FARUKH SHEHZAD

BAKU, DEC 10 - Ankara and Baku will sign a memorandum of understanding on a joint media platform to enhance collaboration in media and strengthen the friendly relations of the two countries, Turkey’s Communications Directorate announced, on Thursday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

“Within the scope of the Joint Media Platform, information, experience and resources will be shared to establish a healthy media relations network infrastructure while the official media institutions of both countries will carry out joint works,” the statement said.

The platform, which will work toward fighting misinformation in the international arena and informing the international public opinion correctly, will establish a bridge between the two countries’ opinion leaders and representatives of various media outlets, while vocational training and exchange programs will also be created.

A detailed plan will be established within three months after the MoU takes effect.

The joint working commission will hold regular meetings in the two countries and will submit the detailed plan including the calendar and financing of the project to the authorities of both countries.

“We witnessed that black propaganda toward Turkey and Azerbaijan as the latter’s struggle to liberate the Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh gained pace. Therefore, we saw that increasing cooperation in the fields of media, communication and public diplomacy between Turkey and Azerbaijan was a vital issue,” Altun pointed out.

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COURTESY en.trend.az

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 10 - Amidst a possible threat of another attempt by India to conduct a surgical strike inside Pakistan’s territory, Pakistan Army has been put on high alert, informed sources told on Wednesday.

They said that after facing humiliating defeat in Ladakh and Dokalam, India was preparing to launch another attack on the Line of Control (LoC) and across the Working Boundary at Pulwama, posing a threat to the regional peace and stability.

Meanwhile, Indian forces initiated ceasefire violations later in the day, martyring two Pakistan Army soldiers and injuring a civilian woman in different areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The Inter Services Public Relations in a tweet identified the soldiers as Lance Naik Tariq, 38, and Sepoy Zaroof, 31. Pakistani forces responded befittingly to the ceasefire violations, added the ISPR.

In Taai village, Nasim Fatima was injured, a police official told.

An official said a “false flag operation” was being planned by India to divert the world’s attention from several of its internal issues, including the ongoing farmers’ protest, its treatment of minorities, atrocities committed by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir and criticism of its policies by international institutions and media.

“India may at any time repeat a Pulwama-like drama to divert attention from the internal problems and was planning an action along the LoC and Working Boundary,” he said.

In 2016, India had claimed to have carried out a surgical strike on the LoC, a claim rubbished by Pakistan. Similarly, on Feb 26 last year, India had tried to launch a similar operation against Pakistan but failed and two of its planes had been shot down by Pakistan Air Force. Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan was arrested and later released.

The sources said India had committed 9215 ceasefire violations between 2014 and 2019, involving 1,403 casualties. India has so far this year committed 2,830 ceasefire violations, with the number of civil casualties totaling 271.

The decision to put the army on high alert comes days after the Indian government approved the creation of a new post of deputy chief of strategy at the army headquarters as per a plan envisaged during the Doklam crisis with China in 2017, besides creating the position of director general information warfare who will also be dealing with media affairs.

‘Is India becoming a fascist state?’

In a related development, speakers at a global virtual seminar on Wednesday discussed the question, “Is India becoming a fascist state?” in response to the rising authoritarian tendencies of the Modi government and human rights violations in the country.

“The erosion of civil liberties, the aggression of police and the increasing politicisation of the judiciary mean that people are now seriously asking, ‘Is India slipping towards fascism? As a friend of India, Australia and Australian politicians should support those voices from India and the diaspora who commit to our shared values of democracy, liberty and rule of law,” NSW MP David Shoebridge said in his opening statement on the significance of the event.

Greens Foreign Affairs spokesman and Federal Senator Janet Rice said that human rights were fundamental and must be protected in all countries and for all people.

“Sadly in India, as in many countries around the world, people’s human rights are frequently not respected. We are particularly concerned at the impacts on religious minorities, political opposition groups, indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities,” he added.

He said the forum was an important opportunity to hear from human rights advocates and a range of voices from around the world.

