FARUKH SHEHZAD

• Unfreezing of Shehbaz, son’s bank accounts ordered
• Shahzad Akbar dismisses reports the duo have been acquitted of money laundering charges
• PML-N claims family exonerated of ‘malicious’ corruption, money laundering charges

LAHORE, SEPT 28: A UK court has ordered unfreezing of the bank accounts of PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and his son Suleman Shehbaz after the country’s National Crime Agency (NCA) did not find evidence regarding ‘suspicious bank transactions’ against them.

According to news reports, the NCA had conducted a 17-month long probe in which it examined Shehbaz Sharif’s financial transactions over the past 20 years.

It said that no evidence of money laundering or criminal activities against the PML-N president or his family was found.

The NCA submitted the investigation report to the Westminster court in which it said that Shehbaz and his son were not involved in money laundering practices in Pakistan, Dubai and the UK.

The NCA had initiated the probe after Pakistan’s Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) had shared evidence with the UK crime agency.

Shehbaz’s and his son’s bank accounts were frozen in December 2019 by the NCA following a UK court order.

The PML-N hailed the decision, calling it an embarrassment for Prime Minister Imran Khan who peddled the corruption and money laundering allegations against the Sharif family.

While reacting to the development, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, adviser to the prime minister on accountability and interior, claimed that only the bank accounts of Shehbaz and Suleman had been unfrozen following the NCA’s report and that they had not been acquitted of money laundering charges.

“Certain funds transferred by Suleman Shehbaz from Pakistan to the UK in 2019 were declared suspicious transactions by the UK authorities and NCA secured an asset freezing order (AFO) from court against these funds. However, recently NCA decided to stop investigating these funds and therefore agreed for release of these funds through court,” Akbar said in a series of tweets.

“The news about the alleged acquittal of Shehbaz Sharif or his son Suleman run by one news channel is incorrect and misreporting. It was a result of a suspicious transaction reported by a bank to NCA. The investigation by the NCA against Suleman Shehbaz and some of his family members was not initiated at the request of Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) or National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” tweeted Akbar, who had been keeping a low profile for the last couple of months.

The news channel Mr Akbar refers to claimed that the NCA submitted an investigation report on the bank transactions of Shehbaz and Suleman to the Westminster court, declaring them not guilty of “money laundering, fraud and criminal conduct”.

It further reported that the government’s ARU had written a letter to the UK government in December 2019 making serious money laundering and corruption allegations against Shehbaz and Suleman. 

The ARU reportedly wrote that Shehbaz and his son were involved in multiple cases in Pakistan related to money laundering and corruption. “Both father and son are involved in double criminalities,” it stated and further alleged Shehbaz and Suleman laundered money from the UK to Pakistan and later transferred back the same as white money.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “The UK court’s decision has unequivocally exonerated Shehbaz Sharif and his family of all malicious and vexatious claims of corruption and money laundering by Imran Khan. 

The NCA conducted a 21-month global investigation spanning across a 20 year timeframe whilst overcoming unprecedented jurisdictional challenges. Never in the history of Pakistan has such a public office-holder been subjected to global scrutiny and multi-jurisdictional probing. Imran Khan has been exposed as a charlatan, willing to malign and assassinate characters of honest public office-holders. 

False corruption narrative exposed as nothing more than a smoke screen and Imran Khan to be an unscrupulous ringmaster of a circus built on incompetence, deceit and stained by the indignation of the innocent and the poor.”

Ms Aurangzeb further claimed that in December 2019, the NAB Lahore director general had met the NCA officials in London thereby an application had been filed by Barrister Zia Nasim, an international legal expert from the government’s ARU.

“The application triggered an investigation of Shehbaz Sharif and family’s assets. Later, an email was sent to the NCA by the ARU officials to assist it with the aforementioned investigation. Furthermore, the government of Pakistan invited NCA to visit the country in 2020. 

These are undisputed facts, corroborated through evidence filed in the UK court. This government will fall on the weight of its own deceit and lies,” she stated.

