Plot twist: Aseefa debuts in PDM’s Multan rally, her mannerism reminiscent of Benazir Bhutto

Nadeem Shah

Aseefa debuts in PDM’s Multan rally, her mannerism reminiscent of Benazir Bhutto. Despite blockades and arrests, crowds gather.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement rally in Multan appeared different from the four rallies that have been held in Karachi, Quetta, Gujranwala and Peshawar. The PDM held the rally at Chowk Ghanta Ghar despite the blocking of all roads with containers and barriers on all chowks and major roads leading to the meeting place, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh.

Four dozen PPP workers were arrested and handcuffed including Syed Abdul Qadir Gillani, Syed Ali Musa Gillani, Syed Ali Qasim Gillani and MPA Syed Ali Haider Gillani, sons of the former PM Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani. The police manhandled Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, one of the organisers of PDM meeting, and slapped and punched him.

Purani Kotwali police have also registered a case (No. 690/20) against 2,500-3,000 PDM workers including PML-N ex-MPA Shahid Khan, ex-MNAs Sheikh Tariq Rashid, and Malik Abdul Ghafar Dogar and the latter’s son Waqar Dogar, among others. The FIR includes anti-terrorism sections.

The Lohari Gate police have registered two FIRs against 80 identified and 800 unidentified workers under Sections 353/156, 379/506, 427/148 and 149 of Pakistan Penal Code besides Section 17 of the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance 2020. The FIRs allege that activists “armed with clubs” “damaged the barriers and fence installed to control the law and order situation” and “attacked the police”.

The administration started removing the barriers from the routes when two big rallies led separately by Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman came out in full force. The former started from former prime minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani’s residence and the latter from Gulgasht seminary Jamia Qasimul Aloom. The mammoth rallies were a test of nerves for the administration, which had completely sealed the Gillani House by placing containers on both sides of the road a day earlier. Power supply to the Gillani House was also disconnected.

The containers were removed from Gillani House when the rally advanced towards the meeting venue. The printing presses and panaflex printers had signed surety bonds that would not print any PDM material.

The rally marked the political debut of Aseefa Bhutto. Already, Maryam Nawaz has gained trust and popularity as the face of the PML-N.

Political workers are of the view that this heralds a new beginning for women’s leadership in the PPP and the PML-N. They say that this signals a commitment by both to break the patriarchal structure, strengthening the struggle for the restoration of human rights, weakening the forces of obscurantism and chauvinism, and resisting the fragmentation of society.

Aseefa Bhutto’s speech, oratorial skills, gestures and body language – moving arms and waving hands brought back memories of Benazir Bhutto for the PPP workers.

“[It seems that] Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has returned! I’m stunned to hear Aseefa Bhutto live (in a gathering of the Pakistan Democratic Movement) for the first time in my political career. Aseefa Bhutto looks like a stateswoman, like her mother, highly confident, passionate, with a powerful Urdu accent”, observes Abida Bokhari.

Bokhari is heading Pakistan Peoples Party Multan chapter of women, and joined the PDM rally with a large procession of PPP women activists to celebrate PPP’s 53rd birthday at Chowk Ghanta Ghar.

“[It seems that] Shaheed Benazir Bhutto has returned! I’m stunned to hear Aseefa Bhutto live,” says Abida Bokhari.

She says that Aseefa has stayed true to the Bhutto tradition. Like Benazir Bhutto who had emerged as a hope in the society where the draconian Zia martial law consigned women to chadar and char deewari in 1979 and inducted restrictive ordinances, which increased the marginalisation of this 50 percent of the population.”

“Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and PPP founder Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had a special place in their hearts for the Seraiki people”, said Aseefa in her short address in the PDM rally.

Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president, alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan had “received foreign funding”, “built offshore companies”, and “given NRO to mafias to rob the public”.

“Aleema Baji (Imran Khan’s sister)”, she said in her scathing criticism of the PTI’s narrative, “has earned billions of rupees from sewing machines but Imran Khan is honest”.

Speaking at the huge gathering, the PDM chief, Maulana Fazalur Rehman said the PTI government “had invited an early countdown” to “pack up selected rulers” in the wake of the “ruthless crackdown on PDM workers in Multan”.

Akhtar Mengal of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) said that “the military regime should first take off their uniform and then participate in politics”.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Mehmood Khan Achakzai said that the PDM was “not formed to speak against anyone”.

“The prime objective”, he said, “is to stop intelligence agencies and armed forces from interfering in politics.”

He warned that “dangerous blocs” were being created around Pakistan.

“The country may be bombed by foreign forces just as an Iranian scientist and a military general have been slain,” he said.

“The solution”, he continued, “was that the incumbent assembly be dissolved”.

The pressure is building. With new political actors emerging on the scene, the government has its work cut out. The PDM Islamabad Long March schedule has been changed, and now it is expected to begin soon after the Lahore rally instead of January 2021.

Why Pakistan will be next to normalize with Israel

 By FM SHAKIL

Islamabad denies any move is afoot but a Saudi and UAE-backed normalization of ties could soon be in the offing.

Last month, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rebutted a barrage of reports on social and mainstream media that suggested Islamabad was poised to restore diplomatic relations with Israel, a move that would inevitably send shock waves across the country’s many radical Islamic groups.

The Foreign Office was forced to intervene before the rumors sparked demonstration or worse, always close to the surface in a nation that frequently rallies to the anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian cause.

