ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP):After the custodial killing of renowned commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani by Indian forces on July 8, 2016, Indian troops killed 179 people including women and teenage boys till date.
According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, Monday, tens of thousands of people came out on the streets to protest against the killing. The incident began a tumultuous phase in the recent history of indian occupied Kashmir when forces used excessive force, bullets, pellets and teargas shells to quell the mourners and mass uprising. As many as 20,937 civilians including women and boys were injured, 8,360 by pellets; 73 were rendered completely blinded and 207 lost vision in one eye and 977 are at the verge of losing eye-sight by the pellets fired by Indian forces since July 8.
Indian forces damaged and ransacked over 65,820 residential houses, shops and structures besides arresting 19,036 persons and disgraced or molested 757 women during the period.
Meanwhile, since January 1989 till February 5, 2018, Indian troops martyred 94,906 innocent Kashmiris.
Indian troops martyred 179 after martyrdom of Burhan
72nd executive meeting of SAARC chamber to be held on Feb 6
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP):The 72nd executive meeting of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber Of Commerce Islamabad (CCI) is scheduled to be held here at Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce Islamabad (FPCCI) on February 6.
President of FPCCI Ghazanfar Bilour and Vice President of SAARC CCI Iftikhar Ali Malik along with EC and GA member of SAARC CCI (Pakistan) will host the delegates from SAARC countries.
President of SAARC CCI Suraj Vaidya, SAARC CCI Senior Vice President Ruwan E Dirisinghe, SAARC CCI Vice President (India) Vinod Juneja, SAARC CCI Vice President (Nepal) Om Raj Bahadur Bhandary, SAARC CCI Vice President (Afghanistan) Momand and EC members from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will attend the meeting.
The participants will discuss the initiatives of SAARC CCI in 2018 and strategies to grow regional cooperation to new levels. The upcoming event of SAARC CCI, SAARC Business Leaders Conclave, planned from March 16 to 18, will be discussed during the meeting along with other milestone events of SAARC CCI through-out the region.
Furthermore, the SAARC delegates will visit the SAARC CCI building site and witness the project construction progress. The SAARC CCI headquarter building is the flagship house of SAARC which will prove to be the hub of information for all SAARC regional economic cooperation.
Pakistan calls upon int’l community to play its role in immediate resolution of IoK
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said the people and government of Pakistan reaffirm their continued unflinching moral, diplomatic and political support to the oppressed people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK) in their legitimate struggle in the face of increasing Indian brutalities and gross human rights violations.
“Pakistan calls upon the international community to urge India to respect the Human Rights Charter, put an immediate end to the gross human rights violations of innocent Kashmiris in the IoK and ensure expedited resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the UNSC Resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. This is essential for regional peace and development,” he said in a message on the Kashmir Solidarity Day being observed on February 5.
The prime minister observed that even after the passage of more than seven decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir had been deprived of the fundamental right to self-determination in stark contradiction to the promise made to them by the international community through the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Since July 2016, Indian atrocities had resulted in the killings of hundreds of innocent Kashmiris and injuring over 20,000. The unprecedented, inhuman use of pellet guns blinded more than 200 people, including women and young children depriving them of any chance of leading fulfilling lives, he added.
The prime minister said the Hurriyat leaders were being harassed on trumped up charges. India refused to allow the visit of the team of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the OIC, which visited AJK in March 2017, to the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir thus denying the international community an opportunity to evaluate the situation on the ground.
“India obviously has much to hide. India is condoning the use of human shields in Indian occupied Kashmir, which finds no parallel in today’s world and reflects its practice of using brute force to suppress innocent Kashmiris,” he added.
Government, People to continue Kashmiris’ support
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP): Government and the people of Pakistan would continue their steadfast political, moral and diplomatic support to the people of Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir in their heroic struggle for their inalienable right to self-determination on the Occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day being observed on Monday (Feb 5, 2018).
In his Kashmir Solidarity Day message, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir said that the people of Jammu & Kashmir were promised right to self determination seven decades ago by the international community, however, India has continued to deny them their inalienable right by refusing to implement UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. In-spite of barbaric Indian atrocities and apathy on behalf of a large part of the international community, the brave people of Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir have demonstrated exemplary resilience and grit in the face of perverse Indian aggression. India has failed miserably to absolve itself of its reprehensible human rights record in occupied Jammu & Kashmir by labelling it as terrorism. Jammu & Kashmir is the core dispute between India and Pakistan. Peace in the region will not be achieved until the resolution of this dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir.
