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Pakistan says Kashmir permanent feature of OIC agenda

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ISLAMABAD : The Foreign Office on Thursday dismissed India’s “false propaganda and disinformation campaign”, saying that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute was a permanent feature on the agenda of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

FO Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in his weekly press briefing, passed the remarks in response to the reports that the OIC agenda available online had no mention of Kashmir among the issues that were to be discussed.

“Kashmir dispute remains a permanent item on the OIC’s agenda and the organisation has been unambiguously pronouncing itself on the issue for decades, through a succession of summits as well as CFM resolution,” said the spokesman.

Chaudhri said that the OIC has spoken on the matter multiple times since New Delhi’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019. He added that the OIC General Secretariat on multiple occasions has urged for the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir has also met thrice in the past 15 months, while the contact group last met at the level of foreign ministers in June this year.

“The Final Communiqué of that meeting called upon India to rescind its illegal actions and stop egregious human rights violations in the illegally occupied territory and the CFM session in Niger forms the first such meeting after India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 05, 2019,” said the spokesman.

Chaudhri was confident that the foreign ministers’ meeting would reiterate their strong support to the Kashmir cause.

“Let me confirm that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute continues to be amongst the longest standing items on the OIC agenda,” said the spokesman.

OIC chief reaffirms support

Separately, OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, while appreciating Pakistan’s role as a founding and active member of the OIC, reaffirmed the organisation’s steadfast support on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, said the Foreign Office.

The OIC secretary-general was speaking to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a meeting that took place within the run-up to the 47th Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Niger’s capital Niamey.

The secretary-general, told Qureshi, that his special envoy on Jammu and Kashmir had visited Pakistan and AJK earlier this year and his report would be submitted to the CFM.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed appreciation at the OIC’s consistent and historic support for the Kashmir cause and also apprised the secretary-general about the initiative by Pakistan for the adoption of a resolution on Islamophobia by the 47th CFM.

“The foreign minister conveyed Pakistan’s deep concern at the aggravating human rights and humanitarian situation in IOJ&K, and India’s moves to alter the demographic structure of the occupied territory, in clear violation of UN resolutions and international law including the 4th Geneva Convention,” said the FO.

The meeting was also attended by OIC secretary general’s special envoy on Jammu and Kashmir Ambassador Yousef Al-Dodeay, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the OIC and other senior officials.

Indian Navy pilot missing after MiG-29K crashes in sea

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NEW DELHI: An Indian navy pilot is missing after a MiG-29K trainer aircraft crashed into the sea on Thursday.

According to the Indian publication, one of the pilots has been rescued in the accident that occurred at 5pm on Thursday.

“One pilot recovered and search by air and surface units in progress for the second pilot,” the report said quoting officials.

The publication reported that the Indian Navy has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Officials told the publication that jet had taken off for a sortie from India’s only aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

The Hindustan Times said the Russian-origin MiG-29K planes operate from the deck of INS Vikramaditya. The ship had recently taken part in the recent Malabar naval drills involving the Quad navies of US, Australia, India and Japan in the northern Arabian sea.

Number of critically ill Covid-19 patients rising sharply, NCOC informed

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity ratio stands at 7.20 per cent, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Friday.

A meeting of the NCOC with Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar in the chair was informed today that the highest test positivity rate was recorded in Peshawar at 19.65 %, followed by Karachi at 17.73%, and Hyderabad at 16.32 %.

The NCOC was briefed that Pakistan’s positivity ratio has soared to 7.20 per cent lately. Sindh recorded the highest positivity ratio at 13.25%, followed by 10.79% witnessed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 9.25% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6.41% in Balochistan, 5.84% in Islamabad, 4.81% in Gilgit Baltistan, and 3.59% in Punjab.
There are a total of 2,112 critically ill Covid-19 patients across the country but the number of such patients is increasing sharply, the forum was informed.

