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Showing posts from January, 2023

Pervaiz Elahi’s residence raided by police in Gujrat

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GUJRAT: The police on Wednesday morning raided the residence of former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s in Gujrat, ARY News reported. A heavy contingent of police raided Kunjah House, the residence of Pervaiz Elahi in Gujrat. According to Kunjah house servants, Elahi and his son Moonis Elahi were not present at the residence at the time of police raid. The police is yet to confirm or deny the raid. Taking to Twitter, Pervaiz Elahi confirmed the raid and said that his employees were “searched” and “harassed” by the police. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/X3zgwJ8 https://ift.tt/TlHx8BZ

Pakistan’s corruption perception score falls to worst level in 10 years

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ISLAMABAD: Although Pakistan managed to maintain its ranking in Transparency International’s Corru­ption Perceptions Index (CPI) in 2022, its overall score fell to the lowest level since 2012. According to the report released on Monday, Pakistan ranked 140 out of 180 countries — a position unchanged from 2021. However, its overall CPI score fell to 27 out of 100. Last year, the score was 28 out of 100. “Pakistan […]continued its statistically significant downward trend, this year hitting its lowest score since 2012 at just 27 points amidst ongoing political turmoil,” Transparency Inter­national said. It added that former prime minister Imran Khan came to power on the promise of tackling corruption and undertaking social and economic reforms. “[B]ut little has been accomplished on any of these fronts since he took the reins in 2018.” Country maintains 140th spot on Transparency International ranking Under the PTI government, the ranking of Pakistan gradually slid from 117 out of

KP IG says no terror alert received related to Peshawar blast

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PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector-General (IG) of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari has ruled out ‘prior terror alert’ about the suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Line, which claimed lives of almost 100 people, ARY News reported. Speaking on ARY News programme ‘Off the Record’, the KP IG said that the provincial police received more than 2,600 threat alerts, out of which 600 alerts were of a ‘serious nature’. Moazzam Jah Ansari pointed out that at least 106 police personnel of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sacrificed their lives last year. “In the same year, KP Police eliminated more than 200 terrorists,” he said, adding that ‘war against terrorism’ will not end in a single day. He stressed the need to increase the capacity of police, adding that the government should reconsider some points of the National Action Plan (NAP). Read More:  PTI govt pardoned convicted terrorists: Rana Sanaullah It is pertinent to mention here that a powerful  blast triggered by a suicide attack

US state secretary voices sorrow for ‘innocent’ Palestinians killed

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his sorrow on Tuesday for “innocent” Palestinians killed in a spike of violence in the occupied West Bank, after meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Washington’s top diplomat met Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on the final stop of a Middle East tour aimed at curbing the bloodshed, following meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The area is reeling from a new wave of violence. On Thursday, the deadliest Israeli army raid in years in the West Bank claimed 10 Palestinian lives. A day later on Friday, a Palestinian shot dead seven people in an Israeli settlement in annexed east Jerusalem. This month the violence has killed 35 Palestinian adults and children as well as six Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian, killed on Friday. Speaking in Ramallah, Blinken expressed his “sorrow for the innocent Palestinian civilians who have lost their lives in escalating violence over the last year”

PTI’s May 25 long march: Judicial inquiry gives clean chit to police officers

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LAHORE: A judicial inquiry gave a clean chit to police officers, who were deployed during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) long march on May 25, 2022, ARY News reported on Tuesday, citing a report. According to a report issued by one-man inquiry commission headed by Justice Shabbar Rizvi, the commission did not find involvement of Chief Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, Ali Murtaza, IG Rao Sardar, CCPO Bilal Siddique, DC Umar Sher Chatta, SP Safdar Kazmi and Amara Shirazi in ‘violence’ on PTI workers during May 25 long march. However, the report held DSP Nasir Mushtaq and SHO Furqan Mehmood responsible and suggested departmental action against the two police officers. Justice Shabbar Rizvi, in the report, the PTI leadership was found to have allegedly made unfounded accusations against government and law enforcement officers during their long march. “PTI did not present any proof of the violence its members suffered,” Justice Rizvi said. Read More: Rana Sanaullah chairs law and order me

