FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, MAY 13: The first shipment under the Convention on International Transport of Goods for traffic-in-transit of goods across the border reached Pakistan from Uzbekistan via Afghanistan in 48 hours, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood announced on Wednesday.

Islamabad signed the Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets in August 2015, which is a multilateral treaty that entails no payment of customs duties and taxes. Pakistan ratified the convention in January 2016.

Under the convention, the first cargo from Pakistan to Uzbekistan reached its destination last week.

“The MOC (Ministry of Commerce) is pleased to inform that a new milestone has been achieved with the first-ever truck from Uzbekistan reaching Pakistan under the TIR Convention,” the adviser said.

It took the truck 48 hours to reach Torkham via Afghanistan

Mr Dawood went on to say that this was the result of collaboration between the transport companies of the two sides. “This is the beginning of a new era where trucks from both sides will take trade cargo to and from Karachi and Gwadar ports,” he further said.

On May 11, 2021 a cargo truck with Uzbek licence plate safely crossed the Afghan transit route in two days and reached the Torkham checkpoint near Peshawar. After the completion of customs clearance, the truck will reach the importer in Faisalabad.

The vehicle transports from Uzbekistan processed leather products (wet blue) for Pakistani leather factories. More Uzbek export goods like coal, mineral fertilisers and textiles have been planned for regular direct delivery to Lahore, Karachi, Taxila and Faisalabad.

An official announcement said that the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Pakistan together with Pakistani transport company Best Trans Pvt Ltd and Uzbek freight forwarding company Asad Trans for the first time implemented a pilot trans-Afghan logistics project for direct delivery of Uzbek export goods to Pakistan through the territory of Afghanistan.

As the joint action of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Islamabad and the Ministry of Commerce of Pakistan, the partners of Asad Trans and Best Trans Pvt Ltd since January this year began working on the project for direct delivery of Uzbek goods to Pakistani cities through Afghanistan according to the “supplier’s warehouse — importer’s warehouse” scheme.

The specified transit transportation of Uzbek goods is the implementation of trans-Afghan transport and logistics project initiated by the president of Uzbekistan.

The successful implementation of the project significantly reduces cost of transportation of Uzbek goods, including shipping at Uzbek-Afghan border and subsequently at Afghan-Pakistani border, in accordance with TIR Carnet Convention dated 1975, members of which are Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Partners of Best Trans Pvt. Ltd and Asad Trans are planning to increase the number of freight vehicles up to 50 units by the end of the year to ensure smooth circulation of goods by Uzbek trucks.

According to chairman of Best Trans Pvt Ltd Ramiz Rabbani, the entry of the first Uzbek truck into the territory of Pakistan is a historical event, since before that in the Uzbek-Pakistani economic relations, the delivery of Uzbek export goods directly to Pakistan through the freight transport of Uzbekistan was not implemented.

According to him, the expected signing between Uzbekistan and Pakistan of intergovernmental agreements on preferential and transit trade will give an impetus for development of interregional freight circulation through the trans-Afghan route.

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No Eid table or trolley is complete without a bowl of delicious saviyaan, fine vermicelli cooked in sweetened milk.

In fact, saviyaan is the official traditional sweet dish of Eidul Fitr also known as meethi (sweet) Eid, served as breakfast in every home first thing in the morning of the first day of Eid, to mark the commencement of festivities after Eid prayers.

There are many varieties of saviyaan, such as sheer khorma, qiwami, zafrani, saviyaan kheer and badami kewra saviyaan. At the end of the three days of Eid, guests manage to sample almost all varieties at the several homes they visit.

The magic of saviyaan is that most of the different versions have almost the same ingredients: vermicelli, milk, ghee (clarified butter), cardamom, dry fruit and sugar as staples, and condensed milk, khoya, rose water and saffron as optional.

Sheer khorma

Sheer khorma is a decadent version of saviyaan loaded with thick, creamy milk and khoya; rich with dried fruits and nuts such as dates, raisins, coconut, pistachios, and almonds; and delicately flavored with cardamom, saffron and rose water.

The thickness, sweetness, and serving temperature of sheer khorma — chilled or hot, thick or not — is a personal preference.

