Monday, 9 August 2021
ISLAMABAD, AUG 9: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday reiterated that Pakistan will play its effective role in the Afghan peace process, but underlined that “peace in the neighbouring country is a shared responsibility and the international community cannot shy away from it”.
“We won’t let some harsh statements block our desire to attain peace and stability,” he told a press conference in Islamabad today.
Qureshi said Pakistan had repeatedly expressed its concern at spoilers which were based within and outside Afghanistan. “There are elements who don’t want to see peace and stability, and they want to keep Pakistan in a sandwiched position for the perpetuation of their own ambitions for power”.
‘Stop pointing fingers’
The foreign minister said that Pakistan had repeatedly urged against pointing fingers, adding that “if you have an issue, bring it up, discuss it and let’s find a way out.”
“I have invited the Afghan foreign minister in writing to visit Islamabad to raise the issues that he has in mind so that as neighbours, we can discuss and resolve them,” Qureshi said.
He added that Pakistan had also urged the Afghan government to refrain from a “blame game” and engage with Pakistan in a meaningful manner to address the challenges to peace and security in the region.
“We have repeatedly stated that we have no favourites in Afghanistan. We see all sides of the conflict as Afghans. It is unfortunate to scapegoat Pakistan for the failures of others. The issues of governance and meltdown of Afghan National Defence Forces needs to be looked into, instead of simply pointing fingers at Pakistan.”
He underlined that the peace process in Afghanistan was at a critical juncture.
It is important that all energies are focused at finding an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement through a process that is Afghan-led and Afghan owned, the minister added.
He reiterated that it was for the Afghans to decide about their future. He said Pakistan had consistently been advocating that there was no military solution to the conflict and a “negotiated political situation” was the only way forward, something which the international community now agreed.
Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had always been an advocate of a negotiated political solution “and I am glad that there is a convergence at the international level that this is the sensible way forward.”
He recalled that Pakistan played an instrumental role in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table in 2019. “Pakistan facilitated the conclusion of the US-Taliban peace agreement in Feb 2020 in Doha.
Pakistan helped convene the intra-Afghan negotiations in Sep 2020 and in Dec 2020, Pakistan contributed to the rules of procedure agreed between the parties. Pakistan has joined the troika — US, Russia, China — to facilitate the intra-Afghan talks and the Doha process.”
The foreign minister said Pakistan looked forward to the upcoming troika meeting on Aug 11 in Doha. He added that Pakistan had also invited Afghan leaders, “minus the Taliban” to a conference in Islamabad to discuss the way forward, adding that the conference was postponed on Ashraf Ghani’s request.
“We urge all sides to show respect for human rights and international humanitarian laws.”
He said: “The situation is evolving and things have not been managed well … I think the world should ponder and see the amount of money spent [in Afghanistan]. Where is it gone? The lack of will to fight that we have seen in Afghanistan. Can we be held be responsible for that? No we cannot and we should not,” he thundered.
He stressed that Pakistan would not be “apologetic”, adding that “we will articulate our point of view because we have been sincere and honest in attaining peace and stability there.”
World must not be oblivious to Pakistan’s sacrifices
Qureshi asserted that Pakistan had paid a huge price as a result of the conflict in Afghanistan. “Let the world know that Pakistan has been a victim. The price that we have paid has to be understood. We have had close to 80,000 casualties; we have suffered huge economic losses. The world should not be oblivious to that.”
He said that Pakistan had never been supportive of a military takeover, adding that it will result in a lot of bloodshed.
To a question, he said: “Our objectives in Afghanistan are in sync with what the US and the international community is saying.”
We want ‘orderly withdrawal’
The foreign minister said Pakistan had been pressing for a responsible ‘orderly withdrawal’ [of US forces from Afghanistan].
“When you are withdrawing, it must be in a manner that there is no vacuum created within Afghanistan, because what we fear is that if there is a vacuum, terrorist outfits will be a major beneficiary of it. Along with withdrawal, there should be a process of negotiations that will go hand in hand.”
Earlier, he castigated India for not allowing Pakistan to address the UNSC meeting on Afghanistan, saying “India has been in our view in breach of its obligation as president of the security council.”