Shahnawaz Dahani visits his primary school, pictures go viral

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The pictures of Pakistan fast-bowler Shahnawaz Dahani’s visit to his primary school in Larkana are going viral on Twitter. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv   The viral pictures showed the right-arm pacer sitting among students of Sindh Public School in Larkana’s Al-Madinah Colony. It was an honor to visit & meet teachers & students, of my primary school. studied till class six here as my father couldn’t afford fees further, so was admitted in Govt Pilot School Larkana till class 10. later did https://t.co/EVBdxYdqzj & B. Com from Commerce College Larkana https://t.co/ma0Gn8jmNo — Shahnawaz Dahani (@ShahnawazDahani) January 31, 2023 The cricketer said it was an honour for him to visit and meet the teachers and students of his primary school, adding that he could only study till class six there as his father couldn’t afford to pay the fees. Related – ‘Friends in need are friends indeed’, says Shahnawaz Dahani He said he completed his matriculation at Govt

Maryam’s party ‘reorganisation’ tours to kick off tomorrow

LAHORE: PML-N senior vice president and chief organiser Maryam Nawaz’s two-month-long visits to different parts of the country for reorganisation of the party will begin from Bahawalpur on Wednesday (tomorrow). According to the PML-N, Ms Nawaz, who returned to the country after a four-month stay in London, will address a workers’ convention in Bahawalpur on Feb 1, besides chairing an organisational meeting of the party the following day. She will reach Multan on Feb 5 to address the party workers and an organisational meeting will follow the next day. On Feb 9, she will land in Abbottabad for the same purpose and take up the party matters on Feb 10. On Feb 15, Ms Nawaz will arrive in Dera Ghazi Khan on a two-day visit to address a public rally and preside over the party’s organisational meeting. PML-N leader will address workers’ conventions, chair organisational meetings In Rawalpindi, a PML-N workers’ convention will be held on Feb 19 and a party meeting the following day. On

UN chief condemns Peshawar blast

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned Monday’s suicide bombing at a mosque in Peshawar in which over 80 people were martyred and many more wounded, saying it was “particularly abhorrent” that the attack occurred at a place of worship. The death toll in the suicide bombing in the Police Lines mosque in Peshawar has climbed to 83 after 13 more dead bodies were retrieved from the wreckage by the rescue teams. “Freedom of religion or belief, including the ability to worship in peace and security, is a universal human right,” his Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement he read out at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. “The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured,” the statement said. Read more: Peshawar blast: Death toll rises to 70; over 150 injured It added, “The Secretary-General reiterates the solidarity of the United Nations with the Gover

4 ‘militants’ killed in twin KP operations

SWABI/DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four alleged militants were killed and another surrendered to the police during intelligence-based operations in Swabi and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. According to Swabi District Police Officer Najamul Hassan, two militants blew themselves up and a third surrendered to police after law enforcement personnel encircled their hideout in Chota Lahor tehsil. Officials in Swabi said the personnel of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), police and intelligence agencies launched a joint operation after receiving information about the presence of militants in Hund village. They said the militants opened fire on law enforcers after they were ordered through a megaphone to surrender. The security forces retaliated and during a heavy exchange of fire, two militants blew themselves up with hand grenades, while another surrendered to police. Two constables were also injured during the encounter. They were identified as Mujibullah and Naseeb

