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Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi passes away in Lahore

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19 (APP): APP Digital NewsAllama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, the leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan breathed his last Thursday night at Lahore, his party announced. He was 55.

No reason for his death was given. His party officials said he was rushed to a hospital after he had problem breathing and had fever for past few days. However he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

Senior TLP leader Syed Inayat-ul-Haq Shah also confirmed the news and asked the TLP workers to proceed to Lahore to participate in his last rites. The Tehreek-e-Labbaik announced that his funeral would be held on Saturday at 10 in the morning at Minar-e-Pakistan.

Videos on several social media accounts showed large number of his followers rushing to his home and crying over his sad demise.

The fire brand clerk was known for his protest marches, that often became violent and created law and order problems. His last protest was relatively shorter at Faizabad and ended only after a two day blockade of the twin cities on Monday.

Immediately after the confirmation of the news condolences poured in from all sections of society; including the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, Information Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Chief Minister Punjab and political leaders of many parties.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a tweet expressed his grief over the sad demise of Allama Khadim Rizvi and conveyed condolences to his family.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa also conveyed his condolences over the demise of the TLP leader.

 

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information in Punjab also expressed grief over his sad demise.

Amir Jamat Islami also expressed his grief and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the departed soul.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent stance on Kashmir

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s stance on Kashmir at international fora to highlight gruesome human rights violations by India

 

Indian media’s fake “civil war” in Pakistan, falls flat on face

By
Shafek Koreshe
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0
APP Digital Small logo
By Shafek Koreshe

In an abortive attempt to create diversion from Narendra Modi’s human rights abuses in Kashmir, the Indian media went berserk by propagating fake news about a “civil war” like situation in Karachi, triggering a hilarious response from the twitterati in Pakistan, who enjoyed every bit of the ridiculous reports.

#CivilWarInPakistan and #KarachiCivilWar were in no time the top trends, with the young twitter users going crazy by posting video clips from action movies, comics, images of the Indian MiG pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down by Pakistan Air Force inside Pakistan’s territory, as scenes from the Civil War, getting an equally enthusiastic response with numerous retweets and likes.

The arrest of PML-N leader Captain (Retd) Safdar on charges of political sloganeering at Quaid’s Mausoleum and leave applications by senior police officers was exploited by the top Indian news channels, who portrayed an administrative issue as a “civil war” and went to the extent of even reporting casualties, and armed clashes.

Indian Media ditches professionalism to dip at to its lowest 

#FakeNews CNN18News
#FakeNews CNN18News

The news reports were part of a persistent barrage of fake news from Indian mainstream media and its RAW controlled assets on social media over the past few months. The trend has witnessed a sharp spike as part of India’s fifth generation war (5GW) against Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office on the “malicious and fabricated propaganda” by Indian mainstream and social media claiming civil unrest in Pakistan, said planting such baseless stories were reflective of the “Pakistan-obsessed BJP-RSS” mindset.

“Needless to say that Indian media continues to hit new lows,” he said, when asked to respond over the series of fake news flashed as breaking news across the Indian media about a “civil war in Pakistan”.

“Indian media continues to hit new lows”: FO

The Spokesperson said through “peddling fake news and running propaganda machinery”, India could not wash away the truth about its own gross and systematic human rights violations in Indian Ilelgally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Rather than reporting on humanitarian crisis in IIOJK, the Indian media chooses to spread fake and sensational news about Pakistan to detract from core issues,” he said.

5th Gen War – Twitterati bust RAW’s #Fake letter attributed to COAS

 

#FakeNews - Yet another figment of imagination of Indian Media
#FakeNews – Yet another figment of imagination of Indian Media

The Indian media tried hard to appease its own consumers and to create a diversion from its human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir. However in its abortive attempt it created history by churning out fake news overpowered by the anti-Pakistan hysteria, undermining its professional ethics and credibility.

#FakeNews - India Today with its concocted news story
#FakeNews – India Today with its concocted news story

The unleashing of the Indian media did not go unnoticed, as Michael Kugelman, deputy director at the @AsiaProgram and South Asia senior associate @TheWilsonCenter in a tweet pointed that the Indian disinformation accounts were exploiting Pakistan’s current political crisis, and “falsely claiming that the country is no experiencing urban warfare.”

He described the trend as “dangerous and disturbing”, as several of these accounts were verified and had huge followings.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said the Indian media was in “hyper drive with fake news on Pakistan” and regretted that it was “unfortunate that Twitter is [deliberately ignoring it].”

