Speakers lash out Indian Government for Human Rights Violations in IHK
DNA
Islamabad: AUG 5 – The children of detained Kashmiri leadership of Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK), have termed the unjust Domicile Law and attempts on changing the demography of occupied territory as the most disturbing aspect of the occupation for the Kashmiri people.
They shared these thoughts with the participants at online dialogue ‘One year of forced annexation of Kashmir; A longer tale of atrocities’ organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Wednesday.
Ms Ruwa Shah, student of cinema and TV in Turkey, who is daughter of Altaf Ahmed Shah; Kashmiri activist detained in Tehar Jail of Delhi since the year 2017, while sharing her views with the participants, said that the children in occupied territory never had a normal life. However, August 5, 2019 worsen everything further with a complete lockdown imposed by Indian government in Kashmir.
“It has just accelerated the colonial designs further,” Shah said while adding further that the resistance leaders in IHK have always been highlighting it from decades that Indian government was planning it since long.
Mr Ahmed Bin Qasim, student of International Relations and Post Colonialism, who is the son of political prisoners Dr Qasim Faktoo and Aasiya Andrabi, Kashmir’s longest serving political prisoner, informed the participants that more than 13,000 Kashmiri men and women at present are detained in jails for raising voice against the occupation. He says the judiciary is proved to be an instrument of colonialism as far as the cases of political prisoners are concerned.
He said that India has used all kinds of oppression in IHK during the last 70 years and still failed to enslave the Kashmiris. Hence, now it has resorted to use Domicile Law to change the demography and introduce a culture of ‘settlers’ colonialism’ to snatch identity from the Kashmiri people.
Dr Shafqat Munir, Senior Policy Advisor, SDPI, in his opening remarks earlier said that one year of illegal actions by the Indian government has been completed that were aimed to change the fate of Kashmiri people. He said that Article 370 was scratched by the Indian government against the aspirations of Kashmiri people and in violation of the resolutions of UN Security Council.
“The legislative forums in IHK are also being changed in addition to efforts on demographic changes.” Munir highlighted and said that these conspiracies against the Kashmiris would be resited at every platform.
Mr Nasir Qadri, Human Rights Lawyer, was of view that rule of law itself has become a victim in India as draconian laws are being used against the political prisoners in IHK. Ms Ayesha Ilyas from SDPI, while moderating the session highlighted various aspects of post -5 August 2019 atrocities committed by the Indian government in IHK and said Kashmiri people have always ut a remarkable resistance against the illegal occupation.
Zahid Hafeez Ch posted as new FO Spokesperson
ISLAMABAD, AUG 05 (DNA) – Zahid Hafeez Chaudhary has been appointed as Spokesperson at Foreign Office. Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry was serving as DG South Asia and SAARC. Notification for the appointment of a new Foreign Office spokesman is likely to be issued soon. Outgoing spokesperson Ms Aisha Farooqui is going for official training.
It is pertinent here to mention that Senior diplomat Aisha Farooqui had been appointed as the new Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on July 19. Aisha Farooqui had become the third female to take charge as the MoFA’s Spokesperson.
She served as Pakistan’s Consul General in Houston. She had replaced Dr Mohammad Faisal, who had been nominated as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany.
Aisha Farooqui as a diplomat had a diverse career profile spanning more than two decades. She has served abroad in Pakistan’s Missions in France, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the United States, as well as at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad. =DNA
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FM challenges Modi to visit AJK, allow Imran to Srinagar to test policies’ efficacy
ISLAMABAD, AUG 05 (DNA) – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Wednesday challenged Narendra Modi to address a public gathering in Azad Kashmir and allow Prime Minister Imran Khan in Srinagar to test the efficacy of his policies in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“It has been a year of your policy enforced (in IIOJK). If you are confident enough, as foreign minister of Pakistan, I invite you to come and address Kashmiris in Muzaffarabad and see what kind of reception you receive.