Pakistan reminds the international community, particularly India of its obligations and urges it to fulfill the promise made to the people of Jammu & Kashmir by implementing the UN Security Council resolutions.
On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, we reiterate our firm and continued moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of IoK in their sacred struggle. Only implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions can amicably resolve the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.
Kashmir issue imperative for regional, global peace & stability: Ayaz Sadiq
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP):Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that Kashmir issue was not just a territorial dispute but a question
of people’s inherent right to self-determination.
He said brutal force and propaganda cannot gag the voice of freedom, nor it can alter Pakistan’s resolute and principled
stance on Kashmir.
He said this in his message at the eve of Kashmir Solidarity Day to be commemorated across Pakistan and Azad
Jammu and Kashmir on February 5 to express solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren, said a press release here on
Sunday.
Referring to the future of South Asia and Kashmir dispute, the Speaker remarked that peace in South Asia will remain
elusive when world’s so-called largest democracy unleash brute force against the people of Kashmir.
He added that it is irony that the international community stands as silent spectator while India renege on UN
resolutions and launch violence, fake encounters, enforced disappearances, molestation, murders, and the use of
pellet guns against defenseless population as India’s officially sanctioned policy in Indian Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir. He urged the United Nations and international community to ensure the implementation of its own
resolutions on Kashmir and ensure its own relevance in international disputes resolutions.
Highlighting Pakistan’s steadfast support to the freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people, the Speaker reinforced
Pakistan’s unwavering historic stance on Kashmir and added that the people and Government of Pakistan will
continue to provide all kinds of moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people at every forum.
He highlighted that six countries 1st Speakers’ Conference hosted by National Assembly of Pakistan held at
Islamabad in December, 2017 in its declaration has stated that the Kashmir Issue needed peaceful resolution
in accordance with UN Security Council to ensure the global and regional peace and stability.
He said that the Parliament of Pakistan is fully committed for peaceful resolution of Kashmir Issue and has
passed number of resolutions against the atrocities of Indian Armed Forces in Occupied Kashmir and for rights
of self-determination of people of held valley in accordance with resolutions of United Nations Security Councils.
He remarked that forceful occupation of Kashmir was against the modern norms of nation state and people’s basic
right to self-determination – the right to form government as per people’s aspirations free from foreign interference.
Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi also reaffirmed that Pakistan will continue to provide unflinching moral,
diplomatic and political support to the Kashmir cause at various international forums. He added that Pakistan is
a voice of the oppressed Kashmiris and will continue to stand with the Kashmiri brethren through every thick and thin.
Mirwaiz thanks Pakistan for unconditional support
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (APP):On the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day, Monday, the Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who continues to be under illegal house arrest in a message expressed his gratitude to the people, government and leadership of Pakistan for their unconditional and unflinching support to the political movement of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the right to self-determination.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in the message the Mirwaiz said the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the Hurriyat have always appreciated the support of Pakistan, at all levels, be it diplomatic political or moral for the past seven decades, despite difficult and testing times for the country itself. He said we also appreciate the Government of Pakistan and its leadership who has always extended all possible support to our political movement for the resolution of Kashmir dispute.
The Mirwaiz said, “the people of Kashmir have for a long time now been battling hardships and oppression. The people of Kashmir in order to relinquish their struggle are being targeted by bullets and pellets, resistance leadership, activists, human right groups, intellectuals, newspaper offices, civil society members, and traders are also being targeted and harassed for their association and sympathies with the people’s movement.
In the past two years i.e. 2016 and 2017 after the popular mass uprising for the exercise of the right to self-determination in 2016 the suppression and reign of terror was let loose with all its notoriety on the population of Kashmir. 618 Kashmiris most of them youth were martyred and over 16,000 injured 70% of them by pellets at the hands of government forces. Putting the resistance leadership, including me, under house arrest or in police custody has been a routine for this period and it is very seldom that I am allowed to move out of my residence. Not only the political rights but religious rights of the people are being curtailed by the use of naked force. Whereas the historic Jama Masjid of Srinagar remained locked for most of the time in 2016, in 2017 it was locked for 18 Fridays and Friday namaz was not allowed there.”
He said in spite of all the suppression the ruthless rulers have not been able to break the will and commitment of the people towards the movement. The continued help and support extended by Pakistan in such difficult and trying circumstances has always strengthened the determination of the people to carry forward their just and legitimate peaceful political struggle.
