Pakistan hopes to ‘deepen cooperation’ with Bangladesh under Nobel laureate Yunus 

Pakistan hopes to ‘deepen cooperation’ with Bangladesh under Nobel laureate Yunus 
Bangladesh’s figurehead President Mohammed Shahabuddin administers the oath of office to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, right, as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, in Dhaka on August 8, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 09 August 2024
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Pakistan hopes to ‘deepen cooperation’ with Bangladesh under Nobel laureate Yunus 

Pakistan hopes to ‘deepen cooperation’ with Bangladesh under Nobel laureate Yunus 
  • Yunus takes over caretaker government after weeks of violence forced PM Hasina to quit and flee to neighboring India
  • Bangladesh was born out of a war between India and Pakistan in 1971 in which nearly 3 million people were killed

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday congratulated Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus on taking charge of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, saying he hoped to work with the new leader to “deepen cooperation” between the two South Asian nations.
Yunus took the reins of government on Thursday after weeks of violence that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to quit and flee to neighboring India. 
Pakistan and Bangladesh share a complex history, having been a single country known as East and West Pakistan until Bangladesh was born in 1971 after a war of liberation backed by Pakistan’s arch-rival and neighbor India. Nearly three million people were killed in the conflict.
Ties reached a new low in 2016 when Bangladesh executed several leaders of its Jamaat-e-Islami party on charges of committing war crimes in 1971. Pakistan called the executions and trials “politically motivated,” arguing that the convicts were being punished for taking a pro-Pakistan stance during the war. 
“Heartiest felicitations to Professor Muhammad Yunus on his swearing-in as Chief Adviser of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Wishing him great success in guiding Bangladesh toward a harmonious and prosperous future,” Prime Minister Sharif said on X. 
“I look forward to working with him to deepen cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the days ahead.”

Known as the “banker to the poor,” Yunus is the pioneer of the global microcredit movement. The Grameen Bank he founded won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for helping lift millions from poverty by providing tiny loans to the rural poor who are too impoverished to gain attention from traditional banks.
As chief adviser of the caretaker government, he is, however, tasked with bringing stability back to the country which witnessed some of its worst violence in decades, and then hold fresh parliamentary elections.
“The brutal, autocratic regime is gone,” Yunus said in a televised address to the nation after taking charge on Thursday. “Tomorrow, with the rising sun, democracy, justice, human rights, and full freedom of fearless expression will be enjoyed by all, regardless of party affiliation. That is our goal.”
Hasina’s flight from the country after weeks of deadly protests triggered jubilation and violence as crowds stormed and ransacked her official residence. Over 300 people were killed in clashes from July up until Hasina’s ouster. She had ruled for 20 of the last 30 years after winning a fourth term in January.
With inputs from Reuters

 


Police, health officials removed after Pakistan polio vaccinator says she was raped on duty

Police, health officials removed after Pakistan polio vaccinator says she was raped on duty
Updated 17 September 2024
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Police, health officials removed after Pakistan polio vaccinator says she was raped on duty

Police, health officials removed after Pakistan polio vaccinator says she was raped on duty
  • Incident occurred in Allah Baksh Jakhrani village of Jacobabad, with vaccinator telling a court she was raped while on duty
  • Deputy Commissioner, Senior Superintendent of Police, District Health Officer in Jacobabad removed from positions

KARACHI: The government of the southern Sindh province said on Tuesday it had removed senior police and health officials in response to accusations of rape by a polio vaccinator in the Jacobabad district.

The incident occurred in the Allah Baksh Jakhrani village of Jacobabad, with the polio vaccinator testifying before a local court last week that she was raped while on duty.

“The Sindh Government has taken strict action following the reported negligence in the security and arrangements for polio workers in Jacobabad,” the government said in a statement.

“As a result, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jacobabad, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jacobabad, and the District Health Officer (DHO) Jacobabad have been removed from their positions.”

On Monday, Provincial Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho took notice of the alleged rape and instructed police to provide her round-the-clock security.

“Our female polio workers are the backbone of the polio program and protecting them has always been the utmost priority of the program,” Dr. Pechuho said. “I am taking every necessary action to ensure that she gets the justice she deserves.”

On Sept. 9, Pakistan launched a week-long, nationwide polio vaccine campaign as the disease has spread this year beyond its traditional hot spots to areas once largely untouched by the virus.

Last week, health officials reported the first polio case in the capital, Islamabad, in 16 years. Since January, Pakistan has reported 17 new cases of polio.

One of only two countries in the world where the virus remains endemic, Pakistan recorded no new infections for a little over a year starting in 2021, the longest virus-free stretch the country had ever experienced.

Anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan are regularly marred by violence as militants target vaccination teams and police assigned to protect them, claiming that the campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. 


Pakistani PM says consultations to continue with all political parties on controversial constitutional amendments

Pakistani PM says consultations to continue with all political parties on controversial constitutional amendments
Updated 17 September 2024
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Pakistani PM says consultations to continue with all political parties on controversial constitutional amendments

Pakistani PM says consultations to continue with all political parties on controversial constitutional amendments
  • Government on Monday postponed tabling amendments on superior judges’ tenure, process of chief justice’s appointment
  • Opposition parties, prominent jurists have rejected the proposals, saying they would abolish the trichotomy of power in country

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday consultations would continue with all political parties on a controversial constitutional amendment package after his coalition government postponed tabling the legislation amid outcry from opposition parties and the Pakistani legal fraternity.

The proposed amendments, an official copy of which has not been released by the government but partially leaked to the press, aim to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of Supreme Court judges and modify the process for the appointment of the chief justice of Pakistan, among other changes to the constitution.

Opposition parties, lawyers, former judges and independent experts have widely said the amendments are aimed at increasing the government’s power in making key judicial appointments and will change the separation of powers in the South Asian nation of 240 million.

On Monday, the coalition government admitted it could not secure the required 224 votes, a two-thirds majority, needed to pass the amendments.

“Ongoing consultations with all political parties regarding the constitutional amendment will continue,” Radio Pakistan quoted Sharif as saying after he met a delegation from coalition partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party, which called on him in Islamabad under the leadership of Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

“During the meeting, it was agreed that Bhutto Zardari and other senior party leadership will play their due role in this consultation process. It was further agreed to engage political parties and hold consultation with them to reach any conclusion in the days to come.”

Sharif said amending the constitution and passing legislation were within the purview of parliament, which had been entrusted to do so by the 240 million people of Pakistan.

“He said the purpose of the proposed constitutional amendment is to ensure speedy and effective delivery of justice to the masses,” Radio Pakistan concluded. 

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party of jailed former premier Imran Khan has said the amendments are meant above all to grant an extension to incumbent Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely believed to be aligned with the ruling coalition led by Sharif and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI. PTI founder Khan has threatened nationwide protests against the reforms. The government denies the amendments are “individual-specific.”

Speaking in the National Assembly on Monday, Law Minister Tarar said the draft of amendments had not yet been presented before the cabinet as required under the constitution, and asked opposition parties to give “positive recommendations” instead of undue criticism.

“A special parliamentary committee has been made, which included members of all political parties, so all are invited to bring suggestions in this regard to the committee,” Tarar said.

Prominent lawyers, including Abid Zuberi, Shafqat Mehmood Chauhan, Shahab Sarki, Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan and Munir Kakar, on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the proposed amendments.

“Through the instant petition the petitioners seek to challenge the vires of the proposed constitutional package,” they stated in the petition. 

“The proposed bill puts forth proposed amendments to the constitution that would transfer the vested powers of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the high courts of Pakistan as granted by the constitution to the executive and entirely annihilate the principles of independence of judiciary and suppression of power.”

Munir A Malik, a former attorney general of Pakistan who was a key leader of the 2007 street movement to restore the Supreme Court chief justice removed by then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, said the proposed amendments would abolish the trichotomy of power — executive, legislature and judiciary — under the constitution.

“We will have a judiciary subservient to the executive and this is a frontal assault on the judicial system and the independence of the judiciary,” he told Arab News. 

“I think every lawyer who believes in the rule of law will stand up against any such step which undermines the independence of the judiciary.”


Lost for seven years, Pakistani artist spots missing painting in hit TV show

Lost for seven years, Pakistani artist spots missing painting in hit TV show
Updated 17 September 2024
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Lost for seven years, Pakistani artist spots missing painting in hit TV show

Lost for seven years, Pakistani artist spots missing painting in hit TV show
  • Safdar Ali Soomro last week discovered his missing painting while watching ARY production “Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum” 
  • Soomro had submitted two paintings to Frere Hall for display in 2017 but was later informed they had gone missing 

KARACHI: A Pakistani artist who has discovered his long-lost painting featured in a popular television drama said this week he hoped to reclaim the artwork after authorities launched an investigation into the matter.

Artist Safdar Ali Soomro, from district Ghotki in the southern Sindh province, told Arab News he had submitted two paintings to the Frere Hall gallery in 2017 for display. The paintings were part of his final year thesis in art and design at Sindh University. However, he was later informed that both paintings had gone missing along with those by other artists.