Despite the official denials, analysts, observers and even some officials reckon there is at least a shred of truth in the viral speculation considering the shifting winds in the Middle East and with rising signs Saudi Arabia could soon follow the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in normalizing ties with Israel.

It would mark a historic turn if Pakistan and Israel were to follow suit and formally normalize relations. Pakistan did not recognize Israel as a country when it was formed in 1948, a year after Pakistan won its independence. Pakistani passports still carry a stamp that proclaims that this document is valid for all countries worldwide except Israel.

Yet observers believe that the winds of change now sweeping over the Arabian Peninsula, including among Pakistan’s key Middle Eastern allies and traditional patrons, could next blow through Islamabad.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, they note, have restored diplomatic ties with Israel after Saudi Arabia reportedly gave its tacit affirmation to go ahead. Analysts argue Pakistan could be next if Riyadh gives a similar nod.

Any such move would face political resistance at home. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Musadiq Malik told Asia Times that such a crucial decision can not be made by a few individuals and that representatives of Palestine would also need to be consulted.

“A few people cannot thrust their verdict upon the nation. We have elected representatives and the parliament that could better determine policy in this regard,” he added, presumably meaning Prime Minister Imran Khan and his backers in the army establishment.

Afrasiab Khattak a politician, intellectual, and Pashtun rights activist told the Asia Times that since the Pervez Musharraf era (1999 to 2008) there has been a consistent behind-the-scenes effort to normalize relations with Israel, though so far without tangible results due to radical religious forces and their ability to stir street agitation. “When the Arab countries have changed their stand on the Arab-Israel conflict and tried to live in peace with their proverbial foe then what is the point of pursuing an anti-Israel policy?” he asked.

Days after the UAE formally revived ties with Tel Aviv, foreign and local media carried reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia and the UAE were pressing Pakistan from behind the scenes to be next in recognizing Israel.

“I think there is a conversation going on in which UAE and MbS would like Pakistan to take a lead and recognize Israel but don’t think it will happen either in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan. It’s politically not doable,” Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistani scholar and expert on military affairs told the Asia Times.

The speculation was reinforced when Prime Minister Khan, in an exclusive interview with a local TV channel, disclosed that he was “under pressure” from some “friendly countries” to recognize Israel but that Pakistan would not budge until the Israel-Palestinian issue was resolved.

Khan did not disclose the identity of the said “friendly countries”, saying only that Pakistan maintains good relations with them.

But when Israeli media broke the news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad Yossi Cohen held a hush-hush meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in the Saudi city of Neom, the reports also spotted a Pakistani army business jet operated by the country’s powerful Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) spy agency in Amman when the leaders were meeting at the Red Sea resort.

Siddiqa tweeted in late-November, “If policy not under consideration then what was Pak Army aircraft PA-9834 doing in Amman for 2 days & reported by Israeli media?”

Saudi Arabia and the UAE certainly have leverage on Islamabad to persuade a change in Pakistani policy towards Israel. Pakistan relies heavily on both for financial support to stave off a debt crisis, always near as foreign reserves dwindle and the economy contracts.

Moreover, over four million Pakistani expatriates remit roughly $4 billion from Saudi Arabia and UAE every year, representing nearly half of the country’s $9 billion in annual remittances.

Still, Pakistan’s relations with both UAE and Saudi Arabia have been on a downtrend in recent years, partly due to Riyadh’s tilt towards India on the Kashmir issue and New Delhi’s growing economic and political engagement with the Arab nations. Saudis are also concerned about Islamabad’s hobnobbing with Turkey.

In late August, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, frustrated over the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) indolence on the Kashmir issue, exhorted the group’s de facto leader Saudi Arabia to “show leadership” on the issue.

It was a costly statement. Soon thereafter Riyadh required premature payment of US$2 billion of $3 billion worth of outstanding loans and terminated $3.2 billion worth of oil deliveries granted on deferred payment.

The subsequent diplomatic visit of Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Jawed Bajwa to Riyadh in early August this year to smooth tensions failed to resecure the financial facilities, as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman reportedly refused to meet the army chief.

To be sure, Pakistan has always maintained covert diplomatic and military connections with Israel. Indeed, Pakistan’s secret military cooperation with Israel dates back to 1970 when the military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq was posted in Jordan as a brigadier general at a time Pakistan’s army fought in support of Jordan against then Yassar Arafat-led Palestine in the 1970-71 Black September war.

More than 7,000 Palestinians died in the war and General Zia had become a darling of the Jewish state, which backed Jordan in the conflict.

Pakistan-Israel cooperation continued in the 1980s during the Soviet Union’s intervention in neighboring Afghanistan. Both countries coordinated their stance on the Afghan issue and exchanged defense-related information. Military dictator General Musharraf was more vocal about his government’s interactions with Israel. During his tenure, Pakistan and Israel established their first formal diplomatic contact and used their diplomatic staff in Ankara and Istanbul to mediate and exchange information on defense and terrorism-related issues.

In 2009, Pakistan’s spy agency ISI passed on information to Israel’s Mossad about a plot to kill Israelis in India. According to an October 2009 US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks, the ISI chief had reportedly contacted Israeli officials to head off the attacks.

In late March this year, Musharraf called to establish relations with Israel to counterbalance India’s overtures to Tel Aviv.