Asad Umar said protecting the masses from the pandemic is the government’s foremost priority. All-out efforts are being made to contain the spread of the virus with round-the-clock monitoring of the Covid situation, he added.

He stressed the need for people to play an individual and collective role to stem the virus spread, lauding enforcement of SOPs at mosques across the country.

‘Pakistani players mingled, shared food while in isolation’ NZ health director

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Karachi : New Zealand’s Director-general Health Ashley Bloomfield has stated that several members of the Pakistan squad were caught ‘mingling’ in hallways while in managed isolation at Christchurch’s Chateau on the Park hotel.

While talking to RNZ’s Morning Report, Bloomfield said that their behavior was unacceptable and CCTV showed the players had not been abiding by the arrangements that had been clearly set out for them.

“Rather than being in their own rooms which is a requirement for that first three days, until that first test comes back, there was some mingling in the hallways, chatting, sharing food and not wearing masks,” he said.

He revealed that the mingling happened only once but it only had to happen once for authorities to take a dim view of that.

Meanwhile, he said that the positive cases had been moved to separate quarantine rooms in the hotel and all players would be tested at least four times before leaving the facility.

“The team had since been ordered to stay in their rooms and have been stripped of their training privileges,” he added.

However, it is yet to clarify whether any of the six people who tested positive were involved in the hallway mingling incident.

Pakistan team underwent COVID-19 tests on Friday while no decision has been made regarding an exemption to allow the players to train.

Pakistan records 3,113 COVID-19 cases, 54 deaths in 24 hours: NCOC

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded fresh 3,313 COVID-19 cases and 54 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours.

In the past 24 hours, 54 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 7,897. 1,489 patients have recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours and 2,112 patients are in critical condition.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 389,311, whereas, the active cases stood at 45,533.
A total of 43,214 tests were conducted across the country during this period. 335,881 people have recovered from the deadly disease while 5,386,916 samples have been tested thus far.

Earlier on Thursday, it emerged that Pakistan had decided to contact China for the availability of COVID-19 vaccine.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) will communicate with the Chinese government via the foreign ministry, sources in the knowledge of the matter, said.

The health authorities in Islamabad will seek details of the expected vaccines being developed in China and also the details about the Chinese vaccine developing companies, CanSino Biologics and Sinopharm, the sources said.

Moreover, the price and the data of the clinical trials of the coronavirus vaccines would also be sought from the pharmaceutical companies.

It is pertinent to mention here that both the Chinese companies conducting phase three of clinical trials of their vaccines.

G-B is going to grow

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By Mehr Ispahani

Historically, what we used to call the ‘Gilgit Agency’ was made up of the princely states of Hunza and Nagar, the smaller entities of Chilas, Koh Ghizr, Ishkoman, Yasin and Punial, and the Gilgit Wazarat. Out of these territories, only the Gilgit Wazarat formed a part of the State of Jammu & Kashmir, while the other areas were under the paramountcy of the British government. The British had been instrumental in pacifying this area, and even helped the Kashmir darbar establish its writ in parts of its own territory. In order to consolidate its control in the area, especially as the Great Game was still on, the British Government of India established the Gilgit Agency in 1889. Since its inception, the Agency controlled the defence, foreign affairs and communications of the region, with the help of a political agent in the Gilgit city and an assistant political agent in Chilas.

The Maharaja of Kashmir claimed that the whole Gilgit Agency formed his state, but the Indian government was very clear that this was not the case. After the Kashmir darbar submitted a long note to the Indian government, New Delhi concisely and clearly put an end to the confusion. Colonel Fraser, a resident in Kashmir, wrote to Maharaja Sir Hari Singh on March 5, 1941, the final decision of the viceroy on the status of the constituent units of the Agency: “a) Hunza and Nagar: though these are under the suzerainty of the Kashmir State, they are not part of Kashmir but are separate states; b) Chilas, Koh Ghizr, Ishkoman, and Yasin: though these are under the suzerainty of Kashmir State they are not part of Kashmir but tribal areas. What happened even in Gilgit Wazarat in the aftermath of the transfer of power, it is clear that the entire population was pro-Pakistan.