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KABUL, SEPT 27: No representative from Afghanistan will address the annual high-level U.N. General Assembly in New York after the ambassador for the government ousted by the Taliban – who was due to speak on Monday – withdrew his name.

The move comes amid competing claims for Afghanistan‘s U.N. seat in New York after the Taliban seized power last month.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi last week asked to address the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations and nominated the Islamist group’s Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s U.N. ambassador.

Ghulam Isaczai is the current U.N. ambassador, who represents Afghanistan‘s government ousted by the Taliban, and has also asked to renew his accreditation. He was scheduled to address the final day of the high-level U.N. gathering on Monday, but withdrew late on Sunday, diplomats said.

Isaczai did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rival claims have also been made for Myanmar‘s U.N. seat after a military coup in February ousted the elected government. No representative from Myanmar will address the high-level General Assembly meeting.

U.N. accreditation issues are dealt with by a nine-member committee, whose members include the United States, China and Russia. It traditionally meets in October or November.

Until a decision is made by the credentials committee on both Afghanistan and Myanmar, Isaczai and Myanmar’s U.N. envoy representing the ousted government, Kyaw Moe Tun, will remain in the seats, according to the General Assembly rules.

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ISLAMABAD, SEPT 27: The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on Monday painted a grim picture of the rising rate of unemployment across the country, underlining that 24 percent of educated people were jobless at the moment.

The PIDE, in its briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development meeting chaired by Saleem Mandviwala, said the unemployment rate in the country had reached 16pc — contrary to the government’s claim of 6.5pc.

The committee was also informed that 40pc of educated women were also unemployed countrywide.

The term ‘educated’ here refers to those people who have acquired an undergraduate or graduate degree, which should enable them to find a job.

The PIDE officials pointed out that some educated people get themselves enrolled in M.Phil studies to continue learning as they struggle to fetch a better job. This also skewed the unemployment rate as they weren’t included in the figures.

‘1.5m people including M.Phil degree holders applied for a peon’s job’

The officials told the Senate committee that at least 1.5 million people applied for a peon’s position in a high court that was advertised recently.

“Among those applying for the job included M.Phil degree holders,” officials said.

The Economic Survey 2020-21 released in June this year had revealed the spread of Covid-19 had severely affected employment conditions in the country and the suspension of economic activities due to imposition of lockdowns rendered an estimated 20.71m workers jobless.

According to the survey, a large population and lack of proper management of human resources have also had a negative impact on the employment rate in the country.

“Pakistan being the fifth most populous country with the ninth largest labour force in the world, adds a large number to its workforce every year,” the report had pointed out.

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BAKU/ISLAMABAD, SEPT 27: One year ago today, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan began responsive measures to counter another military provocation from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.

These measures were undertaken within the framework of the right to self-defense. They were in full compliance with the international humanitarian law in order to prevent another military aggression from Armenia and to provide for the security of the civilian population. This marked the beginning of the 44-day Patriotic War.

The Patriotic War put an end to Armenia’s nearly 30-year-long policy of aggression. Azerbaijan ensured its territorial integrity, and the fundamental rights of nearly one million displaced Azerbaijanis were restored. 

Azerbaijan, alone ensured the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions of 1993.

The end of the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories revealed the full extent of the illegal activities undertaken by Armenia for decades. This includes extensive mining; the deliberate destruction and misappropriation of Azerbaijan’s historical, cultural and religious heritage; plundering of natural resources; destruction of infrastructure; and other violations of international law.

Evidence of Armenia’s numerous war crimes was also revealed. In order to hold Armenia accountable for its breaches of international humanitarian and human rights law, Azerbaijan filed inter-state applications against Armenia in the European Court of Human Rights and International Court of Justice.

The Government of Azerbaijan is carrying out restoration and reconstruction works in the liberated territories and taking consistent steps to ensure the safe and dignified return of nearly one million of displaced Azerbaijanis, as well as the reintegration of these lands.

The Government is also taking all necessary measures to ensure lasting peace, security and prosperity in the region in accordance with the Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020.

