Butcher busy in slaughtering camel on the first day of Eid-ul-Azha in Provincial Capital
AJK celebrates Eid-ul-Azha with full religious zeal, fervor
MIRPUR (AJK): Jun 29 (APP): People of Azad Jammu & Kashmir celebrated the sanctified festival of Eid-ul-Azha on Thursday with full religious zeal and fervor along with the renewal of the pledge to continue acting upon the teachings besides upholding of the supreme religion of Islam.
The day dawned with special prayers in the mosques for the stability, integrity, unity and solidarity of the Muslim Ummah, progress and prosperity of Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir, early liberation of all occupied Muslim homelands including Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) and for the early success of the Kashmir freedom movement.
The Eid-ul-Azha prayer congregations were held in all small and major cities and towns of all ten districts of the liberated territory including the state’s metropolis Muzaffarabad, Jhelum valley (Hattiyan Bala), Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimbher, Bagh, Sudhanoti, Rawalakot, Havaili and Neelam valley districts where the people offered Eid prayer at the mosques, eid gahs and open places.
The biggest Eid congregation in the AJK Capital was held at Markazi Eid gah where hundreds of Muslims offered eid prayer.
Ulema and Khateeb from different schools of thought delivered special sermons to highlight the significance of the day and the purpose of the sacrifice rendered by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) centuries ago.
They strongly condemned the locking of open places, central mosques, eid gahs and other places of worships of the Muslims in IIOJK by the Indian occupational forces to resist the Kashmiris muslims from offering the Eid prayers.
They also condemned the ban imposed by Indian occupational forces in occupied Jammu Kashmir over central Eid prayers congratulations at Eid Gahs and open grounds slaughtering of the sacrificial animals including cow and selling of beef in the wake of recent renewed reign of human rights abuses and the state terrorism in the Indian Illegally occupied territory of the Jammu Kashmir state.
AJK President Barister Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry and Prime Minster Anwaar ul Haq Choudhry offered Eid prayers at the State metropolis and the native town of Bhimbher respectively.
Later talking to delegations of masses and the media, the AJK president and the prime minister vehemently condemned the continual carnage of innocent people in IIOJK by the Indian occupational forces especially since the bleek day of August 05, 2019 when India scrapped the special status of the IIOJK unilaterally at gun point blatantly defying International norms and commitments.
They expressed full solidarity, love and affection with the suffering freedom loving kashmiri brethren in their just and principled struggle for liberation of the motherland from Indian clutches.
Later on the ‘farzandan-e-Touheed’ sacrificed the permitted animals including camels, cows, sheep and goats following the foot steps of Hazrat Ibrahiem (AS) who by obeying the order of Allah Almighty, asked his son Hazrat Isnmail (AS) for his sacrifice. A sheep was slaughtered instead and Muslims were directed to commemorate the event every year.
Foolproof security arrangements were made, as usual, for Eid-ul-Azha congregations at mosques, Eidgahs and Imam bargahs during the Eid prayer congregations across the AJK territory.
A large number of faithful offering Eidul Azha prayers at Jamia Naeemia
A large number of people coming out after offering Eid-ul-Azha prayer at Faisal Masjid
Butchers busy in cutting meat into pieces after slaughtering sacrificial animal on the 1st day of Eid Ul Azha.
FIH Hockey mini-tournament to kick off Friday
ISLAMABAD, Jun 29 (APP): The final mini-tournament of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2022/23 season would get underway from Friday (June 30), in Antwerp, Belgium with massive stakes in championship and relegation battles in the men’s and women’s competition respectively.
In the men’s competition, New Zealand have already been relegated, having taken 3 points from their 16 matches, but the hunt for the title is still on. Great Britain currently occupy the top spot with 32 points from their 16 games. Netherlands 29 points from 14 games, Belgium 24 points from 12 games and Spain 21 points from 12 games are all in the run for the title, and play their final set of matches over the next week, as this 4-way title fight promises to go down to the wire, said a press release.
In the women’s competition, Netherlands sealed a third title in four years in the Pro League, but the battle for relegation remains wide open. New Zealand have completed their set of 16 matches and find themselves in the eighth place, one spot above USA, having scored 3 more point than the team from America. But with 4 games in hand, USA need four points from their matches in Antwerp, to lift them above the Black Sticks and keep them in the competition next season.
Schedule: June 30: Germany vs USA (W), Belgium vs Spain (M); July 1: Belgium vs Netherlands (W), Belgium vs Netherlands (M); July 2: Germany vs Spain (M), Belgium vs USA (W); July 3: USA vs Germany (W), Belgium vs Spain (M); July 4: Belgium vs Netherlands (W), Belgium vs Netherlands (M); July 5: Spain vs Germany (M), Belgium vs USA (W).
People reciting Holy Quran and offering fateha on the graves of their family members in graveyard on the occasion of Eid ul Azha
PM, COAS spend Eid with army officers, jawans in Parachinar, pay tribute
ISLAMABAD, Jun 29 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir Thursday spent the day of Eid with army jawans in Parachinar along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The prime minister was accompanied by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.
The prime minister and chief of army staff offered the Eid prayer along with army officers and jawans and later exchanged Eid greetings.
The PM praised the army for its high resolve, operational preparedness and professional standards.
During the meeting with the officers and jawans, Shehbaz Sharif said he along with the army chief was spending the Eid with them so that he could pay tribute to their efforts and passion for defending the borders of the motherland with bravery and courage.
He said the officers and jawans of Pakistan’s armed forces leave their personal comfort to perform the sacred obligation of the protection, defence and security of the country.
They bear the hardships of weather and difficult conditions, face all kinds of challenges and problems and guard the borders of the motherland and for that endeavour the nation saluted them, he added.
He said the officers and jawans individually and collectively gave priority to the security of the country whether it was any happy occasion or festival including Eid or an occasion of grief and the nation saluted them for this fervour.
He said today he was paying tribute to the officers and jawans of Pakistan army, air force, and navy for their services as they were fulfilling the sacred duty of security of borders of the country with iron determination despite the immense obstacles.
The prime minister felicitated the whole nation including the officers and jawans of armed forces on the occasion of Eid.
He reaffirmed the resolve that there would be no place to hide for those who destroyed peace, perpetrated terrorism, or abetted or facilitated acts of terror.
The Pakistaniat of the Pakistani nation failed the nefarious designs of the forces who were causing chaos and mayhem in the country, he said adding those forces were defeated who wanted to create divisions and fissures in the nation for their evil agenda.
He said martyrs were the pride and precious asset of Pakistan and its nation and their honour and dignity were above everything else.
The prime minister laid a wreath at the monument of the martyrs and offered fateha.
Earlier, the chief of army staff received the prime minister. On this occasion, Commander 11 Corps and high-level officers of the provincial government were also present.