Ingredients:

1 cup vermicelli, crushed

1 litre full cream milk

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup khoya, crumbled

1-2 pods green cardamom, crushed

1 pinch saffron strands, soaked

1 teaspoon rose water

½ cup almonds, soaked, skinned, and slivered

½ cup pistachios, soaked, skinned, and slivered

¼ cup golden raisins

1 cup dried coconut flakes

6-7 dried dates, deseeded, soaked and slivered

4 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

Desi ghee as needed

Method:

In a sauce pan, put one crushed cardamom into milk and bring to boil, then lower the flame and let it keep cooking for another 10 to 20 minutes while the rest of the procedure is underway. In a frying pan, lightly toast the nuts, raisins, coconut and dates separately till they release their fragrance and their oils. Add the toasted dates to the boiling milk to soften them further.

Now heat some ghee and stir-fry a crushed cardamom in it. Add the vermicelli and stir-fry on medium flame till it darkens slightly. Add this carefully into the hot milk, avoiding any splatters.

Add the sugar and condensed milk and stir it into the cooking milk till it dissolves. Add the rose water, saffron strands and khoya, stir, and turn off the flame. Stir in the toasted nuts, cover the lid for a few minutes to let these ingredients emulsify in the steam, and then serve piping hot or chilled as desired.

Qiwami saviyaan      

Qiwami saviyaan is a classic Lucknavi recipe, and since keeping recipes and flavours authentic to uphold culinary traditions is an integral part of the rich Lucknavi heritage, you can be sure these saviyaan will become one of your favourites.

This recipe uses saffron, khoya and condensed milk for a delicately rich and creamy flavour. The saviyaan are kept dry and cooked with a minimum amount of milk and syrup.

Again, the sweetness of qiwami (sheera or syrupy) saviyaan should be adjusted according to personal preference.

Ingredients:

2 cups vermicelli, crushed

3 cups full cream milk

1 cup condensed milk

½ cup khoya, crumbled

3 pods green cardamom, crushed

1 pinch saffron strands, soaked

1 teaspoon rose water

¼ teaspoon orange food colouring (zardai rang)

¼ cup almonds, soaked, skinned, and slivered

¼ cup pistachios, soaked, skinned, and slivered

Desi ghee as needed

For the sugar syrup

1 ½ cup water

2 cups sugar

1 pod green cardamom, crushed

Method:

In a pan, heat two cups of water, add sugar and green cardamom and boil until a thick syrup forms. Set aside. In another pan, heat ghee and stir-fry the green cardamom till it becomes aromatic. Add vermicelli and stir-fry till it darkens slightly. Set aside.

Heat the milk in a pan. Add the condensed milk and khoya and cook till the mixture thickens. Add this thickened milk to the prepared sugar syrup, with saffron, food colouring and rose water.

Pour in enough of this mixture into the fried saviyaan so that the saviyaan can cook through to a dry texture, without becoming too gooey. Start with a high flame to bring it to boil, and when it starts to bubble, turn the flame to low and cover with a lid, until the saviyaan are cooked completely and no liquid remains. The saviyaan should become dry, not soggy or mushy.

Garnish with the nuts and serve warm.

Meethi saviyaan

Meethi saviyaan are sugar-syrup based and don’t use use milk. The beauty of meethi saviyaan is in its simplicity: crispy fried vermicelli, sweet syrup and a generous amount of khoya for a delicious treat.

Ingredients:

2 cups vermicelli, crushed

1 ½ cup khoya, crumbled

1 pinch saffron strands, soaked

¼ cup almonds, soaked, skinned, and slivered

¼ cup pistachios, soaked, skinned, and slivered

desi ghee as needed

For the sugar syrup:

1 ½ cup water

2 cups sugar

1 pod green cardamom, crushed

Method:

Prepare sugar syrup by cooking sugar (and green cardamom for fragrance) in water till the sugar dissolves completely and becomes a thick syrup. While it is still warm, sprinkle the crumbled khoya in the syrup, add a few strands of pre-soaked saffron, and stir. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.