The Patriotic Warunder the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev that ended with a victory of the brave Azerbaijani Army, opened a new era in the history of the Republic of Azerbaijan, established international justice and changed the realities in the region.

Azerbaijan is ready to normalize relations with Armenia, on the basis of strict observance of the principles of international law, in particular sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of international borders.

We call on Armenia to respect these fundamental principles to ensure peace, security, and prosperity in the region and comply with its international obligations.

We commemorate with deep respect and esteem the memory of all our martyrs who died for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan on September 27, which is celebrated as the Commemoration Day in our country by the order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

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ISLAMABAD, SEPT 27: Pakistan's leading e-commerce platform, Daraz, hosted its annual Seller Summit on Sunday, with over 100,000 sellers from around the country attending the virtual event.

Addressing the summit, Daraz CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen said that the past 12 months have been challenging for everyone, but despite the impact of COVID-19, he believes that the e-commerce platform is in its strongest position yet for sellers to scale their businesses.

"I want to thank both the Pakistan government and our sellers for helping to advance the operating environment for the Daraz platform over the past 12 months. We have been working hand-in-hand with the government to ensure that there is both a legislative and taxation framework that will allow the e-commerce industry to flourish.

"At the same time, our sellers have collectively taken on the challenge to enhance the customer experience and build greater trust on the platform by improving product quality, service and their overall interaction with customers."

Talking about the seller experience, Mr Mikkelsen added, "In the next 12 months, we will work to improve the seller experience further, and this will see us focus on three key areas. The first initiative will focus on making seller statements more transparent and payments faster.

Secondly, we will put a greater emphasis on providing access to tools that will allow sellers to scale their business, and finally, we want to improve the returns process to ensure no unnecessary cost-burden is carried by the seller."

As the growth and sophistication of the e-commerce landscape in Pakistan continues to evolve, Daraz announced several other initiatives to enhance the seller experience after already reducing the payment cycle from 14 to 7 days earlier in the year.

These include an improved quality control process, speeding up the sign-up process, enhancements to Daraz University and establishing a Seller Community platform.

Additionally, Abdul Raza Dawood, adviser to prime minister for Commerce and Investment, also joined and appreciated Daraz for the efforts it has made to grow the eCommerce industry of Pakistan and assured that government will continue its support for the platform.

Head of Alibaba.com APAC, Stephen Kuoc, also spoke at the summit about Alibaba's B2B performance.

"Based on our latest forecast, our B2B online business will grow by up to 20% in Pakistan, and this opens up a huge market for exporters.

"Recently exports in Pakistan have gone up to 339 billion PKR making Pakistan one of our most important markets. Our platform connects buyers and sellers from more than 100 countries globally, and together with Daraz, we want to provide full local support to businesses to allow them to shift seamlessly online."

With the summit over, sellers now turn their attention to 11.11 – Pakistan’s biggest online shopping sale.

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WALLINGTON, SEPT 26: New Zealand cricket team coach Gary Stead has urged his players to block out the hype around next month’s Twenty20 World Cup opener against Pakistan, which is likely to have far more attention than usual due to the Kiwis’ abrupt abandoning of their Pakistan tour earlier this month.

On Sept 17, the Kiwis had dropped a bombshell on Pakistan cricket by quitting their much anticipated tour of Pakistan minutes before the toss for first ODI, and cited a ‘security threat’. They angered Pakistan’s cricket fraternity even more by refusing to share the exact nature of the threat.

Their decision was followed by a similar one taken by England, denting Pakistan Cricket Board’s years worth of efforts to bring back top-level international cricket to Pakistan. With New Zealand and Pakistan set to meet in the UAE next month as part of the World T20, their coach has told his charges to block out the noise, reported Stuff.co.nz.

“Certainly, being that it’s Pakistan, people will hype that up, but for us it’s no different to any other match we play against them,” the website quoted the coach as saying.

The Kiwi team will begin their WorldT20 campaign against Pakistan on Oct 26 at Sharjah — a couple of days after Pakistan’s hotly-anticipated opener against its arch-rival India on Oct 24 at Dubai.

