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Pakistan president signs madrasa registration bill into law after months of delay

Pakistan president signs madrasa registration bill into law after months of delay
This file photograph, taken and released by Pakistan’s Press Information Department on July 23, 2024, shows Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari signing a bill at the President House in Islamabad. (PID/File)
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Updated 38 sec ago
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Pakistan president signs madrasa registration bill into law after months of delay

Pakistan president signs madrasa registration bill into law after months of delay
  • The development comes two days Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved tweaks to the Societies Registration Act, 1860
  • Every seminary existing before commencement of new law will be required to get itself registered in 6 months it says
Updated 38 sec ago
KASHIF IMRAN
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday signed into law a bill relating to the registration of madrasas (religious seminaries) in the country, following months of delay despite its passage from parliament.
The Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed by both houses of Pakistan parliament in October this year, but it was caught in limbo after President Zardari cautioned parliamentarians to consider international obligations before altering existing procedures to register religious seminaries.
The main sticking point was that the new bill amended the existing procedure for registering madrasas with the education ministry and says the institutions should be affiliated with the industries ministry instead.
“The Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 is assented to, as advised by the prime minister,” read a notification signed by President Zardari.
Although the notification was dated Dec. 27, but it was issued to media on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Every religious seminary existing before the commencement of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, if not already registered, shall get itself registered under the Act within six months from the commencement of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, according to the new law.
A seminary established after the promulgation of the new law will get itself registered under the Act within one year of its establishment.
The passage of the bill was widely reported to have been one of the conditions on which the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) religious party supported the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and helped it secure two-third majority required in parliament to pass the 26th Constitutional Amendment in October.
The JUI religious party, which rigorously campaigned for the bill in recent months, welcomed Sunday’s development and said it would continue to play its role in “protecting religious seminaries.”
“Religious schools are the fortress of Islam and the guardians of Pakistan’s ideological geography,” it said in a statement.
“Unity of [religious] scholars is important for the protection of religious institutions.”

Topics: Asif Zardari madrasa registration bill

Pakistan province says warring tribes in violence-hit Kurram district have reached consensus

Pakistan province says warring tribes in violence-hit Kurram district have reached consensus
Updated 29 December 2024
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Pakistan province says warring tribes in violence-hit Kurram district have reached consensus

Pakistan province says warring tribes in violence-hit Kurram district have reached consensus
  • Rival factions in Kurram district expected to formally sign agreement on Tuesday, says KP official
  • At least 136 have been killed in sectarian and tribal clashes in Kurram district since November
Updated 29 December 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: The warring tribes in violence-hit northwestern Kurram district have reached a consensus on all contentious points but a formal agreement between them will be signed in the next two days, an official of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province confirmed on Sunday. 

Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in KP, has long been a hotspot for tribal and sectarian violence, with authorities struggling to maintain control.

The area’s situation has necessitated travel in convoys escorted by security personnel, yet it failed to prevent an attack on Nov. 21, when gunmen ambushed a convoy, killing 52 people. The attack sparked further violence and road closures, restricting access to medicine, food and fuel in the region as casualties surged to 136.

A grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders formed by the provincial government, has been attempting to mediate between the rival Sunni and Shia factions this month as protests in Parachinar, the main city in Kurram, have also spread to the southern port city of Karachi. 

“Efforts to settle the century-old Kurram dispute are going ahead as members of the jirga have reached a consensus,” Muhammad Ali Saif, the KP government’s spokesperson, said in a statement.

“The Ahle Sunnat side has requested a two-day break to hold their internal discussions,” he said, adding that the jirga will reconvene on Tuesday. 

Saif said both warring factions were showing progress in heading toward lasting peace and reaching a settlement to their dispute. 

Last week, Saif said authorities had decided to dismantle private bunkers, observation posts used in the fighting by both sides, and given a deadline of Feb. 1 for tribesmen in Kurram to hand over heavy weapons. 

Local tribesmen have so far reportedly refused to surrender their weapons, citing concerns about their safety.

Munir Bangash, a Sunni tribal elder and a member of the jirga, confirmed to Arab News that his faction had sought two days to hold consultations before signing the agreement. 

“There are no hurdles left in signing the peace agreement but we sought to days’ time to consult all and sundry of our tribe,” Bangash said. “I’m sure there is no hurdle. Everything will be okay after two days.”

Professor Jamil Kazmi, a member of the jirga representing the Shia faction, however, did not seem optimistic about the jirga brokering a permanent solution to the Kurram dispute. 