He also said that an Afghan representative had propagated disinformation and levelled baseless allegations against Pakistan to mislead the international community. “We reject those baseless accusations,” he added.
Responding to another question, Qureshi said Pakistan had been facilitating the peace process. “Our role has been and will continue to be of a facilitator of the Afghan peace process and not that of a guarantor.”
He also underlined that Pakistan had opened five border crossings during the Covid-19 pandemic. “We let stranded Afghans go home and we facilitated transit trade as well. So the idea was to be supportive to their needs,” he explained.
The minister said almost 98 per cent of Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan was fenced.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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ISLAMABAD, AUG 9: MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, on Monday expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the bomb blast which occurred in Quetta on August 8th, leaving two policemen dead and numbers of people injured.
“Any act of terrorism cannot be justified for whatever reason or purpose. Our thoughts and prayers are with the government, the people of Pakistan, and the families of those who have lost their dear ones in the tragic incident. Please accept my deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of victims and I pray for the early recovery of those injured in the blast” said the Ambassador in his condolence message.
While appreciating the efforts of Pakistani security forces in maintaining peace and stability, the Ambassador reiterated that Japan is committed to continuing to support the Government of Pakistan and its valiant security forces to combat terrorism.
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Sunday, 8 August 2021
QUETTA, AUG 8: At least two policemen were martyred and eight others injured in an explosion near Quetta’s Serena Hotel on Sunday evening.
Four passers-by were also wounded in the blast that targeted a police mobile near Tanzeem Chowk, Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said in a statement.
He said the bomb was fitted into a motorcycle.
The injured were shifted to hospital, where an emergency was imposed.
He condemned the attack, saying “terrorists want to disturb Balochistan’s peace and spread fear.”
“[We] will bring to justice the elements trying to create disturbance in peaceful Balochistan,” he added.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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ISLAMABAD, AUG 8: Ambassador MATSUDA Kuninori has extended congratulations to Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s premier javelin thrower, for showing his great talent by winning 5th place in the final of men’s javelin throw competition in the Tokyo Olympics and conveys best wishes for his future endeavors.
“Though, unfortunately, you could not win a place on the medal winning podium but, I believe, you have won many hearts back home for your brilliant performance in the world’s mega event. I congratulate you for having the honor of competing in the final round played for the medals.
Keep up your efforts with fresh zeal and I am sure, the day is not far when you will be on victory stand”, said the Ambassador.
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Saturday, 7 August 2021
Munaza Kazmi
The Karakoram Highway is the highest and the lengthiest paved international highway of the world, it is also viewed as the 15th most beautiful roads of the world for its scenic beauty.
The Karakoram Highway was built by the governments of Pakistan and China in a long span of almost twenty years (1959-78) due to the region's unique topography, high-altitude mountains, snow-covered peaks and tough terrain.
The mighty road, manifesting the
strategic relationship and geographical interdependence between the two nations
– China and Pakistan – is also termed as Friendship Highway and it is referred
to as the eighth wonder of the world.
The Karakoram Highway represented
the undeclared beginning of CEPEC- a dream that is being realized after 50
years.
The magnificent 1300km road
snakes through the Pamirs, Hindu Kush, Kunlaun Mountains, and Karakoram Range,
to connect Kashgar in China to the northern provinces of Pakistan. At a maximum
height of 4714 meters, it has the world’s highest border crossing at the
Khunjerab Pass.
Whilst ensuring the most epic
road trip ever, the highway is notorious for frequent land sliding, avalanches,
and movement of glaciers under extreme weather conditions; the well-known
Attabad Lake, that is now an attractive tourist destination is a living result
of such land sliding.However, the highway was constructed on respective sides
of China and Pakistan by their relevant organizations.
Construction at such a high elevation and harsh terrain defies conventional engineering wisdom. Hence, then government of Pakistan gave this task to the Army’s Corps of Engineers to undertake the work; thus, was born the Frontier Works Organization.
