FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, OCT 19: The Pakistan Navy detected and blocked an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters on October 16 (last Saturday), the military's media wing revealed on Tuesday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the navy showed "unremitting vigilance and professional competence" in ascertaining and blocking the attempted entry of the Indian vessel.

"During the prevailing security milieu, a strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard maritime frontiers of Pakistan," the ISPR said.

It added that the Oct 16 incident was the third time an Indian naval submarine had been detected and tracked by the Pakistan Navy's long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

"The recent incident reflects the deplorable Indian machinations vis-à-vis commitment and resolve of Pakistan Navy to defend maritime frontiers of the motherland," the statement reads.

The last such reported incident occurred in March 2019 when the navy had detected and thwarted a similar attempted entry by an Indian submarine. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a statement from the navy's spokesperson had said at the time.

Another attempt was made in November 2016 when an Indian submarine was tracked and pushed clear out of Pakistan's waters.

The UN Convention on Law of Sea does not allow a state to carry out manoeuvres or exercises in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and in the continental shelf of another coastal state without its consent. EEZ signifies an area of coastal water and seabed within a certain distance of a country's coastline that cannot be entered without permission or prior information.

The area of Pakistan's territorial waters is 12 nautical miles while its seabed territory (EEZ) grew to 290,000 square kilometres in 2015.

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Courtesy  dawn news

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ATHENS, OCT 19: Greek authorities suppress the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace, the elected mufti (Muslim scholar and legal expert) of Xanthi (Iskece) has said.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ahmet Mete said the heads of the Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace are "threatened and insulted."

Noting that the mufti institution in Western Thrace was regulated by the principles in the Treaty of Lausanne, he said the Greek authorities did not give the rights to the minority group it was entrusted to.

The appointment of muftis by Greek authorities weaken the position of muftis in Western Thrace, he said, adding that a man with a primary school degree was appointed to the position in Xanthi.

Mete said the Islamic clerics have an important role for the unity and solidarity of the minority in the region, adding that they will continue their "rightful struggle" against moves that divide the society.

Mete and his predecessor Mehmet Emin Aga have previously been convicted by Greek courts for usurping authority.

The Western Thrace region of Greece is home to a Muslim Turkish minority of around 150,000 people, where muftis have legal jurisdiction to decide on the family and inheritance matters in the local community.

The issue of mufti elections has been a long-standing problem for the group since 1991.

The election of muftis by Muslims in Greece was regulated in the 1913 Treaty of Athens with the Ottoman Empire and was later included in Greek law. Greece, however, annulled the law in 1991 and started appointing muftis itself.

The majority of Muslim Turks in the cities of Komotini and Xanthi do not recognize the appointed muftis and instead elect their own, who are not recognized by the Greek state.

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Courtesy anews

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ANKARA, OCT 19: The 5th TRT World Forum, with the participation of nearly 100 speakers from 36 countries, has started with the opening speeches of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Communications Director of Republic of Turkey Fahrettin Altun, and Director General of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı.

President Erdoğan, who has participated in every TRT World Forum since 2017 and made striking statements regarding the agenda of Turkey and the world, which have drawn significant interest in the world press, is expected to make important statements at this year's event, which will be held with the theme "Power and Paradox: Understanding Grand Strategy in the 21st Century".

In TRT World Forum, alongside President Erdoğan, Minister of Foreign Issues Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Communications Director of Republic of Turkey Fahrettin Altun, and Director General of TRT Mehmet Zahid Sobacı and experts will address many crucial global issues ranging from climate and global health crises to international economic development and from the rise of Eurasia to digital governance.

TRT World Forum 2021 can be followed live from http://www.trtworldforum.com

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COURTESY Anews

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WASHINGTON, OCT 19: The special US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has resigned, admitting his shortcomings. His deputy Thomas West would replace him.

The resignation comes as the United States has withdrawn from a session called by Russia on the future of Afghanistan.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Khalilzad defended his record but acknowledged that he came up short and said he wanted to step aside during the “new phase of our Afghanistan policy.”

“The political arrangement between the Afghan government and the Taliban did not go forward as envisaged,” he wrote.

“The reasons for this are too complex and I will share my thoughts in the coming day and weeks.”

Born in Afghanistan, the dapper 70-year-old academic turned US diplomat took senior positions as part of the inner circle of former president George W. Bush, becoming the US ambassador to Kabul and then Baghdad and the United Nations.

As former president Donald Trump itched to end America’s longest war in Afghanistan, he brought back Khalilzad, who led exhaustive talks with the Taliban — without including the US-backed government in Kabul.

Those talks led to a February 2020 agreement in which US troops would leave the following year.

But peace negotiations between the Taliban and the leadership in Kabul failed to gain traction, and the government that the United States built over 20 years crumbled within days as US troops left.