Stead admitted that the decision to abandon the tour was “disappointing” and “unsettling” for the Pakistan cricket fraternity and fans but explained that it was not the team’s decision to make.

“Sometimes you don’t get made aware of everything, either. It’s really hard for me to comment on” Stead said.

He insisted that the “decision was out of our hands”, adding “the guys are now in Dubai and getting ready, and there’s the IPL that they can have a good look at, which in many ways is good preparation for them as well.”

He said that the five players who were meant to be starting a five-match T20 series in Pakistan were in good spirits and had begun training in the UAE.

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ISLAMABAD, SEPT 26: Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, announced its Cloud Consulting partnership with Techaccess Pakistan, an innovative technology and consulting company.

HUAWEI CLOUD has launched more than 220 cloud services and 210 solutions. The company works with more than 19,000 partners and has brought together 1.6 million developers. Through this partnership, HUAWEI CLOUD will provide constant cloud and intelligence support to enterprises in Pakistan.

Director Huawei Cloud Eco-system and Solutions, Farhan Ali inaugurated the ceremony, stating,“Huawei is globally a big brand that is operational in twenty-three regions of the world. Endorsing 200+ Cloud Services and Solutions, Huawei is keen for opportunities to work with local partners.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gaoweijie, Managing Director Huawei Enterprise Business Group was glad to announce that, “Under this new agreement, both companies are now extending their partnership in the Public Cloud domain, combining their capabilities to better serve Pakistan’s cloud market.”

Mr. Mark Meng, CEO of Huawei Pakistan also reiterated, "Our partnership with TAP will enable HUAWEI CLOUD to provide ourclients TAP’s professional services & delivery capabilities, coupled with their market reach.”

Tariq Malik, Chief Technology Officer TAP also addressed the event and was of the view that Huawei has taken a very important step to establish a massive cloud consulting partnership Eco-System in Pakistan. Enterprises across Pakistan can manage all of their public cloud infrastructures in one place as well as ensure agility by solving organizational challenges quickly and easily.

CEO Techaccess Pakistan Mehmood Jabbar expressed his honorable views and said, "We very strongly believe in Huawei. The future of CLOUD is very much there, it is coming and going. We just have to make efforts to reach good clientage.”

The Cloud and AI Business Group further strengthen Huawei's position as a partner of choice in enabling enterprises' digital transformation journeys, by offering focused products which enable cost reduction and increased business efficiency via modern infrastructure solutions. The BU portfolio also offers a next-generation multi-cloud strategy to increase agility via the automation of service delivery.

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• Coastal comprehensive development zone to be established on KPT’s reclaimed land

• $3.5bn plan envisages new berths for port, new fishery port, harbour bridge to unlock Pakistan’s Blue Economy
• Centre calls the initiative a game-changer for Pakistan

KARACHI, SEPT 26: Calling it a “game-changer”, the federal government on Satur­day unveiled an ambitious plan to rebuild Karachi’s coastline under the China-Pakistan Economic Corri­dor (CPEC) with $3.5 billion “direct Chinese investment” that aims to overhaul city’s seaboard with new berths for the port, a new fishery port and a ‘majestic harbour bridge’ connecting it with Manora islands and Sandspit beach.

The Karachi Coastal Co­m­prehensive Develop­ment Zone (KCCDZ) — spread over 640 hectares or 1,581 acres on the western backwaters marsh land of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) leading to revamp one of the oldest city slums Machhar Colony relocating its more than half a million population — is an initiative of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.

The KCCDZ is the latest addition to CPEC projects aimed at providing Karachi with an ultra modern urban infrastructure zone, placing it among the top port cities of the world.

The announcement came from the top when a key member of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s cabinet sha­red some details of the project and claimed it carried “enormous potential for global investors as well”.

“And the best thing of this project is that it’s solely based on foreign [Chinese] investment without any loan,” said Minister for Mar­i­time Affairs Syed Ali Zaidi while speaking to Dawn.