Australia’s former senator Lee Rhiannon said there has been an alarming decline in democratic and secular standards in India. “I am often asked ‘Is the Modi government promoting a fascist vision for India?’ I understand why people ask this question,” she wondered.

Ms Rhiannon said massive detention centres have been constructed in India for the millions deemed to be non-citizens under new laws. “Minorities are being killed. In occupied Kashmir, in addition to the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, the entire population of the region has been deprived of their right to freedom of expression and opinion through protracted communication restrictions, in place for the past year. These actions are compounded by a censored media, continuing detention of political leaders and a compromised judicial system. This forum is timely. The global community needs to be informed,” she added.

Shaffaq Mohammed, a British politician of Kashmiri heritage who served as a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Yorkshire & Humber region from 2019 to 2020, compared the fascism in Europe that led to the killing of around six million Jews and the ideology of Hindutva targeting minorities in India, especially Muslims.

He talked about the brutal lockdown now for more than a year imposed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation in August 2019 of Articles 370 and 35A that gave the region special status and autonomy.

In January this year, Shaffaq Mohammed was the lead proposer of a resolution against the Indian Citizen Amendment Act that gained the support of the main five political groups that made up the 750-seat European Parliament.

US Congresswoman-elect Marie Newman, who won election in Illinois’s 3rd congressional district to the United States House of Representatives as the Democratic nominee, talked about the change in the US and assured her full support to rights groups calling for accountability of the Indian government with respect to human rights in the country.

Suchitra Vijayan, the founder and Executive Director of The Polis Project who writes about war, conflict, foreign policy, politics, literature and photography, listed the increasing fascist policies of the Modi government and its total control on the judiciary, law enforcement and mass media in India in order to suppress the voices of dissent in the country.

Raju Rajagopal, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, talked about the cooperation of civil society activists from Indian diaspora to coordinate their efforts on a global level fighting against Hindutva ideology and creating awareness of human rights abuses in India by the Modi government amongst the international community.

Professor Anjali Arondekar, a professor of Feminist Studies and director of Centre for South Asian Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, talked about the caste-based politics in India and discrimination, oppression and marginalisation of low caste Indians and other minorities, including Muslims, by the incumbent BJP government.

The round table was organised by a broad international coalition comprising Australia-based The Humanism Project, Indian American Muslim Council, Hindus for Human Rights, US, and Amnesty International, Australia.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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KUALA KANGSAR, Dec 10 ― Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has said there was no pride in his appointment of a third mentri besar in the state since the 14th general election in 2018.

The Sultan said this was a reflection of failure in the Perak Legislative Assembly.

“It portrays the failure of leadership among politicians to be guaranteed consistent support to enable the mind and energy to be focused on governing the state in the best way for the benefit of the people,” he said in his speech during the swearing-in of the 14th MB at Istana Kinta here.

Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Saarani Mohamad, who is also the Kota Tampan assemblyman, took his oath of office as the latest Perak MB today.

The Sultan reminded the state lawmakers that they were elected only because of the trust shown by the people.

“The people have chosen them to carry out the responsibility to provide services and upgrade their economy as well as their social needs.

“The people, especially the poor, are affected by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, where some have lost their jobs and income.

“The people should not be betrayed due to the influence of the emotional grudge over conservative political thinking,” he said.

The Sultan also pointed out that a person’s true character will be revealed when he comes into wealth, position and power.

“When a person is surrounded with greedy, self interest, double faced, with hidden intention people as well as those who misused relationships with leaders, the humble and moderation culture disappears, with the person’s arrogance appearing.

“Do not at any time allow yourself to be careless or to be on cloud nine, whereby you forget the green grass you once step on which has now turned brown because it has not been watered for long,” he added.

Sultan Nazrin also thanked former MB Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu for his services.

“I would also like to thank all the state executive council members for their services,” he said.

Sultan Nazrin also thanked members of the media who had camped outside Istana Kinta in Ipoh throughout the state political crisis.

“The media were committed, they had to withstand the heat and heavy rain just to deliver the latest developments and news to the people.

“The police also did their best to monitor the situation,” he said.

Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal was deposed by a vote of confidence on him that was initiated by Umno.

