FARUKH SHEHZAD

LAHORE, FEB 28: PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on Saturday hinted at the chance that the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) long march, planned for the next month to supposedly oust the Imran Khan government, may not be held after all.

“There is a possibility that the long march may not be needed,” said the PML-N leader in reply to a question whether the PDM’s long march would end before moving beyond the PML-N’s bastion of Gujranwala.

She was talking to reporters here on Saturday before receiving her cousin Hamza Shehbaz, who was released from the Kot Lakhpat Jail on bail after spending 20 months in prison in a money laundering case instituted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the opposition alliance PDM, had announced that the long march on Islamabad would be held from March 26 to overthrow the government.

Released from jail on bail, Hamza says no corruption charge established against Sharif family

Ms Nawaz, however, did not explain why the march might not be needed. But, she did declare that people were fully prepared for it.

Answering a question about the PML-N joining hands with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) over the Senate polls in Punjab from where all 11 candidates have been elected unopposed, she said: “It is better if you do not ask me about this.”

Five Senate seats went to the PTI and PML-N each and one to the PML-Q, an ally of the ruling party.

A source close to her said that Ms Nawaz was not happy over her party’s decision to go for an unopposed Senate election in Punjab. Ms Nawaz wanted the election in Punjab on March 3 to expose the fissures within the PTI. She is of the view that through the unopposed election, the opposition had provided relief to Imran Khan, the source said.

The PTI has credited PML-Q senior leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi with evolving a consensus among the ruling party and the opposition — PML-N and PPP — to have their senators elected as per their numbers in the Punjab Assembly.

“There was no rigging, no quarrel, and no bickering. The Senate polls were held successfully in Punjab. Another successful inning of the Pakistan Muslim League for strengthening democracy,” PML-Q MNA Moonis Elahi had tweeted.

Critical of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz said only one constituency (NA-75) had exposed the “theft” by Imran Khan. “He used to talk about free and fair elections and umpires. In this by-poll, the umpire was kidnapped and even then he [Imran Khan] failed to win this election.”

Ms Nawaz hoped that the disgruntled PTI members would vote for the PDM candidate, Yousuf Raza Gilani, for an Islamabad Senate seat against Hafeez Sheikh. “Imran Khan got selected last time through rigging, but in the future he stands no chance and his party’s lawmakers know this. Therefore, some of them will not vote for the PTI candidate,” she claimed.

When asked about her cousin Hamza Shehbaz’s role in the PML-N, Ms Nawaz said: “Hamza has worked for the party relentlessly. We both are helping each other. Whatever duty the party assigns us we will do it.”

A good number of PML-N workers had gathered outside the Kot Lakhpat jail to receive the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. Upon his release, Mr Hamza and Ms Nawaz led a rally of party workers towards the Sharifs’ Model Town residence. At a couple of points, he also addressed the charged party workers.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hamza said: “No corruption has been established against me, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Ahsan Iqbal. This government has not launched a single development project in about three years.”

He said the opposition could not sit with “vote, sugar and flour thieves”, adding that the government had made the life of the common man miserable.

PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said the opposition leader had braved 20 months of illegal imprisonment and responded to Imran Khan’s political victimisation with courage and resilience. She said Mr Hamza had become a symbol of defiance against persecution by the “NAB-Niazi unholy alliance”.

The former information minister said: “The PTI could not prove a single penny of corruption by Hamza even after exhaustive abuse of power, illegal detention, mental torture, smear campaign and unconstitutional treatment. The role of the NAB-Niazi alliance will always be quoted as one of the darkest chapters in history.”

The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Hamza Shehbaz in a money laundering reference. Mr Hamza had sought bail primarily on the ground of inordinate delay in conclusion of the trial proceedings after the Supreme Court denied him the relief with a directive to approach the high court with fresh grounds.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 27: The diplomatic staff of the Embassy of Indonesia to Pakistan visited the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad and had a meeting with the Senior Management of CGSS.

During the meeting, it was decided that CGSS and the Embassy of Indonesia in Pakistan will collaborate to organize various research and academic activities.

The concept of Regional Integration Center, Punjab University, Lahore was also introduced during the meeting.

It was decided that the Embassy of Indonesia will facilitate in connecting different institutions and think tanks of Indonesia with Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

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COURTESY CGSS

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LAHORE, FEB 26: Pakistan and Qatar have signed a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import agreement for 10 years.

While addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Central Business District in Lahore on Friday, the prime minister said that it took the incumbent government three years to negotiate the LNG import agreement with Qatar which will help save US$ 300 million annually.

Talking about the Central Business District, the prime minister said that the project will serve as a business hub that will help in wealth generation.

The prime minister was confident that the Central Business District project will help generate Rs 6,000 billion.

In the first phase, he said that the project will generate Rs 1,300 billion and the federal government will get Rs 250 billion in taxes.

The prime minister stressed that wealth generation projects are important to strengthen the economy enabling it to return the loans.

Imran Khan regretted that the economy was mismanaged in the previous two governments. He said that we inherited a difficult economic situation.

However, he expressed satisfaction that the current account surplus remained surplus during the first six months of the current fiscal year.

The prime minister said that our textile exports are also witnessing an increase and new industries are being set up in the Country.

Referring to the Naya Pakistan Housing Project, the prime minister said that it will provide affordable houses to the salaried class and the laborers.

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COURTESY dndnews

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WASHINGTON, FEB 26: In its first statement on occupied Kashmir, the Biden administration has urged India and Pakistan to hold direct talks on the issue, and welcomed an agreement between the two neighbours to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Control (LoC).

Both India and Pakistan announced on Thursday that their senior military commanders have agreed to strictly observe all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the LoC and other sectors, with effect from midnight on Wednesday.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Ned Price mentioned this agreement in his opening statement at the Thursday afternoon news briefing.

“We welcome the joint statement between India and Pakistan that the two countries have agreed to maintain strict observance of a ceasefire along the LoC starting immediately," he said.

“We encourage continued efforts to improve communication between the two sides and to reduce tensions and violence along the LoC,” he added.

His statement prompted journalists to ask: “To what extent, if any, did the United States play a role in helping broker this new ceasefire agreement?”

Media representatives also recalled that when US President Joe Biden was the vice president in the Obama administration, he had a very warm relationship with Pakistan and saw Islamabad as a vital partner in the war in Afghanistan.

The journalists wanted to know how Biden’s previous closeness to Pakistan would impact his policy towards the country now when he was the president.

They also wanted to know how this would interplay with his relationship with India.

“When it comes to the US role, we continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues of concern,” said the State Department spokesman while responding to these queries.

“And […] we certainly welcome the arrangement that was announced” in the region, he added.

Price said that he and other officials of the Biden administration have been urging the two neighboring countries to reduce their tensions since Jan 20, when Biden took oath as the new US president.

“You’ve heard me say from this podium and others from this administration say that we had called on the parties to reduce tensions along the LoC by returning to that 2003 ceasefire agreement,” he said.

“We have been very clear that we condemn the terrorists who seek to infiltrate across the LoC.”

Asked how this effort to “stay neutral” between India and Pakistan would affect the Biden administration’s policies towards Islamabad, Price said: “Pakistan is an important partner with whom we share many interests. We, as I said, have been clear in terms of this issue.”

The US official also referred to Pakistan’s role in the Afghan peace talks, as Washington expects Islamabad to stay engaged with the Taliban for restoring peace to the war-ravaged country.

“So clearly, we will be paying close attention, and we urge the Pakistanis to play a constructive role in all of these areas of mutual interest, including in Afghanistan, including with Kashmir, including with our other shared interests,” he said.

Pakistan played a key role in arranging a peace deal between the Taliban and the Trump administration, signed in Doha in February last year.

The Biden administration has said that it respects the deal but needs more time to study its features.

This has been interpreted as indicating that Biden may not fulfill the Trump administration’s pledge to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by May 1.

This could further complicate Pakistan’s role as a mediator because the Taliban want all foreign troops to leave as agreed. Any delay in the withdrawal could further harden their attitude towards the Kabul government.

Last week, the United Nations and the United States both condemned the Taliban for increasing their attacks on Afghan government targets, making it clear that this level of violence was unacceptable to the international community.

After a virtual meeting, the US-led Nato alliance also sent a similar message to Taliban leaders who continue to demand a complete withdrawal by May 1.

Underling Pakistan’s role in this complex process, the State Department spokesman said: “Obviously, Pakistan has an important role to play when it comes to Afghanistan and what takes place across its other border.”