All major media outlets in so-called world’s biggest democracy decimated all journalistic norms as none bothered to fact-check such a huge gaffe. India’s News18, India Today, Zee News, India.com and several others quoted the International Herald which showed old videos of bomb explosions in Pakistan and portrayed it as the ongoing civil war.

#FakeNews - Indian International Herald tweet
#FakeNews – Indian International Herald tweet

The Institute of Policy Research in a report said their data indicates a pattern of Indian propaganda against Pakistan on digital media that grew exponentially after 2018 General Elections in #Pakistan. The propaganda hovers around largely 4 key themes.

IPRI Timeline of Indian Propaganda
IPRI Timeline of Indian Propaganda

Minister for Ports and Shipping pointed that the Indian propaganda was at its peak and “sadly fueled by the PDM Circus.” He said the food inflation was artificially manufactured, but was being brought under control.

Minister for Kashmir Affairs also lambasted the “fake, fabricated and malicious propaganda campaign to malign State institutions of Pakistan. He urged @Twitter to take action against Indian accounts for #FakeNews against Paksitan.

However, this idiocy of Indian media gave the Twitterati a perfect chance to enjoy as the microblogging site was flooded with messages to ridicule the Indian media’s insanity.

“Karachi civil war has gotten so bad that my food panda delivery boy had to crawl through mine fields carrying his AK47, RPG & 9mm along with my nihari and Biryani. This thing is getting so serious. Multiple cows have been killed & people are dying of over eating. #IndianMedia,” commented renowned singer Fakhr-e-Alam.

Besides numerous other fake photos, the Indian media also used an image of a building collapsed following a gas leakage blast in Karachi earlier in the day to substantiate its fake news of civil war.

“A little investigation would have informed Zee News that it wasn’t a bomb blast in ‘civil war’ in Pakistan but the result of a  gas leak in Karachi. Whither truth, objectivity, balance and fairness in reporting?,” said Farhatullah Babr, former senator of Pakistan Peoples Party which rules Sindh province.

“An Aircraft shot during civil war in Karachi… and the pilot captured…,” commented another Twitter user Fasihuddin while sharing the images of Indian aircraft MiG-21 and captured injured pilot Abhinandan following an aerial dogfight during India-Pakistan standoff in 2019.

Pakistan, Netherlands reaffirm commitment to strengthen energy, industrial partnership

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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ISLAMABAD, Mar 05 (APP):Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Thursday met with Robert Jan Siegert, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Pakistan, along with a delegation from Engro Vopak Terminal Limited (EVTL).
The minister warmly welcomed the ambassador and the delegation and expressed optimism for enhanced bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy and industrial sectors, according to a news release.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to facilitating foreign investment by ensuring a stable, transparent and business-friendly environment.
Ambassador Siegert said the Netherlands highly values its partnership with Pakistan. He noted that Engro Vopak Terminal Limited represents a flagship Dutch partnership in Pakistan, operating modern facilities for bulk liquid chemicals and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
EVTL is a joint venture between Royal Vopak of the Netherlands and Engro Corporation Limited, providing world-class services to Pakistan’s chemical and petrochemical industry.
The ambassador expressed the Netherlands’ keen interest in further strengthening cooperation and demonstrating that Pakistan remains open for business. He added that the Dutch side was eager to see the partnership in the terminal business further extended and strengthened.
Ammar Shah, Chief Executive Officer of EVTL, informed the minister that the company handles a significant share of the country’s LPG marine imports and supports major manufacturing plants by managing feedstock for downstream DAP, PVC and PTA industries.
He also shared insights on EVTL’s role in enhancing supply chain efficiency and supporting industrial growth.
During the meeting, the delegation discussed future prospects for improving terminal operations and expanding business activities.
The federal minister reiterated that the government is fully committed to providing a conducive environment for businesses and ensuring equal and transparent opportunities for all stakeholders.
The meeting also discussed the energy supply chain situation in light of developments in the Middle East.
The minister appraised the delegation that the government is continuously monitoring the situation and working on contingency planning. He added that fuel stocks are currently at comfortable levels; however, prudent consumption patterns remain essential to ensure sustained energy security.