Gilgit-Baltistan is six times the size of Azad Kashmir. The territory also borders the Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu & Kashmir which is separated by the Line of Control. The territory of present-day Gilgit-Baltistan became a separate administrative unit in 1970 under the name “Northern Areas”. It was formed by the amalgamation of former Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan district and several small former princely states, the larger of which being Hunza and Nagar.

G-B covers mostly a highly mountainous area of over 72,971 sq km. It had an estimated population of 1.249 million in 2013 (1.8 million in 2015). Its capital city is Gilgit with 216,760 estimated population. It is home to five of the “eight-thousanders” and more than 50 peaks above 7,000 metres. The main ranges are the Karakoram and the western Himalayas. The Pamir Mountains are to the north, and the Hindu Kush lies to the west. Amongst the highest mountains are K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) and Nanga Parbat, the latter being one of the most feared mountains in the world.

Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in G-B. The main tourism activities are trekking and mountaineering, and this industry is growing in importance. The present-day G-B territory became a separate unit in 1970 as Northern Areas. It was formed by the amalgamation of Gilgit Agency, Baltistan district of the Ladakh wazarat and the hill states of Hunza and Nagar. It now consists of 14 districts, has a population one million and an area of 73,000 sq km. It shares borders with Pakistan, China, India and Afghanistan: with Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa province to the west, a small portion of Wakhan trip of Afghanistan to the north, the Chinese Xinjiang Uyghur region to the northeast, the Indian-Occupied Jammu & Kashmir to the southeast, and the state of Azad Jammu & Kashmir to the south.

Three of the world’s longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in G-B: the Biafo Glacier, the Baltoro Glacier and the Batura Glacier. There are, in addition, several high-altitude lakes in G-B: The economy of the region is primarily based on a traditional route of trade, the historic Silk Road. The China Trade Organization forum led the people of the area to actively invest and learn modern trade knowhow from Xinjiang. Later, the establishment of a chamber of commerce and the Sust dry port (in Gojal Hunza) became a milestone. In early September 2009, Pakistan signed an agreement with China for a major energy project in G-B which includes the construction of a 7,000-MW dam at Bunji in the Astore district. Pakistan gave G-B the status of its fifth legal provisional province. The region is not disputed as it is part of Pakistan.

Understanding G-B’s strategic position is important. We can do that by revisiting the centrality of G-B in the 19th century Great Game between Russia and British India, and then throw light on the contemporary strategic importance of the region for China and Pakistan on one hand, and the opponents of the BRI, including the US and India. This contest makes the region a critical strategic prize. Gilgit-Baltistan being a province will grow in strength and develop further with its huge potentials.

Recently an Indian plot came to limelight, including a plan that was aimed at poisoning the minds of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan through elements of hate. A dirty propaganda campaign has been launched to distort the history and prove that G-B was a disputed territory. But above mentioned facts reveal that G-B never was an integral part of Jammu & Kashmir. It is on record that in 1935, the British Raj leased the area from J&K state’s autocratic Maharaja for a period of 60 years. People of G-B acceded to Pakistan willingly after an arduous struggle. They acceded to Pakistan on November 1, 1947 after getting independence from the Dogra army. Similarly, the liberation forces emancipated Skardu after a year. The brave people of G-B defeated a well-equipped and trained army. They are not ready to accept anyone’s claim over the region.