UN Charter outlaws use of force, Pakistan reminds UNSC

Meanwhile, a statement Pakistan made at an informal UN forum indicated that Islamabad had concerns about a major Indian aggression along the LoC before their military commanders reached an understanding to reduce tensions.

The statement caused political observers in Washington to speculate that the US and other major players were aware of and might have played a role in reducing tensions between South Asia’s two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistan used the Arria Formula, an informal arrangement, to convey the alarming message hours before senior military commanders from both countries agreed to strictly observe all agreements and understandings.

The Arria formula, named after a former Venezuelan ambassador to the UN, was used in March 1992 to draw the world’s attention to the situation in Bosnia.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram began his briefing with a reminder to the UNSC members that the purpose of the UN Charter was to outlaw the resort to war.

“Unfortunately, today the resort to unauthorised and unilateral use of force is most visible in [...] foreign occupation and intervention; in denial of the right of self-determination; in the coercion of smaller and weaker States,” Ambassador Akram said.

“Pakistan faces cross border attacks by terrorist groups from the territory of the neighboring state supported by a third state.”

“Pakistan,” the envoy said, “has respected the territorial sovereignty of its neighboring states but we have the right to self-defence against the state which is sponsoring these terrorist attacks against Pakistan.”

Ambassador Akram also underlined a disturbing trend of exploiting the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States to justify aggression against others.

“It is regrettable that after 9/11 the fight against international terrorism has been utilised to justify the unilateral use of force and foreign intervention,” he said.

“The use of force in self-defence is limited to repelling an armed attack. It does not cover ‘future’ or ‘anticipated’ attacks. The concept of ‘preventive’ or ‘anticipatory’ use of force is contrary to the UN Charter and illegal," he said.

How was the agreement reached?

The outcome of the conversation between the directors general military operations of the two countries, held after a long time, was significant, but people were curious about knowing how the two sides reached this point.

With no convincing explanation coming either from Islamabad or Delhi, diplomatic observers believed that it was a result of some backchannel talks that may have been at work. But who were involved in it?

Sources say it had been taking place between the intelligence agencies of the two countries with the blessings of the respective military leaderships. Almost everyone agrees that not many people were in the loop on both sides.

In India it was rumoured that Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was involved in the backchannel dialogue from his side. Some Indian media organisations speculated that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Moeed Yusuf was the person on the Pakistani side.

Yusuf, however, through a tweet denied that he was part of any backchannel talks. He tweeted: “No such talks have taken place between me and Doval.”

In another tweet, he said the agreement resulted through DGMOs dialogue was “done privately and professionally through the direct channel.”

In an audio clip that earlier in the day made rounds on social media, Yusuf could be heard saying: “These things happen behind the scenes. A lot of effort goes into it. Do you think this happened without effort and without pressure.”

Yusuf had in an interview with Karan Thapar in October 2020, which was the first by a Pakistani official with any Indian media since annexation of occupied Kashmir by India in August 2019, said India had sent message expressing desire for talks.

It should also be recalled that Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa had in two statements earlier this month made gesture for resolving tensions. Speaking at the PAF Academy, he said: “It is time to extend hand of peace in all directions.”

Another significance of the agreement is that the Pakistan government engaged with India despite setting the conditions that it would not do so until and unless India cancelled the annexation of occupied Kashmir and ended the human rights violations there.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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FARUKH SHEHZAD

This is the major problem that every parent have been facing in their life and looking for its long term salutation without putting any effort, which cannot be happen as we all know without putting effort nothing can be achieved.

Most of the parents do not know about this problem how to be fixed and the majority of them have good knowledge that how we can get over the line and fix this problem.

Parents always take character building of their children very light so they do not give proper time to their children before their age of 15.

Few important reasons are mentioned below

Parents get too much busy in their job, earning money, attending parties and functions and other life activities.

Parents do not put high attention on children during their first 15 year's from birth.

Because the first 15 years are highly crucial for a good character building of a child.

What we normally see during the first 15 year's:

We see parent’s handover mobile phone to their children and they spend most of their time in playing video games.

Children spend all their time on television watching drama's and cartoon's repeatedly, therefore children don't get much time for building of good character and good human being.

