Month: May 2024

MUZAFFARABAD: A long march led by the Awami Action Committee (AAC) left for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) capital, Muzaffarabad, on Monday as the wheel-jam strike against inflated electricity bills and taxes entered its fourth day.

Protestors have already staged sit-ins, closing Kohala–Muzaffarabad Road at several locations. The road stretches 40 kilometres and links Kohala town with Muzaffarabad in AJK. The protesters are expected to take the same road from Dhirkot to reach the capital.

The government of AJK called in the Rangers and AJK police after clashes between the police and protestors erupted in Mirpur during demonstrations that killed a cop and injured more than 70 others.

Heavy contingents of police have been posted at roundabouts and sensitive locations, while markets, trade centres and educational institutes remain closed, while transport is suspended.

On the flip side, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss the ongoing situation in AJK as the negotiations between the protesters and the state government ended in a deadlock.

Expressing deep concerns over the violent clashes between the AJK police and the protesters, PM Shehbaz on Sunday said that there should be “absolutely no tolerance for taking the law in one’s own hands”.

The premier further said that he had spoken to AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq and also directed all Pakistan Muslim League-N office bearers in AJK to talk to the leaders of the action committee.

“I urge all parties to resort to peaceful course of action for resolution of their demands. Despite best efforts of detractors, the matter will hopefully be settled soon.”

As part of his efforts to calm down tensions, President Asif Ali Zardari urged all the stakeholders to exercise restraint and resolve the issues in AJK through dialogue and mutual consultation.

He stressed that the political parties, state institutions and the people of AJK should act responsibly so that hostile elements could not exploit the situation to their benefit.

The president highlighted that the demands of the people of AJK should be addressed as per law, adding that he would take up the grievances of the people of AJK with PM Shehbaz to find a way out of the current situation.

The president regretted the current situation and offered condolences over the unfortunate death of the police officer and prayed for swift recovery of all those who were injured in recent clashes.

As part of his efforts to calm down tensions, President Zardari urged all the stakeholders to exercise restraint and resolve the issues in AJK through dialogue and mutual consultation.

Meanwhile, the central leadership of the AAC has distanced itself from the violent incidents that occurred during the protests.

One of the AAC members, Sajid Jagwal, said their movement was peaceful. He said that they had been sitting for two days and no incident had happened.

Another member, Tauseef Mansoor, said that the committee had nothing to do with the two to three incidents that had happened during the protests.

Anjuman Tajran President Sahabzada Waqas said that the protest was not against the state or any institution. “This army is ours and this country is ours. We are neither against the army nor against Pakistan or any other institution,” said the president.

The AAC called for a shutter down and wheel-jam strike across the state to protest the electricity price hike and taxes. However, the situation escalated as the protestors and police clashed.

A sub-inspector was killed while dozens other policemen and protesters also got injured during the teargas shelling by the police and stone pelting by the demonstrators.

The violent protesters damaged multiple vehicles, including a magistrate’s car at the Poonch-Kotli road. Moreover, markets, trade centres, offices and schools and restaurants remained closed across the AJK.

Police also launched a crackdown against the protesters after the events of violence, arresting dozens of individuals in the AJK capital.

A day earlier, the government also suspended mobile phone and internet services in different parts of AJK including Bhimber and Bagh Towns.

Meanwhile, in Mirpur, all the mobile networks and internet service had been suspended.

Kuwait’s emir approved a new cabinet Sunday two days after he dissolved the parliament elected only weeks earlier, and he and the new government assumed some of the assembly’s powers.

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmed al-Sabah on Friday dissolved the most powerful elected legislature in the Gulf and suspended articles of the constitution, citing “interference” by lawmakers.

The new government — the small emirate’s 46th — is headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed al-Abdullah al-Sabah and comprises 13 ministers, two of them women.

The former oil minister was tasked with forming the government last month, two weeks after the now-dissolved National Assembly was elected.

The outgoing premier, Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, had refused to take up the post again amid ongoing tensions between the government and the 50-member National Assembly.

Kuwait’s Islamist-dominated opposition again dominated the most recent election in early April, maintaining their years-long hold over parliament which has been in a constant tug-of-war with the government and ruling family.