However, in the meanwhile 200
Chinese and over 800 Pakistani laborer and engineers lost their lives; some due
to inclement weather, others to the harsh elevation of 4,693 meters (15,397 ft)
above sea level.
To say inevitably the Karakoram Highway had a huge impact on the lives of locals, their economic conditions improved manifold, likewise it turn out to be an open gateway for them to the rest of the world.
One of the major benefits it came with is the uplift in adventure tourism, as it is the corridor to the stunning mountain range of Pakistan, namely the gorgeous Himalayas, magnificent Hindukush and the mysterious Karakorum. Furthermore, one can have a luxury of an uninterrupted and clear view of notorious Nanga Parbat and Rakaposhi.
Also, it is a gateway to the
world’s largest glaciers, mainlyKhujerab, Passu, Minapin and Ghulkin.
Thankfully now it is no longer difficult to access the many high mountains,
glaciers, and lakes in the area.
The Karakoram Highway offers to
its traveler a delightful experience of scenic beauty that would surely remain
for life. One would be travelling while
witnessing the sights of world’s beautiful landscapes, the lands of fairies and
djinns.
Moreover, it was deemed the third-best tourism site in the country and one of the most challenging engineering feats anywhere in the world.
Historically Karakorum Highway
was a trade route, famously known as the ancient Silk Road Route, that relates
to a lot of beautiful stories that I will be sharing in my next article,
however it was used by Chinese traders on their journey toward the Middle East,
Central Asia and Europe.
However, under the CEPEC, the Karakorum Highway has been upgraded as a motorway. It is the sustenance for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan besides the source of economic activities.
Moreover, Karakorum Highway can be viewed as the main channel of the CEPEC and its impact are evident in the whole region as a beneficiary of trade between China and Central Asia, the Middle-East and Eurasia through the Arabian Sea at Gwadar.
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Munaza Kazmi holds MPhil in Management Sciences (Bahria University Islamabad, 2020). She’s a travel writer, an author, & co-author of scientific contributions in national & international publications. Her main areas of research include tourism & quality management.
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ANKARA/ISLAMABAD, AUG 7: The Turkish government has eased quarantine rules for Pakistani students returning to university after the summer break.
According to the new rules,
students will be allowed to quarantine at their dormitories instead of hotels.
They will have to isolate for 10 days.
Students will be quarantined at
the Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution’s (KYK) Muhteşem Süleyman
Dormitory in Istanbul and Tahsin Banguoğlu KYK Dormitory in Ankara.
The new rules came into effect
August 6. The Pakistan Embassy in Ankara said students will have to show a
valid student identification document showing that they study in Turkey.
Pakistani students studying at
universities in provinces other than Istanbul or Ankara, will only be able to
travel to the provinces where their registered universities are based after the
end of the quarantine period.
Work/residence permit holders
People from Pakistan with valid
residence and work permits will be exempted from hotel quarantine and will be
allowed to quarantine at their residence.
They will only be allowed to go
to their residence by private vehicle and cannot use domestic flights or public
transport.
Tourists from Pakistan will be quarantined at the designated hotels like before.
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COURTESY SAMAA NEWS
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Friday, 6 August 2021
ANKARA, AUG 6: Turkish coffee will be promoted in the US through a documentary filmed by a Turkish foundation in seven cities of the country where the strong drink is prepared in different ways.
OSLO, AUG 6: Several municipalities are resorting to creative solutions during this year’s “pandemic” parliamentary elections. In Oslo, people will be able to vote from their car at drive-in premises if they are in quarantine.
“Everyone who wants to vote must
be allowed to vote, regardless of whether they are ill, in quarantine, or in
isolation,” the communications manager for elections in Oslo, Ingvild Åsgard,
told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).
Oslo Municipality has set up a
record number of premises for advance voting for those who are afraid of ending
up in quarantine or becoming ill on election day.
One of the premises allows people
to vote from their car.
“If you are in quarantine, you can vote via drive-in at Valle Hovin. Then you vote in your car, and then the election staff comes and takes your vote through the window,” Åsgård noted.
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COURTESY norwaytoday
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LAHORE, AUG 6: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif filed an appeal in the British Immigration Tribunal on Thursday after the Home Department refused to extend his stay in the country on “medical grounds” any further.
