Journalism leaders, including from Pakistan, express support for media covering Israel-Hamas war

Journalism leaders, including from Pakistan, express support for media covering Israel-Hamas war
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A photograph taken on January 30, 2024 in east London shows a graffiti made by street artist Ed Hicks, also known as @ed_hicks, depicting Palestinian citizen journalist, Plestia Alaqad, as part of a project launched by the art platform Creative Debuts called "Heroes of Palestine". (AFP/File)
Journalism leaders, including from Pakistan, express support for media covering Israel-Hamas war
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Jodie Ginsberg, President of CPJ Awards, speaks onstage at the 2022 CPJ International Press Freedom Awards at Glasshouses on November 17, 2022 in New York City. (AFP/File)
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Updated 01 March 2024
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Journalism leaders, including from Pakistan, express support for media covering Israel-Hamas war

Journalism leaders, including from Pakistan, express support for media covering Israel-Hamas war
  • At least 89 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, the vast majority of them Palestinians
  • Committee to Protect Journalists says important to show journalism community stands in solidarity with Palestinian colleagues

NEW YORK: Three dozen leaders at news organizations around the world have signed a letter expressing solidarity with journalists in Gaza, calling for their safety and freedom to report in the war zone.

The letter, released Thursday, was spearheaded by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which said at least 89 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, the vast majority of them Palestinians.

Leaders at The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, New Yorker, CNN, NBC News and ABC News have signed on. International signatories include the BBC, Der Spiegel in Germany, Agence France-Presse, Daily Maverick in South Africa, Nawaiwaqt Group in Pakistan and The Asahi Shimbun in Japan.

More organizations are welcome to participate, said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“We felt that it was important that we show that the international journalism community stands in solidarity with our Palestinian colleagues,” Ginsberg said.

The letter says that journalists are civilians and that Israeli authorities must protect them as noncombatants in accordance with international law. Anyone violating this should be held accountable, it said.

“Attacks on journalists are also attacks on truth,” the letter said. “We commit to championing the safety of journalists in Gaza, which is fundamental for the protection of press freedom everywhere.”

Israel is only mentioned once in the letter. While CPJ has advocated for more access for journalists in Gaza, the letter steered clear of that subject because it was important to focus on solidarity, Ginsberg said.

She would not comment on whether any news organization contacted chose not to participate.


One cop killed, another injured in attack on polio team in northwestern Pakistan

One cop killed, another injured in attack on polio team in northwestern Pakistan
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One cop killed, another injured in attack on polio team in northwestern Pakistan

One cop killed, another injured in attack on polio team in northwestern Pakistan
  • Armed men open fire on polio vaccination team in northwestern Orakzai Agency, says Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police
  • Attack takes place day after Pakistan launched nationwide campaign to vaccinate over 45 million children against polio

PESHAWAR: One cop was killed while another was injured in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday as unidentified armed men opened fire on a polio vaccination team, police said, a day after Islamabad launched a nationwide campaign to inoculate over 45 million children against the disease. 

The incident took place in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Orakzai Agency’s Dabori area, police said in a statement, adding that armed men opened fire on a polio vaccination team that was on an inoculation drive in the area. 

“One police personnel was martyred while another was injured due to the firing,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police said in a message to media. “A heavy contingent of police and Frontier Corps personnel have arrived in the area.”

Police said a search operation is underway to locate the gunmen who had attacked the polio vaccination team. 

The incident takes place a day after Pakistan launched a week-long polio vaccination campaign after an alarming surge in cases this year. Pakistan this year reported 41 polio cases compared to only six last year. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. 

Religiously motivated militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, have frequently launched attacks on polio vaccination teams in Pakistan. These groups accuse polio vaccination teams of using inoculation campaigns to sterilize Pakistani children based on a Western conspiracy. 

The masses’ doubts regarding polio campaigns were exacerbated in 2011 when the US Central Intelligence Agency set up a fake vaccination program to gather intelligence on former Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

In September, two people were killed when gunmen attacked a polio vaccination team in northwestern Bajaur tribal district. One of those handing out doses was killed while a policeman exporting him was also gunned down. 


