FARUKH SHEHZAD

RAWALPINDI, MAY 13: Airport authorities have agreed to use sniffer dogs to identify Covid-19-infected inbound travelers at Islamabad International Airport.

A senior airport official told Dawn that well-trained sniffer dogs will detect the virus among the travellers smelling the odors generated by infected people.

Sniffer dogs can be used as a secondary screening tool for detecting Covid-19 infection, he said.

A team of experts have already visited the airport and selected the site to deploy the sniffer dogs.

Earlier, the health authorities in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has been using thermal scanners and Rapid Antigen tests to detect the infected travelers at the airport to contain the covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has allowed the airlines to operate 30pc of their flights for travelers.

The additional 30pc operations will be with incoming flights ferry/cargo and outgoing persons only.

However, the existing 20pc is for both arrival and departure. The airline’s operations with 20 per cent flights had been from May 5 to 20, 2021.

The CAA has sought flight schedules from all airlines of extra flights which are effective tentatively from May 18.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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GAZA, MAY 14: Israel bombarded Gaza with artillery and air strikes on Friday in response to a new barrage of rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave, in an intensification of a conflict that has now claimed more than 100 Palestinian lives.

Days of deadly violence have seen Israeli soldiers massing on the edge of the territory, although the army stressed there had been no ground incursion despite an earlier statement that troops were carrying out an attack “in the Gaza Strip”.

Israeli security forces have also been scrambled to contain deadly riots between Jews and Arabs, and projectiles have been fired from Lebanon.

Images early Friday showed large balls of flame turning the night sky orange in densely packed Gaza, while rockets were seen tracing through the air towards Israel.

The United Nations said the Security Council would meet on Sunday to address the conflict as the world body's Secretary General called for “an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities”. “Too many innocent civilians have already died,” Antonio Guterres tweeted.

“This conflict can only increase radicalisation and extremism in the whole region.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was “deeply concerned about the violence in the streets of Israel”, and the State Department urged citizens to “reconsider travel to Israel”.

Several international airlines — including KLM, British Airways, Virgin, Lufthansa and Iberia — cancelled flights amid the aerial onslaught.

'Massive reinforcement'

Dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza towards the southern Israeli coastal cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, and in the vicinity of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.

Israeli army spokesman John Conricus said the country was “prepared ... for various scenarios”, describing a ground offensive as “one scenario”.

In Gaza, AFP photographers said people were evacuating their homes in the northeastern part of the enclave ahead of possible Israeli attacks, with Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, warning of a “heavy response” to any ground incursion.

The Israeli army clarified early Friday that its troops had not entered the Gaza Strip as it had earlier indicated, blaming an “internal communication” problem for the confusion.

With the conflict showing no signs of easing, Israel has been rocked by an unprecedented wave of mob violence, in which both Arabs and Jews have been savagely beaten and police stations attacked.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz ordered a “massive reinforcement” to suppress the internal unrest.

The heavy bombardments coincided with the start of Eidul Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramazan, and saw the faithful pray at mosques and amid the rubble of Gaza's collapsed buildings.

Israel's air force launched multiple air strikes, targeting locations linked to Hamas, with the air force saying jets had struck a “military compound” of the group's “intelligence headquarters”.

At least 103 people have been killed since Monday, including 27 children, and more than 580 wounded, the health ministry in Gaza said.

Heavy bombardments have brought down entire tower blocks.

Inside Israel, seven people have been killed since Monday, including one six-year-old, after a rocket struck a family home.

'Preventing pogroms'

The Israeli military said it had hit targets in Gaza more than 600 times while 1,750 rockets were fired from the enclave.

Hundreds of rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system.

Three rockets were also fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel, landing in the Mediterranean Sea, Israel's army said.

A source close to Israel's arch-enemy Hezbollah said the Lebanese Shia group had no link to the incident.

The military escalation was triggered by weekend unrest at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

The disturbances, in which Israeli riot police had repeatedly targeted Palestinians, have been driven by anger over the looming evictions of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of east Jerusalem.

The surging tensions sparked clashes in many of Israel's mixed towns where Jews live alongside Arabs, who make up about 20 per cent of the country's population.

Nearly 1,000 border police were called in to quell the violence, and more than 400 people were arrested.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said inter-communal violence in multiple towns was at a level not seen for decades, and that police were “literally preventing pogroms”.

'Two-front battle'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said police were increasing their use of force, warning of the “option” of deploying soldiers in towns.

Israeli far-right groups have clashed with security forces and Arab Israelis, with television footage on Wednesday showing a far-right mob beating a man they considered an Arab in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, leaving him with serious injuries.

In Lod, which has become a flashpoint of Arab-Jewish clashes this week with an Arab resident shot dead and a synagogue torched, a gunman opened fire on Thursday at a group of Jews, wounding one. Netanyahu said the violence was “unacceptable”.