“The Chinese work so fast and I guess that it would not take more than five or six years to complete the project. Under the agreed plan, we would relocate some 20,000 to 25,000 families from Machhar Colony and relocate them. Believe me it’s a huge thing for Pakistan. It’s something massive. It would bring multifold advantages to Pakistan’s maritime economy and further strengthen our coastal development.”

He said after assuming the office as the minister for maritime affairs he vigorously looked for the opportunity for the KCCDZ and made all-out efforts to include it in the CPEC projects. For this purpose, he added, he consulted a number of Chinese companies, investors and officials of the neighbouring country and his efforts finally yielded results.

Earlier, the federal minister shared the “monumental decision” on a social me­dia platform, coming up with ske­tchy details of the KCCDZ. He, however, did not explain terms and conditions that convinced the Chinese investors to pour in $3.5 billion (around Rs592 billion).

“A monumental decision was taken during the 10th Joint Cooperation Commi­ttee (JCC) on CPEC, held on 23rd September 2021 at Islamabad and Beijing,” Mr Zaidi tweeted while sharing a formal statement of the announcement.

“The two countries agreed to include KCCDZ under the CPEC framework. KCCDZ, an initiative of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs focuses on providing Karachi with an ultra modern urban infrastructure zone, placing Karachi amongst the top port cities of the world.”

The minister also shared animated and picturesque images of a developed KCCDZ, showing a huge developed coastline dotted with multiple buildings, concrete structures and planned neighbourhoods without mentioning their utilities. He claimed all the developments would take place over “reclaimed area of the KPT” spanning over huge 640 hectares or 1581.474 acres.

“Developed on reclaimed area of approximately 640 hectares on the Western back waters marsh land of KPT, KCCDZ will be a flagship project for not only Pakistan but the entire region,” the statement claimed.

“In accordance with PM Imran Khan’s vision for promoting low-cost housing, KCCDZ will also provide residential resettlement to more than 20,000 families living in the surrounding slums. The environment-friendly mega KCCDZ envisages four new berths for KPT, adding depth to Pakistan’s expanding maritime sector.”

The project, the statement added, would also house a state-of-the-art fishing port, with a world-class fisheries export processing zone to boost Pakistan’s trade potential. It would also drastically improve the marine ecosystem and reduce pollution by establishing a water treatment plant at the mouth of the Lyari River, it said.

“The KCCDZ will connect with the rest of Karachi through a majestic harbour bridge rising from behind Pakistan’s Deepwater Port, with exit ramps for Manora Islands and Sandspit beach,” it elaborated.

The statement claimed KCCDZ would unlock “Pakistan’s unexplored Blue Economy and significantly enhance development and industrial cooperation between the two brotherly countries. The KCCDZ is a game-changer for Pakistan”.

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THE war in Afghanistan is over. Pakistan won.

No amount of hand wringing in Western capitals can change this hard reality. For now, at least. The post-victory battle however is still being waged on the airwaves and in oak-panelled boardrooms. Victory is not a happy ending. Not yet.

To live happily ever after, we may need to reinterpret what happened once upon a time.

But first Pakistan may want to acknowledge that it is floundering in the art of storytelling. Victors usually don’t struggle with their narratives, they revel in them. Pakistan though is bracing for a backlash. Something, somewhere is terribly wrong with how this story is unfolding.

The secret of this failure, in fact, is hiding in plain sight. The Pakistani state, and many influential sections of its society, cannot seem to resist the powerful urge to romance the Taliban even though the red wedding is over and the guests have limped back home. Very few in Pakistan are willing to recognise that walking away from a victory does not mean abandoning its spoils.

Something, somewhere is terribly wrong with how this story is unfolding.

These spoils will accrue from sustained peace. Victory is only the first step. It is an acknowledgement however that Pakistan was right all along in its approach towards the conflict in Afghanistan. When former army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani had argued in written form that the US/Nato strategy would not work, and the Afghan National Army would ultimately collapse, he was ignored in Washington and London. As reported in detail by American journalist Steve Coll in his book Directorate S, Gen Kayani kept on advising US officials to change strategy and not depend so much on the advice of people like Hamid Karzai. But the American hammer saw every problem in Afghanistan as a nail.

