FARUKH SHEHZAD

BEIJING, MAY 9: Debris from China's Long March rocket, announced to be out of control on May 7, fell to Earth in the Indian Ocean near Maldives early Sunday.

Parts of the debris returned to the Earth at 10.24 Chinese local time (0224GMT), according to a statement by China Manned Space Engineering Office.

Most of the rocket burned up by the time it landed in the ocean, officials said.

Long March 5B Y2 was launched April 29 to carry the core module, Tianhe, of China's National Space Administration to its orbit.

Tianhe separated from the core stage of the launcher after 492 seconds of flight, directly entering its initial planned orbit.

China acknowledged on May 7 that debris of its indigenously built rocket was "falling back on earth."

China's upcoming T-shaped space station said the debris might re-enter Earth's atmosphere on or around May 9-10.

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Sadiq Khan won re-election for a second term as London mayor on Saturday, beating Conservative rival Shaun Bailey. Khan, first elected in 2016, won with just over 1.2 million votes in a closer than anticipated victory over Bailey, who gained 977,601 votes in Thursday's poll.

LONDON, MAY 9: Sadiq Khan was re-elected London Mayor on Saturday as had been widely expected, providing some joy to the opposition Labour Party which has suffered a series of disappointing results in other local elections.

Khan, who became the first Muslim to head a major Western capital after his victory in 2016, saw off his main challenger, Shaun Bailey, the candidate from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party.

He won by 55.2% to Bailey's 44.8% in a result which had been widely predicted, although his winning margin was smaller than his victory five years ago.

"I am deeply humbled by the trust Londoners have placed in me to continue leading the greatest city on earth," Khan said, who focused his campaign on creating jobs and boosting London's tourism economy.

"I promise to strain every sinew to help build a better and brighter future for London after the dark days of the pandemic."

Khan, a former member of parliament who replaced Johnson as leader of the British capital with a population of almost nine million people, has faced criticism over rising violent crime in the capital, particularly stabbings involving teenagers.

His record on the issue and other security issues led to a series of angry Twitter spats with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Khan's success comes after a bruising set of results for Labour in local elections in its former heartlands in central and northern England - known as the party's "Red Wall" - which followed a disastrous performance in the 2019 national vote.

While Johnson has enjoyed wide success elsewhere in England, the opposition party has become increasingly dominant in the British capital.

Analysts attribute this to the city's younger, more ethnically-diverse and more pro-European Union population, which unlike most of England, overwhelmingly opposed Brexit.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 9: Pakistan on Satur­day expressed serious concern over illegal possession of a large quantity of uranium by two unauthorised persons in India and pointed to gaps in state control mechanisms there.

“We have noted with serious concern the reports about seizure of more than 7kg natural uranium from unauthorised persons in India,” Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said.

Indian authorities had on Wednesday seized 7.1kg of natural uranium and arrested two persons — Jigar Pandya, 27, and Abu Tahir Afzal Husain Choudhary, 31 — in Nagpur. The seized uranium is worth $2.9 million.

It is believed that the uranium had been stolen or illegally mined. It was reportedly unprocessed as it had not been refined and converted to “yellow cake”.

It isn’t clear to whom did the two men want to sell it. It is believed that it could have been channelled to the international black market.

The very fact that some people stole or illegally mined uranium raises concerns about nuclear safety and security in India. It also indicates the possibility of a nuclear market existing in India that could be connected to international players.

“Security of nuclear materials should be the top priority for all countries,” Chaudhri said.

“There is a need for thorough investigation of the matter as to how such sizeable quantity of uranium could become available outside any state control and identify the gaps which made this possible,” he added.

Pakistan did not raise the matter with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, because it has been the government’s policy that security of nuclear material is a national responsibility.

However, India should report this incident to the IAEA’s Incident and Tracking Data Base mechanism as the uranium could have been trafficked to non-state or state actors or handed over to other rackets.

India’s nuclear safety and security record is not very impressive. Lax state control, as indicated by the latest seizure of uranium, shows that India still has to go a long way before becoming a responsible nuclear power and be accepted as a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group, a nuclear expert said.

According to an Indian parliamentary report, 147 mishaps or security-related occurrences were reported in Indian atomic energy plants between 1995 and 1998. Out of these instances, 28 were of acute nature and nine of these occurred in nuclear power installations.

More worrying, the expert noted, is the fact that nuclear arsenal is in the hands of an irresponsible extremist government. India has been a customer in nuclear black market, he said, adding the Indian state must regulate nuclear material or else could be considered complicit in their trafficking.