Heat ghee in a wok and deep fry the saviyaan till they become crispy. Drain excess ghee. Add the crispy fried saviyaan into the khoya-syrup, folding in some and leaving some atop, for a soft-crispy texture.

Garnish with more khoya and nuts. Serve hot or cold. While eating these saviyaan piping hot is a delight, waking up the next morning in anticipation of eating chilled left over saviyaan is a pleasure of its own kind.

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ISLAMABAD / MULTAN, MAY 13: To express solidarity with the people of Palestine, who are treated savagely by Israeli security forces, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday joined trending Twitter campaigns #We stand with Palestine and #We stand with Gaza.

Joining millions of Twitter account holders who have posted similar messages of support for the Palestinians under attack by Israel, the prime minister tweeted with a single line post: “I am PM of Pakistan and #We Stand with Gaza, #We Stand with Palestine.”

The prime minister also shared an excerpt of an article written by Noam Chomsky, the American philosopher and historian, in which he had mentioned an old man in Gaza holding a placard that read: “You take my water, burn my olive trees, destroy my house, take my job, steal my land, imprison my father, kill my mother, bombard my country, starve us all, humiliate us all but I am to blame: I shot a rocket back.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan received a telephone call from President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two leaders exchanged views on Israel’s heinous attacks on Al Aqsa mosque and the worshippers inside as well as on Gaza violating all norms of humanity and international law. They vowed to work together, especially at the United Nations, to jointly mobilise the international community to help stop these attacks, said a press release issued by the PM Office.

Discusses issue with Erdogan on phone; FM urges United Nations to intervene

They agreed that the foreign ministers of their countries would be working closely together to raise the Palestinian issue at international level.

The regional security situation also came under discussion between the two leaders. Appreciating Turkey’s role in Afghan peace process, Prime Minister Khan stressed the importance of a responsible withdrawal of US troops and said Pakistan would continue to extend all possible support to the efforts for a political solution for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

The two leaders discussed further strengthening of bilateral relations and agreed that the momentum of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Turkey would continue. They also exchanged greetings on Eidul Fitr.

During his recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Khan had strongly condemned Israeli forces’ attack on innocent worshipers while praying in Al Aqsa Mosque. He urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the World Muslim League (WML) to bring together all Muslim states to give a robust response to Israel for atrocities in Gaza that have claimed lives of several Palestinians.

A day ago, Prime Minister Khan, during a telephonic interaction with citizens, had strongly condemned air strikes by Israel in Gaza that have resulted in deaths of and injuries to several innocent Palestinians, including children.

He termed it a “reprehensible action” during the holy month of Ramazan following the increased restrictions on fundamental freedoms of Palestinians and the attacks at Al Aqsa Mosque.

He also called upon the international community to put an end to blatant use of force and flagrant violation of human rights of the Palestinian people by the Israeli forces.

FM condemns Israeli air strikes

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has expressed concern over the Israeli air strikes on Gaza and urged the United Nations to intervene and seek an end to grave violations of human rights of Palestinian people. “The world body should hold an urgent meeting to take stock of the Israeli attacks on innocent Palestinians,” he said in a press conference at his native city Multan.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the Israeli army attacks on innocent Palestinians and the entire Muslim ummah has grave concern over the situation,” the minister added.

Mr Qureshi said during the prime minister’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia in which he accompanied Mr Khan, Turkish foreign minister telephoned him and urged him to discuss the Al-Aqsa Mosque issue with his Saudi hosts.

“We (Qureshi and his Turkish counterpart) discussed the convening of an urgent OIC meeting and a United Nations General Assembly session on the issue of Al Aqsa Mosque,” he said, adding that Pakistan had agreed to the Turkish initiative, while Iran, Turkey and Indonesia had backed the stance taken by Pakistan.

The foreign minister called for an urgent meeting of the OIC on the issue. “There was need that all Muslim countries should unitedly raise voice over the Palestine issue, which would make the world take notice of the Israel’s flagrant violation of human rights of the Palestinians,” he added.

The foreign minister said Saudi Arabia had also strongly condemned the attacks on the Palestinians.

About the prime minister’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Mr Qureshi said the Kingdom had decided to invest additional $500 million to strengthen Pakistan’s energy sector. “It would help overcome the imbalance in the country’s energy mix, as the investment for exploring alternative and renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydel power,” he added.

