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Pakistan says renewed Kartarpur Corridor agreement with India to facilitate Sikh pilgrims

Pakistan says renewed Kartarpur Corridor agreement with India to facilitate Sikh pilgrims
Sikh pilgrims arrive to take part in a religious ritual on the occasion of the 481st death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, at the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur near the India-Pakistan border on September 22, 2020. (AFP/File)
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Updated 23 October 2024
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Pakistan says renewed Kartarpur Corridor agreement with India to facilitate Sikh pilgrims

Pakistan says renewed Kartarpur Corridor agreement with India to facilitate Sikh pilgrims
  • The corridor connects Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Sikhism’s founder, in Pakistan
  • The agreement, originally signed in Oct. 2019 for a period of five years, grants Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to one of their holiest sites
Updated 23 October 2024
KASHIF IMRAN
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has renewed its agreement with India for the Kartarpur Corridor that gives Indian Sikh pilgrims visa-free access to the final resting place of their religion’s founder, the Pakistani foreign office said on Tuesday.

The visa-free border crossing, from India to Kartarpur in the Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab, was inaugurated in November 2019 just ahead of the 550th birthday of Sikhism’s founder Baba Guru Nanak. 

The corridor connects the Sikh shrines of Dera Baba Nanak in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak, in Kartarpur and is seen as a rare example of cooperation and diplomacy between the two South Asian neighbors.

Originally signed on October 24, 2019 for a period of five years, the Kartarpur Corridor agreement between the nuclear-armed rivals was due to complete its term on Thursday.

“Its renewal underscores Pakistan’s enduring commitment to fostering interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence,” the Pakistan foreign office said in a statement.

“The agreement continues to offer visa-free access to pilgrims from India, enabling them to visit the sacred site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur where Baba Guru Nanak, the revered founder of Sikhism, spent his final days. Since its inception, the Corridor has facilitated the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers to this holy site.”

Much of the Sikh heritage is located in Pakistan. When Pakistan was carved out of India at the end of British rule in 1947, Kartarpur ended up on the Pakistani side of the border, while most of the region’s Sikhs remained on the other side.

For over seven decades, the Sikh community had lobbied for easier access to their holiest temple.

Pakistan’s initiative to open the corridor earned widespread appreciation from the international community, including the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres who described it as a “Corridor of Hope.”

“The Kartarpur Corridor fulfills the long-cherished aspirations of the Sikh community for an access to one of their most revered religious landmarks,” the Pakistani foreign office said.

“It reflects Pakistan’s recognition of the importance of safeguarding the rights of religious minorities.”

Topics: Kartarpur Corridor agreement Kartarpur corridor Pakistan India Ties Sikh pilgrims Arab News Pakistan

OIC secretary-general arrives in Pakistan to attend summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries

OIC secretary-general arrives in Pakistan to attend summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries
Updated 7 sec ago
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OIC secretary-general arrives in Pakistan to attend summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries

OIC secretary-general arrives in Pakistan to attend summit on girls’ education in Muslim countries
  • Pakistan’s education ministry will host the global conference in Islamabad on January 11 and 12
  • The conference’s aim is to stress Islam’s message that both men, women have right to education
Updated 7 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha has arrived in Pakistan to attend a global conference on girls’ education in Muslim countries, according to the Pakistani education ministry.
Pakistan’s education ministry will host the global conference titled, “Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities,” in Islamabad on Jan. 11-12.
Around 150 representatives from 47 countries, including education experts, religious scholars, diplomats, and politicians are expected to partake in the summit.
Pakistani Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui received the OIC secretary-general upon arrival in the South Asian country.
“Bringing together global leaders, educators, and changemakers to discuss innovative solutions and inspire progress for #GirlsEducation in Muslim communities,” the Pakistani education ministry said on Friday.
“This landmark event is a step toward creating opportunities, breaking barriers, and empowering future generations. Let’s ensure #EducationForAll and drive meaningful #GlobalConversations that transform lives!“
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the conference and deliver a keynote address at the opening session on Saturday. Pakistan’s foreign office said Sharif will reaffirm the nation’s commitment to promoting girls’ education and gender equality.
An “Islamabad Declaration” will be announced at the end of the conference on Sunday that would outline decisive steps to transform girls’ education in Islamic countries, according to Siddiqui.
On Thursday, Siddiqui said the primary aim of the conference is to stress the implementation of the Islamic message, which clearly states that both men and women have the right to education.
“By promoting girls’ education, we can build better homes, a better society and a stronger nation,” he said.
The Pakistani education minister hoped that Afghanistan would also join representatives from other Islamic countries and attend the conference in Islamabad.
“We have extended an invitation to Afghanistan to participate in this conference and hope that their delegation will attend as it is a very important neighboring country,” he told reporters at a media briefing in Islamabad.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, at least 1.4 million Afghan girls have been denied access to secondary education, according to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released in August last year.
Siddiqui said everyone respects tribal customs and cultures, but all such practices must align with Islamic values in Muslim countries, adding that nothing holds precedence over them.
“In Islam, there is no justification for restricting women’s education,” he added.