Soon after the news about the seizure broke, some quarters began expressing apprehensions that it could have landed in the hands of Hindu extremists, who could have used it for making dirty bombs.

However, this is far from the truth. Natural uranium is not useful for making dirty bombs. For that cobalt 60 etc. are far more lethal. Seven kilograms of natural uranium contains about 0.049kg of U235, which is the bomb material, provided someone could subject it to an enrichment process, a challenge in itself, according to nuclear experts.

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DOHA, MAY 9: Government of Pakistan has condemned attact on Al-Aqsa Masjid by Israel on Saturday.

The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has called for worldwide protests against Israeli violence in Palestine.

In a Facebook statement, the union urged the Muslim ummah and the humanity at large to support Palestinians amid days-long tensions in Jerusalem, especially in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, due to Israeli plans to evacuate Palestinians.

Protests in solidarity with the residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood have taken place across Jerusalem prompting clashes with Israeli police.

On Friday, Israeli police's violent storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque led to the injury of more than 205 Palestinians sparking widespread condemnation.

The union urged Muslim and Arab governments "to take practical steps to prevent the crimes of the [Israeli] occupiers and their attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque."

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Saudi Arabia and longstanding ally Pakistan signed several agreements Saturday and vowed to reset ties strained by months of disagreement over policy on the Kashmir dispute.

RIYADH, MAY 9: Pakistan's prime minister met the crown prince of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Saturday to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues, including the Afghan peace dialogue and the Kashmir dispute.

Imran Khan and Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed the strong and historic bonds between the two countries rooted firmly in shared beliefs, common values, mutual trust, and longstanding tradition of mutual support, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.

Khan, who is on a three-day visit to the oil-rich kingdom, reiterated Pakistan's "abiding" support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.

He outlined his vision for a peaceful region to advance objectives of national economic development and highlighted Islamabad's "consistent" efforts to support peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

He also stressed the need for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

The two sides agreed to further strengthen, deepen, and diversify their existing bilateral political, economic, trade, defense, and security ties, according to the statement.

Special emphasis was laid on increasing Saudi investments in Pakistan, collaboration in the field of energy, and increased job opportunities for Pakistanis in Saudi Arabia, it added.

Khan also thanked the Saudi leadership for taking considerate measures for the welfare of Pakistani expatriates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two leaders signed the Agreement on Establishment of the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SPSCC), the statement added.

The council, co-chaired by the premier and the crown prince, is "designed to impart strategic direction to the development of Pakistan-Saudi relations."

They also witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoU).

These included an "agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Combating Crimes; agreement on Transfer of Convicted Individuals (Prisoners); MoU on Combating Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals; and Framework MoU for financing of projects (totaling up to $500 million) in energy, hydropower generation, infrastructure, transport and communication and water resource development."

The Pakistani prime minister also invited the Saudi crown prince to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience, the statement added.

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KABUL, MAY 9: A blast outside a girls' school in an area of the Afghan capital populated largely by the Hazara community killed at least 30 people and wounded scores including students on Saturday, officials said.

The explosion rocked the west Kabul district of Dasht-e-Barchi — a regular target of Islamist militants — as residents were out shopping ahead of Eidul Fitr next week that marks the end of Ramazan.

It comes as the United States military continues to pull out its last remaining 2,500 troops from violence-wracked Afghanistan, despite faltering peace efforts between the Taliban and Afghan government to end a decades-long war.

Interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian told reporters that at least “30 people were killed and 52 wounded” in the blast.

Arian's deputy Hamid Roshan told AFP that an investigation had begun into the explosion, adding that casualties included students.

“I saw many bloodied bodies in dust and smoke, while some of the wounded were screaming in pain,” Reza, who escaped the blast, told AFP, adding that most of the victims were teenaged female students who had just left the school.

“I saw a woman checking the bodies and calling for her daughter. She then found her daughter's blood stained purse after which she fainted and fell to the ground.”

Health ministry spokesman Dastagir Nazari said several ambulances had been rushed to the site and were evacuating the wounded.

He said an angry crowd had beaten the ambulance workers at the site.

No organisation took responsibility for the attack and the Taliban denied involvement.

But President Ashraf Ghani blamed the group for the blast, which took place near the entry gate of Sayed Al-Shuhada girls' school.

“This savage group [Taliban] does not have the power to confront security forces on the battlefield, and instead targets with brutality and barbarism public facilities and the girls' school,” he said in a statement.

'Despicable act of terrorism'

The Taliban has denied carrying out attacks in Kabul since February last year, when they signed a deal with the United States that paved the way for peace talks and withdrawal of the remaining US troops.