Rare US figure

Steeped in Afghanistan’s language and customs, Khalilzad was a rare US diplomat able to develop a cordial rapport with Taliban leaders whose regime was toppled by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks over its welcome to Al-Qaeda.

Khalilzad, despite his Republican affiliation, was kept in place when Democratic President Joe Biden defeated Trump and decided to go ahead with the withdrawal.

Khalilzad soon became a lightning rod for criticism, with even his superiors in the Biden administration — while voicing respect for him personally — faulting the diplomacy behind the 2020 agreement.

Blinken said that Khalilzad’s deputy, Thomas West, would take over as the special envoy.

West is a longtime aide to Biden, serving on his staff when he was vice president. West has worked for years on South Asia policy including on the US-India civilian nuclear deal.

US backtracks from Afghanistan talks

Shortly before Khalilzad’s resignation became public, the State Department said the United States would not be able to attend a new session called Tuesday by Russia that also includes China and Pakistan, historically the Taliban’s primary backer.

Russian peace envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov had announced last week that his country would host the United States, China and Pakistan ” to work out a common position on the changing situation in Afghanistan.”

The Taliban confirmed their participation soon afterwards. Taliban’s foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi tweeted that Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy of the council of ministers in the Taliban government, will lead the delegation in the meeting.

“We look forward to engaging in that forum going forward, but we’re not in a position to take part this week,” state department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Monday.

‘Time not on our side’

After Trump ended US opposition to speaking to the Taliban, Khalilzad was instrumental in Doha talks between the US and the Taliban.

But pictures of him smiling with the Taliban earned him heated criticism in Kabul where some in the now-fallen government as well as newly Western-oriented elite berated him and accused him of selling out Afghanistan.

In interviews last month, Khalilzad said that he had reached a deal with the Taliban in which the insurgents would stay out of Kabul and negotiate a political transition.

But Khalilzad said the deal collapsed when president Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15 and the Taliban saw a security vacuum.

Speaking to Foreign Policy, Khalilzad said that the Taliban fulfilled key parts of the February 2020 agreement including not attacking the departing US troops.

“I respect those who say we shouldn’t have negotiated with the Talibs without the government being there. But we don’t know how much more fighting would have taken for the Talibs to agree to that,” he said.

But with no appetite in the United States for another surge of troops in its longest war, “each year we were losing ground to the Talibs,” he said.

“Time was not on our side.”

Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington who is now a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said that Khalilzad failed in that he “equated US withdrawal with peace.”

“Khalilzad handed the keys of Kabul to the Taliban in return for promises everyone knew the Taliban would not keep,” Haqqani said.

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COURTESY SAMAA

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ISLAMABAD, OCT 19: Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa reiterated Pakistan’s desire for “enduring ties” with the United States.

He was talking to US Charge d’affaires to Pakistan Angela Aggeler, who called on him.

The Inter-Services Public Relations, the media affairs wing of the army, said the two discussed “matters of mutual interest, current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields”.

“Pakistan desires to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement and wishes for an enduring relationship with the United States,” Gen Bajwa was quoted as having told the American diplomat.

The ISPR said Gen Bajwa emphasised the need for a “global convergence” on Afghanistan to avoid humanitarian crisis. He called for “coordinated efforts” for economic uplift of the Afghans.

The twin economic and humanitarian crises are aggravating with every passing day in the war-ravaged country. The situation has worsened due to stoppage of foreign aid and freezing of Afghanistan’s assets held abroad.

The ISPR said Ms Aggeler “appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation, efforts for regional stability and pledged to play their role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels”.

The US diplomat also met National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf.

The National Security Division said the two sides agreed to continue their cooperation on Afghanistan.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, OCT 18: The 30th anniversary of Independence of Azerbaijan has celebrated in Islamabad on Monday.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser was the chief guest on this occasion. He, along with Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadovand and other diplomats have cut the cake.

During the meeting, Speaker National Assembly extended greetings to Azerbaijani ambassador on his Independence day.

Matters of bilateral interest came under discussion at the time of meeting between both dignitaries.

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 By Ehsan Khan

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DUBAI, OCT 18: Pakistan have defeated West Indies in their first warm-up match of the ICC T20 World Cup today (Monday).

Chasing a modest target of 131 runs, the Men-in-Green comfortably went over the line with seven wickets in hand in 15.3 overs.

The star of the run-chase was captain Babar Azam, who led from the front and scored a brilliant half-century. The right-hander scored 50 off 41 balls with the help of six boundaries and a maximum.

He was well supported by Fakhar Zaman, who remained unbeaten on 46 off 24 balls. In that knock, the left-hander hit four boundaries and two gigantic sixes.

Earlier, after opting to bat, the defending champions never looked comfortable with the bat. Their only resistance against Pakistan’s bowling attack came from Chris Gayle (20), Shimron Hetmyer (28) and captain Kieron Pollard (23)’s bats.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf had a relatively expensive outing with the bowl, as they conceded 41 and 32 runs respectively in their four-over each spells.