Pakistan president seeks Russia’s support for BRICS membership 

Pakistan president seeks Russia’s support for BRICS membership 
Updated 29 October 2024
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Pakistan president seeks Russia’s support for BRICS membership 

Pakistan president seeks Russia’s support for BRICS membership 
  • Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari meets Russian Speaker Valentina Matvienko and her delegation in Islamabad 
  • Pakistan applied in 2023 to join BRICS, an informal group comprising Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has sought Russia’s support to join the inter-governmental BRICS organization, state-run media reported on Monday, saying that Islamabad’s inclusion would help enhance its role in regional and global cooperation. 

In 2006, Brazil, Russia, India and China created the “BRIC” group before South Africa joined the alliance in 2010, making it BRICS. The bloc was founded as an informal club to provide a platform for its members to challenge a world order dominated by the United States and its Western allies.

Countries like Pakistan who want to join BRICS see it as an alternative to global bodies viewed as dominated by the traditional Western powers and hope membership will unlock benefits including development finance, and increased trade and investment. Pakistan had last year applied to become a member of BRICS. 

Zardari met Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko and members of the visiting delegation from Moscow in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Monday. Matvienko arrived in Pakistan on a three-day visit earlier this week to strengthen parliamentary ties between the two states. 

“He (Zardari) also sought Russia’s support for Pakistan’s bid to become a member of BRICS which would greatly help Pakistan to enhance its role in regional and global cooperation through the alliance,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.

“Pakistan and Russia reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen bilateral ties in the areas of trade, commerce, investment, agriculture and energy for the mutual benefit of the two countries.”

During a visit to Pakistan in September, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk had said Moscow would support Pakistan’s bid to join BRICS.

Zardari said Pakistan’s and Russia’s relationship was marked by mutual respect and a commitment to expand bilateral cooperation, emphasizing strengthening cultural links through people-to-people contacts and scholarship programs.

He noted that Pakistan and Russia had a lot of potential to increase economic cooperation, urging the Russian delegation to invest in the South Asian country. 

“Both sides underscored the importance of diversifying trade and economic cooperation, besides enhancing regional connectivity and commercial relations through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the North-South Transport Corridor,” the state broadcaster added.

“The president expressed gratitude to Russia for its support of Pakistan’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.”

Matvienko said Russia prioritized its relationship with Pakistan, expressing confidence in enhancing bilateral cooperation through her visit, APP said. 

“She hoped that the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Parliaments of the two countries would further deepen bilateral relations,” the state-run media reported. 

Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have warmed up to each other in recent years through regular business and trade interactions. Islamabad’s ties with Russia also significantly improved in 2023 after Pakistan started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discount rate. 

The South Asian country hopes it can use its strategic geographical location to improve trade and cooperation with Russia and other states as it fights to ward off a prolonged economic crisis.

Earlier this month, President Zardari met Russian counterpart Putin on the sidelines of an international forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where they pledged to further strengthen bilateral ties.


Pakistan’s Punjab issues smog alert for Lahore citizens amid soaring pollution

Pakistan’s Punjab issues smog alert for Lahore citizens amid soaring pollution
Updated 29 October 2024
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Pakistan’s Punjab issues smog alert for Lahore citizens amid soaring pollution

Pakistan’s Punjab issues smog alert for Lahore citizens amid soaring pollution
  • Lahore topped global pollution charts on Monday with an unprecedented air quality index of 707
  • Punjab says Lahore smog being exacerbated with winds bringing pollution from Delhi, Amritsar and Chandigarh

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Punjab province has issued an emergency alert for citizens in the eastern city of Lahore due to rising levels of smog, calling on people to implement safety measures as the soaring pollution threatens people’s health, state-run media reported on Tuesday. 

Smog is particularly bad in winter due to low-grade fuel from factories and vehicles in the megacity of 14 million. During the winter season, denser cold air traps emissions at ground level while seasonal crop burn-off by farmers on Lahore’s outskirts is also a major contributing factor to the prevailing smog.

Lahore grabbed headlines on Monday after it topped global pollution charts with its air quality index (AQI) hitting an unprecedented 707 around 10 am local time (0500 GMT), with the Switzerland-based air quality watchdog IQAir categorizing the air quality as “hazardous.”

“Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has issued an emergency alert for citizens in Lahore due to the rising levels of smog and appealed for implementation of safety measures,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

Aurangzeb advised citizens to wear masks while going outdoors, urging children, elderly citizens and individuals with heart and respiratory conditions to avoid going outdoors.