Mirwaiz added Pakistan being one of the main parties to Kashmir dispute has always played a frontal role at both regional and international levels in highlighting the suffering of the Kashmiris as well as presenting the Kashmir dispute in its historical context.
He said it was his firm belief that the resolution of the Kashmir dispute lay in either the implementation of the United Nations’ resolutions and dialogue among New Delhi, Islamabad and Kashmiris.
No need to approach IMF: PM
ISLAMABAD, Feb 4 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Sunday said there was no need to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as the country’s economy was on the rise with different sectors witnessing healthy growth.
Speaking in a Dunya News talk show programme ‘Mahaz’ hosted by Wajahat Saeed Khan, the prime minister said sometimes, the government had to take economic decisions as the policies always required correction.
Replying to a question about increase in the US dollar rates, he said when the economy had been expanding, certain challenges cropped up which required policy correction.
He said the government had increased the petroleum prices but the same were still lower when compared with other parts of the world.
To another question, the prime minister said war was no solution to the Afghan issue and reiterated that no country other than Pakistan was more interested in durable peace in Afghanistan.
The prime minister also shared the global concerns about the role of nascent Afghan army in bringing about stability in their country when the coalition forces stationed there had failed.
About Pak-US ties, he said both the countries were allies in the war on terror. “We are sovereign country and know how to defend ourselves,” he added.
Allies worked through mutual trust and coordination without hurling tweets against each other. Pakistan was fighting the war against terror with its own resources. The world acknowledged it and if anyone had any doubts, one could come and judge it, he added.
He said recently Pakistan had handed over about 27 Afghan nationals to the Afghan authorities and maintained that no attacks were taking place from Pakistan, rather terrorists from across the Afghan soil had been targeting Pakistan.
The prime minister responding to a query emphatically rejected any anti-judiciary tirade on part of the government. He said the judicial verdicts or judiciary could not be ridiculed as there were constitutional provisions to this effect and if anyone had ridiculed, it was unacceptable.
He said the parliamentary body after getting majority in the upcoming general elections would take decision over the nominee for the prime minister’s office.
He said that he was elected by the party members in the parliament for the office of prime minister after the judicial verdict which had disqualified former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.
The prime minister said there was no confusion over his stance about party president Nawaz Sharif. During the last five months after assuming his office, he did not get any dictation or instruction from Nawaz Sharif.
To a question, he said the history and public would judge the decision of the court about disqualification of Nawaz Sharif. In democratic system, the decisions were taken by the electorate at the polling stations, he added.
The prime minister maintained that convictions were made on the basis of evidences and expressed his hope that the courts would function in fair manner.
Defending the contract for import of LNG, he said that he took the complete responsibility over it. It was the long term contract with the lowest rates throughout the world.
About national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines, he said there was no other option except to privatize it as the nation no longer could afford Rs 450 liability. This year, its losses amounted to Rs 42 billion.
Foreign coaches to train women football players of the country
KARACHI, Feb 04 (APP):Softball Federation of Pakistan (SFP) is
contemplating to acquire services of foreign coaches to train women
footballers poised to participate in a series of international level
events this year.
SFP Secretary General, Asif Azeem here on Sunday said women foot
ballers from across the country, holding potential to be part of
national team and participate in international tournaments needed to
be groomed on strong lines.
The tournaments to be played by national women football team were
said to include a series at Malaysia followed by 7th Asian
Universities’ Softball Championship at Philippine from May 8 to 18.
The national women foot ball team was said to also participate in
the 2nd Asian Softball Championship in China from October 22 to 27.
Citing these to be major events, Asif Azeem said efforts are
being made to hire expertise of internationally known trainers cum
physiotherapists Kim Anne Buchholtz and Lesley De Koker for the
national women football team.
Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) was said to have been approached to
finalize the arrangement and facilitate the process of acquiring
services of qualified coaches and associated professionals pre-
requisite for a world level team.
Trainers Kim Anne Buchholtz with an M.Phil degree in
Physiotherapy, also doing Ph.D in the subject, alongwith Kim Anne a
diploma holder in Sports Training and Physiotherapy are from South
Africa, said SFP General Secretary.
Asif Azeem also mentioned that he alongwith SFP’s international
affairs committee members Roman Ali Shaukat and Maqsood Ahmad had held
meetings, in Dubai, with the two reputable sports
trainers/physiotherapists.
Efforts were said to be underway to finalize an agreement with
the known professionals so as to help prepare the national team of
women foot ballers.