If you have courage and confidence, allow Prime Minister Imran to visit Srinagar and see how he is received there,” the foreign minister said while talking to media person after attending the main rally held on Kashmir Siege Day observed on first anniversary of Indian illegal actions of August 5, 2019.
He said this would prove to be a referendum by the people of Kashmir. “This is a challenge. Accept it if you have courage or review (your policy) if you don’t,” the foreign minister remarked.
He said the new political map of Pakistan represented the nation’s sentiments, which also manifested that Kashmir was a dispute awaiting resolution and India could not escape from the UN resolutions.
He said the imposition of curfew in IIOJK on the day had proved that the morale of the Kashmiri people was still high. If Indian actions on August 5, 2019 were in interest of Kashmir people, there must have been celebrations and festivities, instead of lockdown, he added.
He said the Modi regime’s fascist policies were even being condemned within India where people were calling for review as the current policies were creating estrangement from Kashmiris. =DNA
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Nation completely rejected August 5 measures of India on IIOJK: Qureshi
ISLAMABAD, AUG 05 (DNA) – Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mehmood Qureshi Wednesday said the nation had wholeheartedly and completely rejected India’s August 5 measure of revoking special status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Speaking in the Senate during the special session on Kashmir on the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal, he said India had lost the battle to win hearts and minds of Kashmiris and it caused damage of billions of rupees to the economy in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He appreciated the opposition parties for rising above partisan interests on the issue of Kashmir. He said the criticism of opposition was well received as it also wanted success of the Kashmir freedom movement.
The minister said missions of Pakistan abroad arranged about 200 activities including seminars and interactions with local and international media to highlight the Kashmir issue.
He said India made an ill advised move on August 5, 2019 by revoking the special status of Kashmir given through constitutional provisions.
He pointed out that the international media widely criticized the Indian decision to strip Kashmir of its special status. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan himself went to Muzaffarabad to give a strong message of support to Kashmiris. The leadership in Azad Kashmir also stood united on the Kashmir issue, he added.
The opposition in India criticized the Modi government for creating Hindu majoritarian rule in India, he noted. He said Indian Prime Minister was laying foundation of Ram Mandir after demolition of Ayodhya mosque in India and the ulema in Pakistan from all schools of thought should condemn this step of Modi.
Qureshi said the government’s approval of political map of Pakistan made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek were part of Pakistan.
He vociferously stated that Kashmir will become free one day and the military and civil leadership, people and Parliament of Pakistan will continue to extend all kind of moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris struggling for their inalienable right to self determination.
Leader of the House in Senate Shahzad Waseem in his speech highlighted different aspects of decades long freedom struggle of Kashmiris.
He said Kashmiris bravely stood up against India’s move to end special status of Kashmir and braved military siege and stopping of essential supplies of food and medicines to them in IIOJK.
He said the government and people of Pakistan by observing Youm-e-Istehsal sent a strong unified message that their support for Kashmiris was firm and resolute. =DNA
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Pakistan’s aggressive diplomacy exposed Indian brutality on Kashmiris
ISLAMABAD, AUG 05 (DNA) – After India’s illegal abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, Pakistan employed aggressive diplomacy to raise the issue of Kashmir on all international forums.
On August 5, 2019, India trampled on its own constitution and ended the special status of occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan raised its voice for the voiceless Kashmiris all over the world, including in the United Nations, the OIC and the World Economic Forum.
In protest, Pakistan deported the Indian High Commissioner, ended trade with India and barred its own High Commissioner from going to India. Prime Minister Imran Khan contacted the heads of every country, including China, Germany and the United States, informing them of India’s unconstitutional move.
At the direction of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi not only made telephone calls but also wrote letters to several leaders all across the globe. The President of the UN Security Council was also requested to review Indian actions in occupied Kashmir.
It was after decades that the Kashmir dispute became part of the Security Council’s agenda. Five months later, at the second meeting of the Security Council, the situation in Kashmir was again reviewed.