Ishaq Dar asked me to slash provincial shares: Miftah Ismail

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ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail has claimed that incumbent Finance Minister had asked him to slash provincial shares amid the economic crisis, ARY News reported. Speaking on ARY News programme ‘11th Hour’, the PML-N leader said that the incumbent finance minister used to give ‘wired’ advice to party’s supremo Nawaz Sharif, adding that Dar also sometimes scold him and other members. “Ishaq Dar once asked me to slash provincial shares. How can we take such measures after 18th amendment in the Constitution,” Miftah Ismail asked. In response to a question, the former federal minister said that everyone knows who Suleman Shehbaz – son of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif – was targeting in his tweet, expressing ‘displeasure’ over the remarks. Miftah further said that he was also jailed “but unfortunately the party forgot us”. Read More: Ishaq Dar promised to bring down dollar rate to Rs180, slams Miftah Ismail Respond

Haji Hidayatullah apologises for disrespectful remarks against Quaid-i-Azam in Senate

Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Haji Hidayatullah apologised on Monday for passing disrespectful remarks against Quaid-i-Azam in the upper house of parliament. The incident happened when PML-N Senator Asif Kirmani was speaking on the floor of the House. In his speech, Kirmani highlighted recent incidents which had claimed the lives of citizens including the bus crash in Lasbela, the drownings at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tanda Dam lake and today’s blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We don’t have words. Our tears have run dry. The terrorism that was stamped out in 2018 is rearing its head again,” he said. “I feel that Allah is unhappy with us. He has taken away His blessings and filled our hearts with restlessness”. Senator Kirmani then talked about the founder of the nation. “Let me tell you something about the great Quaid-i-Azam briefly. When Pakistan was coming into being and the national and provincial elections took place in 1945-46, the All India Muslim League won, and an interim g

Laiba Khan wins social media with new pictures

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Pictures of actor Laiba Khan at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Mosque are going viral on the social media application Instagram.  Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv Laiba Khan shared the viral pictures on her Instagram account. The clicks showed her at the mosque in a black shalwar kameez.  “ Dil yeh kahaan le jaun…teri hi ibadat hui ,” the caption of the three-picture photo album read. The visuals have more than 50,000 likes.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Laiba Khan (@laibaakhanofficial) The celebrity is a social media darling. She takes to the picture and video-sharing social media application to share pictures and videos of herself, family moments, outings and professional happenings.  Related –  ‘ Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi ‘ actor Laiba Khan’s latest pictures go viral Earlier, ‘ Kaisi Teri Khudgarzi ‘ fulfilled her childhood wish of the Umrah pilgrimage as announced on social media. Laiba Khan posted a two-picture gall

Lal Haveli’s seven units sealed by ETPB

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RAWALPINDI: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Monday sealed seven units of Lal Haveli, the residence of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid, ARY News reported. According to initial reports, the ETPB staff along with Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and police personnel reached the residence of Sheikh Rashid to seal it in line with the court’s orders. ETPB Deputy Administrator Asif Khan led the operation. Khan said Sheikh Rashid and his brother Sheikh Siddique have ‘illegally’ occupied seven acres land of Lal Haveli. According to the deputy administrator, Sheikh Rashid and his brother failed to provide any documents to establish ownership. The court has also quashed stay order of Sheikh Rasheed on action for evacuation Lal Haveli, he added. Meanwhile, Sheikh Rasheed has condemned the action of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and vowed to move the court against sealing of his residence. Earlier on January 26, it was reporte

WATCH: Speeding car crashes into barber shop

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In a bizarre road accident, a speedy car crashed into a barber shop, the incident was caught on CCTV camera. Usually, people feel safe when they are at home, in movie theatres, malls or saloons, but a recent video showed that accidents can take anywhere anyplace. The incident captured by the CCTV camera placed inside the salon shows five men, two are getting a haircut and a shave while one man is sitting on a bench. The last haircut pic.twitter.com/tVCBuGFcSN — Vicious Videos (@ViciousVideos) January 29, 2023 All the men start looking toward the entrance as if they heard something and are startled. The two customers get up quickly while the man on the bench tries to cross over to the other side. But before they could get out of trouble’s way, a big heavy white car smashes its way inside the salon at a very high speed. The man on the bench was hit badly and others were hit too and left shell-shocked in the crash. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/jkQ0RSY https://ift.tt/pBESTZi