SBP approves voluntary operation closure of Riaz Exchange Company

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
KARACHI, Mar 05 (APP):State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Thursday, revoked the authorization of M/s Riaz Exchange Company (Pvt.) Ltd. to deal in foreign exchange business.
“On the request of M/s Riaz Exchange Company (Pvt.) Ltd., the Authorization of the company to deal in foreign exchange business has been revoked from the date of closure of its operations”, the central bank announced in a statement issued here.
Following the voluntary closure of operations, M/s Riaz Exchange Company (P) Ltd. is no more authorized to carry out any type of foreign exchange business, it added.

MD NBF calls on HEC chairman

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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ISLAMABAD, Mar 05 (APP):Managing Director of the National Book Foundation, Dr Kamran Jahangir, has called on Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, and extended his warm felicitations on his appointment.
During the meeting, Dr Kamran Jahangir reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the National Book Foundation to promoting knowledge, learning and scholarship in the country.
He also expressed the Foundation’s strong resolve to develop a dynamic partnership with the Higher Education Commission aimed at promoting high-quality academic and general publications across Pakistan.
Both sides discussed avenues of cooperation to strengthen the culture of reading, research and quality publishing in the country.

ECP sets March 12 as deadline for submission of town maps in case of local polls delay

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
ISLAMABAD, Mar 05 (APP):The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday set March 12 as deadline for submission of the maps of town corporations during the hearing of a case involving delay in conducting local government elections in the federal capital.
A five-member bench of the ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, took up the case.
The ECP officials informed the bench that three letters had been sent to the Interior Secretary seeking details on the demarcation of town corporations, the number of union councils, maps, and necessary amendments to the ordinance, but no response was received.
Following this, the CEC directed that a contempt notice be issued to the Interior Secretary.
The Chief Secretary Punjab, Secretary Local Government Punjab, Additional Secretary of the Interior Ministry, and Chief Commissioner Islamabad appeared before the commission.
The Chief Secretary Punjab told the bench that the provincial government had provided constituency rules and the Demarcation Order, outlining the number of union councils in town corporations, municipal corporations, municipal committees, and tehsil councils. Maps and other data would be submitted by March 12, 2026, while a notification for election rules would be issued soon.
The ECP directed its office to immediately issue the delimitation schedule once the provincial government provides the maps. It warned that if the maps are not submitted by March 12, division-wise deputy commissioners would be summoned daily from March 13 onwards.
The commission further noted that despite repeated letters, the Interior Ministry had not responded. The Chief Commissioner Islamabad told the bench he had not received any such correspondence.
Later, the Additional Secretary of the Interior Ministry appeared in place of the Interior Secretary, stating that the latter was attending a meeting. Taking serious notice of the non-response, the ECP ordered that a notice be issued to the Interior Secretary, warning that contempt proceedings could be initiated.
The Chief Commissioner Islamabad assured the commission that maps of town corporations would be provided within a week.
The ECP adjourned the case until Tuesday, March 10.

Advocate Shafqat says Pakistan stance under indus water treaty clear and firm

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
SUKKUR, Mar 05 (APP):Prominent political and social leader, Advocate Syed Shafqat Ali Shah has emphasized that Pakistan has an undeniable right over every single drop of water under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
Talking to APP here on Thursday, Shah said that Pakistan’s stance on the treaty is “clear and firm” and accused India of used water as a tool of war against Pakistan.
He highlighted the importance of water, stating that life on earth owes its existence to it and that it has been a source of artistic expression and civilization. He noted that the Indus River Basin is one of the most important river basins in the world, supporting  millions of people.
He condemned India’s actions, saying they threaten regional stability, international law, and the livelihoods of millions of people downstream.
He emphasized that Pakistan will not compromise on its existential water rights and urged the international community to take notice of India’s actions.

India’s constant rockets failures cost over $335 m loss, major embarrassment to space program

By
Ishtiaq Rao
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0

ISLAMABAD, Mar 5 (APP): India has suffered five rocket launch failures during last five years, resulting in an estimated total economic loss of around $335 million due to destroyed satellites and mission costs, while also causing significant embarrassment to India’s space program.

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) suffered a major failure when the PSLV-C62 mission recently ended in complete loss, resulting in the destruction of the primary Earth observation satellite EOS-N1 – Anvesha – and all 15 co-passenger satellites.

The mission, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, failed approximately eight minutes after liftoff due to a technical anomaly in the third stage.