He said the three-day Saudi visit, undertaken on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, had helped defuse the designs of “detractors”.

The minister said Pakistan enjoyed good relationship with Saudi Arabia. “With the initiative of Saudi-Pak Strategic Supreme Council, ad hoc arrangement has now been changed into institutional one, which would be based on three pillars: security and political pillar to be headed by the foreign ministers, economic outreach led by the interior ministers and cultural and communication one led by the ministers for information and broadcasting,” he added.

Mr Qureshi said the Saudi crown prince would pay his second visit to Pakistan soon and a delegation of Saudi officials would visit Pakistan after Eidul Fitr to be followed by a two-day visit by the foreign minister to finalise arrangements for the crown prince’s visit.

The foreign minister said Saudi Arabia had allocated a special manpower quota for Pakistani workers under its 2030 development vision, which would create jobs for hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis.

Mr Qureshi said the issue of visa with Kuwait had been resolved, besides the problems faced by Pakistani families living in that country.

He said Iran had lifted ban on import of Pakistani Kino (oranges), which was in force for the last 12 years. It would benefit Pakistani farmers, exporters and the national economy, he added.

Talking about Shehbaz Sharif, the minister said the PML-N leader should better face corruption cases instead of going abroad. “His brother Nawaz Sharif was allowed to go abroad on medical grounds on Shehbaz’s guarantee. However, Nawaz Sharif appears to be healthy as is evident from his political activities in London. Shehbaz is answerable to the nation and to the court in this regard and the court should take notice of the situation,” he added.

South Punjab

Mr Qureshi said job quota would be fixed for youth from south Punjab and a separate annual development plan (ADP) for south Punjab would be presented in the coming budget.

He said only 17 per cent of development budget of Punjab used to be utilised in south Punjab in the past and the rest was spent elsewhere in the province. “Now the development fund allocated for south Punjab under the ADP would only be utilised on the projects undertaken in the region,” he added.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee late on Wednesday announced the sighting of moon for the month of Shawwal, saying Eidul Fitr will be celebrated across Pakistan tomorrow (Thursday).

The meeting, which lasted more than four hours, was chaired by its chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, while representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Meteorological Department were also in attendance.

Separate meetings of zonal and district Ruet committees were also held at their respective regional headquarters.

Addressing a press conference after the central committee’s meeting ended, Maulana Azad said moon-sighting testimonies had been received from Chaman, Qila Saifullah, Pasni, Peshawar, Mirpurkhas and other areas.

According to reports, there have been a few alleged sightings from Swabi in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan’s Dasht and Turbat areas. The Ruet committee was reviewing the veracity of the claims.

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader and Senator Sarfraz Bugti tweeted that the moon had been sighted in Sui area of Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district by Bugti notable Haji Islam Bakhlani. He also shared his mobile number.

However, before the national body makes its announcement, Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai, who heads the local unofficial moon-sighting committee at Peshawar’s historic Qasim Ali Khan Mosque, declared Eid tomorrow.

“More than 175 moon-sighting testimonies were received from different areas of the province; we checked and confirmed the testimonials,” Popalzai told media, adding that the testimonies had been forwarded to the central Ruet committee as well.

In Quetta, zonal Ruet committee member Qari Abdul Hafeez said the body had not received any authentic moon-sighting testimonies from the Balochistan capital.

Addressing a press conference after the committee’s meeting, while unverified reports were being received from Chaman, Zhob, Pasni and other areas of the province. He requested the central Ruet committee to review the testimonies received from Balochistan and take a decision.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Affairs Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi called upon the public to wait for the Ruet committee’s announcement, saying the body will make a decision according to Sharia.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry, who previously served as the science and technology minister, said the age of the new moon was only 13 hours and 42 minutes in Pakistan due to which it was “impossible” to sight the crescent today.

“The people who want to celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia, it is their option but what logic would it be to conclude the holy month with a lie?” he tweeted, adding that the people supporting this view “should say plainly ‘we want to celebrate Eid with Afghanistan or Saudia.'”