Parents and Children of Modern Days Vs Golden Days

Because 80% of the learning of a child is through from ears [By listening] and the remaining 20% of the learning is from eyes [By Watching].

So, when a child listens or watches anything repeatedly day after day... month after month... He actually is in a deep learning process... By doing this everything goes deep into his/her mind and blood effortlessly' So he never forgets it for the rest of his life.

The hard and painful stage of life that No parents want to face

Yes, it is the utmost painful phase of life when the parents order or request to their children to finish any job and they refused to follow.

Why Children refused on most of the occasions:

Because Parents did not give proper time to their children when they were in growing age.

Parents did not give proper love to children.

Parents did not explain about purpose of life.

Parents were busy making money and children were busy in mobile phones and watching television.

Children of Golden Day's

60, 70 year's ago there were children and they were in Golden Day's.

Even though, they did not have mobile phones and television and other facilities but they were well educated and those days children did not get a fake education like us.

Those days children were well aware of the aim of life.

So, we can call them Children of the Golden Day's.

The solution to this problem here below:

Solution is very simple… Parents need to follow few steps to make their children a good human being.

Step No. 1: Parents must restrict their life activities to grab a good amount of time to spend with their children.

Step No. 2: Parents must avoid giving mobile phone to children at the age of 1 years from 15 years or at least 10 years is a must.

Step No. 3: Parents must take steps to keep their children away from watching television at the age of 1 years from 15 years or at least 10 years is a must.

Step No. 4: Parents must give proper love to their children by spending time with them (Taking children out for picnic does not mean that you are giving proper time to children.

Steps No 5: Parents need to tell their children about the aim of life thru little stories before they reach 10 years of age.

So, these were the solution and important steps which every parent must follow to make their children a good human being in the society.

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The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG

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DataSync Pvt. Ltd joins hands with Tech Saeein to help SMEs. The goal of the collaboration is to enable SMEs achieve highest automation at an affordable cost

Karachi, FEB 25: The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) constitute nearly 90% of all the enterprises in Pakistan; They employ 80% of the non-agricultural labor force; and their share in the annual GDP is approximately 40%. However, unlike large enterprises in the formal sector, a small and medium enterprise is constrained by financial and other resources. 

This inherent characteristic of an SME makes it imperative that there should be a mechanism through which it may get support in different functions of business including technical upgradation, marketing, financial and human resource training & development.

Realizing the constraints faced by the SMEs, DataSync and TechSaeein are collaborating to help the small and medium enterprises in the country to improve workers productivity by using its finest office management solution eOffice^TM. This is a great opportunity for SMEs to test drive eOffice^TM & digitize their operations. This collaborative effort entitles the SMEs/Customers of TechSaeein to use eOffice^TM with premium support for six months at no cost. This highly scalable system is extremely user friendly and secure & offers a seamless integration of different processes and departments. eOffice^TM is a great tool to migrate operations into a paperless environment trimming 89% of the operations overhead & improve staff efficiency by 90%.

Since its inception DataSync’s primary goal has been to digitally enable every business and institution with technology, by supercharging their operations and processes through high-tech solutions at a very affordable cost. Datasync has formed partnerships with associations, businesses, NGOs and startup incubators to provide users access to technology & help achieve highest automation at an affordable cost. As part of its CSR initiative DataSync provides free use of its products with dedicated support and training to NGOs that are serving the local communities & institutions.

TechSaeein is the brainchild of three veterans from Information Technology, Banking and FinTech, individually having over three decades of highest-level management experience of their fields. The thought process behind creating a Premium-Online store was to provide a One-Stop-Shop for those Quality Seeker who despite their extensive efforts could not find the right gadget in the market. Tech Saeein is an online store where they provide you with the best quality branded products that include all types of PCs – desktops & laptops, printers, smartphones, smart devices& appliances, wearables & consumables. All products carry original brand warranty.

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KARACHI, FEB 25: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has thanked the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) for allowing crowds up to 50 percent for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 preliminary round matches and capacity crowds for the playoffs.

However, following a careful review and keeping spectators’ health and safety at the forefront and taking into consideration the SOP implementation-related challenges, the PCB has decided to opt for 50 percent crowds for all Karachi-leg matches with decision on increased crowds for Lahore-leg matches to be made in due course.