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COURTESY malaymail.com

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PDM is finally stepping into rough terrain. It has been relatively smooth sailing for the opposition alliance these last few months. They had surmounted the initial obstacle of scattered defiance by agreeing on joining hands and then producing a document that formalised their presence on the proverbial same page. 

Then it was one jalsa after another with friction — if any — confined to administrative and organisational irritants of a minor nature. The December 13 Lahore jalsa presents a huge logistical and mobilisational challenges and yet surmounting them does not pose a huge problem for an experienced political entity like PML-N.

It is after the Lahore jalsa that the PDM will need to start its real heavy lifting.

Much of this lifting may entail bench-pressing with the weight of its inner conflicts. These conflicts are subtly yet surely pitting the priorities of PML-N and JUI-F against those of PPP and ANP. These pulls and pushes within the alliance will determine what the PDM can achieve or not in the next few weeks.

According to PDM sources, the debate within the alliance revolves around one central theme: approach towards the establishment. There is unanimity of opinion about doing whatever it takes to bring about a regime change, but differences crop up when the discussion veers towards whether to actively engage the establishment — which assumes an end to person-specific attacks on the army chief and DG ISI — or to keep punching away in the hope that this regime’s centre of gravity would get unhinged and open up space for the opposition to go for PTI’s jugular without having to worry about covering its own flanks.

The troika of Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz constitutes the hardline block within the alliance. Senior leaders of PML-N acknowledge that in recent months Nawaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman have established a very close and well-coordinated relationship. In fact, during the negotiations over FATF, Nawaz Sharif had given a dressing down to his own parliamentarians when the maulana had called him in London to complain that he was not consulted by the PML-N team in the parliament. PML-N negotiators were suitably chastened and now no one takes the maulana for granted.

The PPP and ANP continue to hold a relatively softer line towards the establishment. This fault line — subtle as it may be — constitutes a latent threat to the alliance and is generating subtle sub-surface tension inside PDM. The negotiations over resignations are at a delicate stage. At the heart of these negotiations is the scope of resignations followed by their impact. PDM insiders say they are discussing the following options:

1) Resign from the National Assembly and not from the provincial ones; 2) resign from all assemblies, and; 3) resign from National Assembly and Punjab Assembly while allowing PPP to retain the Sindh government.

Then there’s the issue of the much-hyped long march. There are a number of influential voices within the PDM who are cautioning that a long march leading to a protracted dharna in the bitter January cold of Islamabad is not a good option.

There’s even been some discussion about not undertaking a long march at all and replacing it with a continuous stream of ‘agitational’ activity finally leading to mass resignations.

The value of such agitation was driven home during PDM’s Multan jalsa and its mishandling by the Punjab government. The decision to disallow the jalsa, padlock the venue and crack down on opposition workers created a ruckus that played well on media. In fact, it generated headlines for days, thereby providing the PDM — and especially its Multan leadership — a great opportunity to whip up its base through a show of defiance. Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and his sons hit a political jackpot in terms of their local politics in the area. The two PTI MNA’s from Multan — Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and SAPM on Political Affairs Amir Dogar — were not amused, to say the least.

According to Red Zone insiders, they complained to the prime minister that they were not even consulted before the Punjab government took the decision to crackdown in their constituencies. One of them voiced this grievance in the cabinet meeting, saying that this mishandling by the Punjab government had benefitted his political opponents in the city at his expense.

This is one reason why the prime minister has announced his government will not stop the opposition from doing its Lahore jalsa. Once bitten, twice shy.

But at best, these remain operational matters. PDM’s strategic framing is premised on the logic of jacking up the establishment’s cost of propping up the PTI government. For its part, PTI’s twin-menace of incompetence and inflation has softened the ground for street pressure that adds to the cost. Resignations — if they are indeed rendered — will aim to drag this cost beyond the sustainable level.

If the parliament becomes dysfunctional for all practical purposes, and the political system is hollowed out from the inside as a result of the departure of the entire opposition, the establishment will have little choice but to step back and consider all other options. At least, this is the logic inside the opposition alliance.