As did the belligerent American media and Beltway pundits. The ‘do more’ mantra kept picking up steam with every successive US official’s visit to Pakistan. In hindsight one can see how Pakistani officials held their nerve against this consistent and persistent pressure piled on year after year for nearly two decades. The continuity of policy paid its dividends.

But just when time has come to cash in on these dividends, Pakistan is fumbling.

The fumble may not make sense at first viewing. Pakistani officials are parroting a fairly reasonable position. We maintain that the Taliban should have an inclusive government, that they should include women and minorities in their government, and that they should ensure the Afghan soil is not used for terrorism against any country. The prime minister, foreign minister and the national security adviser are pushing this narrative well through repeated interviews. And yet, the problem persists.

It persists for at least three reasons: (1) Western leaders believe there is a gap between what Pakistani officials say and what they do (2) Western leaders also maintain that Pakistan has not used the leverage it has over the Taliban sufficiently to make them change their behaviour (3) they also maintain Taliban would not have gained the emphatic victory they have without the active support of Pakistan through the years.

These Western leaders — especially the Americans — are taking the three factors, welding them into a steel rod, and preparing to take a mighty swing at Pakistan. What can we do?

Plenty, as it turns out.

On factor 1: (a) introduce discipline in public communication. Brutal discipline. A bevy of ministers and aides shooting off their mouths on Afghanistan and Taliban is a major problem that needs to be zipped shut. Let’s face it: the prime minister’s ill-advised, ill-considered and ill-timed statement on the Taliban ‘breaking the shackles of slavery’ was the ‘gotcha’ moment that the West was looking for. ‘See we told you,’ they bloviated in their earnestness to prove to nobody in particular that Pakistan was ecstatic over the Taliban victory.

(b) Stop playing the victim. In inter-state relations, no one cares. Yes Pakistani state and society have been ravaged by terrorism, and yes Pakistan has paid a steep price for America’s war in Afghanistan, but this narrative is past its sell-by date. Shelve it. Instead, talk about shared interests from the peace in Afghanistan. What shared interests? Exactly. Figure them out. List them out. Spell them out.

(c) Construct a post-conflict vision for the region from our perspective. Move the discussion away from victory and defeat and steer it towards projects, pipelines and prosperity. Garnish the vision with specificity. Don’t have the vision? Don’t have the specificity? There you have it ladies and gentlemen: the challenge before us. Make this happen instead of harping on tired clichés and outmoded talking points.

On factor 2: (a) use the leverage, but don’t photograph it. Pakistan must invest all its energies in knocking some sense into the Taliban. If it could sustain two decades of Western pressure to stay the course on its Afghanistan policy, it sure as heck can cajole, persuade and influence the Taliban to become more acceptable. All these years we have absorbed the blame for our leverage — now it is time to use the leverage to gain credit for ourselves.

(b) Do this on the quiet. Till it is done. Then shout from the rooftops. Mainstream the Taliban as much as possible, then claim credit. Pakistan should reorient its entire approach so it can be seen as the engine driving the post-conflict transformation in the region.

On factor 3: (a) embrace the reality that Pakistan was right these two decades and the West was wrong. Then build a positive narrative around it. How were we right? Explain. What was our logic and rationale? Explain. How did we suffer? Explain. How can we use this to make it a win-all for all stakeholders now? Explain.

(b) Ditch the gloating. Abandon the chest-thumping. Dump the smugness. Replace the blame game with proposals for advancing shared interests. The past is another country. The future awaits. To live happily ever after, let us start over:

Once upon a time…

The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Islamabad.

Twitter: @fahdhusain 

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NEW YORK, SEPT 25: Pakistan hit back at India after the latter described occupied Kashmir as an “internal matter” and levelled allegations of sponsoring terrorism against the former.

In her speech, India’s First Secretary Sneha Dubey said Pakistan played the “victim of terrorism” but instead fostered terrorists in its backyard.