MPs have previously accused ministers of corruption, while the government has accused the legislature of hampering development plans.

Constant wrangling between lawmakers and executive authorities has resulted in a persistent stalemate in the oil-rich Gulf state, delaying much-needed reforms.

The decision to dissolve parliament is his second such move in a reign that is just months old.

Sheikh Meshal assumed the role of emir in December following the death of his predecessor and half-brother, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah.

Hours of heavy rain caused flooding in Agam and Tanah Datar districts in West Sumatra province on Saturday evening, threatening thousands of people after the downpours swept ash and large rocks down Mount Marapi.

“I heard the thunder and the sound similar to boiling water. It was the sound of big rocks falling,” housewife Rina Devina said, adding that three of her neighbours were killed.

“It was pitch black, so I used my cellphone as a flashlight. The road was muddy, so I chanted ‘God, have mercy!’ over and over again,” she said of her evacuation to a local official’s office.

West Sumatra disaster agency said 16 people died in Agam district and 18 in Tanah Datar, with 18 people injured overall. “We are also still searching for 16 other people,” agency spokesman Ilham Wahab said. He said the search effort involved local rescuers, police, soldiers and volunteers.

Abdul Malik, head of the search and rescue agency in provincial capital Pandang, told reporters three more people had died but they were yet to be confirmed by other authorities. The flash floods and cold lava flow hit the two districts at around 10:30pm on Saturday, according to the Basarnas search and rescue agency.

Cold lava, also known as lahar, is volcanic material such as ash, sand and pebbles carried down a volcano’s slopes by rain. Abdul Muhari, spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, or BNPB, said in a statement that 84 homes, 16 bridges and two mosques were damaged in Tanah Datar, as were 20 hectares (49.4 acres) of rice fields.

About 370,000 people live in the district, where several mosques and a public pool were also damaged, with large rocks and logs scattered on the ground, according to a journalist at the scene.

In Lembah Anai, a popular tourist spot with a waterfall in Tanah Datar, a road connecting the cities of Padang and Bukittinggi was severely damaged and access for cars was cut off. Aerial images of the district showed roads covered by mud, with roofs and a mosque’s minarets jutting out of the sea of brown mud.

Ilham said on Sunday that authorities were still receiving reports of missing people from relatives. He said he could not give a figure for the number of people evacuated from the area because the search and rescue effort was still focused on the victims and the missing.

Two trucks had been swept away by the flooding and strong currents in a nearby river in Tanah Datar, the journalist said. In Agam, which has a population of more than 500,000 people, dozens of homes and public facilities were damaged, the district’s disaster agency chief Budi Perwira Negara told reporters.

He said 90 people had been evacuated to a school being used as a shelter. Nine bodies, including those of a three-year-old and an eight-year-old, were identified on Sunday, Malik said in an earlier statement.

Authorities sent a team of rescuers and rubber boats to look for the missing victims and to transport people to shelters.

The local government set up evacuation centres and emergency posts in several areas of Agam and Tanah Datar. Indonesia is prone to landslides and floods during the rainy season. At least 26 people were found dead in March after landslides and floods hit West Sumatra.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said two doctors were killed on Sunday in the central town of Deir al-Balah amid heavy gunfire from Israeli helicopters.

Witnesses said Israel had carried out strikes in Rafah near the crossing with Egypt on Saturday and smoke was seen rising over the city.

Israeli troops defied international opposition and entered eastern areas of the city, effectively shutting a key aid crossing and suspending traffic through another.

EU chief says Rafah civilians are being ordered to move to unsafe zones, denouncing it unacceptable

Israel expanded an evacuation order for eastern Rafah, after 300,000 people had fled the city earlier this week.

“We don’t know where to go,” said Farid Abu Eida, who was preparing to leave Rafah, having already been displaced there from Gaza City.

Residents piled water tanks, mattresses and other belongings onto vehicles and prepared to flee again.

“There is no place left in Gaza that is safe or not overcrowded… There’s nowhere we can go.” Residents were told to go to the “humanitarian zone” of Al-Mawasi, on the coast northwest of Rafah.