He said certain elements had their “personal vested interests,” without elaborating what those interests were or identifying those elements. 

“Yes, an agreement has been reached which will be signed by both parties but I fear the issue can’t be settled on a permanent basis because some elements always sabotage peace efforts,” Kazmi told Arab News. 

While the talks continue, the KP government has launched a helicopter service to evacuate people and transport aid and medicines to Kurran as a major highway connecting the district’s main city of Parachinar to the provincial capital of Peshawar has been blocked since last month, triggering a humanitarian crisis with reports of starvation, lack of medicine and oxygen shortages.

In a meeting on Monday, the KP cabinet decided to establish a special police force to secure the Peshawar-Parachinar road, for which 399 people would be recruited.

Shia Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of the country. Militant groups like the Pakistani Taliban and Daesh have previously targeted the minority group in the district.

Topics: kurram district sectarian clashes jirga

Pakistan ‘deeply saddened’ as South Korea plane crash casualties surge to 120

Pakistan ‘deeply saddened’ as South Korea plane crash casualties surge to 120
Updated 29 December 2024
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Pakistan ‘deeply saddened’ as South Korea plane crash casualties surge to 120

Pakistan ‘deeply saddened’ as South Korea plane crash casualties surge to 120
  • Jeju Air flight, carrying 175 passengers from Bangkok, crashed after landing at Muan International Airport on Sunday morning
  • Investigators looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible reasons for plane crash, says Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun
Updated 29 December 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed condolences for the loss of lives after at least 120 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed upon landing in South Korea. 

The incident took place on Sunday morning as the Jeju Air flight, carrying 175 passengers and six crew from Thailand’s capital Bangkok, caught fire after skidding off a runway and crashing at the Muan International Airport. 

South Korea’s National Fire Agency said 120 people have been killed in the plane crash while two people have been rescued, both of them being crew members.

“Deeply saddened to learn about the tragic plane crash at Muan International Airport in Korea resulting in the loss of so many lives,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.

“In this hour of grief, our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and with the people and the Government of Republic of Korea,” he added. 

Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun told reporters that the fire was extinguished at 1:00 p.m. local time.

“Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of (the plane) looks almost impossible to recognize,” he said.

Authorities have switched from rescue to recovery operations and because of the force of the impact, are searching nearby areas for bodies possibly thrown from the plane, Lee added.

The two crew were being treated at hospitals with medium to severe injuries, said the head of the local public health center.

Investigators are looking into bird strikes and weather conditions as possible factors, Lee said. Yonhap cited airport authorities as saying a bird strike may have caused the landing gear to malfunction.

With inputs from Reuters

Topics: south korea plan crash Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit Kurram district enter third day in Karachi

Sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit Kurram district enter third day in Karachi
Updated 29 December 2024
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Sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit Kurram district enter third day in Karachi

Sit-in protests in solidarity with violence-hit Kurram district enter third day in Karachi
  • Demonstrators call protests in Karachi vital to draw attention to ‘overlooked’ crisis in Kurram
  • Traffic police urges citizens to avoid traveling unnecessarily in protest areas, exercise patience
Updated 29 December 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Sit-in protests at various locations across Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi continued for a third consecutive day today, Sunday, with demonstrators showing solidarity with the people in Kurram district, where violence and a lack of medical access have claimed over 130 lives in recent weeks.
Kurram, a northwestern district of around 600,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has long been a hotspot for tribal and sectarian violence, with authorities struggling to maintain control.
The area’s situation has necessitated travel in convoys escorted by security personnel, yet it failed to prevent an attack on Nov. 21, when gunmen ambushed a convoy, killing 52 people. The attack sparked further violence and road closures, restricting access to medicine, food and fuel in the region.
A grand jirga, or council of political and tribal elders, has attempted to mediate between rival factions, as protests in Parachinar, the main city in Kurram, spread to Karachi on Friday where demonstrators held sit-in protests at 10 different locations in the city. 
“Protest demonstrations due to the Parachinar incident in Karachi city are ongoing,” Karachi Traffic Police said in an advisory, urging citizens to avoid traveling unnecessarily in certain locations across the metropolis. 
The protests have been called by the Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), a Shia organization, with demonstrators blocking main thoroughfares, including Shahrah-e-Faisal, which connects the airport to the city’s Red Zone, home to sensitive government installations, and major hotels. 
Another area that has been choked is Numaish, a vital junction linking the city’s central district to its commercial hubs.
“Passengers are requested to exercise patience and refrain from going to locations where the demonstrations are taking place,” the traffic police said. 
MWM’s Karachi spokesperson, Syed Ahmad Naqvi, told Arab News on Saturday that the protests would continue as long as the Parachinar protests persist. 
“Large-scale protests in Karachi highlight the situation in Kurram, where many precious lives have been lost in recent weeks but have received no attention,” he said.
Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab criticized demonstrators for disrupting daily life in the city. 
“If the aim of a protest is to inconvenience people, disrupt a city’s system, prevent ambulances and fire brigades from operating, or hinder police and administrative vehicles, then I believe this is inappropriate,” Wahab told Arab News on Saturday.

