Top Stories
PM terms humanitarian crisis in IOJ&K test for world’s conscience
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan says the continuing humanitarian nightmare in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is a test of the world’s conscience. This was expressed by him during a meeting with Prominent British Human Rights lawyer Clive Stafford and American International Law expert Eric Lewis who called on him in Islamabad today.…
US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad calls on COAS Bajwa
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: United States (US) Special envoy for Afghan reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Friday. Zalmay Khalilzad held a meeting with COAS General Qamar Javed at General Headquarters (GHQ) during his visit to Pakistan. The meeting was also attended…
FIA recovered Rs7 billion in one year, says Shahzad Akbar
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: During the past one year, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has recovered seven billion rupees in the past one year, said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar, on Friday. The prime minister’s aide was conducting a press conference where he said that the PML-N’s Marriyum Aurangzeb had asked…
Will fight for ultimate rule of public govt in country: Bilawal Bhutto
F.P. Report KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that attack on basic rights of people and democracy will not be tolerated, and they will fight against oppression until their last breathe. Addressing a workers‘ convention, Bilawal Bhutto expressed that the incumbent government houses selected and puppet rulers. “A public government would…
Lawyers’ body announces countrywide strike
F.P. Report LAHORE: The lawyers’ Joint Action Committee has announced a countrywide boycott of courts on Friday. The committee, which includes representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council, Supreme Court Bar and Lahore High Court Bar, was formed on emergency basis to devise the next course of action, post the escalating rift with doctors in Lahore.…
Pakistan rejects India’s comments about PM’s tweet regarding citizenship bill
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has rejected comments by Indian Ministry of External Affairs’s Spokesperson about a tweet of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding discriminatory citizenship bill passed by the Indian Parliament this week. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson said many international human rights organizations and neutral observers even from within India have characterized the…
Global
New Indian citizenship law ‘fundamentally discriminatory’ against Muslims: UN
GENEVA (Reuters): The United Nations (UN) human rights office voiced concern on Friday that India’s new citizenship law is “fundamentally discriminatory in nature” by excluding Muslims and called for it to be reviewed. Violent clashes erupted in Delhi between police and thousands of university students on Friday protesting the enactment of the contentious new law.…
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PM Imran felicitates Johnson for sweeping victory in British election
ISLAMABAD: (Monitoring Desk): Prime Minister Imran Khan has felicitated his British counterpart Boris Johnson for sweeping victory in the general elections. “Congratulations to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for his success in the UK General Elections,” he tweeted on Friday. “I look forward to working with him and continuing the cooperation between our two countries.” Johnson…
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US: House panel OK’s impeachment articles against Trump
WASHINGTON (AA): The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Friday to approve two articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump: obstruction of Congress, and abuse of power. The 23-17 votes after two days of debate saw all of the panel’s Democrats vote in support as Republicans uniformly opposed the measures, which now go…
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Russia raises concern over latest missile test by US
MOSCOW (AA): Russia raised alarm on Friday over the U.S. testing of a missile which would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday’s missile test was proof that the landmark treaty was ended by Washington. “We have repeatedly stated that the United States has long…
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European Union eyes post-Brexit trade arrangements
BRUSSELS (AA): The European Union is looking forward to having zero tariffs, zero quotas, and zero dumping in trade with Great Britain after Brexit, the new president of the European Commission told reporters on Friday. Speaking after a two-day summit of European leaders, Ursula von der Leyen expressed hope that the new U.K. parliament would…
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French theatre director quits after rape claim
PARIS (AFP): The director of a French theater has resigned the day after his staff went on strike urging him to quit over the fallout from a rape allegation. Jean-Pierre Baro, the first major theater figure to be hit by the #MeToo movement in France, denied assaulting a colleague in 2011 and police dropped the…
Read MorePakistan
Protester throws eggs at bogie carrying Sheikh Rashid