“Nothing justifies the lynching of Arabs by Jews, and nothing justifies the lynching of Jews by Arabs,” he said, adding Israel was fighting a battle “on two fronts”.

Amid the rocket fire, Israel's civil aviation authority said it had diverted all incoming passenger flights headed for Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport to Ramon airport in the south.

Hamas announced it had also fired a rocket at Ramon in a bid to stop air traffic to Israel.

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Zamir Ahmed Awan

The situation in the Middle East is changing rapidly. The recent unrest in Israel is growing like fire and entering into a dangerous zone. The clashes between armed police and helpless Palestinians are witnessed everywhere. Here are signs of full-scale war, which may engulf some of the neighboring or regional countries.

Iran-Israel tension has reached a full-fledged war-like situation. It has crossed the limit of verbal threats and warnings, but practical attacks were also seen in recent days. Looking at the magnitude of their weapons and intensity of rivalry, one can predict a disastrous conflict.

However, the US has shown flexibility toward Iran for the nuclear deal but with strict conditions. It is still appreciated that the President Joe Biden Administration has considered the settlement of disputes with Iran. Iran is also willing to reach such a nuclear deal where sanctions would be removed, and its frozen assets may be returned back to Iran immediately, and trade sanctions may be removed. Itan’s ailing economy is under immense pressure due to irrational sanctions. There is a ray of hope.

Houthis in Yemen are getting stubborn and refused to attend the UN meeting, Which might complicate the Saudi-Yeman conflict further. The UN was trying to find a solution to end the ongoing war.

The situation in Lebanon is also not good; especially, the economic crisis seems more dangerous. On the political front, the power struggle and French interference are worsening the situation further. Lebanon might be a small country, but its geostrategic location is vital for peace in the whole region.

The direct contact between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iran was a big surprise, and promptly opening up of diplomatic missions is encouraging. In fact, both are Muslim nations and sharing many things in common; It was the interest of the US to sell expensive weapons to the Oil-Rich Arab States, that is why they used Wester bais media to create tension between Arabs and Iran. President Trump was openly admitting that his friendship with Saudi Arabia was for selling more arms and weapons to support the rapidly falling economy of the US.

Turkey and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have also come close to each other and trying to overcome differences amicably. Turkey has huge potential to stabilize the whole region and promote developments. There exist historical, cultural, religious, and political relations between the two Muslim countries. There are more things in common than differences.

Egypt and Turkey are also in contact, which will smooth the ways of peace and stability in Libya too. Both countries are important states in the region, and cooperation among them will positively impact the region.

Qatar may be a small state but politically very active in the region. Qatar is a state, who hosted the Afghan Peace talks between Taliba and the US directly. Qatar’s balanced foreign policies are playing a significant role in bringing the regional countries closer.

Pakistan is the only nuclear power in the Muslim world with a powerful army. Pakistan’s visionary leadership is very active for peace and stability in the whole region and globally. Pakistan is playing a pivotal role in the peace process in Afghanistan. Earlier, the Pakistani Prime Minister visited Riyadh and Tehran to bring two Muslim brothers closer.

Pakistan was silently playing diplomacy to defuse tension among the Muslim world and regional countries. It is a well-stated policy of Pakistan that we are partner with anyone anywhere any time for “Peace,” and we are not partner with anyone, anywhere or any time in the wars, aggressions, destructions, killings, etc. Pakistan is a peace-loving nation genetically and wanted to promote peace globally.

It is the first time when Prime Minister of Israel Netanyahu contacted President Putin, after desperate from the cold response from President Joe Biden. He might be facing severe challenges domestically and may not be able to keep his position within his own party or among the masses.

With this scenario, Russia has space to play a leading role in bringing peace, stability, and developments in the whole region. The Muslim world was victimized by the Western World (The US, NATO, and Allies) for almost a couple of decades. Millions of Muslims were killed, millions were made homeless, millions were forced to move into refugee camps either in their own countries or migrate to other countries.

The Infrastructure was damaged, agriculture & crops were destroyed, Business was ruined, the economy was damaged, civic life was damaged, the social structure was damaged, and etc. There exist anti-America solid sentiments all over the Muslim world. At the same time, many of them are looking toward Russia, including the State of Israel. Let Russia avail of this opportunity and extend its leadership role.

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COURTESY geopolitica.ru

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 13: Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry called on Ahmed Rabaie, Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan on Thursday.

Ambassador Ahmed Rabaie received the Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry upon his arrival at the Palestine Embassy.

During the meeting the Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed solidarity whit the Palestinian people against the heinous actions of the Israeli occupation against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the inhumane actions.

The GoP will continue to support the people of Palestine at all political and diplomatic fora. The entire Pakistani nation stands by its Muslim brethren in Palestine.

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CAIRO, MAY 13: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov agreed Thursday that Israel needs to stop attacks on the Gaza Strip.

In a phone call, the two top diplomats reiterated that Israel should stop the bloodshed, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 83 Palestinians and injured 487 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

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

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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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