Topics: Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Pakistan OIC Ties girls education

PIA to resume European operations today with Paris flight after four-year suspension

PIA to resume European operations today with Paris flight after four-year suspension
Updated 31 min 47 sec ago
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PIA to resume European operations today with Paris flight after four-year suspension

PIA to resume European operations today with Paris flight after four-year suspension
  • PIA flights to Europe were suspended after an air crash in Karachi that killed 97 people in 2020
  • The resumption of flights to Europe will boost PIA’s revenue and improve privatization prospects
Updated 31 min 47 sec ago
NAIMAT KHAN

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to resume flights to Europe today, Friday, with the first flight scheduled to depart from Islamabad to Paris, the Pakistani national air carrier announced, following the removal of a four-year ban on its European operations.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended PIA’s authorization to operate in the EU in June 2020 over concerns about the ability of Pakistani authorities and its Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to ensure compliance with international aviation standards.
EASA and UK authorities suspended permission for PIA to operate in the region after Pakistan began investigating the validity of pilots’ licenses following a deadly plane crash that killed 97 people.
PIA said it was resuming two direct weekly flights to Paris and booking for the first two flights coming from and going to Paris had already been completed.
“The first flight will leave for Paris from Islamabad at 12:10pm today on January 10,” the airline said on Friday.
“PIA has also made special arrangements for in-flight entertainment through the Intranet Wireless Entertainment System.”
The suspension of European operations had exacerbated PIA’s financial woes, as the debt-ridden carrier struggled to recover from a tarnished reputation.
Last year, the government’s attempt to privatize the airline, part of a condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $7 billion loan, fell flat when it received only a single offer, well below its asking price.
The resumption of European flights is expected to boost PIA’s revenue stream and improve its appeal to potential investors, strengthening the government’s privatization efforts.

Topics: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Pakistan France Ties pilot license

UN watchdog says Australia violated rights of asylum seekers from Pakistan, other nations

UN watchdog says Australia violated rights of asylum seekers from Pakistan, other nations
Updated 10 January 2025
AFP
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UN watchdog says Australia violated rights of asylum seekers from Pakistan, other nations

UN watchdog says Australia violated rights of asylum seekers from Pakistan, other nations
  • Under a hard-line policy, Australia sent thousands of migrants attempting to reach the country by boat to ‘offshore processing’ centers
  • The first case examined by the panel involved 24 unaccompanied minors from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar
Updated 10 January 2025
AFP