Beyond the official bravado, there is creeping concern within the Red Zone that PTI’s intransigence is beginning to deliver diminishing returns. This concern is also fuelled by the grudging recognition that the government is doing a poor job of managing its own legislators.

Last month the prime minister had appointed Amir Dogar as SAPM on Political Affairs to ‘manage’ the electables from Punjab and take care of their day-to-day issues. The reasoning was a sound one. But the results so far are not encouraging. One insider says the problem is that Dogar does not carry the political weight that is required for him to get work done through the political and administrative leadership of Punjab. The prime minister may have given Dogar the title but he has not given him the access to the PM office that can provide him the weight he needs to work through the official Punjab machinery.

Unhappy electables in Punjab can pose a very dangerous problem for a government under siege.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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WASHINGTON, DEC 2020 - American Airlines has promoted Meghan Montana to vice president and treasurer.

In her expanded role, Montana will be responsible for the airline’s treasury activities, including corporate finance, global banking and cash management, as well as fleet transactions, asset management, insurance and fuel procurement.

She will report to American’s chief financial officer, Derek Kerr.

Montana succeeds Tom Weir, who has announced his retirement from American after 20 years with the company.

Weir joined America West Airlines in 2000 as vice president and treasurer and held the same position at US Airways prior to its merger with American in 2013.

“Tom is one of the very best friends I’ve ever had in this business,” said Kerr.

“He is the preeminent aviation financier in the world, as evidenced by the fact that he has put together well over $100 billion of financings and negotiated more than $50 billion of aircraft and engine purchases during his career.”

“This is part of a long-term transition plan for our treasury team,” added Kerr.

“Tom has helped us develop his successor and we are grateful to have found that person in Meghan.

“She has an outstanding reputation and terrific relationships in the banking world, which have benefited American greatly this year.

“She’s the perfect person to build on the work Tom has done as we continue to navigate these extraordinary times.”

Montana joined American in 2018 as managing director and assistant treasurer.

She has been instrumental in American’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, helping Weir arrange more than $20 billion in financing this year to strengthen American’s financial position.

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COURTESY BREAKING TRAVEL NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 - Commercialization of inventions, research and innovations is key to a knowledge economy and start-ups can be a strong means to strengthening it. To help develop the right skills for learning and execution of businesses, the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), in collaboration with Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme of International Labour Organization (ILO) and IIU Business Incubation Center (IIU-BIC), Pakistan, organized an eleven-day long SIYB Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop.

Senator, Sitara Ayaz, Chairperson Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, graced the inaugural of the workshop as Chief Guest. Other distinguished guests included: Executive Director COMSATS, Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi; ILO Country Director for Pakistan, Ms. Ingrid Christensen; from ILO Pakistan, Mr. Saad Gilani; and SIYB Master Trainer Developer from Sri Lanka, Mr. Gemunu Wijesena.

During the modules of the workshop, the participants belonging to various institutions and sectors were trained on essential tools to become a successful trainer of entrepreneurs, as well as how to tap opportunities of SIYB. The participants were also familiarized with the M&E aspects of SIYB, the relevant procedures to adopt effective tools to deploy. The trainers in making also developed action plans to conduct the Training of Entrepreneurs/ Training of Potential Entrepreneurs (ToE/ToPE) cycle in order to fulfill the criteria and become certified SIYB Trainers.

The workshop, titled “Becoming Internationally Recognized SIYB Trainer”, was conducted by Lead Master Trainer from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uganda, Engr. Muhammad Ahsen Mirza, Mr. Gemunu Wijesena, and Mr. David Katenderi, respectively.

SIYB is a management-training programme of ILO with a focus on starting and improving small businesses as a strategy for creating more and better employment opportunities, particularly in emerging economies.

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OSLO, DEC 2020 – Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) sees opportunities for more cooperation with the United States when Joe Biden takes over as president.

“Although we can expect a large degree of continuity in many issues of importance to us, the change of president in some areas may allow for increased cooperation with the United States, for example, related to global climate issues and global health,” Eriksen Søreide said in the Norwegian parliament (Storting) on Tuesday.