In a press conference in Dubai in March this year, Musharraf acknowledged that he had initiated contacts with Israel when he led the country. “The Israeli leadership was quick to respond to my offer. I believe Israel wanted to create better relations with Pakistan. They still want it,” he said.

https://asiatimes.com/2020/12/why-pakistan-will-be-next-to-normalize-with-israel/

What PM Imran Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi got wrong about family values in Pakistan

Women are routinely abused and silenced within our so called "family system". So why is the PM calling it our strength? 

 Hamza Ali Abbasi's always been a big PM Imran Khan fan, so you can imagine the actor was over the moon when he got to sit down with the prime minister and pick his brain.

In the hour long interview, the duo's conversation was a little all over the place yet going around in circles as they spoke about the lasting effects of colonisation, the role of media in shaping the nation and accountability, among other things. But what grabbed our attention was the PTI chairman reiterating multiple times how Pakistan's strength is our family system. "When I was growing up, Pakistan was heavily influenced by colonisation and the west. Previously, this strong hold was in the form of slavery but today, it is in the form of mental slavery," he said. "While you despise those who control you, in a way you also get influenced by them, looking up to them and wanting to be like them."

"Previously, the divorce rate abroad was 1 in 14, and 30 years later, it increased to 70%," he added a little later.

Speaking about a rising divorce rate in South Asian communities, Khan said the more we look towards the west and adopt their "immoral mannerisms", the more we'll see a ripple effect of that in our own society, chipping away at our traditional familial values and norms, which are supposedly so great.

While we as a country love pride themselves on our culture and the respect we have for the sanctity of marriage, we are often quick to forget that the entire arrangement is largely based on the sacrifices of women, who because of the stigma surrounding divorce, chose to suffer in silence for decades on end.

Twitter user Sundus Saleemi hit the nail on the head with this thread:

Many others chimed in, reminding Khan about all those marginalised by our so-called family system:

Here's hoping that those in charge of policy making, such as Khan, stop living in denial about what our culture has come to entail and start calling a spade a spade. Blaming the west for everything wrong in our own backyard won't do us any favours.

https://images.dawn.com/news/1186134/what-pm-imran-khan-and-hamza-ali-abbasi-got-wrong-about-family-values-in-pakistan

Chief Minister, Sindh Murad Ali Shah called on the Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Bilawal House on Monday

 

Chief Minister, Sindh Murad Ali Shah called on the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Bilawal House on Monday.

Chief Minister briefed the Party Chairman about the COVID-19 situation and the steps taken by Sindh government to protect the people.

Murad Ali Shah informed the Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari about the development pace in the province, which is hampered by the lesser payments from the Federal government than the province’s due share. He said that Sindh government has surpassed its own tax collection targets so far.

On the occasion, the Chairman PPP asked the Sindh government to start recruitment on the vacant jobs on merit for relief to the unemployed youth and utilization of their potential for the province. He also stressed that more employment opportunities may also be created in the private sector as well.
It may be recalled that both the Chairman PPP and the Chief Minister, Sindh’s COVID-19 tests were found negative following isolation and earlier positive results. 

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24148/

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Giuliani has tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump says.

Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and President Trump’s personal and campaign lawyer, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Mr. Trump announced on Twitter on Sunday.

“@RudyGiuliani, by far the greatest mayor in the history of NYC, and who has been working tirelessly exposing the most corrupt election (by far!) in the history of the USA, has tested positive for the China Virus. Get better soon Rudy, we will carry on!!!” Mr. Trump wrote.

Mr. Giuliani has repeatedly been exposed to the virus through contact with infected people, including during Mr. Trump’s preparation for his first debate against President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. in September, as well as when he appeared with his son, Andrew, at a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters about two weeks ago. But Mr. Giulani had not been said to have contracted the virus until now.

It was unclear why Mr. Trump was the one announcing it. It was also unclear whether Mr. Giuliani, 76, is symptomatic. But at his age, he is in the high-risk category for the virus.

Mr. Giuliani has been acting as the lead lawyer for Mr. Trump’s efforts to overthrow the results of the election. He has repeatedly claimed he has evidence of widespread fraud, but he has declined to submit that evidence in legal cases he has filed.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/06/world/covid-19-coronavirus

TIME's first ever Kid of the Year is only 15 - Gitanjali Rao

 

"I was 10 when I told my parents I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology. My mom was like what?" said Gitanjali Rao

At only 15, Gitanjali Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 US nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year.

Rao's astonishing work includes using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, with her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over standing out as an inspiration to many.

"I was like 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water quality research lab, and my mom was like, A what?” the young scientist told actor and activist Angelina Jolie in an interview over Zoom from her home in Colorado.

At only 15, Gitanjali Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 US nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year.

Rao's astonishing work includes using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, with her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over standing out as an inspiration to many.

"I was like 10 when I told my parents that I wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water quality research lab, and my mom was like, A what?” the young scientist told actor and activist Angelina Jolie in an interview over Zoom from her home in Colorado.

"I'm a very curious person if there's one thing you need to know about me. I just love learning about the environment, the ecology, I just like learning in general so everything in school is super fun," she revealed, saying she cannot see a world filled with kindness without science and technology being involved.

One of her latest innovations, an app called Kindly, is here to help prevent cyberbullying.

"I started to hard-code in some words that could be considered bullying, and then my engine took those words and identified words that are similar," Rao revealed, talking about how the app worked.

