BRUSSELS, OCT 14 /DNA/ – Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed has said that Pakistan needs more effective diplomacy to highlight the Kashmir issue at the global level in the current scenario.

He was addressing a seminar at National University of Modern Languages ​​(NUML), Islamabad, a well-known educational institution of Pakistan, yesterday. Political analyst and university professor Tahir Naeem Malik, international relations teacher and researcher Dr. Syed Sibtain Shah and management sciences professor Dr. Abdul Wahid and student leaders Ubaid Khan and Mansoor Qaisrani also addressed the seminar.

Ali Raza Syed said that although the Kashmir issue has been a recognized global issue for the past seven decades, but after August 2019, this conflict has once again become the focus of the world’s special attention. Especially the way India has removed two provisions of its constitution for ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and increased atrocities on Kashmiris, the issue needs to be highlighted with a new strategy.

He said that the Pakistani political leadership and Pakistan authorities should come together and formulate a new strategy on this issue by which they can stop India’s illegal actions in Jammu and Kashmir and expose India’s terrible face to the world.

Ali Raza Syed said that along with revoking the special status of Kashmir, India has changed the domicile law of Jammu and Kashmir and its nefarious purpose is to bring people from other regions of India to settle in Jammu and Kashmir. Work on this conspiracy has already started. India’s aim is to change the proportion of the population in Jammu and Kashmir in order to achieve its objectives in case of any possible plebiscite in the region of Jammu and Kashmir.

He further said that many political leaders of occupied Kashmir, human rights activists and journalists are imprisoned in Indian jails and their lives are in danger.

Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed also addressed an other gathering called by Kashmir Council at NUML, an organization of Kashmiri students, on the occasion of his visit to the University main campus in Islamabad. During this event, Dr. Syed Sibtain Shah and Prof. Tahir Naeem introduced the guest.

Ali Raza Syed urged the Kashmiri students to pay full attention to their studies and try to understand the Kashmir issue in the current context. Try to make the world aware of Kashmir conflict and Indian atrocities against the people of Kashmir.

He asked all the students present on the occasion to play their role for the development and prosperity of the society. A cake was also cut by the organization office bearers on the occasion.

Kashmir Council EU Chairman Ali Raza Syed also visited the Press Club on the invitation of Pakistan Federation of Unions of Journalists (PFUJ)’s President Afzal Butt. The host, press club officials and other senior journalists welcomed the guest and people accompanying him. Afzal Butt paid tribute to Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed for highlighting Kashmir issue in Europe. Ali Raza Syed thanked the host and while talking on situation of human rights in occupied Jammu and Kashmir said, the occupied land needs attention of the world. He appreciated the services of Khurram Parvez, Parvez Imrooz, Parveena Ahangar, Ahsan Untoo for raising human rights of the Kashmiris. He demanded the immediate release of Yasin Malik, Shabbir Shah, Khurram Parvez, Ahsan Untoo and other Kashmiri prisoners.

On this occasion, Professor of Politics Tahir Naeem Malik and International Relations teacher and researcher Dr. Syed Sibtain Shah, Professor Saeed Ahmad, Mohsin Raza Khan, Abid Abbasi and others were also present on the occasion. Specially Professor Saeed Ahmad talked on historical and cultural aspect of Jammu and Kashmir with particular reference to Sufi poetry. Afzal Butt hosted dinner in honor of Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed at the press club.

Washington, Oct 14: A shooting Thursday in North Carolina’s capital Raleigh left at least five people dead, including an off-duty police officer, officials in the southeast US city said, adding that a suspect had been captured.

Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said the shooting occurred near the Neuse River Greenway, a popular trail in the area.

“This is a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh. Just after 5:00 pm today, multiple people were shot,” she told a press conference.

The Raleigh Police Department “has confirmed five fatalities. One of them was an off-duty Raleigh police officer.”

The shooter, a “white male juvenile,” was taken into custody shortly after 9:30 pm, Raleigh Police Lieutenant Jason Borneo said in a follow-up press conference.

The mayor had earlier reported that the shooter was being “contained in a residence in the area” by police.

 One victim, Borneo said, remained in critical condition.

Also among the wounded was a canine officer who had been taken to the hospital, although Borneo reported that an injured police officer had been released.

When asked about a motive for the shooting, he said it would likely “come to bear” in the coming days.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who attended the evening press conference, told journalists that: “Tonight terror has reached our doorstep.”

“The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless, horrific, and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”

Gun violence is a major problem in the United States where more than 34,000 people have died in shootings so far in 2022 alone, more than half of which were from suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

“We  must do more,” Baldwin told the press conference. “We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must address gun violence. We have much to do, and tonight we have much to mourn.”

The North Carolina shooting occurred after a jury earlier in the day rejected the death penalty and backed life imprisonment for Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018.

Mass shootings have repeatedly stunned the nation, reigniting debate on gun control, a hot-button cultural issue that has made little headway in Congress.

However, several of the most recent gun rampages, including a shooting at a school in Texas and a supermarket frequented by African-Americans in New York state, caused particular shock across the country, prompting lawmakers to agree in June, for the first time in 30 years, to pass modest reform of gun control laws.

Nearly 400 million guns were in circulation among the civilian population in the United States in 2017, or 120 guns for every 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey project.

PM Shehbaz and Azerbaijani President review the close and cordial bilateral ties

Special Report

ASTANA: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Sixth Summit of Conference for Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) at Astana, Kazakhstan.

Both leaders reviewed the close and cordial bilateral ties, with a view to further enhance cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, education, information technology, security, agriculture, connectivity and energy.

The Prime Minister also briefed President Aliyev on his government’s efforts to rehabilitate the millions of flood-affected people in Pakistan and restore their livelihoods damaged by the unprecedented climate change induced natural disaster.

The Prime Minister underscored that damage to standing crops and inability to cultivate in the coming sowing season had exacerbated the threat of food shortage in the country. Import of urea was essential to avert this danger and revive the agricultural produce in the country. President Aliyev assured him of Azerbaijan’s full support in this context.

Regional and global issues of common interest were also discussed at the meeting. Prime Minister Sharif appreciated Azerbaijan’s steadfast position on Jammu and Kashmir and its valuable role as member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled support to Azerbaijan on former Nagorno-Karabagh and appreciated President Ilham Aliyev’s endeavors for bringing long-term and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

Both leaders renewed their commitment to intensify and deepen bilateral engagement in diverse areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, and reviewed progess of various ongoing initiatives for promoting connectivity, trade and investment.

Prime Minister underlined the need for fostering close cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy, which is a high priority area for his government. Prime Minister has nominated Minister of State for Petroleum as the focal point for bilateral energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Pakistan who visited Baku last month. Both leaders agreed to fast track discussions on energy collaboration between the two countries through robust engagement.

Prime Minister Sherbaz Sharif proposed leadership level consultations in Islamabad aimed at advancing Regional Connectivity which was received positively.

This was the second interaction between the two leaders in the wake of their last meeting on the sidelines of SCO in September 2022 at Samarkand, Uzbekistan and afforded a productive opportunity for catalyzing multifaceted economic engagement   between Pakistan and Azerbaijan in keeping with the great tradition of amity and cooperation.