The decision of the UK Home Department prompted the Imran Khan government to offer the PML-N supreme leader to arrange his return to Pakistan at a notice of 24 hours if he is willing.
“The UK Home Department has refused to extend Nawaz Sharif’s stay in the country any further on medical grounds. However, Mr Sharif will legally remain in the UK till the tribunal issues its decision on his plea for his stay in the country,” PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb told Dawn on Thursday.
“Mr Sharif has already filed an appeal with the British Immigration Tribunal challenging the Home Department’s decision. The UK Home Department’s decision will remain in effect till the tribunal arrives at a decision,” she added.
Govt offers special documents for his return; PML-N rebukes minister for doing politics on ex-PM’s health
Dispelling an impression that Mr Sharif had applied for asylum after refusal of his visa extension, Ms Aurangzeb said: “This does not in any way amount to a political asylum and is only a request for an extension to his stay on medical grounds.”
She castigated the PTI ministers for doing politics on the health of Mr Sharif. “As long as the treatment of Mr Sharif is not completed and doctors do not allow him travel he will remain in the UK,” she said. The “rented spokespersons” of the “imposed regime” were doing politics on Mr Sharif, who had earlier returned to Pakistan leaving his ailing wife on deathbed, only to save their jobs, she added.
The passport of Nawaz Sharif, who has been ‘absconding’ in London since November 2019 on medical treatment grounds, had expired in February this year.
The PTI government had declined a request for issuance of a new diplomatic passport to Mr Sharif. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had already declared that Mr Sharif’s passport would not be renewed as per “instructions from Prime Minister Imran Khan”.
On Thursday both Mr Rashid and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry offered Mr Sharif “special documents” to return to the country.
Mr Chaudhry said now Mr Sharif had an option to apply for an emergency travel document from the Pakistan High Commission in the UK to return to the country and face corruption cases against him. “He has no legal grounds to satisfy the tribunal about his further stay in London. It has been established that he lied about his health,” he said and warned the former premier not to tell lies (about his health) before the tribunal to seek extension to his stay as he may face jail there too for it. “Neither Imran Khan nor the PTI has any enmity with Nawaz Sharif. We want him to come back to the country, deposit the looted money amounting to billions of rupees into the exchequer and afterwards stay at his home,” Mr Chaudhry said.
Meanwhile, PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif telephoned his elder brother in London and insisted him to stay there “till his treatment is completed”. “The nation and the PML-N are more concerned about your (Nawaz) health and they are praying for your fast recovery,” he said.
During the talk, Mr Nawaz told Mr Shehbaz about the rejection of his visa extension application and filing of an appeal in the tribunal subsequently.
Prior to the departure of Mr Nawaz to London, Mr Shehbaz had submitted an undertaking to the Lahore High Court that he would ensure return of his brother “within four weeks or on certification by doctors that he has regained his health and is fit to return back to Pakistan”. Mr Nawaz was allowed to leave the country for four weeks, extendable on the basis of medical reports.
Mr Nawaz was serving seven-year imprisonment in the Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia corruption case before his departure to London.
Mr Nawaz has been in London since 2019, and has reportedly applied for multiple extensions in his stay. Foreigners on visas can stay in the UK for up to six months in one stretch. Mr Sharif has been in the UK now for nearly two years, but sources said that the letter from the Home Office said his stay despite the refusal of an extension remained valid.
The news of the visa extension application’s rejection took the Sharifs by surprise, as TV channels started to broadcast the alert based on reports from Islamabad. “We just found out ourselves,” Hussain Nawaz told Dawn, expressing his surprise that the story had become public in Pakistan. “This was not leaked by us.”
Interestingly, it was federal minister Faisal Vawda who first tweeted about this development. On Aug 3, Mr Vawda claimed Mr Nawaz’s “visa is being cancelled by UK authorities”. Though technically the claim was erroneous, a few days later it emerged that Mr Nawaz’s application for extension of his stay was denied.
The Home Office does not comment on individual immigration or visa applications, and declines requests to share information on applications with the media or members of the public.