F.P. Report SARGODHA: A protester threw an egg at the bogie carrying Federal minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, on Friday. A video doing the rounds on the internet shows the protester chanting angry slogans against the federal minister as policemen try to subdue him. The protester chants “Sheikh Rashid Murdabad” and “Sheikh Rashid Haye…
Emergency services resumed at PIC after two-day closure
F.P. Report LAHORE: The emergency services at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) resumed on Friday after violent protest from lawyers led to closure of the cardio hospital on Wednesday. The lawyers attack at the hospital on Wednesday had left at least six people dead and forced several others including those being treated, visitors, doctors…
Pakistan, World Bank sign loan accord worth $406 mn for KPEC project
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and World Bank has signed loan agreement worth over 406 million dollars for Khyber Pass Economic Corridor project. Minister for Economic Affairs Muhammad Hammad Azhar, witnessed the signing ceremony held in Islamabad today. The project aims to construct 48km long 4-Lane, dual carriageway high-speed access controlled motorway, from Peshawar to Torkham,…
Pakistan fully supports Afghan peace process: FM Qureshi
F.P. Report MULTAN: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that Pakistan would benefit from its recent agreement with Switzerland. Talking to media in Multan on Friday, he said that Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan and fully supports Afghan peace process. The foreign minister said that Intra-Afghan dialogue is imperative for creating enabling environment…
NAB launches new probe against Shehbaz Sharif
F.P. Report LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched a new probe against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif over allegedly making illegal allotments in Cholistan Development Authority. PML-N president and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, is facing new inquiry from the anti-corruption watchdog over alleged illegal allotments…
PM inaugurates anti-polio drive
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the national anti-polio drive of winter months in Islamabad Friday by administering anti-polio drops to small children. Addressing the ceremony, he said 40 million children under five years of age will be administered anti-polio drops by 260,000 polio staff during the campaign. He said Pakistan is among…
Afghanistan
Activists push to finalize child protection act
KABUL (TOLO News): Rights activists and some members of the Afghan parliament on Friday urged the Afghan Meshrano Jirga (upper house of parliament) to approve the Law on Protection of as soon as possible. This comes after lawmakers in Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga (lower house of parliament) approved the Law on Protection of Child Rights—or “Child…
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US-Taliban talks ‘paused’ after Bagram attack
KABUL (TOLO News): The latest US-Taliban negotiations in Doha, which began on December 7, have been paused following Wednesday’s attack on a medical facility near Bagram air base that killed two civilians and wounded dozens more. According to sources, the five days of discussions have focused on the following three issues: a reduction of violence,…
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Naghlu Dam’s fourth turbine becomes operational
KABUL (TOLO News): The country’s power utility company, De Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), reactivated the fourth turbine of the Naghlu Dam in the east of Kabul after twelve years, adding 25 megawatts of power for Kabul and its neighboring provinces. DABS said in a statement that the reactivation took over two months for its employees.…
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UNHCR urges greater support for displaced Afghans
GENEVA (AA): The UN Refugee Agency appealed Friday for intensified support for some 4.6 million globally displaced Afghans and their host communities, ahead of next week’s first-ever Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch made the call at a UN briefing in Geneva, noting that the world is entering the fifth decade of…
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Ten civilians killed in bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan
GHAZNI (AFP): Ten civilians, including four women and a child, were killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Friday. The explosion happened in the volatile district of Jaghatu in Ghazni province after the US and Taliban paused ongoing talks on Thursday. “Unfortunately, in the explosion 10 people,…
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The second meeting on electoral crisis ended inconclusively
KABUL (Ariana News): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) held a meeting with the representatives of electoral tickets on Friday to solve the electoral crisis. Consequently, the meeting lost its formality and broke in the chaos following the two times when Zohra Bayan Shinwari, the IECC chairperson, left the meeting and came back. She said…
Read MoreBusiness
OGDCL contributed over Rs 160 billion to the treasure in the last fiscal year
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: In a most questionable manner the Custom Intelligence officials have claimed that they have recovered Rs221.7 million tax from Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL), the largest state-owned larger E&P company and the biggest contributor to the national exchequer. It is quite surprising that the Custom Intelligence is taking pride in making…
