Minister Imran Khan, has also been accused of kowtowing to the Islamic establishment.

'Madrassification' of schools

In 2018, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party promised to introduce a uniform education system.

Many hoped that the new curriculum would emphasize science, arts, literature and other contemporary subjects.

But, in 2019, Khan's government unveiled its plan, which focused heavily on Islamized syllabus. Implementation has been delayed during the coronavirus pandemic, but is expected to begin this year.

Books for primary school students have already been published, with Islamized content featuring heavily in textbooks for English, Urdu, social studies, and other subjects.

In the next phase, the government intends to introduce the new Islam-heavy syllabus for middle school students and possibly for high school students in the 11th and 12th grades. 

Rubina Saigol, a Lahore-based educationist, told DW that the "madrassification" of public schools would have serious ramifications.

"The syllabus is likely to produce students with an Islamic conservative global outlook, who would view women as subservient souls who do not deserve freedom and independence," Saigol said.

Over 30% more Islamic content

Pervez Hoodbhoy, a nuclear physicist based in Islamabad, told DW that the new syllabus could inflict damage upon Pakistan's education system in a manner never seen before.

"The systemic changes hidden in it go far deeper than the ones conceived and executed by General Zia's extremist regime," Hoodbhoy said. A deep analysis of the syllabus shows that "it will impose more rote learning of religious materials on ordinary schools than even madrassas," he added.

Some have already challenged the proposed changes in the nation's highest court.

Peter Jacob, a Lahore-based human rights activist, told DW that about 30-40% of the content in compulsory subjects was religious in nature.

"Many people have approached the court because it is against the constitution," Jacob said. He added that members of minority communities do not believe that such text should be in compulsory subjects.

'We should learn from Bangladesh'

It is not just liberal academics or minorities' groups that are voicing concern about the Islamization of the school syllabus. Even some government allies have also expressed reservations.

Kishwar Zehra, a parliamentarian of Muttehida Qaumi Movement, which is part of Khan's ruling coalition, strongly opposes the Islamization.

"We should learn from Bangladesh, which is promoting secular values," Zehra told DW, asserting that the current drive to further Islamize the syllabus is aimed at appeasing the Islamic right-wing forces.

Instead of increasing religious content, Zehra said, the government should incorporate the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she believes Pakistani students desperately need to know.

The government, however, has so far dismissed the criticism.

Muhammad Bashir Khan, a parliamentarian from the ruling party, said the Islamization of the syllabus is was the right step.

"Pakistan is an ideological Islamic state and we need religious education," he said. "I feel that even now our syllabus is not completely Islamized and we need to do more Islamization of the syllabus, teaching more religious content for the moral and ideological training of our citizens."

The Islamization of curricula has not been limited to schools. Recently, the government in Punjab province has also made teaching of the Quran with translation mandatory for all university students.

According to the provincial government, students will not be awarded degrees if they do not study the Quran.

https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-schools-islamization/a-57640587



Indian Army has new strategies for Pakistan, China: Punitive deterrence, credible deterrence

SNEHESH ALEX PHILIP
With tensions continuing with China, India has deployed more troops along the Line of Actual Control this summer than before.
The Indian military is bringing a series of key changes, including in the Order of Battle (ORBAT), with the strategy being punitive deterrence against Pakistan and credible deterrence against China, ThePrint has learnt.This strategy, which called for integrated formations rather than just corps-level response, forms the foundation of the Indian military’s re-balance from the western borders with Pakistan to the northern and eastern borders with China. Government sources told ThePrint that the overall strategy does not involve the military alone but also diplomacy and economics.
“From a military point of view, the western theatre has always been the focus area. Our strategy there has been that of punitive deterrence. This means that India has overwhelmingly higher military power for punitive action,” a source said.
Explaining the nuance of the strategy against China, the source said the aim is credible deterrence.
“Under credible deterrence, the opposite side should know that India has the ability for a counter operation and to inflict damage. China sees itself equal to the US in terms of military power. However, it has realised that while militarily it might be bigger, India won’t budge and can actually hit back. This affects the image that they want to portray internationally. This is called credible deterrence,” the source said, refusing to go into the key changes planned and set in motion.
Sources gave the example of the last year’s August 29/30 operation by the Indian forces when they outflanked the Chinese and occupied the heights in the southern banks of Pangong Tso, much to the discomfort of the Chinese.
Sources explained that this strategy is for along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China and not just Ladakh which comes under the Northern sector. This means that the strategy will extend to the Central and Eastern sectors too.
The Army chief Gen M M Naravane had in January this year said the force was “re-balancing” its deployment and strategy along the western, northern and northeastern borders to deal with any kind of threat that might emerge — be it from Pakistan or China.
The re-balance strategy came following an internal study conducted by the Army on how to prepare for the threat from China and Pakistan.
ThePrint had on 12 April reported that a summer strategy has already been put in place in Eastern Ladakh and also implemented key changes in the ORBAT.

More troops along the LAC than before



There is a higher concentration of troops in Ladakh with the focus being on Reserves and enough troops in the front to counter any possible Chinese move as tensions remain between the two countries.
Sources said the same strategy has been implemented all along the LAC, which meant there are a higher number of troops in each location with new counter operational strategies in place.However, they made it clear that that more troops does not mean sitting all along the LAC like the Line of Control with Pakistan, but having enough troops to counter any aggression and for its own counter operations.This meant the Army retained a higher number of troops and equipment in Ladakh, besides the 3 Division, in-charge of the LAC there, and the 14 Corps Reserve. This includes some of the formations pumped in last year following the tensions with China, besides new elements brought in for summer deployment.
The same strategy is being followed all along the LAC as the force maintains a high state of operational alert.
Focus on integrated battle and not just Corps level response
Under the changes in ORBAT, while India earlier had three Strike Corps focused against Pakistan, it now has two. And instead of just one Strike Corps against China, it has two now. “The focus is not just on corps-level response to an aggression but also a more integrated response,” said a source. This means not just the Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs), the brainchild of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat when he was the Army chief, but also a joint response from the three Services — Army, Navy and Air Force. Incidentally, the Army had in October 2019 put into action its concept of IBGS for the first time. The IBGs were carved out of the Panagarh-based 17 Corps’ (Mountain Strike Corps) 59 Mountain Division. The plan was that this would be a study case and the IBGs would be rolled out after fine-tuning. Each IBG would be based on specific operational requirements considering the topography as well as threat perceptions.
Gen Naravane had in May last year said the IBGs would be operational “soon”. However, the process got hit because of the pandemic and the tensions that broke along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.
https://theprint.in/defence/indian-army-has-new-strategies-for-pakistan-china-punitive-deterrence-credible-deterrence/663748/