International outrage mounted at Israel’s operations in Rafah.

EU chief Charles Michel said on social media that Rafah civilians were being ordered to “unsafe zones”, denouncing it as “unacceptable”.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had started transferring 22 patients from a field hospital in Rafah, saying Israel’s operations in the city were “making it impossible to provide lifesaving medical assistance”.

Israel’s offensive has so far killed at least 34,971 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health ministry.

Truce hopes fade

While mediation efforts towards a truce and prisoners’ release appeared to stall, Hamas’ armed wing said a prisoner who appeared in a video it released on Saturday had died from wounds suffered in an Israeli strike.

The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades said Nadav Popplewell, a British-Israeli man, had been wounded in a strike a month ago and died “because he did not receive intensive medical care because the enemy has destroyed the Gaza Strip’s hospitals”.

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday a ceasefire would be achieved “tomorrow” if Hamas released the prisoners.

All-out attack on Rafah to provoke anarchy: US

An all-out Israeli offensive on Rafah would provoke “anarchy”, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Sunday, while agreeing that Israeli forces had killed more civilians than Hamas fighters.

“Israel’s on the trajectory, potentially, to inherit an insurgency with many armed Hamas left or, if it leaves, a vacuum filled by chaos, filled by anarchy and probably refilled by Hamas,” Secretary Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Asked on CBS whether the US concurred with a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli forces had killed more civilians than Hamas fighters, Blinken simply replied, “Yes, we do.”

Donors pledge $2bn for Gaza

A conference of international donors in Kuwait on Sunday pledged over $2 billion to aid the devastated Gaza Strip over seven months into the war between Israel and Hamas.

The conference, organised by the International Islamic Charitable Orga­nisation and the UN’s humanitarian coordination agency OCHA, said the funds would be dispersed over two years to support life-saving humanitarian interventions in Palestinian territory.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has termed Pakistan’s recent diplomatic and trade-related deliberations with Saudi Arabia “great progress”.

In an interview with Arab news channel Al Arabiya English, the premier said “We have identified areas of mutual cooperation, both at the level of government-to-government and business-to-business and that has been clearly identified. We now have a clear-cut way forward.”

The prime minister highlighted that both countries will work on mutual cooperation, investments in the field of mines and minerals as well as renewable energy, among other things.

The premier’s interview comes days after he assured his government’s blanket support to the Saudi investment, enabling the investors and businessmen to accomplish their future projects in Pakistan expeditiously with joint ventures and replicate them within a short time for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.

PM Shehbaz, addressing a dinner gathering hosted in the honour of a visiting delegation of Saudi Arabia, reiterated that it was not the government’s job to do business but it had to offer policy frameworks, act as catalyst and remove all the hurdles for the speedy achievement of economic targets.

Terming Pakistan’s ties with Saudi Arabia “historic”, PM Shehbaz said that the brotherly relations span “centuries”, as both countries remain partners in the progress and prosperity in the region.

The premier, in the interview, spoke about his maiden visit to the kingdom after starting his new term as the country’s chief executive. He also mentioned the visits made by Saudi government and business delegations to further strengthen diplomatic and trade ties between both nations.

The prime minister said his meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman were “positive”.

In response to a question, the premier termed the recently held Pak-Saudi investment conference “very productive and fruitful”.

While sharing details about his government’s vision for economic stability, PM Shehbaz mentioned his recent visit to the kingdom to attend the World Economic Forum meeting in which the discussions revolved around increasing agricultural production in Pakistan with the help of modern equipment and technology.

The premier said that Saudi Arabia has made significant contributions in the field of information technology and Pakistan can benefit from its experience.

He also highlighted that both countries will work towards training of Pakistani youth in various fields with joint cooperation, after which the skilled workers will be able to work in the kingdom.

The revenue earned and sent by these skilled workers from Saudi will help improve Pakistan’s economy.

He also maintained that Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and China can also become partners in the IT and investment sectors.

PM Shehbaz said that under the leadership of Mohammed Bin Salman, we can bring about a global economic revolution.