French govt says open to pension talks as strike persists
Monitoring Desk Paris: French officials said Thursday they were open to negotiate pension reforms that have sparked crippling transport strikes, as unions warned they would keep up the walkout through the holidays unless the government drops the plan. Commuters faced an eighth day of travel chaos in Paris as most metro lines were again closed,…
For manufacturers against LCs: SBP allows import advance payment facility
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has allowed banks to make advance payment up to 50 per cent of the value of imports against letter of credit for manufacturing concerns. Using this facility, manufacturing concerns will be able to import plant, machinery, spare parts and raw material etc. by making payment in advance.…
Sanofi & NEF partner to promote diabetes awareness
F.P. Report Islamabad: Sanofi Pakistan is set to launch the 3rd wave of its international CSR program KiDS (Kids and Diabetes in Schools), this time in partnership with the National Education Foundation (NEF). This was announced at an MoU signing ceremony held at the Head office of NEF, an autonomous body of the Ministry of…
Third WOW – Women of the World festival held
F.P. Report Karachi: The British Council in Pakistan, together with the WOW Foundation, and Southbank Centre and four curating partners are organising the third WOW – Women of the World festival in Pakistan. The announcement was done at a media unveiling ceremony at a local hotel in Karachi. The programme unveiling was opened by Michael…
PTCL goes solar to conserve energy for a green Pakistan
F.P. Report Islamabad: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), in its endeavor to support the Clean Green Pakistan Movement, has initiated a comprehensive project to install latest solar power systems to conserve energy and support environmental preservation at its Headquarter, regional offices and exchanges across Pakistan. Under this initiative, more than 700 PTCL facilities have been…
Sports
Wet weather delays historic Pakistan Test
Monitoring Desk RAWALPINDI: Wet weather delayed the start of play between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi on Friday, the first Test in the country since 2009. Groundmen were soaking the outfield and wiping water from the covers, with the third day’s play unlikely to start until lunch at 11:45 am (0645 GMT). Rain and…
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Yasir Shah to work at NCA
F.P. Report Karachi: Pakistan wrist spinner Yasir Shah has been released from the Pakistan national men’s cricket team so that he can work with spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmed at the National Cricket Academy. Yasir will re-join the team in Karachi on December 16, where the second Test will commence on December 19. Mushtaq was…
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PCB stops Ashraf, Shinwari from participating in Big Bash League
Monitoring Desk KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has barred left-arm pacer Usman Shinwari and all-rounder Faheem Ashraf from participating in the upcoming season of Big Bash League (BBL). Last week, Ashraf had signed with the 2019 Big Bash champions Melbourne Renegades for the first eight games, while Shinwari was available to the same team…
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CM Punjab to award cash prize to javelin throw record holder Arshad
F.P. Report LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Tourism Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti Thursday showered huge praise on Pakistan’s top javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem for winning gold medal at the 13th South Asian Games at Kathmandu, Nepal with amazing performance and booking a place in Olympic Games, scheduled to be held at Tokyo,…
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Jesus hat-trick gives Man City 4-1 win at Dinamo
ZAGREB (Agencies): Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus netted a superb hat-trick as they came from behind to beat Croatian title holders Dinamo Zagreb 4-1 away in an entertaining Champions League Group C clash on Wednesday. City, who had already secured the group’s top spot, finished with 14 points from six games, seven ahead of Atalanta…
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Asghar named Afghanistan captain
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Afghanistan have reappointed batsman Asghar Afghan as captain across all three formats, eight months after he was sacked from the role. Afghanistan took the captaincy away from Asghar two months before this summer’s World Cup, a move which was criticised by the country’s players. The captaincy was changed again in July with…
Read MoreFashion & Movies
Shalini Pandey to make her Bollywood debut opposite Ranveer Singh in Jayeshbhai Jordaar
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Shalini Pandey, who played Preethi in Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, is all set to step into Bollywood. The young actor will make her debut opposite Ranveer Singh in Yash Raj Films’ upcoming production Jayeshbhai Jordaar. Scripted and helmed by debutant writer-director Divyang Thakkar, Jayeshbhai Jordaar is a story of Women Empowerment. The…