GENEVA: Australia violated the rights of asylum seekers arbitrarily detained on the island of Nauru, a UN watchdog ruled Thursday, in a warning to other countries intent on outsourcing asylum processing.
The UN Human Rights Committee published decisions in two cases involving 25 refugees and asylum seekers who endured years of arbitrary detention in the island nation.
The panel of 18 independent experts found that in both cases Australia violated the rights of migrants, including minors who received insufficient water and health care.
“A state party cannot escape its human rights responsibility when outsourcing asylum processing to another state,” committee member Mahjoub El Haiba said in a statement.
The UN body called on Australia to provide adequate compensation to the migrants and to take steps to ensure similar violations do not recur.
The committee has no power to compel states to follow its rulings, but its decisions carry reputational weight.
Australia’s government said it was considering the committee’s views and would give a response “in due course.”
“It has been the Australian government’s consistent position that Australia does not exercise effective control over regional processing centers,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs.
“Transferees who are outside of Australia’s territory or its effective control do not engage Australia’s international obligations.”
Under a hard-line policy introduced in 2012, Australia sent thousands of migrants attempting to reach the country by boat to “offshore processing” centers.
They were held in two detention centers — one on Nauru and another, since shuttered, on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island.
The UN committee rejected Australia’s argument that rights abuses that occurred on Nauru did not fall within its jurisdiction.
It highlighted that Australia had arranged for the establishment of Nauru’s regional processing center and contributed to its operation and management.
El Haiba said Australia “had significant control and influence over the regional processing facility in Nauru.”
A number of European countries have been examining the possibility of similar arrangements to outsource their migration policies.
Thursday’s decisions “send a clear message to all states: Where there is power or effective control, there is responsibility,” El Haiba said.
“The outsourcing of operations does not absolve states of accountability. Offshore detention facilities are not human rights-free zones.”
The first case examined by the committee involved 24 unaccompanied minors from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
They were intercepted at sea by Australia and transferred in 2014 to Nauru’s overcrowded Regional Processing Center.
They were held there “with insufficient water supply and sanitation, high temperatures and humidity, as well as inadequate health care,” Thursday’s statement said.
“Almost all of these minors have suffered from deterioration of physical and mental well-being, including self-harm, depression, kidney problems, insomnia, headaches, memory problems and weight loss.”
Even though all but one of the minors were granted refugee status around September 2014, they remained detained in Nauru, the committee said.
It added that Australia had failed to justify why the minors could not have been transferred to centers on the mainland more suitable for vulnerable individuals.
The committee separately evaluated the case of an Iranian asylum seeker who arrived by boat on Christmas Island with several family members in August 2013 and was transferred seven months later to Nauru.
The woman was recognized as a refugee by Nauru authorities in 2017, but was not released.
In November 2018, she was transferred to Australia for medical reasons, but remained detained in various facilities there, the committee said.
It determined that Australia had failed to show that the woman’s prolonged and indefinite detention was justified.

12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses

12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses
Updated 10 January 2025
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12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses

12 miners left stranded in southwestern Pakistan as coal mine collapses
  • Coal mine in Balochistan’s Sanjdi area collapses due to methane explosion, says official 
  • Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions, poor safety standards
Updated 10 January 2025
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: Twelve miners were left stranded on Thursday after a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan caved in due to a gas explosion, an official confirmed, as rescue teams reached the spot to save their lives. 
The mine collapse took place in southwestern Balochistan province’s Sanjdi area, located around 40 kilometers from the provincial capital of Quetta. 
Abdul Ghani, chief mine inspector of the provincial mining department, said a private coal mine caved in because of a methane gas explosion that occurred around 6:00 p.m. on Thursday evening. 
“12 coal mine workers were stranded inside the mine,” Ghani told Arab News. 
He added that rescue teams from Sanjdi and Quetta had reached the site and were attempting to save the stranded miners. 
In response to a question, Ghani said he was not aware whether the miners were alive or dead as it was difficult to ascertain that since the mine had collapsed. 
Pakistan’s mines are known to have hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards, where deadly incidents are not uncommon.
Twelve miners were killed in a gas explosion at the same mine in June last year.

Topics: Coal miners

Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on

Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on
Updated 09 January 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  
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Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on

Pakistan reiterates support for peace and stability in Sudan as war rages on
  • Pakistan’s foreign minister discusses bilateral ties, civil war in Sudan with Sudanese counterpart
  • A 20-month civil war has killed over 24,000 in Sudan, driven more than 14 million from their homes
Updated 09 January 2025
Shahjahan Khurram  

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday reiterated Islamabad’s support for peace and stability in Sudan, reiterating the desire for his country to strengthen bilateral ties with the African country. 
Sudanese people have suffered due to a 20-month civil war between the army and a paramilitary group that has killed over 24,000 and driven over 14 million from their homes in the country, according to the UN. 
Dar received a telephone call from Dr. Ali Youssef Ahmed Al-Sharif, the foreign minister of Sudan, the foreign office said. The two discussed bilateral ties between Pakistan and Sudan, and the war in the African country. 
“DPM/FM reiterated Pakistan’s historic and fraternal ties with the people of Sudan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement. 
“Expressed desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. Reassured Pakistan’s support for peace and stability in Sudan.”
Due to the prolonged war in the African country, an estimated 3.2 million Sudanese have crossed into neighboring countries, including Chad, Egypt and South Sudan, to escape the horrors of the conflict, as per the UN.
Pakistan’s United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram this week raised alarm at the UN Security Council over the worsening food security situation in Sudan, urging both warring parties to agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. 
Akram called on the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and bridge the 36 percent funding gap for humanitarian appeals relating to Sudan.
“The international community must unite to support a common vision for return to peace and normalcy in Sudan,” he said. 
“Foreign interference in the internal conflict of Sudan must stop. The UNSC arms embargo on Sudan must be respected.”

Topics: Pakistan Sudan Ties Sudan war

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