He acknowledged that Pakistan is currently facing a major economic crisis and that his government is focused on improving the country’s economy and introduce reforms in various sectors.

UNITED NATIONS: In a historic vote, the UN General Assembly decisively approved a resolution on Friday, granting Palestine an enhanced presence within the world body, bolstering its rights and privileges.

The resolution passed with an overwhelming majority of 143 countries in favour, signalling a resounding international endorsement.

Nine countries, led by the United States, voted against the resolution. Twenty-five countries, including Britain, abstained.

US Ambassador Robert Wood said Washington’s negative vote does not reflect its opposition to Palestinian statehood.

“We have been very clear that we support it and seek to advance it meaningfully. Instead, it is an acknowledgement that statehood will come from a process that involves direct negotiations between the parties,” he said.

Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia criticised the US, saying the resolution was complicated because it attempted to advance Palestinian membership as far as possible, without provoking another veto from Washington on full membership. He said Palestine deserves nothing less than a full membership.

Munir Akram, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, said there would come a day when Israel would be held accountable for the crimes committed against Palestinians, especially in Gaza.

He clarified that this resolution pertained specifically to Palestine and would not impact the status of other states, such as Taiwan, which was China’s primary concern.

The insults hurled today are “the arrogance of the aggressor”, reflecting the impunity of the occupier, he said, expressing the hope that the international community would appropriately respond.

The adoption upgrades the rights of the state of Palestine within the world body, but not the right to vote or put forward its candidature to organs such as the Security Council or the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Granting Palestinian membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council. At the same time, the Assembly determines that the state of Palestine is qualified for such status and recommends that the Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably”.

Palestine is now also eligible for election as officers in some of the General Assembly’s committees, marking a significant step towards its fuller integration into the UN framework.

None of the upgrades in status will take effect until the new session of the Assembly opens on Sept 10.

The resolution’s adoption will determine the widespread support for Palestine to be accorded full UN membership. The immediate benefits include being seated among member states in alphabetical order, making statements on behalf of a group, submitting proposals and amendments and introducing them, co-sponsor proposals and amendments, proposing items to be included in the provisional agenda of the regular or special sessions, and the right to request the inclusion of supplementary or additional items in the agenda of regular or special sessions.

Other benefits include the right of members of the delegation of the state of Palestine to be elected as officers in the plenary and the main committees of the General Assembly, full and effective participation in United Nations conferences, international conferences and meetings convened under the auspices of the General Assembly or, as appropriate, under the auspices of other organs of the United Nations.

In a related development, UN Secretary General António Guterres used a world forum in Nairobi to appeal again for Israeli and Hamas leaders “to demonstrate political courage and spare no effort” in reaching an agreement to end the war in Gaza and free all hostages.

More than a million Palestinians are crowded in the Rafah enclave of southern Gaza as Israeli military operations continue throughout the area. Roughly 100,000 people have left and are moving north.

“A massive ground attack in Rafah would lead to an epic humanitarian disaster,” the UN chief said. “The international community must speak with one voice for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in life-saving aid.”

Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the observer state of Palestine, urged the world body to recognise Palestine because, despite the attacks and destruction, the flag of Palestine “flies high and proud” across the globe, becoming a “symbol raised by all those who believe in freedom and its just rule”.

He recounted the devastating impacts of the ongoing war in Gaza, with over 35,000 Palestinians killed, a further 80,000 injured and over two million displaced.

“No words can capture what such loss and trauma signify for Palestinians, their families, their communities and for our nation as a whole,” he said.

The UN human rights chief has pleaded with both Palestinians and Israelis to ensure Gaza’s border crossings, vital for humanitarian aid, are not jeopardised by military operations.

“I deplore all hostile acts that jeopardise the entry and distribution of critically needed humanitarian aid into Gaza,” Volker Turk said.

“The handful of land crossings into Gaza serve as lifelines for the supply of food, medicine, fuel and other necessities that must be allowed to reach the despairing and terrified population.

“I urge all parties to ensure that crossings for civilians and goods necessary for the survival of the civilian population are not placed at risk through military operations.”

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024