Kriti Sanon shares her excitement of playing a surrogate mother in Mimi
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: This year has been a mixed bag for Kriti Sanon. Luka Chuppi, Arjun Patiala, Housefull 4 and Panipat, the young actress has done all kinds of roles in just one year and has been applauded for her act, comic timing and her dancing skills. Now her kitty is full of some more…
Captain Marvel Star Brie Larson wants to ‘time travel’ to watch ‘Wonder Woman 1984’
Monitoring Desk LOS ANGELES: Captain Marvel star Brie Larson was among millions of fans who took to social media to express their excitement after the first trailer of the Wonder Woman 1984 was released. The trailer followed a teaser, stirring up anticipation. It instantly went viral when the filmmakers released the trailer of the movie…
PeeCee opens up about marrying younger Nick Jonas
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra has opened up about getting married to US singer Nick Jonas, who is 10 years younger to her. In an interview, PeeCee, who also serves as Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, says clearly age difference did not matter in their lives. She went on to say people talk about…
Jessica Biel encouraged Justin Timberlake to issue public apology over Alisha Wainwright: report
Monitoring Desk Los Angeles: US singer-turned-actor Justin Timberlake’s wife Jessica Biel had urged him to issue a public apology and clear the air over the intimate photos with co-star Alisha Wainwright, according to a new report. Days after the 38-year-old Mirror singer issued an apology to his wife, new reports are floating on the internet…
Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson dies aged 61
Monitoring Desk Roxette singer Marie Fredriksson has died aged 61, her management company confirmed in a statement. She died on Monday, December 9, after a 17-year battle with cancer, according to Dimberg Jernberg Management. Fredriksson and Roxette are best known for the pop songs It Must Have Been Love and Joyride. “Time goes by so…
Science & Technology
Pakistani pilots to get technical training in Turkey
ISTANBUL (AA): Turkish engineering company Yontem Teknoloji won a tender for technical training of Pakistani pilots. The firm will start training as of June 2020 in Turkey’s newly established aviation academy, according to SAHA Istanbul Defence and Aerospace Cluster Association. At the first stage, 30 Pakistani pilots will be trained at the School of Aviation…
Twitter backs overhaul of social media to stem disinformation
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is funding research aimed at changing the way information circulates on social media — with the goal of combating online violence, hate and disinformation. Dorsey on Tuesday announced he would fund an independent team of five architects, engineers, and designers — dubbed Bluesky — to develop an “open…
Blocking Pakistani nationals’ accounts: JI submits resolution in KP PA against Facebook’s act
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: The members of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Tuesday submitted a resolution in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly Secretariat against blocking the Facebook accounts of Pakistani nationals by the Facebook administration over raising voice against Indian forces oppression in Indian occupied Kashmir. Parliamentary Leader of Jamaat-e-Islami and former senior provincial minister Anayatullah Khan, Bajaur Member…
Apple concerns that ex-employees accused of theft will flee to China
Monitoring Desk SAN JOSE: Apple Inc told a federal court it has “deep concerns” that two Chinese-born former employees accused of stealing trade secrets from the company will try to flee before their trials if their locations are not monitored. At a hearing in US District Court for the Northern District of California, prosecutors argued…
Intel creates chip to control quantum computers
Monitoring Desk Quantum computers aim to carry out tasks in just a few minutes that would take today’s best conventional computers thousands of years. But in nearly every photograph of the devices, there’s a tangle of wires in the background connected to equipment that controls the quantum computer. Intel Corp on Monday announced a chip…
Rocket Lab conducts final launch of 2019
Monitoring Desk PENINSULA: On 6 December 2019, at 8:18 am UTC, launch provider Rocket Lab conducted its 10th mission – and the final one of 2019 – from its launch site at New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. The launch successfully orbited 6 picosatellites developed by Alba Orbital, named “PocketQubes”, as well as Japan’s 75-kg ALE-2 cubesat…
Health
Polio virus affects four in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has confirmed detection of four polio cases from Lakki Marwat and Tank districts of the province, raising the total count of polio cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 72 and 98 in Pakistan overall. According to the details, National Institute of Health (NIH) laboratory has isolated…
Our cellphones are causing more head and neck injuries, reveals study
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: A study looking at 20 years of data from emergency rooms found a recent spike in cellphone-related injuries to the head, neck, face and eyes. Many of the injuries were minor – cuts and bruises – but some were more severe fractures and internal organ injuries and had the risk of long-term…