Focus is to help the national teams raise their Asian as well as
World ranking in the sport, emphasized the SFP General Secretary.
CPEC is harbinger of shared economic prosperity and peace: Marriyum
BEIJING, Feb 4 (APP):Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the CPEC was a harbinger of shared economic prosperity and peace in the region.
She said this in her meeting with Jiang Jianguo, Vice Minister of the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of CPC, and Minister of State Council Information Office (SCIO) in Beijing on Sunday. She is on a four-day visit to China on the invitation of the Chinese government.
Welcoming the Minister of State, Jiang Jianguo said that it was a pleasure to receive her on her first official visit to China. He said that their two people and countries shared a high level of mutual trust, respect and friendship. He further said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), being a flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was an initiative for their shared future. The minister also shared pleasant memories of his visit to Pakistan in 2017.
Ms Marriyum Aurangzeb thanked the Minister of SCIO for their warm hospitality. She termed this visit to China a visit to her home. She said that Pakistan and China were carrying a legacy of cooperation, the foundations of which were laid by their ancestors.
She said that BRI, a vision of President Xi Jinping, would change not only the destiny of people of China but would also benefit the people of the region and beyond.
She said that the CPEC represented a great leap forward for further cementing ties between two countries. Pak-China relationship was perennial as it was anchored in respect and mutual progress. This relationship, she added, had been interwoven in Pakistani culture through folk lore, which “is a testament to the tensile, enduring, unique and special relationship.”
She said that since assuming power in 2013, the PML-N government had successfully added 11,000 MW electricity to overcome the energy crisis with the assistance of their good friend China.
She informed the hosts that irrespective of party affiliations, all political parties in the country supported the CPEC, which augured well for the region as it promoted connectivity among the people which would go a long way towards peace and prosperity in the region. She also assured that the Pakistani government was making all out efforts to ensure security of all Chinese nationals.
She expressed her desire for enhanced cultural and media contacts by sharing cultural norms and exchanging media delegations. She called for closer co-operation in the field.
The minister said that Pakistan condemned terrorism in all its manifestations and forms and had achieved success in combating it, which was borne out by the fact that terrorist attacks, which were 2600 in 2013, had reduced by 82% to 160.
Ambassador of Pakistan Masood Khalid was also present on the occasion and said that SCIO was playing a very important role in sharing the Chinese vision with the world. He said that support of SCIO was crucial in enhancing media cooperation.
The ambassador said that currently 22,000 Pakistani students are studying in China and they will be permanent ambassadors of Pak-China friendship.
Apart from ambassador, senior officials from both sides were also present on the occasion.
Kashmir Solidarity Day to be observed on Monday
ISLAMABAD, Feb 4 (APP): Kashmir Solidarity Day will be observed across the country on Monday to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people who are struggling for their right to self-determination under United Nations (UN) resolutions. The day will dawn with special prayers in mosques for progress and prosperity of Pakistan, eternal peace of martyrs of Kashmir’s struggle and liberation of Muslim occupied territories including Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.
Big rallies, demonstrations, declamation contests and walks would be the main features of the day in all the major cities and towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata where big congregations and processions would also be taken out to draw attention of the world towards the plight of Kashmiris.
Special cultural programmes and festivals will also be held to promote Kashmiri culture and tradition while photographic exhibitions will be arranged depicting the atrocities committed by Indian occupation forces against the Kashmiris. A holiday has been announced in Pakistan, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). A one-minute silence will be observed at 10am to honour the Kashmiri martyrs.
Human chains at Kohala Bridge, Mangla Bridge and other points linking Pakistan and AJK will be formed.
At the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Pakistani and Sikh communities will hold a demonstration.
Former AJK prime minister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry will be the chief guest on the occasion. Radio Pakistan will air special programmes to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people. Messages of President and Prime Minister will be aired in programme “Subh- e Pakistan” starting at 7:10 a.m. A special song, ‘Naghma-i-Kashmir’ and Interviews of President and Prime Minister of Azad Jammu Kashmir will also be part of this programme. Special programme highlighting struggle of women for liberation of motherland from Indian clutches has been scheduled in programme “Sukhi Ghar” under the title, “Srinagar Ki Betiyan.” Special song “Ay Jannat Arzi” and interview of Kashmiri leader Mashal Malik titled, “Jed-o-Jehd-e Azadi Jammu Wa Kashmir Aur Khawateen Ka Jazba-e Hurriyet’ will also be presented during this programme. Foreign office has arranged special briefing on Kashmir to Islamabad based heads of foreign missions.