In her address, Søreide presented the government’s priorities for 2021 for the UN Security Council.

According to the Foreign Minister, the corona pandemic, economic challenges, and political polarization mean that Biden will probably have to spend a lot of time on domestic policy in the future.

“But we see the signals that the incoming president has given, among other things regarding the Paris Agreement, which can open up opportunities for more cooperation,” she told NTB.

Pressure from the great powers

In her statement, Eriksen Søreide also highlighted the rivalry between the great powers and how China has filled the void left by the United States that has withdrawn from the world stage under President Donald Trump.

The Socialist Left Party’s (SV) leader Audun Lysbakken wanted answers to how Norway will handle pressure from the American side and whether Norway will dare to think differently than the United States in the UN Security Council.

Eriksen Søreide assured him that Norway would dare to have dissenting opinions.

She referred to the nuclear agreement with Iran, trade policy, and climate policy as issues where Norway already was in clear disagreement with the White House.

“We have a very close and good cooperation with the United States as our closest ally, but we also voice clear disagreement when we disagree politically,” she noted, labeling SV’s criticism as outdated.

Climate and security

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also talked about how Norway will try to get the climate issue on the Security Council’s agenda.

“Climate and conflict are connected, and climate change often exacerbates underlying conflicts,” Eriksen Søreide said.

Eriksen Søreide also pointed out that not all members of the Council recognize that there is a connection between climate and security.

Therefore, Norway will also work to promote greater acceptance of the connection, in collaboration with Norwegian NUPI, Swedish SIPRI, and German professional communities.

“Through this (effort), we will also contribute to building up competence and expertise in this area in the Nordic region,” she added.

The effort will contribute to greater acceptance of the threat posed by the climate issue to international peace and security, and get it recognized in the Security Council’s work, she elaborated.

Norway has been elected as a member of the Security Council for the period 2021–2022.

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COURTESY NORWAY TODAY

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LONDON, DEC 9 – British regulators warned on Wednesday that people who have a history of serious allergic reactions shouldn’t receive the new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as they investigate two adverse reactions that occurred on the first day of the country’s mass vaccination programme.

The UK’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is looking into whether the reactions were linked to the vaccine.

The two people affected were staff members with the National Health Service who had a history of allergies, and both are recovering. Authorities have not specified what their reactions were.

In the meantime, the regulator has issued the warning for anyone who has had a significant allergic reaction to a vaccine, medicine or food. That includes anyone who has been told to carry an adrenaline shot or others who have had potentially fatal allergic reactions.

“As is common with new vaccines the MHRA have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday,” Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for the NHS in England, said in a statement. Both are recovering well.

The medical regulatory agency also said vaccinations should not be carried out in facilities that don’t have resuscitation equipment.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they were working with investigators to “better understand each case and its causes”.

Late-stage trials of the vaccine found no serious safety concerns, the companies said. More than 42,000 people have received two doses of the shot during those trials.

“In the pivotal phase three clinical trial, this vaccine was generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported by the independent Data Monitoring Committee,” the companies said.

Documents published by the two companies showed that people with a history of severe allergic reactions were excluded from the trials, and doctors were advised to look out for such reactions in trial participants who weren’t previously known to have severe allergies.

Even in non-emergency situations, health authorities must closely monitor new vaccines and medications because studies in tens of thousands of people cant detect a rare risk that would affect 1 in 1 million.

Dr Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said there is a very small chance of an allergic reaction to any vaccine.

The MHRA last week gave emergency authorisation to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, making Britain the first country to allow its widespread use.

The UK began its mass vaccination programme on Tuesday, offering the shot to people over 80, nursing home staff and some NHS workers. It’s not clear how many people have received the jab so far.

As part of its emergency authorisation for the vaccine, the MHRA required healthcare workers to report any adverse reactions to help regulators gather more information about safety and effectiveness.

The agency is monitoring the vaccine roll-out closely and will now investigate these cases in more detail to understand if the allergic reactions were linked to the vaccine or were incidental, he said.