On September 27, 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan fought the case of Kashmiris with full force in the UN General Assembly. Due to Pakistan’s tireless efforts, US President Donald Trump made repeated offers to mediate on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and later in the World Economic Forum in January.
At the request of Pakistan, several OIC meetings were convened and the Kashmir issue was discussed. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) supported the internationally recognized status of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the resolutions of the Security Council.
Kashmir Day was celebrated every Friday by Pakistanis both nationally and internationally. A highway from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad was renamed from Kashmir Highway to “Srinagar Highway”. In the new political map, Pakistan declared Occupied Kashmir as a disputed territory while the UN Secretary General also passionately raised the issue of Kashmir during his visit to Pakistan. =DNA
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Iqra Aziz’s smile makes Yasir Hussain forget everything
Making the most of Eidul Azha in quarantine, celebrity power couple Yasir Hussain and Iqra Aziz shared adorable photos on social media.
Hussain turned to Instagram and shared a loved-up photo with Aziz and extended Eid greetings.
Without missing any chance to make his wife feel special, Hussain said Aziz’s smile makes him forget everything.
Through thick and thin, numerous controversies and bashing on social media platforms, the couple has always enjoyed every moment together.
Related: Iqra leaves an imprint on Yasir Hussain, quite literally
Earlier, the duo took to social media to share with their fans how they are spending their time in quarantine by taking care of each other.
In his free time, Hussain has been braiding his wife’s hair. He is quite good at it because he has had experience braiding his own hair.
The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on December 28, 2019. Their beautiful day-time wedding ceremony was attended by friends and family members.
The couple has been the talk of the town ever since Yasir’s public proposal to Iqra at the Lux Style Awards 2019.
COMSTECH 1st Expo of Artificial Intelligence concludes
ISLAMABAD, AUG 5 (DNA) – Closing ceremony of 1st COMSTECH showcasing of artificial intelligence and IoT products and services: AI and IoT for Pakistan held on Wednesday. The exhibition was inaugurated by the President of Pakistan Arif Alvi.
Twenty-six exhibitors from industry, academia, research centers and strategic organizations from all over Pakistan showcased their products and services in areas of Health, Internet of Things, Virtual Assistants & Chatbots, Big Data & Data Analytics, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation – 5G, Virtual Augmented Reality, Block Chain, and Business Intelligence. A large number of students and researchers visited two-days exhibition.
Addressing the closing ceremony Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary congratulated the partner organizations, including Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications of Pakistan and Center for Advanced Research in Engineering (CARE) for holding this event successfully. He assured that COMSTECH would continue to organize such events in future as well in the areas of advanced cutting-edge technologies throughout OIC member states.
He mentioned that main focus of COMSTECH programmes is to develop skills and capacity of youth of OIC region in modern technologies. He also mentioned that COMSTECH is projecting Pakistan’s image as scientifically leading country through inter- and intra-Islamic initiatives. DNA
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ICCI observes Youm-e-Istehsal to express solidarity with people IOJ&K
ISLAMABAD, AUG 5 (DNA) – The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry observed Youm-e-Istehsal to express solidarity with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K). For this purpose, a ceremony was held at ICCI.
At this occasion, a rally was taken out led by Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari to express solidarity with Kashmiri people that ended at Chamber House and participated in the ceremony.
Addressing the ceremony, Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) strongly condemned the India’s annexation of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) on Aug 5 last year by revoking the articles 370 and 35A of its constitution and termed it a totally illegal move to abolish the special status of Occupied Kashmir and rights and privileges of Kashmiri people.
Muhammad Ahmed Waheed said that the aggressive approach of current Indian leadership was the biggest stumbling block in achieving sustainable economic development in South Asia as the Indian move has put the peace and stability of the region at stake by depriving the people of IOJ&K of their right to self-determination.
He emphasized that the resolution of 73-year old Kashmir dispute in line with the UNSC resolutions was the key to bring economic progress and prosperity to this region.