Earlier, in an attempt to ensure that Eidul Fitr is celebrated the same day across the country this year, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee members had approached and tried to persuade the clerics who have publicly opposed the announcement related to Shawwal moon-sighting by the national body in the past.

“We are engaged with clerics of all schools of thought and various groups, involving them in the process,” Maulana Azad had told Dawn, recalling that the management of Peshawar’s Qasim Ali Khan mosque, where Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai heads the local unofficial moon-sighting committee, had also observed Ramazan with the rest of the nation.

“I am sure they will respect the decision of the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee over Shawwal moon too,” he added.

However, some committee members had expressed concerns over what they called the premature statements by Information Minister Chaudhry regarding the expected date of Eid.

In a tweet on Sunday, Chaudhry had said: “Although the final Eid announcement will be made by the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, according to the calendar and Ruet App developed by the [science ministry] the moon will be able to be sighted on May 13 and Eid will be on May 14 (Friday).”

Several committee members had registered concerns to the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman that such statements by the minister would only encourage clerics such as Mufti Popalzai of Peshawar to continue to undermine the authority of the committee this year too.

This year’s Eid comes as Pakistan struggles to contain a third wave of coronavirus infections, with more than 850,000 cases and 19,000 deaths declared and only a fraction of the population having been vaccinated.

The country is currently under a partial lockdown after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) last month announced a ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ strategy from May 8 to May 16 aimed at controlling the movement of people during the Eidul Fitr holidays.

Under the guidelines, all markets, businesses and shops will remain closed, except essential services such as grocery stores, medical stores, hospitals, vaccination centres, vegetable, fruit and meat shops, bakeries, petrol pumps, food takeaways and media houses.

There will be a ban on Chand Raat bazaars, including mehndi, jewellery/ornaments and clothing stalls. There will be a complete ban on tourism for both locals and outsiders. All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants at picnic places will remain closed during Eid holidays.

Interprovincial, intercity and intra-city public transport will also remain suspended, while private vehicles, taxies/cabs and rickshaws will operate at 50 per cent occupancy.

The electronic media has been advised to run movies, dramas and shows to keep people entertained at home. Moreover, uninterrupted supply of electricity will be ensured during the Eid holidays.

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Raja Furqan

ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Wednesday has announced to open registration of 30 plus age citizens for coronavirus vaccination from May 16.

In a post on the social-networking website Twitter, the minister said, “As vaccine supply continues to improve and vaccination capacity gets enhanced in all Federating units, we continue to expand the categories of those who are eligible to get vaccinated.

Starting Sunday the 16th of May, registration will be open to all 30 years and older citizens. On May 3, Pakistan opened registration for the coronavirus vaccination for people aged between 40 to 49 years across the country.

The vaccine registration for the age group has been going on since April 27, whereas walk-in vaccinations for people aged 50 and above are underway in the country.

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KARACHI, MAY 12: Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq paid glowing tribute to his charges following Pakistan’s victorious tour of southern Africa, while claiming that the critics are boiling their own blood by being critical of his stature.

Addressing the tour-ending virtual media conference in Harare on eve of the Pakistan’s departure for Lahore on Tuesday, the 46-year-old Misbah admitted winning six series on the trot across all formats — having defeated South Africa at home in Test and Twenty20 series in January/February — were important steps as the team prepares for tougher challenges in the Twenty20 World Cup year.

“My philosophy always has been to make Pakistan among the top sides in world cricket. I think after the tours of South Africa [winning ODI series 2-1 and T20 series 3-1] and Zimbabwe (winning T20 rubber 2-1 before trouncing hosts by innings in both Tests] provided glimpses that we are heading in the right direction because winning obviously gives team confidence for the bigger challenges in the months ahead,” Misbah told reporters. “As a unit we can only work hard. On the way the results are not in our hands but as a coach, I am mighty proud of what we have achieved in recent weeks.

“Winning all [four] series in South Africa and Zimbabwe have given team to aim for the top. At the same time, whatever the critics say about me have not thought about my future and will not start doing that now either. The people who have been criticising me are simply boiling their own blood because I don’t care about them.”