But the group has clashed in near-daily battles in the rugged countryside with Afghan forces even as the US military continues its withdrawal.

The US was supposed to have pulled all forces out by May 1 under a deal struck with the Taliban last year, but Washington pushed back the date to September 11 — a move that angered the insurgents.

The European Union delegation in Afghanistan condemned what it said was a “despicable act of terrorism”.

“Targeting primarily students in a girls' school, makes this an attack on the future of Afghanistan. On young people determined to improve their country,” it said on Twitter.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed its “deep revulsion” at the blast.

The Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood has been a regular target of attacks from Islamist militants.

In May last year a group of gunmen attacked a hospital in the area in a brazen daylight raid that left 25 people killed, including 16 mothers of new-born babies.

The hospital was supported by Doctors Without Borders, the international medical charity, which later pulled out of the project.

No group claimed that attack, but Ghani blamed the Taliban and the Islamic State group.

On October 24, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a tuition centre in the same district, killing 18 people including students in an attack that also went unclaimed.

Pakistan condemns attack

Meanwhile, Pakistan strongly condemned the "reprehensible" attack. In a statement, the Foreign Office said that that Pakistan offered heartfelt condolences to the Afghan government and citizens and prayed for quick recovery of the injured.

"Pakistan condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations. At this moment of grief, Pakistan stands [with] Afghan brethren in their struggle against the scourge of terrorism," the statement said.

"Pakistan will continue to support Afghanistan on its path to peace, progress and prosperity," it added.

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ANKARA, MAY 8: Foreign Affairs Minister of Palestine, Riyad al-Maliki met Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Turkey.

During the meeting both leaders discussed several important matters of bilateral cooperation.

Turkish support with Palestine will always remain active, Mevlut Cavusoglu ensured to Palestinian counterpart.

In addition, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu emphasized strong support and he said that Israel must end occupation of E. Jerusalem and West Bank and must allow elections.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu also condemned attacks on Haram al-Sharif and forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah.

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LAHORE, MAY 8: PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif was reportedly not allowed to fly from the Lahore airport to the United Kingdom via Qatar on Saturday morning after the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) allegedly placed his name on "another list", preventing him from leaving the country.

Earlier on Friday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted Shehbaz conditional permission to travel abroad once for medical treatment.

Speaking to the media early Saturday morning, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that two FIA officials were present in court when the LHC issued an order allowing Shehbaz to travel abroad. The court order also mentioned the flight number the PML-N president would take to fly to Qatar, Aurangzeb said.

"When Shehbaz Sharif came to the airport today, FIA officials stopped him and said he could not travel because there was another list, a 'person-not-in-list'," she said, adding that according to the FIA, the system had not been updated yet after the court order.

Terming it "malafide" intention, Aurangzeb said that the present government's priorities were focused on "Shehbaz Sharif" and political opponents instead of providing electricity, water, sugar and wheat to citizens.

She claimed that Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar had been issuing statements saying they "did not accept" the order and they would make "complete efforts to stop Shehbaz".

"The proforma that was given [after not letting Shehbaz fly] states ‘of by immigration not updated in IBMS system PNIL notepad’. The two FIA officials present for the court order [...] they did not update the system. [Prime Minister Imran Khan's] instructions came and Akbar carried them out," Aurangzeb alleged.

Dawn.com has reached out to the FIA for a statement on the episode and awaits a response.

The PML-N spokesperson termed the FIA's notice as "lies" and a violation of the LHC's order.

"This is tantamount to contempt of court and we are holding legal discussions on this," she added.

She questioned what the government could gain from stopping Shehbaz from travelling abroad, stressing that the government would have to answer. "They know the public has rejected them whether it is in Daska, Wazirabad or Karachi. This is why they have resorted to such petty actions.

"They are afraid that the PML-N is united, the people of Pakistan are voting for PML-N and Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif's service."

She alleged that Shehbaz was stopped on the "orders" of the prime minister and Akbar.

Speaking alongside Aurangzeb, PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar claimed that there were "two Pakistans" — one where the prime minister could "get his special assistant Zulfiqar Bukhari's name removed from the ECL in 1.5 hours" and the other one in which the system was not updated despite a court order.

"Shehbaz Sharif's name was not on the ECL after which NAB went to the Supreme Court to get [the PML-N president's] name put on the ECL but was rejected. Following this, the NAB-Niazi nexus tried to put Shehbaz's name on the blacklist. There is a list called the 'person-not-in-list' which is illegal and a dirty tactic through which a person can be temporarily stopped from flying abroad".