As such, online ticket sales for the remaining Karachi-leg matches will start on Thursday at 2200 (Pakistan time).

Fans can visit www.bookme.pk for purchasing match tickets and selecting their preferred enclosures and choice of seats.

Spectators can also call Bookme helpline (03137786888) to book their tickets for which CNIC number and ‘phone number will be mandatory. When the match ticket has been confirmed, the customer will be sent a token number on the registered ‘phone so the customer can make the payment at the closest JazzCash/Easypaisa shop.

Upon payment, the customer will receive an e-ticket code along with a Quick Response (QR) Code, which the customer can use to print the ticket or show the SMS at the entry gate on match day.

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COURTESY dndnews

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 25: Area Study Centre (Russia China & Central Asia), University of Peshawar, Peshawar and Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad jointly organized One Day Exclusive Training Session on “Mastering the Essentials of Personal Development” at Peshawar.

The training session focused on how one can polish interpersonal skills, creating a balance between personal and professional life, learn the tools, strategies and techniques to make your life & career successful. The training session comprised of three segments and was organized to equip the students with soft skills, interpersonal skills and essentials for their personal and academic development.

Ms. Laraib Fatima, Personal Development Expert explained the power of soft skills. She initiated her training session by discussing the basic difference of hard skills and soft skills.

She also explained the use of soft skills in various walks of life like scholarship & job interviews, official Interactions etc. Ms. Laraib further elaborated the etiquettes of appearing in interviews and the do's and don’ts of sharing important information. Furthermore, she also elaborated techniques to present soft skills on one's CV.

Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Public Relations Expert & Communication Specialist delivered training on the importance of interpersonal skills. She highlighted the tools used to communicate & interact with an individual or a group effectively.

She stated that interpersonal skills are important for personal development, to foster effective communication, to keep the feedback loop open, to expand your opportunities and to be an effective leader.

She stated that Interpersonal skills are important for communicating and working with groups and individuals in your personal and professional life. People with strong interpersonal skills tend to build good relationships and can work well with others.

Engr. Tariq Khattak, Motivational Speaker &Life Coach delivered training on personality development. He highlighted how to set goals and achieve them. He stated that first listen, understand, express and then speak. He discussed in detail leadership skills and also shared experiences from his own life describing how to deal with challenges and problems.

He stated that a balance between personal and professional life is the key. One most govern the circumstances and take control of life challenges.

The training was attended by 120 participants including, students and faculty members from institutions across Peshawar.

COURTESY CGSS/TWITTER

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BAKU, FEB 25: The 29th Anniversary of the Khojaly genocide will be observed on Friday (February 26, 2021), paying tribute to victims of the Khojaly tragedy and drawing the International Community’s attention to crimes committed by Armenia against humanity.

In a statement on the occasion of the 29th Anniversary of the Khojaly genocide, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan said that February 26, 2021 marks the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide committed by the armed forces of Armenia during the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

One of the gravest crimes committed against the civilian population during the decades of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and the most tragic page of the First Karabakh War was the occupation of Khojaly city. Before the conflict, 7,000 people were living in this town located in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. From October 1991, the town was entirely surrounded by the armed forces of Armenia. Over the night of the 25 to 26 February 1992, following massive artillery bombardment of Khojaly, the armed forces of Armenia, with the help of the infantry guards regiment No.366 of the former USSR, implemented the seizure of Khojaly. Invaders destroyed Khojaly and with particular brutality implemented carnage over its peaceful population.

As a result of the Khojaly genocide, 5,379 inhabitants of the city were forcefully expelled, 1,275 were captured and taken hostage (the fate of 150 of them, including 68 women and 26 children, remains unknown to date) and were tortured, 487 were injured, 8 families were completely destroyed, 130 children lost one and 25 children lost both parents, 613 people, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 elderly brutally murdered.

The statement said that all the existing facts of the tragic events in Khojaly prove conclusively that the crimes committed in this city of Azerbaijan were not an ordinary and accidental act but an integral part of Armenia’s policy of systematic violence. The purposeful massacre of civilians in Khojaly was a crime based on ethnic grounds; it was aimed at the mass killing of people simply because they were Azerbaijanis.

At present, the national legislative bodies of 17 countries, as well as 24 States of the USA, have adopted resolutions and decisions condemning the massacre of civilians in Khojaly and assessing it as a crime against humanity. At the same time, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTSS) have adopted resolutions and statements strongly condemning the Khojaly genocide.