(The writer is freelance columnist based in Peshawar)

GEN Nadeem Raza meets Tajik President

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Rawalpindi, November 27, 2020: General Nadeem Raza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, on official visit to Tajikistan, called on Mr. Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan.Chairman JCSC also had separate meetings with Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Defence Minister, Colonel General Rakhimozoda Ramazon Khamro, Minister of Internal Affairs, and Colonel General Yatimov Saymumin Sattorovich, Chairman State Committee of National Security.During the meetings, both sides deliberated upon various areas of mutual interest & bilateral cooperation including security, counter-terrorism and prevailing regional environment particularly with reference to Afghanistan. They also dilated upon measures to enhance the level and scope of military engagements between both countries and reaffirmed to continue to forge deeper ties.Chairman JCSC said that Pakistan is keen to expand its existing bilateral military to military cooperation with Tajikistan. The dignitaries lauded professionalism of Pakistan Armed Forces and acknowledged their sacrifices in fight against terrorism.Earlier, upon arrival at Ministry of Defence, Chairman JCSC was presented Guard of Honour by contingent of Tajikistan’s Armed Forces.

CDA to strictly implement zoning regulation

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ISLAMABAD : Capital Development Authority (CDA) decided to strictly ask the owners of housing societies and schemes to implement CDA and ICT Zoning Regulation here on Thursday. Offices of a number of illegal housing schemes and societies have been sealed.According to detail, Islamabad was divided into 5 zones according to ICT Zoning Regulation of 1992. Under zoning regulation the planning and development for housing schemes can be done in E-11 sector of Zone 1. Similarly the work can also be done in Zone 2 and Zone 5. CDA amended the zoning regulation in 2010 and allowed the Housing scheme and Agro farm scheme in Zone 4. The zone 4 was further divided into 4 sub zones. The planning and development of private schemes is being made under SRO64(I)2020. Two directorates of CDA regulate them. The department of Housing is doing planning and development of Housing Zone 2 and Zone 5. Whereas the Regional Planning Directorate regulates planning and development of zone 4.CDA is also receiving the suggesting to deal with the illegal housing schemes. Few days back CDA sealed the offices of illegal housing schemes including Ayesha town, Islamabad Cooperate Housing Scheme, Gulf Residencia, Royal City, Royal Residencia, Dream Land City, Babar enclave, ideal residencia, Rawal Enclave, and Yar Muhammad Society.

PTI’s Syed Amjad Ali elected Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly Speaker

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GILGIT : PTI’s Syed Amjad Ali has been elected as the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly’s Deputy Speaker after securing 18 votes.

The outgoing speaker, Fida Muhammad Nashad, announcing the results said that joint opposition’s candidate Ghulam Mohammad secured eight votes.

The polling was being conducted via secret balloting and the result.

Outgoing speaker Nashad has administered the oath to newly elected speaker Amjad Ali.

On Wednesday, a few newly elected members of the GB Legislative Assembly took their oath. Today, PTI member retired Col Ubaidullah Baig from Hunza took oath as he was unable to attend yesterday’s assembly session.

Meanwhile, PTI has nominated Nazir Ahmed for deputy speaker.

The united opposition parties, including the PPP, PML-N and JUI-F, have nominated Rehmat Khaliq for deputy speaker.

PTI has secured 22 out of the 33 seats in the assembly.

The Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly consists of 33 seats — 24 of which are contested through direct elections. The remaining nine are reserved seats — six for women and three for technocrats and professionals.

Ijaz Shah thanks China for support in fight against COVID-19

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ISLAMABAD : Interior Minister Ijaz Shah on Thursday thanked China for its support to Pakistan in the fight against COVID-19.

Shah said this while talking to the Chinese envoy Nong Rong, who called on him at the ministry of interior in Islamabad. The meeting discussed matters related to mutual interests between both countries.The minister said China always supported Pakistan on every front and the current ongoing corporation in the fight against coronavirus is highly commendable.

On CPEC, Ijaz Shah said that concrete steps have been taken to ensure foolproof security of the mega project. “Maintaining law and order is the top priority of the government.”

On the occasion, Chinese envoy Non Rong thanked the interior minister for ensuring the security of the CPEC project. He also lauded the minister’s role in providing every possible cooperation with regard to workers’ visas and other issues.

Earlier this month, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong had called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Matters of mutual interest, including regional security, were discussed during the meeting, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, had said in a Twitter statement.

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