Performance issues, including disturbances and a sudden drop in chamber pressure, caused the rocket to deviate from its planned trajectory, leading to the total loss of the 16 satellites onboard—including the strategic EOS-N1 developed for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

This setback has raised concerns about the reliability of ISRO’s longstanding workhorse rocket, especially following a prior consecutive failure in the same stage.

The series of setbacks since 2021 includes: PSLV-C62, PSLV-C61 GSLV-F15, GSLV-F10, and SSLV-D1 which have exposed deep systemic weaknesses in ISRO’s flagship programs, exacerbated by rushed commercialization and privatization policies under the current government, leading to overburdened launch schedules and compromised quality control.

The PSLV, long considered India’s reliable workhorse with only two failures between 1993 and 2017, has now faced back-to-back third-stage anomalies in 2025-2026, grounding it for investigations and highlighting institutional decline.

Strategic implications are severe, as multiple failures involved national security payloads, including surveillance and navigation satellites critical for defense capabilities. These setbacks weaken real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, potentially benefiting adversaries in border disputes.

Financially, the losses are substantial. Estimated direct costs for PSLV-C61/EOS-09: ₹450-500 crore; PSLV-C62/EOS-N1 and payloads: ₹650-750 crore. Total for the five failures: ₹2,200-2,800 crore (approximately $265-335 million), equivalent to about 15% of ISRO’s 2025-26 budget of ₹24,000 crore, placing a heavy burden on Indian taxpayers.

Opportunity costs include lost revenue from foreign ride-share payloads, with historical earnings of over $100 million in some missions now at risk.

Agreements with countries like Nepal and Brazil have been canceled, projecting a $50-70 million revenue loss in FY26. India’s share in the global small-satellite launch market has plummeted from 35% in 2017 to nearly zero by 2024-2025, as clients shift to more reliable providers.

These repeated failures undermine ambitions for an $8 billion space economy by 2030, damage dual-use technology credibility (potentially affecting programs like Agni missile series using similar solid fuel technology), and contribute to international embarrassment for India’s space program.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, APP’s Foreign Editor, leads coverage of the Prime Minister, President and Foreign Office, bringing over 20 years of journalism experience from local and international publications – Reach out at 03335293238/ ishtiaqrao@gmail.com/ X: ishtiaqrao

Competitive pay vital to retain talent in universities: Ahsan Iqbal

By
Qadir Rajpoot
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0
ISLAMABAD, Mar 5 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said that competitive pay structures were essential to attract and retain talented faculty in universities, warning that the higher education system could face serious challenges if qualified teachers were not retained.
He expressed these views while chairing the eighth meeting of the task force constituted to review the faculty pay scale system in higher education, a news release said.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and provincial higher education departments.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said salaries under the Tenure Track System (TTS) had remained frozen since 2021, which had significantly reduced the incentive for talented academics to join or remain in universities.
He said the earlier 35 percent salary gap between TTS and the basic pay scale had effectively disappeared over time due to the salary freeze.
“If universities fail to retain competent teachers, the entire higher education system will suffer,” he said, stressing the need to revise the pay structure to make it competitive and attractive for highly qualified faculty members.
The minister said bringing and retaining talent in universities required a rational and sustainable pay framework, adding that revision in the TTS pay scale had become unavoidable in view of changing economic realities.
At the same time, he emphasized that improved salaries must be accompanied by strict enforcement of performance indicators to ensure quality teaching, research and academic output.
The task force approved recommendations to provide faculty members working under the TTS with a salary equivalent to 35 percent above the baseline pay structure.
Ahsan Iqbal directed the Higher Education Commission to work closely with provincial governments to ensure increased budgetary allocations for universities so that the proposed reforms could be implemented effectively.
He also stressed the need to differentiate between the quality of academic qualifications, saying that not all PhD degrees were equal.
The minister proposed that scholars holding PhD degrees from the world’s top 50 universities should be given special incentives and additional benefits to encourage high-quality research and academic excellence in Pakistan’s universities.
He said strengthening the higher education sector was essential for building a knowledge-based economy and achieving sustainable national development.

Over 8,000 enforced disappearances, 1.8 m facing psychological distress grip IIOJK

By
Ishtiaq Rao
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0

ISLAMABAD, Mar 5 (APP): In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), longstanding human rights concerns persist, with human rights organizations and reports documenting over 100,000 deaths and 8,000 enforced disappearances, alongside an escalating mental health emergency affecting vast segments of the population.