In its judgment of 22 April 2010, the European Court of Human Rights arrived at an important conclusion with respect to the crime committed in Khojaly, qualifying the behavior of those carrying out the incursion as “acts of particular gravity which may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity”.

Alongside the Republic of Armenia’s responsibility as a State for internationally wrongful acts, under the customary and treaty norms of international criminal law, certain acts perpetrated in the context of an armed conflict, including those in the town of Khojaly, are viewed as international criminal offences and responsibility for them is borne on an individual basis by those who participated in the said acts, their accomplices and accessories.

In his cynical admission of culpability, Armenia’s then Defence Minister and ex-President Serzh Sargsyan was quoted by the British journalist Thomas de Waal as saying, “before Khojali, the Azerbaijanis thought that … the Armenians were people who could not raise their hand against the civilian population. We were able to break that [stereotype]” (Thomas de Waal, Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War (New York and London, New York University Press, 2003), p. 172).

Purposeful targeting of the Azerbaijani civilian population and crimes against humanity against them were continued by Armenia during the Second Karabakh War. Armenia, deliberately targeting the civilian population and civilian infrastructure of such Azerbaijani cities as Ganja, Barda, Terter, located at a considerable distance from the war zone, in 2020, as in 1992, resorted to the same terror tactics, and this time already with the use of modern types of armoured vehicles and rocket launchers, which led to the massacres of peaceful Azerbaijanis. Both the Khojaly genocide in 1992 and the bombing of the civilian population in 2020 clearly demonstrate Armenia’s purposeful policy of violence against Azerbaijanis.

The statement said that the Republic of Azerbaijan believes that continuous measures taken at the national level, as well as within the framework of existing international law, will serve to end impunity and bring to justice those responsible for serious crimes committed during Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan.

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COURTESY Azerbaijan Embassy in Islamabad/dndnews

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KARACHI, FEB 25: Sharjeel Khan's splendid century went in vain as Islamabad United defeated Karachi Kings by five wickets in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) VI match at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.

United, who were chasing a target of 197, won the game with five balls to spare as their batsmen gave an overall excellent performance.

The Shadab Khan-led team lost their first wicket in the starting over of the fixture after opener Phil Salt was caught out by Daniel Christian off Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim's delivery.

Mohammad Amir struck in the second over as Shadab got out on lbw.

The other opener, Alex Hales, managed to save the innings from a completely dismal start, hitting six boundaries in the first five overs.

In total, Hales struck eight boundaries and one six in his 21-ball 46 and was named Player of the Match.

Iftikhar Ahmed (49 not out) and Hussain Talat (42) also performed strongly with the bat to help their side past the respectable target of 197.

Earlier, Islamabad United won the toss and chose to bowl first.

The innings for the home side was opened by Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan who looked in fine form, hitting effortless boundaries to pick up runs.

The game picked up pace from the 8th over as Sharjeel struck one four and five sixes in just two overs, snatching control from United's bowlers.

Babar hit another boundary in Lewis Gregory's over, becoming the leading run-scorer in the PSL. In the same over, Sharjeel hit a four to bring up his half-century.

The Kings had a scare in the 14th over when Sharjeel was apparently caught out, only for it to be ruled a no-ball. It seemed as if Islamabad United were out of luck when a second catch out (Babar) was again ruled a no-ball.

Sharjeel brought up his century in style, sealing it with a six.

Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan's stint was the highest opening partnership in the tournament's history.

The partnership was finally broken in the 19th over when Babar whose catch was dropped by Alex Hales was run out by Hasan Ali. Sharjeel got out on the very next ball, caught lbw by Hasan, after making a magnificent 59-ball 105.

Kings lost their third wicket when Mohammad Nabi got caught out by Zafar Gohar off Hussain Talat's ball.

Teams:

Karachi Kings: Imad Wasim (capt), Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Colin Ingram, Joe Clarke (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Daniel Christian, Amir Yamin, Waqas Maqsood, Muhammad Amir, Arshad Iqbal.

Islamabad United: Alex Hales, Phil Salt (wk), Shadab Khan (capt), Hussain Talat, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Lewis Gregory, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Zafar Gohar, Wasim.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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