"You type in a word or phrase, and it’s able to pick it up if it’s bullying, and it gives you the option to edit it or send it the way it is. The goal is not to punish. As a teenager, I know teenagers tend to lash out sometimes. Instead, it gives you the chance to rethink what you’re saying so that you know what to do next time around." In a way, Gitanjali thinks this is not micro-managing teenagers but instead giving them an opportunity to learn from their mistakes. She also spoke about how her goal had shifted not only from creating her own devices to solve the world’s problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well, since she wanted to see more people like her in the field.

"I don’t look like your typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it’s an older, usually white man as a scientist. It’s weird to me that it was almost like people had assigned roles, regarding like their gender, their age, the color of their skin."

"It’s not easy when you don’t see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out the message that If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it."

Gitanjali also revealed currently working on an easy way to help detect bio-contaminants in water—things like parasites.

"I’m hoping for this to be something that’s inexpensive and accurate so that people in third-world countries can identify what’s in their water."

"I recently hit my goal of 30,000 students who I have mentored, which is super exciting. It’s like creating a community of innovators. I really hope the work that all of these kids are doing identifies innovation as a necessity and not something that’s a choice anymore. I hope I can be a small part of that."

Rao also has an inspiring message for other youngsters: “Don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you."

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari - Indus civilisation is the crown of Pakistan and Sindh’s Culture is in fact a message of unity and harmony.

Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party has said that Indus civilisation is the crown of Pakistan and Sindh’s Culture is in fact a message of unity and harmony.In his message on the eve of Sindh Culture Day being observed tomorrow, the PPP Chairman said that this was the Day of Youth who are the real heir of this rich heritage.

Chairman Sahab @BBhuttoZardari ❤️🇱🇾@FerozeJamali @akbar_fareeha @psfanam @SassuiZafar @SaddamH76264314 @NazBaloch_ @BakhtawarBZ @AseefaBZ @MediaCellPPP @PPPMediaCell_NF @Nazfarooque pic.twitter.com/nmwUmkB2fC

— 🇱🇾Mir Faraz Ahmed Bhutto🇱🇾 (@MirFarazAhmedB3) December 6, 2020

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that rich music or cultural dance of Mehran valley has given the arts a new colour and there was a need to learn how to make our cultural activities a platform for promotion of our social as well as economic activities as well.

PPP Chairman said that Sindh Culture Day may be celebrated every year with a new theme like the days commemorates by the UN.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that diversity of cultures, religions, ethnicities and creed is the new nomeclature of modern peace and harmony. He extended heartiest congratulations to all those celebrating the Sindh Culture Day in the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad.

 https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/24146/

#Pakistan: NAB detention - The power of arrest cannot be used as a tool of oppression

THE National Accountability Bureau drew the ire of the Supreme Court this week because of its repeated 90-day physical remand of those under investigation. The court was critical of the bureau’s disturbing practice of detaining the same suspects for 90 days by filing multiple references against them. While the court clarified that it did not object to NAB’s authority to detain a suspect once, it termed the trend of continuous custody as cruel and unjust.

That the judiciary has once again reprimanded NAB for its prolonged detention of under-investigation individuals should serve as a serious wake-up call for the bureau, whose reputation as an intimidating behemoth is only growing.

Earlier this year, Justice Maqbool Baqar while granting bail to former railways minister and PML-N stalwart Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Suleman Rafiq, too, had cautioned the bureau when he observed that the means, process and mechanism of curbing corruption must be within the parameters of the law. The judgement had noted that the arrest of an individual is a grave matter but the “capricious exercise of the power to arrest had deleterious consequences and, therefore, needed to be exercised with care, caution and sensitivity”. The power of arrest should not be deployed as a tool of oppression and harassment, the judgement had emphasised.

Unfortunately, the fundamental tenet of criminal jurisprudence — which maintains that a person is innocent until proven guilty — appears to be ignored in these protracted detentions. Moreover, it seems that in its haste to detain and prosecute, NAB has forgotten that these are white-collar crimes and not cases of terrorism or murder.

The bureau should pay heed to the apex court’s warnings, and adjust its operations in a way that respects the liberty of the individual being investigated. Detaining an individual in one case, locking them away in NAB custody and then framing multiple cases against them to extend that detention is harassment. In far too many cases now, individuals under investigation have spent months — even years — in detention. In the case of Ahad Cheema, for instance, the accused had been in jail for 23 months with no reference filed against him. This is unconscionable, and can take a huge psychological toll on the suspect with no redress or compensation from the bureau. The power of arrest cannot be used as a tool of oppression, and the bureau must respect the apex court’s sound observations on the matter.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1594262/nab-detention

Balochistan: Five Pakistani soldiers killed in Kohlu, BLA accepts attack

 At least four Pakistani forces officials have been killed and several others wounded in a remote-controlled-blast in Balochistan’s district Kohlu region on Friday.

Balochistan media outlets reported that the convoy was on its way from Kohlu to Kahan when it came under attack at Sibbi junction.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Azad Baloch, informed media from an undisclosed location that BLA fighters targeted the Pakistani forces convoy and it [BLA] accepts responsibility for the attack.

He added that on December 4, “a convoy of Pakistan FC (Frontier Corps) was on its way from Kohlu to Kahan, which was ambushed by our fighters in a remote-controlled explosion.”

The blast damaged one vehicle of the convoy killing five Pakistani FC personnel and wounding others, Azad Baloch said in his statement.

BLA in its media statement further maintained that Pakistani forces as a form of collective punishment blocked the Kohlu-Kahan road for the civilian population which, the statement claimed, is a violation of international principles of war.