Pakistan’s most successful Test captain remarked the overall results in alien conditions of South Africa and Zimbabwe were extremely encouraging.

“It is never easy playing South Africa in South Africa and to go there and win both One-day International and T20 series gave us great satisfaction with a young side. And despite winning, we have identified certain grey areas which need to be rectified if we aspire to take on top sides in white-ball cricket,” Misbah emphasized. “It was important for Pakistan to win in tough conditions we encountered in both these countries [South Africa and Zimbabwe]. Our middle-order batting in white-ball cricket was glaringly exposed. We will now go back to the drawing board and do a rethink over some of the selections on that front.

“Overall speaking, there is nothing more satisfying to play consistently good cricket throughout the period during a time when the entire world is battling with the Covid-19 pandemic. It is obvious to all that these are not normal times because of the restrictions of bio-secure bubble. Life in the bubble is a harrowing experience because in normal situation you are able to mingle with people day in and day out without worrying about your life in general.

“Here it was a sort of chastening experience since we have been touring from last year [starting with the England tour]. Hats off to everyone for sticking together through difficult times, be they the players or the backroom staff because the pressure of international cricket itself is very, very tough to handle in an abnormal environment.

“In fact, the pandemic gave us time to know each other more than we could have imagined because we have been working together while confined to virtually one spot. Over past four weeks, we have been spending time together meeting everyone at Sehri and Iftar times. The players deserve more of the credit because they were giving their best out there on the field. The commitment of everyone involved had been exemplary because cricket is our passion and to ensure we keep that passion alive we have to perform as one team.”

Commenting on Zimbabwe Test series the head coach singled out Hasan Ali as a rising star, while lauding the batting of Abid Ali, Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam. “I thought Hasan Ali has been magnificent since his comeback during the home series against South Africa. He performed extraordinarily throughout these months. We would like him to continue this momentum when Pakistan head to England for the white-ball series in July,” Misbah said. “And then the openers did a decent job during the first Test and Abid carrying on the excellent form in the next Test with a double century [unbeaten 215]. Fawad and Azhar also made centuries. With the ball, Nauman Ali did consistently well but the one area which pleased me most was the catching and overall fielding. In New Zealand, we were extremely poor but in Zimbabwe the catching was outstanding and we performed better in the field as well.”

Misbah also backed induction of Tabish Khan into the Test side despite the pacer being 36-year-old on his international debut. “We gave him a chance without compromising on team’s strengths without putting [all-rounder] Faheem Ashraf’s place in jeopardy. Faheem had been performing very well in recent series.

“Actually I have no issues with guys coming into international cricket whatever their ages are. I can give you my example. When the [Pakistan] captaincy was given to me, I was already past 36 and yet I played for seven years from then on. Age doesn’t mean much from my point of view because you can never be sure of what the players are capable of. How can one be sure that a 20-year-old cricketer would have a long [international] career or someone in the age bracket of 35-37 will fizzle out quickly?

“Therefore, as long as one is performing at the top of his game, he deserves recognition at the top level,” Misbah stressed.

Misbah also praised Babar Azam’s captaincy which he termed as a learning curve for Pakistan’s batting ace. “You gain more experience and go through different situations as captain and your tactical acumen improve accordingly. You keep learning about these strategies as you play more matches and I think the same applies to Babar.”

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Injuries from Israeli offensive on Palestinians also now number more than 220, says Health Ministry

RAMALLAH, MAY 12: The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the start of the offensive on the Gaza Strip has risen to 32, including a woman and 10 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Ministry said Tuesday that the number of injuries also climbed to 220.

Israeli warplanes launched raids beginning late Monday in the Gaza Strip in an offensive the army called Operation Guardians of the Wall.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem since last week, after an Israeli court ordered the evictions of Palestinian families.

Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces.

Three Israelis have also been killed and 31 others injured in Palestinian rocket attacks.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980-a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

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UNITED NATIONS, MAY 12: The Organi­sation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at a meeting in New York, has unanimously endorsed Pakistan’s proposal for issuing a joint statement deploring the Israeli actions against Palestinians.