He too termed the addition of Shehbaz's name to the PNIL as a violation of the LHC order. When the high court is giving permission to travel abroad, then the Ministry of Interior and FIA have "no legal basis" to stop Shehbaz Sharif this way, Tarar said.

"It is the government's job to implement court orders. A deputy attorney general was present in court. How long can you stop [Shehbaz]? We have the orders and we will get them implemented," he emphasised.

When asked whether the PML-N president took clearance from immigration before trying to fly abroad, Tarar replied that the party would "use all legal options as soon as possible". He said the party had a letter from the interior ministry that stated Shehbaz's name had been removed from the ECL.

Looking at Shehbaz's behaviour in the past when he had gone abroad for treatment but then came back to Pakistan, the government has "no ethical or legal basis" for stopping the PML-N president, Tarar added.

Shehbaz had approached the LHC on Thursday to challenge the placement of his name on a travel blacklist/no-fly list and seek one-time permission to go abroad for medical treatment.

Issuing the order on Friday, the high court said: "Dispensation sought for is allowed subject to all just and legal exceptions.

"Keeping in view the past conduct and travel history, the fact that name of the petitioner is not in Exit Control List (ECL) at the moment, the name of the petitioner in blacklist, if already placed, will not stop the petitioner from one-time visit to UK from May 8, 2021, to July 3, 2021 for his medical checkup as per his personal commitment made before this court," said the interim order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

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JEDDAH, MAY 8: Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 3 day official visit, on Saturday.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan was received by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was accorded a warm welcome at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah.

A number of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be inked between the two countries during his visit.

It is expected that the visit will serve to improve “strained” relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia that were shaken in the recent past due to several reasons.

According to the Prime Minister Office, Mr Khan is visiting Saudi Arabia on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom’s arch-nemesis Iran last week, saying he sought “good” relations, after the rivals held secret talks in Baghdad. Iran welcomed Saudi Arabia’s “change of tone”.

During the visit, Prime Minister Khan is accompanied by a delegation, including the foreign minister and other members of his cabinet. Wife of PM Imran Khan also travelling with him.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 8: PATCO is working on its mandate to promote the Research based products of the agriculture scientists and to commercialize these technologies with the support of private sector on the public private partnership. In connection with this vision, the PARC has setup “Business incubation Centre (BIC)” at Bard yard NARC.

The Worthy Chairman PARC Dr. Azeem Khan inaugurated the Aqua PARC plant & PARC Bakery processing Plant in the new established PARC- Business Incubation Centre (BIC). The Inauguration ceremony was attended by the high officials of the PARC, including Chairman PARC, Member (Natural Resources) Dr. Sarfraz Ahmad, DG. NARC, Engr. Shamu ul Sibtain Shah and CEO PATCO Dr. Muhammad Amjad, Secretary PATCO Dr. Tariq Sultan and other officials of the PARC and the Private sector Partners Mr. Waseem Abbas Aulakh.

While addressing the audience the Chairman PARC emphasized that Agriculture production should also be backed by the value addition of the various produce including the dehydration of the vegetables and fruits for the export purpose in the high end markets. Under the Umbrella of this Business Incubation Center several research based interventions would be launched.

Recently, two research based initiatives have been started at the Business Incubation Centre (BIC). The PARC Aqua Plant which is equipped with the Automatic water filtration and packaging plant, is installed in the Business Incubation Centre.

This activity will provide high quality drinking water to the community and would be jointly run on the public private partnerships model. Similarly, for the production of quality bakery products, the PARC Food processing plant (PARC Bakery) has also been setup in the same Centre and this will run on the commercial basis in collaboration with the S&S solutions.

Both of these activities are expected to generate the job opportunities for the skilled and unskilled manpower. These initiatives will help to generate the revenue for the sustainability of the institute and to support the research and development activities in the centre.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 8: Pakistan's newly-appointed Air Force chief commended Turkey on Friday for its "ever-available" support to Islamabad on several key issues.

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu was speaking at a meeting with Turkey's Ambassador to Pakistan, Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, who called him at the Air Force headquarters in the capital Islamabad, according to a statement by the Air Force.

The two discussed various matters of mutual interest during the meeting which was the first between them, the statement added.

Acknowledging Ankara's support, Sidhu, who was appointed as air chief in March, said Turkey is one of the few countries that has always "unequivocally" supported Pakistan.

The two countries' air forces, he added, will continue to cooperate in every field.

For his part, Yurdakul extended his felicitations to the air chief on assuming command of the Pakistani Air Force, which he praised for its professionalism.

He said the peoples of both countries were "entwined" in a "long-lasting bond of brotherhood, complimented by common religion, culture and history," the statement added.

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