He said that without resolving the burning issue of IOJ&K, South Asia would not be able to unlock its actual economic potential for improving and uplifting the living standard of its people. He appreciated the government move to unveil a new political map of Pakistan, which showed Occupied Kashmir as part of Pakistan and said that business community fully supported this initiative.
He also lauded the efforts of armed forces of Pakistan for defending the country and said that business community would always stand with them for the defence of our beloved country.
He said that being immediate neighbours, Pakistan and India could achieve tremendous economic dividends by promoting bilateral trade and joint ventures in many areas, however, to realize this goal, India must give the right of self-determination to the people of IOJ&K and let them decide their future through impartial plebiscite under the auspices of UNSC.
Speaking at the occasion, Zafar Bakhtawari, Convener, ICCI Kashmir Cause Sub-Committee said that after the annexation of IOJ&K, India has unleashed massive human rights abuses as Kashmiris have been under lockdown since the last one year.
He said that the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has already produced two reports pointing out serious human rights violations by India in IOJ&K and urged that international community should play its role for the right of self-determination of Kashmiri people.
He said that India had been in illegal occupation of IOJ&K since 1947 by continuously violating UNSC resolutions.
However, he said that despite brutal suppression of Kashmiris for over 73 years, India was unable to force them into submission, which showed that Kashmiris were determined to accept no solution except for their inalienable right to self-determination.
He said that the government, leadership, business community and the people of Pakistan were firmly committed to the fair and just solution of IOJ&K dispute in accordance with the relevant resolutions of UNSC and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Saif ur Rehman Vice President ICCI, Aslam Khokhar, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, Sardar Tahir, Ch. Nadeem ud Din, Ch. Masood, Khalid Chaudhry, Waqar Bakhtawari and others also spoke at the occasion and expressed full solidarity with Kashmiri people. They said that Kashmir was jugular vein of Pakistan and Pakistani nation would continue to support Kashmiri people till their freedom from Indian occupation.=DNA
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FPCCI asks not to impose 2% RD on Polyester Spun Yarn
DNA
KARACHI, AUG 5 – Businessmen Panel on Wednesday hailed the Federal Cabinet decision to approved a new political map of Pakistan, which was a giant step as it reflected desire of the whole nation as well as business community of the country.
Secretary General (Federal) of the BMP and FPCCI Former Chairman Standing Committee, Chaudhary Ahmad Jawad said the new map also shows Siachen as a part of Pakistan. “We are challenging their India illegal occupation and claiming our right to the area through the map.
He said the continuation of brutality and oppression by the Indian forces in the IIOJK and the overall peace and security situation in the region, a press release said.
He said all the Kashmiris had unanimously rejected the illegal and unilateral step of August 5 last year by the Indian government.
Similarly the incumbent government had effectively exposed the Hindutva policies of the extremist Indian government and the human rights violations at the global fora.
He said the real face of the Indian government had been fully exposed before the world.
Jawad has said the Indian government’s policy of hatred had threatened peace in the entire region. The Indian government wanted to change the demography of the IIOJK, which was even a blatant violation of the international laws but now their attempt seems to be in vain.
“The entire business community of Pakistan is also criticising the Indian government for usurping the rights of the minorities in India,” he added.
The SG BMP also said Kashmiris are writing the history of courage, bravery and determination with their continued grapple for freedom in the face of immense pain, disappointment and inaction. Pakistan would forcefully raise their voice globally until the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) got their right to self-determination.
He hailed government decision to rename the Kashmir Highway, which connected the Federal Capital with Kashmir and other provinces, after Srinagar. “We are looking at Srinagar. That is our destination,” he remarked.
New Delhi is providing a breeding ground for more freedom fighters who will take that right through force”. he added.
Jawad also exposed another Indian government attempt to isolate us in SAARC region through SAARC apex trade body. Now India started the lobbying with other member countries to dysfunctional the SAARC CCI in a real way because they don’t afford the presidency which relates to Pakistan for the period of two years.