The fact that we know so soon about these two allergic reactions and that the regulator has acted on this to issue precautionary advice shows that this monitoring system is working well.

Dr June Raine, head of the medical regulatory agency, informed a Parliamentary committee about the reactions during previously scheduled testimony on the pandemic.

“We know from the very extensive clinical trials that this wasn’t a feature of the vaccine,” she said.

“But if we need to strengthen our advice, now that we have had this experience in the vulnerable populations, the groups who have been selected as a priority, we get that advice to the field immediately.”

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Ambassador of Greece Andreas Papastavrou Wednesday called on Minister for Interior Brig (R) Ijaz Ahmad Shah and discussed bilateral ties, economic situation and impact of pandemic on the global level.

Pakistan and Greece shared good relations at government level, the ambassador said adding, “We have plenty of Pakistanis living in Greece and who play an important role in strengthening ties between the two countries, said a press release.

Discussing the issue of illegal immigrants, Brig Ijaz said all the needful measures were being taken to eliminate this problem.

He referred to a recent incident where the interior ministry processed the Greek request for the chartered flight carrying illegal immigrants on a very short notice. “This in time and active response was to ensure that our friendly and cooperative relationship should continue in future,” he said.

The ambassador welcomed the positive response from Pakistan and the interior ministry.

About COVID-19, the federal minister said this pandemic had taken a toll on the world economy. To which Greek ambassador said their country heavily relied on tourism and the economy had suffered due to the outbreak of this deadly virus. The duo hoped for better things to happen in near future and wished that people can have virus free lives again.

The ambassador invited the federal minister to Greece. The minister warmly welcomed the invitation and hoped to visit once the pandemic situation gets better.

The meeting concluded pledging the two countries would continue to work on strengthening bilateral ties and mutual cooperation.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East met Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, on Wednesday.

In a meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said that Kuwait’s Government and people of Kuwait have always promoted affection, moderation and compassion.

Bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kuwait will be strengthened in all respective sectors and areas. Reconciliation role on part of Kuwait to resolve differences between Arab countries is very appreciating and valuable, said Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East.

Pakistan values and welcome each and every bid and endeavour to resolve differences and misunderstandings between Muslim countries, said Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Aide to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony adding that Pakistan values its relations with Kuwait.

In a released statement, following the meeting of Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi and Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, here on Wednesday, both the dignitaries vowed and resolve to further strengthened relations between Pakistan and Kuwait in all areas with exchange of cooperation.

Both the dignitaries underlined that with exchange of delegates between Kuwait and Pakistan, cooperation between both the countries will be extended in areas of trade, economy and culture adding that employment opportunities for Pakistanis will also be generated in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Interreligious Harmony also held meeting with Interior Minister Brigadier (R) Ijaz Shah and held detailed discussions on Interreligious Harmony and overall peace situation in the country.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 9, 2020: Pakistan Interfaith and Peace Council organized a roundtable discussion for the promotion of interfaith and intra-faith dialogue and understanding today.

The event was supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan.

Religious leaders from all Islamic Sects and religious minorities in Pakistan, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, human rights and legal professionals as well as academics participated in the roundtable.

The discussion aimed to seek common ground between participants in order to promote religious harmony and tolerance. Following the one-day discussion, participants committed to continue working together. They vowed to work for all constitutional rights to be extended to all citizens of Pakistan irrespective of religion, creed, colour, and race.

The participants vowed to ensure that the message of inclusion and inter- and intra-faith harmony will be spread and amplified from the pulpits, places of worship of all religions and the platforms of other fora.

The closing session took place in presence of the Ambassadors and diplomats of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom as well as France, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Spain.

While addressing the closing session, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Allama Dr. Peer Noor ul Haq Qadri, referred to the ‘Message of Pakistan’, which guarantees the protection of the non-Muslim population of the country, all civil rights and the freedom of worship and faith, and which declares suicide attacks in the name of religion as contrary to the spirit of Islam.

The participants extended appreciations to the efforts to the conveners, Androulla Kaminara, Ambassador of the European Union, and Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Harmony Pakistan, for their tireless effortsin convening the event.

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COURTESY DNA NEWS

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