She also claimed that occupied Kashmir and Ladakh “were, are and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India”. She emphasised that this included areas that are “occupied” by Pakistan, according to the report.

In response, Pakistani representative Saima Saleem said that occupied Kashmir was not a “so-called integral part of India nor is it India’s internal matter”.

“India remains in occupation of an internationally recognised disputed territory whose final disposition needs to be decided in accordance with the democratic principle of a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, as provided for under numerous resolutions of the Security Council,” she said.

She said that India was levelling baseless allegations and relying on “outright lies and obfuscation” to divert attention from human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.

“India’s compulsive obsession with Pakistan is neither new nor surprising. It has permeated its ruling elite and governance structures.

She said that the EU Disinfo lab had explained how India has used such tools of deflection, deception and disinformation against Pakistan, including at the United Nations.

She said that Indian human rights violations in occupied Kashmir were also documented in two reports by the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights.

“Since August 5, 2019, the High Commissioner has urged India to ‘unlock the situation and fully restore the rights that are currently being denied’ to the people of IIOJK [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir].

“Several other special rapporteurs and mandate holders have also termed the human rights situation in IIOJK in a ‘free fall’. Major human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have expressed similar serious concerns about India’s human rights violations, including in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“Not surprisingly, Indian authorities have failed to respond to any of these communications.”

The Pakistani representative said a witch hunt had been launched against those who “dared to report the crimes”.

She added that the Pakistani government had recently released a comprehensive dossier on the systemic and widespread human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian security forces in the occupied valley.

“We call upon the international community to take cognisance of the compelling evidence and hold India accountable for the heinous crimes.

“If India has nothing to hide, it must accept a UN commission of inquiry and agree to implement the Security Council resolutions stipulating a plebiscite to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination,” she said.

‘India principal perpetrator of terrorism in region’

Commenting on the Indian allegations of Pakistan sponsoring terrorism, she said: “As for India’s use of the canard of terrorism, regurgitating stale arguments that are typical of all occupiers.

“Let me emphasise that India itself is the principal perpetrator, sponsor, financier and abettor of terrorism in the region.”

She said that India was currently involved in at least four different types of terrorism. First being state terrorism to suppress the people of occupied Kashmir.

Second, funding and supporting terrorist groups, such as the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is involved in cross border terrorist attacks against Pakistani military and civilian targets.

Third, India is financing and organising mercenary terrorist organisations against Pakistan to impede economic growth and prosperity of the region, the Pakistani representative said, adding that Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval had also publicly admitted to this.

Fourth, India is being guided by a supremacist ideology that has mainstreamed Islamophobia and bigotry against minorities, particularly Muslims, in its political discourse, she said.

“In today’s incredibly intolerant India, the 200 million-strong Muslim minority faces frequent lynching by ‘cow vigilantes’, pogroms by RSS thugs with official complicity, discriminatory citizenship laws to disenfranchise Muslims, and a concerted campaign to destroy mosques and the rich Muslim heritage of India.”

The Pakistani representative concluded her speech by stating that the Indian delegation would do well to reflect on the troubling trajectory of their state, rather than “indulging in patent falsehoods about Pakistan”.

“India must realise that it has continuously and miserably failed to suppress the Kashmiris living under its occupation from demanding their inalienable right to self-determination,” she said.

Saleem’s response also garnered attention from federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry.

In a tweet, he said: “Saima Saleem exercising right of reply in UNGA. Saima is visually impaired, but [the] way [in which] she spoke [it] seems her heart can see everything. You have made us proud. Thank you.”

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OSLO, SEPT 25: The global council against all travel that is not strictly necessary to countries outside the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland will not be extended when it expires on October 1.

“There is no longer a basis for such a global travel council. We are now going back to assessing whether each country should have its own travel advice,” Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) stated on Friday.

The assessment will be made based on the state of the pandemic, the health situation, and the security in each country.

Søreide encouraged people to download the new Travel Ready app, which provides access to travel advice, travel information, and travel registration in one place.

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