BPA exposure may be much greater than previously believed
Monitoring Desk The way scientists usually measure bisphenol A (BPA) may drastically underestimate our exposure to the chemical, concludes a new analysis published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Some studies have linked BPA to an elevated risk of health issues, such as fertility problems and certain cancers, but it remains widely used to harden…
Lady polio worker shot dead in Bannu
Jamal Qamar BANNU: Unknown gunmen shot dead a lady polio worker and injured another in Zakirkhel area, in the jurisdiction of Basiakhel police station of Bannu, on Tuesday. The deceased polio worker was identified as daughter of Munawar Shah and was resident of Nasim Akbar Shah Shiekhan while injured person was identified as Abdur Rauf.…
Permanent hair dyes and straighteners may increase breast cancer risk
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: Using permanent hair dye and/or hair straightening products may increase one’s risk of developing breast cancer, a new study claims. The risk was found to particularly impact black women based on data from more than 46,700 women who participated in the Sister Study. All of the women were likewise at genetic risk…
Karachi worst hit by HIV in Sindh with 67.2% cases
F.P. Report KARACHI: The number of registered HIV cases in all districts of Sindh province has risen to 14,582 with Karachi having highest number of cases up to 9810 (67.2%), according to a new investigative report. The present status of registered HIV cases in Sindh is just a tip of iceberg because the actual number…
Travel
France: Eight days of pension strikes cripple train travel
Monitoring Desk PARIS: Paris commuters crammed into the city’s only two working Metro lines as labor strikes over pension reforms crippled France’s train services for an eighth day. Tensions flared in several parts of the country. Police fired tear gas Thursday morning at protesters in the western city of Nantes, and protesters set vehicles on…
Scottish Highlands to become first area of UK to introduce ‘tourism tax’ on campers
Monitoring Desk EDINBURGH: The Scottish Highlands has become the first area in the UK to introduce a ‘tourism tax’ on campers, as a £1-per-night levy is approved by the council. Highland Council voted in favour of the controversial charge after concerns were raised about visitors being left with a “negative impression” of the standard of…
Seduced and abandoned: tourism and climate change in the Alps
Monitoring Desk Deserted ski lifts and ruined hotels are some of the relics of a tourist industry that first seduced and then abandoned the Alps, along with cement, steel cables, paved car parks and deforested slopes. From Piedmont to Friuli, there are hundreds of abandoned ski resorts in Italy. Researchers counted 186 in 2011, a…
Visitors evince keen interest in KP’s cultural, traditional handicrafts
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: A large number of visitors, including locals and foreigners, on Monday thronged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pavilion to have a glimpse of cultural and traditional handicrafts displayed at the Dawn Lifestyle Expo in Islamabad. The visitors evinced keen interest in the tourism potential including scenic places, archaeological and heritage sites and cultural and…
Sri Lanka’s tourism still reeling since Easter attacks
Monitoring Desk COLOMBO: Seven months after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, Sri Lanka, recognized as Lonely Planet’s number 1 travel destination in 2019, continues to suffer due to declining tourists. Since the April 21 bomb blasts at three five-star hotels and churches in Colombo, tourism numbers have plunged steadily, resulting in hotels facing a severe…
Protests in France Disrupting Travel Industry
Monitoring Desk PARIS: Travelers planning a trip to France should be ready for massive impacts on the travel industry as strikes and protests continue to break out across the country. According to Sky News, trains around the nation were at a standstill and officials at the Eiffel Tower have issued a warning to visitors to…
Articles
Boris wants a mandate to turn Britain ‘around’… after a decade of Conservative rule
Neil Clark It’s been claimed that over 10m people have watched the video of Boris Johnson refusing to look at a photo of a little boy lying on a NHS hospital floor but one thing of great significance in the interview seems to have been missed: namely when the PM said wanted to get on…
Protesters world over are united in pushing back against neoliberalism
Amar Diwakar The recent wave of uprisings across the Middle East represents a continuation of the revolutionary process that began in 2011, and while they all have regional and local contexts, they do share a common thread. It would be an understatement to say that we inhabit an age of turmoil. 2019 reminded us that…
Sifting through conspiracy theories and the protests in the Middle East
Ibrahim al-Marashi Middle Eastern governments have valid reasons to fear foreign conspiracies but deflecting blame on foreign hands instead of addressing citizens’ grievances only weakens their own position. Since October, sustained anti-government protests have emerged in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran. While in all three states, violence has been used to disrupt the protests, these governments…
Afghanistan: Process begins again, but where is the Peace?