The meeting also approved a proposal from the ambassadors of Turkey and Saudi Arabia for mobilising international support to convene a special session of the General Assembly on the situation. The OIC envoys set up a core group of member states as well to highlight this issue at the UN. Pakistan is a key member of this core group.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” at escalating violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, while the UN rights office, OHCHR, appealed for “a redoubling of efforts to restore calm”, after airstrikes and days of clashes between protesters and Israeli police.

The ambassadors of OIC member states held this urgent meeting at the United Nations to show their angst at the Israeli aggression and unequivocally condemned the recent use of “brutal” force by the Israeli forces against Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

• Set up core group to raise issue at UN; meeting approves proposals from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

In a statement issued after their meeting, the OIC ambassadors said the Israeli attacks on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza were against all humanitarian norms and human rights laws, especially in the holy month of Ramazan.

The envoys urged the world community to immediately stop Israel’s attempts to evict residents of Sheikh Jarrah who have been living in that neighborhood for decades.

Tensions in East Jerusalem have soared earlier this week, after Palesti­nians complained about oppressive Israeli restrictions during Ramazan.

In Geneva, UN rights office spokesperson Rupert Colville cited reports that over 900 Palestinians had been wounded between May 7 and 10 in East Jerusalem, and over 200 in the West Bank, “most by Israeli security forces”.

Mr Colville cited reports saying that 24 Palestinians, including nine children and one woman, had been killed in the Israeli attacks.

The OHCHR official said at least 17 Israeli civilians were reportedly injured as the Palestinian groups had launched “some 250 rockets towards Israel in the past 24 hours”.

Addressing the envoys, Ambassador Munir Akram suggested immediate steps to draw the attention of the international community to the Israeli violations of the historic and legal status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

The world community should be encouraged to play its role in stopping these crimes against the Palestinian people and Muslim holy sites and to ensure the protection they need under international law, he added.

Ambassador Akram reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering “commitment to a two-state solution” in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent Palestinian state.

The UN chief said he was “deeply saddened to learn of increasingly large numbers of casualties, including children, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and of Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza”.

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KARACHI, MAY 12: After moon-sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed that the crescent of Shawwal had not been sighted, Saudi authorities announced on Tuesday that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated in the country on Thursday (tomorrow).

“BREAKING NEWS. The crescent for the month of Shawwal 1442 was NOT SEEN today, subsequently #EidUlFitr will be on Thursday, 13 May, 2021,” said official twitter handle of Haramain Sharifain, an important source of news relating to holy sites in the kingdom on digital media.

“Royal Supreme Court: ‘Tomorrow the month of #Ramadan will complete 30 days and Thursday is first day of #EidUlFitr’.”

The Jeddah Astronomical Association had already hinted that there were little chances of sighting of moon on Tuesday, predicting that the Shawwal moon was likely to be sighted in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (today).

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Ex-Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif along with a delegation visited the embassy of Palestine on Tuesday to express solidarity with Ambassador of Palestine Ahmad Rabaie.

During the meeting he expressed grief over the prevailing situation in Palestine due to terror acts committing by Israeli forces on innocent people of Palestine.

Shahbaz Sharif said our support and prayers will always remain active to our Palestinian brethren as they face unprecedented Israeli brutality.

No other people have shown the kind of resilience that Palestinians and Kashmiris have in the face of the barbarity, Shahbaz added.

Ambassador of Palestine Ahmad Rabaie said it is my pleasure and honor to receive brother Shahbaz Sharif and his respected delegation to the Palestinian Embassy. He said, I thank him so much for the brotherly solidarity to support Palestine.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Pakistan has strongly condemned the air strikes by Israel in Gaza that resulted in deaths and injuries to so many innocent Palestinians including children.

In a statement on (Tuesday), the Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudri said this is yet another reprehensible action during the holy month of Ramadan, following the increased restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of Palestinians, and the attacks in and outside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He said the indiscriminate use of force by Israeli forces against defenceless Palestinians, causing death and injuries, defies all humanitarian norms and human rights laws.

The spokesperson said Pakistan calls upon the international community to put an end to the blatant use of force and flagrant violation of human rights of the Palestinian people.

He said establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, is the only sustainable guarantee for peace in the region.

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COURTESY dunyanews

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