Official data presented in India’s Rajya Sabha has revealed a sharp rise in missing persons cases in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), with 7,151 individuals reported missing in 2023 alone, highlighting ongoing human rights concerns in the region.

According to the figures officially acknowledged in the Indian parliamentary system, out of the 7,151 missing persons in 2023, 2,961 were traced or recovered during the year, leaving 4,190 still untraced by the end of the period.

The trend shows a consistent increase over the past four years: 5,824 missing persons reported in 2020, rising to 6,486 in 2021, 6,983 in 2022, and reaching 7,151 in 2023. The number of unresolved cases at year-end has also grown from 3,813 in 2020 to 4,190 in 2023.

This escalating pattern in a heavily militarized region raises serious questions about institutional accountability, as there appear to be limited signs of transparent, independent investigations or effective judicial oversight despite the scale of the issue.

The international response has remained weak, with major Western countries prioritizing trade, defense cooperation, and strategic partnerships with India over sustained diplomatic pressure on human rights issues.

As a result, the growing numbers of missing persons coincide with expanding economic ties, reinforcing perceptions that Kashmiri lives are accorded limited importance globally.

Separately, a report by the Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) titled “Mental Health in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir” has exposed the severe psychological toll of the prolonged conflict and Indian actions on the population of IIOJK.

The KIIR report notes that over three decades of armed conflict have resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. It documents over 8,000 enforced disappearances in IIOJK.

Following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, the region experienced prolonged curfews and the longest internet shutdown in history.

The report states that mental health is closely linked to living conditions and guaranteed human rights.

A study cited in the report indicates that 45 percent of adults—approximately 1.8 million people—are suffering from psychological distress. Depression affects 41 percent, anxiety 26 percent, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 19 percent of individuals.

Nearly 47 percent of surveyed adults have experienced severe traumatic events. Among children aged 8 to 14 years, 22 to 27 percent show signs of psychiatric disorders. Suicide attempts increased by over 250 percent between 1994 and 2012.

Access to mental health care remains critically limited, with only about 10 percent of patients receiving treatment. The region has only 41 psychiatrists, mostly concentrated in Jammu and Srinagar.

Mental health services are largely restricted to facilities like GMC Srinagar and SKIMS hospital, with a total of 140 psychiatric beds across 10 districts and only five to six district consultants.

The Integrated Mental Health Action Network Services (IMHANS) reported over 77,000 mental health patients in 2020.

Experts, including Dr. Arshad Hussain, noted spikes in anxiety and depression during COVID-19. The National Family Health Survey indicates reproductive health issues among 61 percent of women in the region, compared to the national average of 39 percent.

A SKIMS study found psychiatric disorders in 65 to 70 percent of PCOS patients. At SMHS and Government Psychiatric Hospital, 75 percent of daily visitors are women.

The report also highlights the plight of widows, with 91 percent of surveyed widows in the valley not considering remarriage. It cites the case of 15-year-old Ishtiaq Ahmad Khanday, killed on June 29, 2010, leading to his mother Jameela Bano being diagnosed with depression and PTSD.

Describing IIOJK as an “open-air prison” under siege, the KIIR report underscores the profound human cost of the ongoing situation on mental well-being.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, APP’s Foreign Editor, leads coverage of the Prime Minister, President and Foreign Office, bringing over 20 years of journalism experience from local and international publications – Reach out at 03335293238/ ishtiaqrao@gmail.com/ X: ishtiaqrao

Labourers clean and sort canola seeds at the grain market in the city.

By
Wajid
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0
Labourers clean and sort canola seeds at the grain market in the city.
APP19-050326
SARGODHA: March 05 – 

China sets 2026 economic growth target at 4.5% to 5%

By
NNPS Desk
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0

BEIJING, Mar 5 (WAM/APP): China has set its economic growth target for 2026 at between 4.5 percent and 5 percent and will strive to achieve better results in practice, according to a government work report submitted Thursday to the country’s top legislature for deliberation.

The main development targets for this year also include maintaining the surveyed urban unemployment rate at around 5.5 percent and creating more than 12 million new jobs in urban areas.

Other targets include keeping the increase in the consumer price index at around 2 percent, ensuring personal income growth in line with economic growth; a basic equilibrium in the balance of payments, and achieving grain output of around 700 million tonnes.

The report also aims for a reduction of around 3.8 percent in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product.

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