The duo also claimed two wickets each for the winning side. Meanwhile, the star with the ball was Imad Wasim, who bowled an economical three-over spell, where he conceded only six runs and claimed a wicket as well.

They were well supported by pacer Hasan Ali, who also claimed two wickets for 21 runs in his four-over spell.

The Men-in-Green will face South Africa in next warm-up fixture.

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COURTESY SAMAA

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ISLAMABAD, OCT 18: Kuninori Matsuda, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Ambassador on the successful completion of his tenure in Pakistan and conveyed best wishes for future assignment.

Ambassador thanked the Prime Minister for addressing a letter to the new Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, and recalled Prime Minister’s engagement with the Japanese dignitaries on various issues.

Prime Minister Imran Khan underscored the high importance Pakistan attached to its relationship with Japan, which was embedded in mutual trust and understanding. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong desire to further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation in the economic, trade, development, and investment sectors.

In the regional context, the Prime Minister underscored Pakistan’s vital interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

He stressed that the international community must remain positively engaged with the new Afghan Administration, provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance, and take steps to prevent economic collapse including through release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets. He also underlined the importance of national reconciliation and an inclusive political structure.

The Japanese Ambassador thanked the Prime Minister for his strong leadership in further solidifying Pakistan’s relations with Japan and in support of peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The Ambassador also conveyed profound thanks to the Government of Pakistan for facilitation of evacuation of Japanese nationals and others from Afghanistan.

Ambassador Matsuda also highlighted the MoU signed between the two sides on export of manpower from Pakistan to Japan under Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) and Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) Programme. It was emphasized to re-double efforts to realize the benefits of the MoU.

The year 2022 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Japan. The two sides envisage celebration of this milestone in a befitting manner.

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Cupertino, OCT 18: Analysts expect Apple Inc to unveil new Mac laptop computers with more powerful processor chips at an event that will be streamed later Monday.

Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple plans to release two new MacBook Pro models with 14-inch and 16-inch screens. The Cupertino, California-based company introduced some new laptop models last year that for the first time used its “Apple Silicon” chips, which it said would be phased into the company’s desktop and laptop lineup over the course of two years.

Before Monday, Apple’s most powerful laptops still relied on chips from Intel Corp. The company has already placed a first generation in-house-designed M1 chip into some MacBooks as well as its Mac Mini and iMac desktop machines, but the new larger MacBook Pro models are expected to feature a second, more powerful generation of the company’s chip.

The new chip, along with a general rise in laptop sales as employees and students stocked up on tech hardware to work and learn from home, prompted a boom in Mac sales during the pandemic. Revenue rose 11% to $28.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020, even as iPhone revenue declined 3%.

The expected MacBook Pro introduction comes weeks after Apple overhauled its iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad lineup.

Some analysts believe Apple on Monday will also update its AirPods wireless ear buds, though rumors of an update have circulated ahead of other Apple events this year without coming to pass. Add-on devices like AirPods tend to be large sellers during holiday shopping seasons and have become one of Apple’s fastest-growing categories, with its home and accessories segment growing 25% to $30.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020.

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COURTESY ANEWS

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By Beenish Mahmood

Humari mitti, humari mitti kai bartan!

I remember when I was a toddler, a vendor used to come to our street selling mitti kai bartan (clay utensils).

As soon as I would hear him say in a loud voice, “Aao mitti kai bartan lai lo sirf 2 rupay kai”, (Come buy clay utensils only for Rs2!), I would flush with excitement and run to my grandfather, demanding for the inexpensive yet fun and simple toys.

The anecdote tells us how children back then had small wishes. How little acts of playing with clay pots, climbing trees, running around and jumping across the rooftop were games they enjoyed. It was not expensive toys that they desired.

In olden times, clay pots, pans and utensils were used in the kitchen. Water was kept in a ghara made from earth and yoghurt was set in small clay pots. Everything was made from ‘mitti’ (clay), its rampant usage reflecting how close people were to the mother earth. Life was simple, basic and easy. 

It was not complicated, as people were not involved in a rat race as they are today.

Why not then, repeat the pattern of life by introducing our children to mitti kai bartan?

Upon seeing the mother use clay utensils, the children will replicate the act of playing with them. In playing with clay utensils, children would return to our roots and revive our culture and traditions. 

It would also boost the local economy, as reverting to toys made locally rather than purchasing imported products will strengthen our economy as well as improve the morale of the local artisans.

For us as parents, the clay pot parable is an eye opener. We need to instill in our children good values, morals and the idea that money cannot buy happiness, for happiness is a state of mind. 

Our children need to learn to be grateful for all that they have, something they will only understand when they get to have things that are simple, yet useful and beautiful.

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COURTESY minutemirror

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