In a dramatic turn of events, seven years later, Soomro was last week watching the popular TV soap “Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum,” an ARY Television production starring Fahad Mustafa and Hania Aamir, when he spotted one of his missing paintings in the background. Soomro took to Facebook and wrote a post saying his lost painting had appeared in episode 17 of the drama at the 22:30 mark.

“I was happy but hurt at the same time,” Soomro told Arab News. “It was clear that Frere Hall had committed a fraud.”

“After seeing my painting, I immediately called Frare Hall, but they didn’t pick my phone.”

The picture shared by Safdar Ali Soomro on September 16, 2024, shows artist Safdar Ali Soomro posing with his paintings, which he says went missing after he submitted his work for display to the Frere Hall gallery in Karachi, Pakistan in 2017. (Safdar Ali Soomro)

Frere Hall management could not be reached for comment, but the drama’s producer Badar Mehmood said the production team had rented the space shown in the soap and was not allowed to place or remove anything there. 

“The management of the space can better explain from where the painting came,” Mehmood told Arab News, saying the show’s production team had nothing to do with the stolen painting.

On Monday, Provincial Culture and Tourism Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah formed a two-member committee to investigate the matter, giving it seven days to submit a report and recommend actions.

 “If any negligence or lapse is found, action will be taken,” spokesperson culture department Shabbir Ali Babar said, quoting the minister. “Young artists are our assets, we will not tolerate injustice.”

Soomro said he hoped the investigation would bear results.

“It would have been a pleasant surprise to see my painting in a drama, but when I saw it, it reminded me of the fraud that was committed,” Soomro said. “Finding it is like recovering a lost child.”


Pakistan urges upgrading bilateral mechanisms for economic, defense cooperation with US

Pakistan urges upgrading bilateral mechanisms for economic, defense cooperation with US
Updated 17 September 2024
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Pakistan urges upgrading bilateral mechanisms for economic, defense cooperation with US

Pakistan urges upgrading bilateral mechanisms for economic, defense cooperation with US
  • Delegation-level talks held between Pakistan and the United States in Islamabad
  • Trade, energy, security, health, climate change and counter-terrorism discussed

ISLAMABAD: Acting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, held delegation-level talks with Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, with Islamabad urging the upgradation of bilateral mechanisms for economic and defense cooperation.

Ties between Islamabad and Washington, once close allies, have just started to warm after some years of frosty relations, mostly due to concerns about Pakistan’s alleged support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this support. 

Relations strained further under the government of former prime minister Imran Khan, who ruled from 2018-22 and antagonized Washington throughout his tenure, welcoming the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and later accusing Washington of being behind attempts to oust him. Washington has dismissed the accusations. 

The government of PM Shehbaz Sharif who took over after Khan and is now in its second term has tried to mend ties but analysts widely believe the United States will not seek a significant broadening of ties with Islamabad in the near future but remain mostly focused on security cooperation, especially on counterterrorism and Afghanistan.

“The two sides held wide ranging discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including progress on the existing dialogue mechanisms on trade, energy, security, health, climate change and counter-terrorism,” the foreign office said in a statement after Baloch’s meeting with Bass.

“The Foreign Secretary noted the importance attached by Pakistan to its relations with the United States. She underlined the need to upgrade the bilateral mechanisms, especially in the economic and defense fields, and working toward building a broad based and meaningful bilateral relationship.”

The statement said Bass thanked Baloch for the opportunity to “engage substantively on issues of mutual interest.”

“He said the US desires to partner with Pakistan in its efforts to strengthen and stabilize the economy,” the foreign office said. “He expressed appreciation for the resilience shown by Pakistan in the face of recent challenges like floods and terrorist attacks.”


Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official

Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official
Updated 17 September 2024
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Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official

Pakistani pleads not guilty in alleged Iran plot to kill US official
  • Asif Merchant is accused of assassination plot in retaliation for killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleiman
  • Soleimani, the head of Iran’s foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020

New York: A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to plotting to assassinate a US official in retaliation for the American military killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, allegedly sought to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or a government official in the United States, the Justice Department and prosecutors said in a statement.
A court document showed that Merchant pleaded not guilty to all counts, with a next hearing scheduled for November 6, 2024.
Soleimani, the head of Iran’s foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his killing.
“As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland said previously.
The intended victim was not identified but Garland has previously said no evidence has emerged to link Merchant with the July 13 assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the Pakistani national had “close ties to Iran” and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook.”
Another FBI official said the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were in fact undercover FBI agents.
“After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill a politician or government official,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
“That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source.”
Merchant was arrested on July 12 as he planned to leave the country.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in August it had “not received any report on this from the American government.”
“But it is clear that this method is contrary to the Iranian government’s policy of pursuing Soleimani’s killer,” the mission said in a statement carried by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.