Topics: parachinar kurram district karachi protest

ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award

ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award
Updated 29 December 2024
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ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award

ICC shortlists Pakistani batter Saim Ayub for Emerging Cricketer of the Year award
  • Saim Ayub scored two centuries in recently concluded ODI series against South Africa
  • He has been nominated alongside Kamindu Mendis, Shamar Joseph and Gus Atkinson
Updated 29 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) this week shortlisted Pakistan’s new batting sensation Saim Ayub for the Men’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year award for his match-winning performances against South Africa and Zimbabwe this month. 

Ayub has played six Test matches for Pakistan, scoring 323 runs at an average of 26.91 and scored three half-centuries. He has played nine ODIs, scoring 515 runs at an average of 64.37 with three centuries and a fifty already under his belt. 

The aggressive opening batter’s two centuries against South Africa in the recently concluded ODI series has earned him critical acclaim and comparisons with former Pakistan batting legend Saeed Anwar. 

“With nine categories in total, cricket fans around the world have the opportunity to cast their votes and help decide the winners of the ICC Awards 2024,” the ICC wrote on Saturday. 

Ayub has been nominated for the award with Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, West Indies’ bowler Shamar Joseph and England’s Gus Atkinson. 

Pakistan are currently playing the first of their two-Test match series against South Africa in Centurion. The hosts have handed the Proteas a 148-run target, as South Africa struggle at 27/3 to chase the target.

Topics: Saim Ayub ICC Awards Pakistan cricket

Pakistan minister says May 2023 protests ‘unforgivable’ despite talks with Imran Khan’s party

Pakistan minister says May 2023 protests ‘unforgivable’ despite talks with Imran Khan’s party
Updated 29 December 2024
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Pakistan minister says May 2023 protests ‘unforgivable’ despite talks with Imran Khan’s party

Pakistan minister says May 2023 protests ‘unforgivable’ despite talks with Imran Khan’s party
  • Pakistan’s government this week kicked off negotiations with Khan’s party to ease political tensions
  • May 9, 2023, protests saw people carrying flags of Khan’s party attacking government, military installations
Updated 29 December 2024
Shahjahan Khurram

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has said that the violent protests of May 2023 led by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were “unforgivable,” despite the government’s ongoing negotiations with the PTI, state-run media reported this week. 

Tarar was referring to the violent countrywide protests of May 9, 2023, that saw people carrying PTI flags attack government and military installations. Khan’s party denies involvement in the protest, saying that the May 9 incident was a “false flag” operation designed to crush the party. 

Pakistan’s military this month sentenced 85 civilians to prison, which included Khan’s nephew, for sentences ranging from two years to 10, for their involvement in the protests. The decision was criticized by the European Union, the US and the UK, who raised questions over the transparency of the trials. 

Pakistan’s government this week opened talks with Khan’s PTI party to ease political tensions in the country. The PTI has demanded the release of political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26 this year. 

“He [Tarar] said incidents of violence like May 9 cannot be overlooked and anyone who commits acts of violence has to face the law,” Tarar told journalists at a press conference in Gujranwala, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said. 

The minister said that there was “irrefutable evidence” against people sentenced by the military for the May 9 protests, categorically stating that the right to fair trial was ensured.

“The government wants to build on a momentum of hard-earned economic progress during the last few months and political stability is inevitable to this end,” Radio Pakistan said. 

Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in 2022 has plunged the country into a long-term political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. 

His party and supporters regularly hold protests calling for his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent, including one last month in which the government says four troops were killed and the PTI says 12 of its supporters died. 

The next session of talks between the government and the PTI is scheduled to be held on Jan. 2 in which it is expected that the PTI will present their demands in writing.

Topics: Pakistani information minister atta tarar May 9 protests May 9 riots

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