Over 50 dead in Bela, Kohat transport tragedies

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QUETTA / KOHAT: At least 54 people, including women and children, died in two accidents in Balochistan’s Bela area and Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, rescue and police officials said. In the first accident, 41 people were burnt alive after a passenger coach fell into a ravine and caught fire, 25km south of Khuzdar. In Kohat, 13 dead bodies were recovered after an overloaded boat carrying students of a religious seminary capsized in Tanda Dam lake. The Karachi-bound bus met with the accident at the Quetta-Karachi Nati­onal Highway at 4:15am in the morning. According to officials, the bus carrying 44 passengers was coming from Pishin town. It crashed with the pillar of a bridge near the Cheneki area in Bela tehsil and was careened into the ravine. 41 burnt alive as bus falls into ravine, catches fire; 13 drown after boat capsized in Tanda Dam The bus immediately caught fire which gutted the entire vehicle, killing all but three passengers — a man, a woman and an

Authorities likely to vacate Lal Haveli today

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RAWALPINDI: The authorities are likely to vacate Lal Haveli, the residence of former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed, today (Monday) as preparations were underway, ARY News reported, citing sources. According to sources, the concerned authorities have been instructed to make preparations to vacate Lal Haveli. Meanwhile, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman expressed deep concern over the government’s move against the residence of his ally Sheikh Rasheed and termed it as an ‘act of revenge’. شیخ رشید پر دباؤ ڈالنے کے لئے حکومتی مشینری سے ان کے گھر پر حملہ کر کے توڑ پھوڑ کرنے کا منصوبہ بنایا جا رہا ہے. تحریک انصاف اس غیر قانونی دہشت گردی کی بھرپور مذمت کرتی ہے اور شیخ رشید کے ساتھ کھڑی ہے — Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) January 29, 2023 During the PTI’s core committee meeting, Imran Khan took notice of ‘government’s illegal action’ against Rasheed’s residence and instructed party’s General Secretary Asad Umar to raise voice in this regard. Taking to Twit

Imran’s claims about Zardari could cause bloodshed in country: Khawaja Asif

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that PTI chief Imran Khan’s recent claims regarding ex-president Asif Ali Zardari “could cause bloodshed in the country”, adding that it could also pose a threat to the lives of the PPP leadership. In a startling allegation, Imran on Friday accused Zardari of being part of a plan to “get rid of him”, alleging that after “two” failed attempts on his life, the four people — who he has previously claimed to have hatched a conspiracy to kill him — along with the PPP leader, have now prepared a “Plan C” to eliminate him. “Asif Zardari has paid his corruption money to a terrorist organisation being supported by powerful state agency facilitators to launch another attack on me,” he alleged in a televised address from his Zaman Park residence. PPP Chairman Bilawal has stated that his party is exploring “exploring legal response” to Imran’s “dangerous” allegations. Addressing a press conference in Sialkot on Sunday, the defence minister said,

Electricity supply to Upper Chitral from Feb 1st: Khurram Dastgir

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PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Energy and Power Khurram Dastgir on Sunday said, on the directives and special interest of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the electricity supply to Upper Chitral would be started from February 1st, ARY News reported. Addressing a press conference here at the Governor House, the energy minister said that on the directives of Prime Minister, he especially came to Peshawar to meet a delegation of Upper Chitral and to hear their problems. He said that like Lower Chitral, the electricity to Upper Chitral would be ensured on a priority basis, adding that an agreement to the elders of Upper Chitral has been signed at the Governor House in which the Governor has been included as guarantor. He said the elders of Upper Chitral informed the Prime Minister about their issues and problems related to the inadequate supply of electricity. The minister said that a report for payment of outstanding dues would be prepared within a month and an increase in electricity