“She said that the smog in Lahore is being exacerbated by strong winds bringing pollution from Indian cities such as Delhi, Amritsar, and Chandigarh,” the state broadcaster said. 
The Punjab minister warned that stern action will be taken against people found burning crop residues while smoke-emitting vehicles will be impounded. She urged citizens to report violations by calling on 1373 number or through the ‘Green App.’
The provincial government this week altered timings for all public and private schools due to the smog condition in Punjab. The Punjab Environmental Protection Authority stated in a notification that from Oct. 28 to Jan. 31, schools in the province will begin at 8:45 am while morning assemblies will be held indoors to reduce students’ exposure to hazardous air. 


Pakistan court to hear acquittal plea today in graft case against Imran Khan 

Pakistan court to hear acquittal plea today in graft case against Imran Khan 
Updated 29 October 2024
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Pakistan court to hear acquittal plea today in graft case against Imran Khan 

Pakistan court to hear acquittal plea today in graft case against Imran Khan 
  • Khan is accused of illegally retaining expensive jewelry set from a state repository
  • His wife was released in the same case last week after Pakistani court granted her bail 

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear former prime minister Imran Khan’s acquittal plea today, Tuesday, in a case involving allegations of illegally retaining gifts from the state repository, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said days after his wife was released on bail in the same case. 
Khan was convicted in four cases after being arrested in August last year, with two of the verdicts suspended since then while he was acquitted in the remaining two. However, Pakistan’s accountability watchdog earlier this year filed what has come to be popularly called the new Toshakhana reference involving a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022. The couple is accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository. 
Both Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who were in Rawalpindi’s central prison till last week, have denied any wrongdoing in the case. In a huge relief for the embattled prime minister, Bibi was released on bail by the IHC last week while he continues to remain in prison. 
“Petition for acquittal filed by the former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Toshakhana case, scheduled for hearing tomorrow [Tuesday] at IHC,” the PTI said in a statement shared with the media on Monday. “The party has instructed all parliamentarians, lawyers to show up for the hearing.”
Khan has not physically appeared in court since August last year, with all hearings being held in the high-security Rawalpindi prison due to security concerns.
The PTI founder’s legal team has struggled to secure his release, arguing that all charges against him are fabricated to keep him out of politics.
Khan’s convictions had already ruled the cricketer-turned-politician out of the Feb. 8 general election as convicted felons cannot run for public office under Pakistani law. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics.
Khan, who was ousted from office after a parliamentary vote in April 2022, has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, which is thought to be aligned with the government. 
He has accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government of colluding with the military and the country’s election authority to keep him and the PTI away from power. All three vehemently deny his allegations. 


Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend Future Investment Initiative conference

Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend Future Investment Initiative conference
Updated 4 min 39 sec ago
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Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend Future Investment Initiative conference

Pakistan PM leaves for Saudi Arabia to attend Future Investment Initiative conference
  • FII conference to focus on global investments aimed at addressing issues such as AI, robotics, education and energy 
  • Shehbaz Sharif expected to hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, key Saudi officials during two-day trip 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday left for a two-day visit to the Kingdom where he will attend the eighth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party said. 

The FII conference started in 2017 as an annual event bringing people together to invest in the most promising solutions worldwide. It serves as an important platform for countries to showcase their economic strength, draw foreign investments, and engage in dialogue to shape a sustainable future. 

The eighth edition of the conference will be held from Oct. 29-31 under the theme: ‘Infinite Horizons: Investing Today, Shaping Tomorrow,’ and is expected to feature discussions on how investment can serve as a catalyst for a prosperous and sustainable future. 

“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif departs for his two-day official visit of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to represent Pakistan in Future Investment Initiative,” the PML-N wrote on Instagram. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by PML(N) (@pmlnawazofficial)

The foreign office said in an earlier statement that Sharif will hold bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials of the Kingdom during his visit. 

“The two sides will discuss economic and strategic partnership between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and explore bilateral cooperation in the economic, energy, and defense domains,” the statement said. 

It added that Sharif is also expected to engage with participating leaders and entrepreneurs at the FII conference. 

In April this year, Sharif met the Saudi crown prince on the sidelines of a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh. The two figures had discussed bilateral ties and regional issues, including Israel’s war on Gaza, according to Sharif’s office.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian country.

Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also been closely working to increase bilateral trade and investment deals, and the Kingdom this year reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion.

Islamabad has sought to bolster its trade and investment ties with regional countries, including those in the Middle East, to escape a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has depleted its foreign exchange reserves over the past couple of years and pushed inflation to double-digit figures.