Azad Baloch, however, reiterated that further similar attack would continue against ‘occupying Pakistan forces’ until they withdraw from Baloch land and Balochistan regain its independence.  

https://balochwarna.com/2020/12/05/balochistan-five-pakistani-soldiers-killed-in-kahan-attack-bla-accepts-attack/

Why Pakistan should recognize Israel posthaste

By RAHEEL RAZA

Pakistan’s creation was on similar grounds as Israel – a country for Muslims to call their own.

The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan have taken the first step in thawing the relationship between Israel and the Muslim world. We are witnessing history in the making and we will soon see other Muslim countries follow suit. As a Pakistani-born Canadian Muslim, I too had reservations before my first visit to Israel about 13 years ago. Concerned fellow Muslims had warned us about being detained at the airport, armed personnel on the streets and threats of violence.

My experience was exactly the opposite. I was welcomed to the country without any excess questioning and the visit was an eyeopener in every way. I travelled across Israel meeting both Arab and Jewish Israelis, asking open-ended questions and observing with great interest that the only way one can understand what Israel is really about is to personally visit the country. Since then I have gone back over a dozen times to the point that on my last visit the immigration officer asked me “and where is your Israeli passport”?

I also travel to Pakistan regularly and am dismayed at the conspiracy theories that abound regarding Israel and Jews. According to UN data in 2020, Pakistan has a population of 220,892,340. Its population is equivalent to 2.83% of the total world population. The adult literacy rate there is 65%, with males at 69% and females at 40%. The number of people living in poverty will have increased from 69 million in June 2018 to 87 million by June 2020, indicating a 26% increase in poverty. Pakistan’s neighbors are China, Afghanistan and Iran. Interestingly, Pakistan used to have a small but thriving Jewish community many years ago. They were architects and literary figures mostly living in the port city of Karachi where some of the buildings still reflect their architecture. In fact, there is a Jewish cemetery in Karachi, which is taken care of by a Pakistani Muslim family. Most of the Jewish families have since left.

Pakistan is geopolitically very strategically placed and is the only Muslim nuclear power. Right now, Pakistan is going through a tussle between China and the US, breaking away from US friendship, which was forged in 1947 when Pakistan was created. Pakistan’s creation was on similar grounds as Israel – a country for Muslims to call their own.

The question arises: why should Pakistan recognize Israel? It’s inevitable and the answer is simple. Until now the excuse for Pakistan was the plight of the Palestinians. Is it better not to recognize a country (which Pakistan considers the aggressor) and just keep the status quo, or recognize Israel, which would bring debate and discussion to the table? The Palestinian issue is only raised in Pakistan for political purposes. Most people in Pakistan are completely unaware of Israel’s achievements; its advancement in technology, literature, the arts and medicine. This ignorance leads to a very strong feeling of antisemitism.

If Pakistan is not recognizing Israel for what they consider human rights infractions, then they need to discuss their best friend China’s record of human rights, especially the recent genocide against the Uighurs and people of East Turkmenistan. Again, its quite simple. If Pakistan wants to shrug off the global perception that they are harboring extremism, then they have to join the rest of the world, especially the Muslim nations that are establishing relations with Israel and wake up to the new reality and the new normal. This will also create a balance for Pakistan’s relationship with India and Afghanistan.

I hope in the near future we will hear the good news that Pakistan has agreed to recognize Israel.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/why-pakistan-should-recognize-israel-posthaste-651255

#Pakistan #Peshawar: Several COVID patients die after oxygen supply runs out

 Seven die after oxygen supplies in one of the largest hospitals in northwestern city of Peshawar fail to arrive in time.

Seven patients being treated for the coronavirus have died after one of the largest hospitals in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar ran out of oxygen supplies.

Farhad Khan, spokesman at Khyber Teaching Hospital, said on Sunday that the patients died on Saturday night when the vendor who supplies the hospital with medical oxygen failed to arrive in time.

The hospital, the second-largest in the northwestern city of Peshawar, receives its oxygen cylinders from a vendor in Rawalpindi, a city about 190km (118 miles) away, Khan said.

Provincial Health Minister Taimur Jhagra tweeted about the incident, saying the hospital’s board of governors had been ordered to complete an investigation into the incident and take action “within 48 hours” against those responsible.

He promised that “all facts of the case will be made public”.

Pakistan, a country of approximately 220 million people, has recorded 58 COVID-19 deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 8,361.

The total tally confirmed cases in Pakistan stands at nearly 416,500 to date. That official number, like other places around the world, is likely somewhat higher in reality due to limited testing.

Pakistan has tested about 5.8 million people for the virus, or some 2.6 percent of the population.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/6/pakistan-several-covid-patients-die-after-oxygen-supply-runs-out

Bilawal to attend Lahore rally as he becomes COVID-19 free

Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has tested negative for the coronavirus after 14 days of isolation.Information Minister Sindh Nasir Shah confirmed the news that the PPP leader will attend the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally scheduled for 13th December in Lahore.

Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah confirmed the news on Friday. The Minister took to Twitter to thank God that the PPP Chairman had recovered from the disease.“Alhamdulillah, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s coronavirus test report has come back negative. May the Lord grant him best of health and a long life, Ameen,” tweeted Shah.

The sources said that the PPP chairman would participate in the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) public gathering in Lahore, scheduled for December 13.“The PPP plans to put up a show on the arrival of Bilawal Bhutto in Lahore ahead of the PDM gathering,” they said adding that the arrangements for the reception had begun.