The former prime minister has been in the UK since November 2019, after getting bail from the court on medical grounds and securing permission from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government. His doctors said he was suffering from complicated cardiac disease and an immune system disorder that resulted in a low platelet count. In September, a medical report submitted to the Lahore High Court by his legal team said doctors had advised him against travel due to the coronavirus outbreak as he was suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and diseases of the kidney and heart. The report stated that as a heart patient, he was vulnerable to contracting Covid-19. His lawyers contend that his treatment that was paused due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK would resume soon.
Prior to the pandemic, Mr Sharif had been visiting St Guys’ and St Thomas’ Hospital as well as Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital for check-ups, which the PML-N said would help doctors determine next steps in his treatment. Mr Nawaz’s visits to the hospital had been temporarily paused when the UK went into lockdown in March and when non-urgent surgery patient appointments were postponed due to heavy burden of Covid-19 patients on the National Health Service.
Members of the government on several occasions have dismissed the family’s statements regarding Mr Nawaz’s health and made efforts to bring him back to Pakistan to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the Al-Azizia case.
Atika Rehman in London also contributed to this report
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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Thursday, 5 August 2021
WASHINGTON, AUG 5: (Raja Furqan Ahmed) Pakistan's National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf has explained that Pakistan will not accept a “forceful takeover’ of Kabul. While talking to the media after concluding week-long talks with the US administration, Moeed, said, “We will not accept a forceful takeover.”
“We have made it absolutely clear that we are with the international community on where this goes. But the world also needs to be clear that the US invest in a political settlement,” he said. Harsh rhetoric of the Afghan government against Pakistan was making it impossible to maintain good relations between the neighbouring countries, he added.
He further said, “We are beginning to see a very conscious, deliberate effort by the Afghan government to scapegoat Pakistan.” Moeed said Afghanistan’s incumbent government wanted “to shift the entire blame of its failures” on Pakistan.
He urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to “compromise and reach a peace settlement” as the fighters made rapid gains amid a US troop withdrawal. “There will have to be some compromise given the ground reality. But the violence will have to stop,” he added.
“Whatever limited leverage we had, we used,” he said, pointing to Pakistan encouraging the Taliban to enter talks with the Afghan government in Doha. “Now with the US troop withdrawal, that leverage has logically gone down further,” he added.
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RAWALPINDI, AUG 5: (Raja Furqan) India is changing the geographical boundaries of occupied Kashmir. 1.2 million Indians have been settled in Occupied Kashmir since August 5, 2019.
These views were expressed by Mushaal Hussein Mullick, Chairperson Peace and Culture Organization while addressing a protest rally, flag hoisting and photo exhibition on Indian atrocities organized by Punjab Arts Council flanked by Naheed Manzoor and Director Waqar Ahmed.
She said that the Indian fascist government would turn Kashmiris into a minority in the valley by conducting a false census in occupied Kashmir. The genocide of Kashmiris in the occupied valley has increased in the last two years. Mushaal Hussein Mullick said that Hurriyat leadership Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Asiya Andrabi were enduring the hardships of incarceration in Indian jails.
Hurriyat leader Ashraf Sehrai was poisoned to death by Indian authorities in jail. Malik further said that India was depriving Kashmiris of their identity, political, religious and economic rights. She said that the Human Rights Commission, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations should take notice of the Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
The United Nations needs to pass a new resolution for a referendum in occupied Kashmir, while the Kashmiri people want a solution to the Kashmir issue in accordance with the UN resolution. Mushaal Mullick has appealed to the people of Pakistan to expose the ugly face of India to the whole world. Similarly, India has failed in occupied Kashmir before and will continue to fail in the future also.
Addressing on the occasion, Naheed Manzoor said that Kashmir is the lifeblood of Pakistan. Pakistan and Kashmir are inseparable from each other. Director Arts Council Waqar Ahmad said that August 5, 2019, is the darkest day in the history of Kashmir. He said that every child of Pakistan is standing side by side with the Kashmiri brothers. A large number of citizens participated in the rally and photo exhibition.
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