Iqbal Khan Three months after President Donald Tr-ump abruptly called off peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, the United States has resumed the dialogue process in Doha over the weekend. Pakistan has welcomed the resumption of the US-Taliban talks. “We hope that it will lead to intra-Afghan negotiations and ultimately to a peaceful and stable…
Hangor hits hard
Commodore Arshad Rahim (Retd) On 9 December 1971 Pakistan Navy submarine Hangor while patrolling in its allocated area off the Indian Khatiawar coast under the command of Commander Ahmed Tasnim (later Vice Admiral) located, tracked and fired a homing torpedo at the Indian anti-submarine frigate Khukri. The torpedo hit the frigate on its magazine which…
Injustice around the globe: Palestine, Kashmir, East Turkestan
Ihsan Aktas Inal Batu, a senior Turkish diplomat, said the following regarding Turkish foreign policy: “Contrary to the members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), I hold the foreign policies of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government in high esteem.” Batu always underlined the significance of Palestine for the world while discussing the…
Editorial
Regional trade facilitation
Under the directives of the Prime Minister, the cumbersome regulatory framework of foreign trade shall be simplified. A draft bill shall be tabled in the parliament to establish single window trade facility by 2022 to fast track cross border trade as per the provisions of World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime of free trade. The legislation…
Intellectual decay
Hundreds of violent lawyers attacked Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore on Wednesday. They forcefully barged in emergency ward, Cardiac Care Unit and Operation Theater, manhandling doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff and damaged medical equipment during rampage. Out of total disregard for humanity, the protesting lawyers even removed the oxygen mosques from under treatment…
Politics causes human rights frictions
Human Rights Day fell on Tuesday this year, in which the US-led Western world has unprecedentedly attacked China on its human rights record. They have let values dominate their perceptions of China, which are devoid of reality and China’s voice. Western media outlets have preset their narrative in reports about the vocational education and training…
Crisis in auto-industry
The financial crisis in auto sector has deepened as the sale of cars and trucks have significantly declined. Depressed sale, increased import cost of completely knockdown and semi-knock down kits due currency depreciation have stagnated the production activity. The overall demand for all brands of cars assembled by few monopolistic firms have dropped by 39…
PML-N stance on legislative business
Sharply reacting to protest of Pakistani diaspora in front of Park lane residence of Nawaz Sharif in London, senior PML-N leader Khwaja Asif warned that it was an act of animosity and his party may not honor the commitment made to the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar for smooth running of house and cooperation in…
Legislation targeting Muslims
Lower House of Indian Parliament, Lok Saba has passed a discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Bill to grant nationality to Hindu migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who migrated to India before 2015. The draft of his tacitly Hinduata imposing legislation was originally tabled in the Indian parliament in 2016 but it got lapsed due to lack…
Arts and Literature
Children Literature Festival concluded
Humayun Khan PESHAWAR: A two day 63 rd Children Literature Festival (CLF) concluded here on Thursday at Nishtar Hall Peshawar. The festival was organized by Children Literature Festival (CLF) in collaboration with different departments including culture, tourism and sports and Civil Society Organization for Education and Awareness (CSOEA). Senior Minister for Sports, Tourism, Culture and…
Photo exhibition ‘My Land, My People’ opens at PNCA
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) on Wednesday exhibited breathtaking photographs captured by the youth of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to highlight the landscape and cultural heritage of the beautiful northern region. The Special Communications Organisation in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication organised the…
Book review of shaking hands with clenched fists by Neha Nisar
Shaking hands with clenched fists the grand truck road to confidence building measures between Pakistan and India is a first ever academic book on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between two enduring rivals Pakistan and India, written by Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja. This book offers unparalleled account of genesis and imperatives and the future of CBM’s…
Oxford University Press opens flagship bookshop
F.P. Report KARACHI: Oxford University Press (OUP) organized the inauguration of its flagship bookshop at Park Towers, Clifton, by hosting an event which was well attended by the media, authors, academics, and foreign dignitaries. The opening of the new bookshop increases OUP’s presence in Karachi and expands its network of bookshops within the city. This…
Pashto Day commemorated at ICU
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: The Khyber Literary and Debating Society of the Islamia College University commemorated the annual Pashto Day at the Khyber Union Hall on Wednesday. Ibrahim Khan Shubnam presided over the literary session while Muhammad Hanif Qais was chief guest on the occasion. Haji Muhammad Amin Durshakhela, Haji Muhammad Amin Ashari, Sadiq Zaman Sadiq…
Book fair in Govt Degree College held
Ahmad Nabi LANDI KOTAL: To promote reading habit and to enhance book culture, a day long book fair was held here in government degree college, Landi Kotal on Tuesday. The activity was organized under the banner of National Book Foundation and hundreds of thousands books of various publishers on different topics including Religion, Hadith, Serat,…