The second wave of the pandemic has infected many politicians including Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, MQM leader Farooq Sattar, Captain (retd) Safdar Awan, and PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/698016/bilawal-to-attend-lahore-rally-as-he-becomes-covid-19-free/ 

Christian Teen Shares Survivor’s Testimony of Abduction and Forced Marriage in Pakistan

 In October, a 13-year-old Christian girl named Arzoo Raja was abducted as she played outside of her family’s home in Karachi, Pakistan. Arzoo’s parents reported the abduction to local police but were told two days later that their daughter had willingly converted to Islam and married their 44-year-old Muslim neighbor, Ali Azhar.

Since then, Arzoo’s case has made headlines in Pakistan and around the world.

Unfortunately, Arzoo’s case is not unique in Pakistan. According to a 2014 study by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace Pakistan, as many as 1,000 Christian and Hindu women and girls are abducted, forcefully married, and forcefully converted to Islam every year.

Many victims are minors taken from their families, sexually assaulted, married to an assailant, and held in captivity justified by falsified marriage and conversion documents. Violence and threats are used to compel victims to make statements in court supporting their captors.

Despite the odds stacked against them, some victims resist and escape to freedom. Reunited with their families, these survivors often have to go into hiding to maintain security.

International Christian Concern (ICC) recently interviewed one of these survivors to get a more in-depth view of abductions, forced marriages, and forced conversions in Pakistan. The details of the abduction, including names, have been changed or left out to maintain the survivor and her family’s security.

“I will never forget what I went through,” Maria Bibi told ICC. “Although I was able to rejoin my family after two months, the wounds of this inhuman act will stay with me until the last breath of my life.”

In early 2019, Maria, a 15-year-old Christian girl, was abducted from a relative’s house in Pakistan’s Punjab province by an adult Muslim man named Iqbal. After the abduction, Maria was raped multiple times over several weeks and kept in Iqbal’s custody.

Maria’s father filed a report with local police soon after the abduction. However, local police took more than a week to officially file a report and start the investigation into Maria’s disappearance.

After approximately a month in captivity, Iqbal took Maria to a mosque where she was told by three men she must recite the Islamic proclamation of faith. When she refused, the men beat her and forced her to place thumb impressions on several blank papers. The three men then performed a marriage ceremony and again forcefully put her thumb impression on a document used as a falsified marriage certificate.

The next day, Maria was taken to the local court. Before giving her statement, Iqbal told Maria that if she did not say she had converted to Islam and married him of her own free will, he would kill Maria’s parents and siblings. According to Maria, Iqbal made it seem like he already had some of her siblings in his custody.

In court, Maria gave into Iqbal’s threats. She claimed she was 20-years-old, converted to Islam, and married Iqbal of her own free will. The fake marriage certificate and conversion documents were submitted to the court, and Maria was renamed Ayesha.

With extraordinary bravely, however, Maria was eventually able to resist Iqbal and his threats. In a subsequent court hearing, Maria claimed that she was forcefully converted, forcefully married, raped, and abducted by Iqbal.

Within a week, Maria’s new testimony was recorded in front of a judge, and police were ordered to investigate the claims of forced marriage and forced conversion. However, even though the marriage and conversion were in doubt, Maria remained in Iqbal’s custody.

Police attempted to interview Iqbal, but he and his family fled, leaving Maria locked in a room in their house. Maria was eventually rescued by neighbors who broke into the locked room after hearing her cries for help.

Free, Maria called her parents. She was soon reunited with them and taken into protective custody by local police.

After more than two months in captivity, the Lahore High Court found that Maria was abducted, forcefully married, and forcefully converted. The court went on to order that Maria return to her parents and that Iqbal be arrested.

Since gaining her freedom, Maria and her family have lived in hiding. They have changed where they live, their phone numbers, and even the names they use in public. The family faces continuous threats from Iqbal’s relatives and supporters, claiming that Maria should be reunited with Iqbal and not stay with a Christian family.

“This should not happen to a girl of any caste or creed,” Maria shared with ICC. “There should be a law in Pakistan that protects girls from religious minority communities.”

“Kidnapping girls, abusing and converting them against their will is like the law of the jungle,” Maria continued. “The kidnappers are misusing religion for their pleasure. The authorities must protect religious minorities, and there must be a campaign or orientation session for police to learn how to deal with these cases without bias.”

Since Maria has returned to her family, dozens of similar incidents have been reported by Christians across Pakistan. Famous cases like that of Maira Shehbaz, Huma Younas, and Arzoo Raja have dominated headlines in Pakistan for months. As Maria suggests, more decisive action must be taken by authorities in Pakistan to curb this abuse. Until this is done, abductions, forced marriages and forced conversions will continue to be perpetrated against the country’s young and vulnerable.

https://www.persecution.org/2020/11/17/christian-teen-shares-survivors-testimony-abduction-forced-marriage-pakistan/

Pakistan records 44 COVID-19 related deaths in last 24 hours

 Pakistan on Saturday reported 44 COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours as the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 8,303.

Citing the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), Dunya News reported that 3,119 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

The number of positive cases has surged to 413,191.

Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Punjab has overtaken Sindh in the most number of casualties, Dunya News reported.

There are 180,904 coronavirus cases in Sindh; 122,293 in Punjab; 48,683 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 17,392 in Balochistan; 31,992 in Islamabad; 7,219 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and 4,708 in the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.

Furthermore, 3,137 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 2,991 in Sindh, 1,399 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 169 in Balochistan, 334 in Islamabad, 175 in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and 98 in the occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.

https://in.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-records-44-covid-19-070829980.html

Pakistan is playing pandemic politics — Imran Khan’s good jalsa vs Opposition’s bad jalsa

 NAILA INAYAT

 @nailainayat 

The Opposition believes the virus is a 'bahana' and the real 'nishana' is to squish the mass movement against the PTI government.

 Not too long ago, the government of Pakistan won the coronavirus world cup, leaving behind everyone. Congratulations were in order. It was the smart lockdowns of handsome Prime Minister Imran Khan that were a global success, we were told. The smugness over Pakistan being fortunate, unlike the unfortunate neighbour India, was also a home run. It was as if there was no tomorrow for the pandemic. But then, Covid-19 made a comeback and now people are asking the government: Coronavirus? What is coronavirus?

In the last two months, Pakistan has witnessed a spike in infections with more than 400,000 reported cases of coronavirus. On 2 December, the country recorded 75 deaths, which is the highest number of single-day fatalities since 9 July. The positivity rate is now up at 8.04 per cent in the second wave of the pandemic. The spike and the fatality rate is a cause of concern for the Imran Khan government.

Pandemic politics

The reasons for the boom are many. Pandemic politics being one. The notion that the novel coronavirus only spreads in opponents’ jalsas (gatherings) being the other. While the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was too busy appreciating itself for its own Covid success, it almost forgot that we were still in the middle of the pandemic. As the alliance of Opposition parties began public rallies for the ouster of the government, PM Khan also began his own jalsas, drawing large crowds that followed no SOPs whatsoever. In his last month’s jalsas of Swat, Hafizabad, and at the convention of Tiger Force, coronavirus seemed like the last of 99 problems the prime minister had. But now, the PM has a problem and how.

The PM calls the Opposition callous for endangering the lives and livelihood of the people, and says that they are at the root of the coronavirus surge. But the Opposition says the virus is a bahana (excuse) and the real nishana (target) is to squish the mass movement against the PTI government. The Opposition questions — why does the government think that coronavirus spreads only in their jalsas and not in sarkari (government) mass gatherings? It thinks that Khan is more dangerous than the coronavirus. While the world fights Covid-19, they say they are fighting Covid-18 — Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Ahead of the Multan jalsa, the government arrested Pakistan Peoples Party leaders earlier this week and registered cases against them for violation of coronavirus SOPs. The Opposition called it a witch-hunt in the grab of the pandemic. Facing a two-year crackdown by the PTI government and finally getting some political space will be hard to let go of. But with government rhetoric amplifying that the Opposition is playing with the lives of people, it will be hard for them to continue the movement. Will the long march to Islamabad in January go as planned or will the Opposition reschedule?

For now, between the good jalsas and the bad jalsas, even the coronavirus stands confused.

Jalsas, good and bad

Even in superspreader events, the hypocrisy of the government to pick and choose is rather endearing. While it will call out the political opponents aggressively, the government goes into hibernation when it comes to religious political parties protesting or coming together. Last month saw several anti-blasphemy rallies in the major cities of Pakistan against the French government’s support for the Charlie Hebdo caricatures. The two-day sit-in led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik in Islamabad consisted of thousands of protesters defying coronavirus protocols. The subsequent death and funeral of Labbaik’s chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore had a crowd of hundreds and thousands, one of the biggest in the history of the city. However, no one heard the PTI government grumble.

Other than ranting against the Opposition and telling us what the government is not going to do, what is it that PM Khan plans to do to tackle the second wave of coronavirus? Frankly, no one knows the answer. A ban on public rallies was imposed by the prime minister on 16 November after the spike in cases, yet the grand funeral of Rizvi and the Opposition rallies in Peshawar and Multan followed. So, exactly what kind of ban is it? Probably just a smart ban.

Wait, there is an upside. In the first wave of coronavirus, Pakistanis got the recommendation of Turkish series Ertugrul from PM Khan. The second wave, too, has a Turkish series recommendation — Yunus Emre, which is running on Pakistan Television for all of us interested in Sufism. However, what’s trending in Pakistan is not Sufism but Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives on Netflix. But who knows the Turkish shows might just be the survival kit in all future waves of Covid-19 in Pakistan.

https://theprint.in/opinion/letter-from-pakistan/pakistan-is-playing-pandemic-politics-imran-khans-good-jalsa-vs-oppositions-bad-jalsa/556398/

یومِ ثقافتِ سندھ ہم آہنگی و بھائی چارے کا پیغام ہے، بلاول بھٹو

پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی (پی پی پی) کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا ہے کہ انڈس سویلائزیشن ارضِ پاکستان کا تاج ہے اور یومِ ثقافتِ سندھ ہم آہنگی و بھائی چارے کا پیغام ہے۔

یوم ثقافتِ سندھ کے موقعے پر جاری کردہ اپنے پیغام میں پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا کہ یہ دن واقعتاً نوجوانوں کا دن ہے، جو اِس سرزمین کی عظیم ثقافت و تہذیب کے وارث و امین ہیں۔

بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے زور دیا کہ یہ دن وادیِ مہران کی موسیقی و ڈانس جیسے قدیم فنون کے ساتھ ساتھ لذیذ کھانوں کو نئی جِلا بخشنے کا موجب بنا ہے، لیکن اس کے ساتھ ساتھ ہمیں دنیا سے یہ سیکھنے کی بھی ضرورت ہے کہ انہوں نے اِس طرح کی سرگرمیوں کو اپنی معاشرتی و معاشی نمو کے لیے پلیٹ فارم کیسے بنایا۔

انہوں نے اِس طرح کی سرگرمیوں کو اقوامِ متحدہ کی جانب سے منائے جانے والے دنوں کی طرز پر ہر سال ایک نئے نعرے یا تھیم سے منسلک کرنے کی بھی تجویز دی ہے۔

پی پی پی چیئرمین نے کہا مختلف ثقافتوں، مذاہب، اور رنگ و نسل کے لوگوں کا رواداری و امن کے ساتھ جینے کا نام دورِ جدید ہے۔

بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے اپنی جانب سے سندھ سمیت چاروں صوبوں، آزاد کشمیر اور گلگت بلتستان کی عوام خواہ دنیا بھر میں یومِ ثقافتِ سندھ منانے والے پاکستانیوں کو دلی مبارکباد پیش کی ہے۔

https://jang.com.pk/news/854279 

#Colbert #Monologue #ALateShow Stephen Invites Presidents Obama, Bush And Clinton To Get The Covid-19 Vaccine On A Late Show

Video Report - GOP election official (who Trump fired) speaks to CNN

Judge orders restoration of DACA, opens program to new applicants

Camilo Montoya-Galvez

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to fully restore an Obama-era initiative that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation, requiring officials to open the program to new applicants for the first time since 2017.

Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn instructed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to post a public notice by Monday that states the department will accept and adjudicate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) petitions from immigrants who qualify for the program but are not currently enrolled in it.

Garaufis also instructed officials to grant approved applicants work permits that last for two years, instead of the one-year period proposed by the Trump administration over the summer.

An estimated one million undocumented immigrant teens and young adults who qualify for DACA on paper could soon apply for the program in the wake of Friday's order, according to lawyers who sued the Trump administration. Johana Larios was about to leave her home to buy diapers for her two-year-old daughter when she learned of Friday's order. The 26-year-old Mexican immigrant and Staten Island resident said the Trump administration suspended DACA in 2017 two days before she intended to apply for it.

"I was so excited. I didn't know how to react. I'm thankful," Larios, a member of the advocacy group Make the Road New York, told CBS News, noting that she intends to request DACA soon. "I could go back to school, work. And to have that feeling of not being separated from my kids, that's the most important thing for me right now."

Representatives for DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees DACA applications, did not respond to requests for comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department, which could appeal Friday's decision, also did not immediately comment. Karen Tumlin, one of the lawyers representing DACA beneficiaries and prospective applicants, applauded Friday's ruling and called on the government to halt "its attacks on immigrant youth today instead of continuing its losing courtroom battle during the last days of the administration."

"Today's ruling opens the door for more than one million immigrant youth who have been unfairly denied their chance to apply for DACA and secure their future in this country," Tumlin told CBS News. "Our brave plaintiffs have said from the beginning of this lawsuit that their home is here, and the court rightly recognized that today."

Garaufis' order follows another ruling he issued in November that found acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf did not have the legal authority to close DACA to new applicants or shorten the validity period of the work permits and protections from deportation that the program's beneficiaries receive. Garaufis reached this conclusion after determining that Wolf's appointment violated the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Other federal judges have also raised questions about the legality of Wolf's appointment — which Congress' investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office, determined to be invalid in August. The findings concluded that DHS did not adequately follow the rules governing the line of succession for the department's leadership. In September 2017, the Trump administration moved to end DACA, arguing that the program represented an overreach of executive authority. But the intended termination was put on hold by several federal courts, and this June, the Supreme Court ruled the administration had violated federal administrative law when attempting to end the program.

In July, Wolf issued a memo outlining new guidelines for DACA while the Trump administration weighed whether to try to dismantle the program once again. On Friday, Garaufis set aside Wolf's memo, which included the ban on new applicants and limits on current protections and work permits.

Garaufis' order means DHS will be required to administer DACA under the policies in place when President Barack Obama created the program in 2012. This would also allow current enrollees to request "advanced parole," which allows them to travel abroad and return to the U.S. According to government data, there are currently more than 640,000 DACA recipients, who are colloquially known as "Dreamers." The prerequisites for DACA eligibility include having no serious criminal convictions, arriving in the U.S before the age 16, living in the country since at least 2007 and earning an American high school diploma, a GED or serving honorably in the military. DACA does not allow its beneficiaries to adjust their status and obtain lawful permanent residency.

President Trump has expressed sympathy for "Dreamers" on certain occasions, but his administration waged a years-long court battle to end DACA and did not accept several legislative proposals to place them on a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to shield DACA beneficiaries from deportation and to introduce another proposal in Congress that would allow them to gain permanent legal status if enacted. While Friday's order is a significant victory for DACA recipients and prospective petitioners, Republican-led states are currently asking U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to declare the program unlawful and terminate it. Hanen, a Republican appointee, blocked Mr. Obama's 2014 expansion of DACA, as well as the creation of another program which would have protected the undocumented parents of U.S. green card holders and citizens from deportation.

Hanen has scheduled a hearing on this case for December 22.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-orders-restoration-of-daca-opens-program-to-new-applicants/ar-BB1bDNN1