Nawaz Sharif worried over increase in petrol prices: Rana Sanaullah

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ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has asserted that former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was worried over the increase in petrol and diesel prices, ARY News reported on Sunday. Speaking on a private news channel, the interior minister said that Nawaz Sharif was worried over the increase in prices of petroleum products, adding that the former prime minister said he cannot burden people with another penny. Rana Sanaullah lambasted the former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for ‘breaking’ an agreement with International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that currently, the Fund was not ready to show any leniency. The interior minister further said that the increase in petrol prices and removing the dollar cap were the demands of IMF. “Imran Khan and his party are trying to create instability in the country,” he added. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday announced that the federal go

Diver almost gets eaten by shark, watch viral video

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Exploring the ocean is an enormous task but it can turn scary when you meet a sudden encounter with a shark.  Perhaps this curiosity led to the production of many movies based on sea life. One of the best examples is the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg. It is believed that since then people started viewing the shark as a “not so friendly” creature. Nevertheless, coming to the viral video related to sharks, let’s understand that sharks are elegant and beautiful inhabitants of the ocean. The underwater video shows a diver in hazy water and a huge shark with an open mouth approaching him from behind. Scary encounter between a diver and shark in bad visibility conditions pic.twitter.com/cTWGgCjiql — OddIy Terrifying (@OTerrifying) January 26, 2023 The viral video shows that the shark wanted to take off the diver’s head but he escaped the teeth by a second or so as the huge fish passes by knocking its lower lip against his head. The video is shared on Twitter

PTI vows to ensure Imran’s security amid arrest fears

LAHORE: PTI leaders in Lahore have vowed to protect party chief Imran Khan at any cost amid fears of his arrest, insisting that he was their red line. In a meeting chaired by PTI Secre­tary General Asad Umar, party representatives in the city decided to ensure Mr Khan’s security and duties were assigned to leaders in this regard. Earlier on Wednesday, scores of supporters gathered outside Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence to resist a pot­e­n­tial bid to arrest him. Top party lea­der Fawad Chaudhry has been arre­sted since then on sedition charges. In the meeting, Mr Umar said the current government was responsible for all the crises facing the country and lamented that even at such a critical time, the rulers were prospering while the financial situation of the masses was worsening. He said the rulers were busy getting their corruption cases cleared and victimising PTI leaders. Office-bearers meet in Lahore; Asad reiterates party chief is ‘red line’ Stressing that Mr Khan was f

Long queues at petrol pumps across the country after price hike fears

ISLAMABAD: Rum­ours of a massive hike in petrol prices resulted in long queues at petrol pumps in many parts of the country on Saturday. According to reports be­­ing shared on social media, the prices of petrol and diesel are expected to go up by anywhere bet­ween Rs45 to Rs80 on Feb 1. “We saw a report on soc­ial media that oil prices will go up due to the surge in the dollar’s value and int­ernational petroleum rates,” Hassan, who queued at a petrol pump, told Dawn . According to media rep­orts, a similar situation was experienced in other areas. Petrol was available at only 20 per cent of the pum­ps in Gujranwala, while severe shortages were also repo­rted in Rah­im Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Sialkot and Faisalabad, Geo News said. However, an official told Dawn the rum­ours were unfounded and urged people to not take them seriously. He said a summary for a price revision for the next two weeks has not yet been prepared by Ogra. “Under the ongoing mechanism a summary by Ogra is for

Doctor among two arrested for ‘stealing’ dialysis machines from Murree hospital

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RAWALPINDI: The police have arrested a doctor and an employee for stealing three dialysis machines from Murree Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital, ARY News reported. According to details, the arrested accused sold the dialysis machines in Lahore after stealing them from the Murree Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital. However, the police recovered all three stolen machines and arrested the doctor and the hospital’s employee. A case has been registered against the arrested accused while further investigation was underway.   from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/yHqXFba https://ift.tt/0L2sn1r

Influential Punjab personality’s servants arrested with liquor, cash

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ISLAMABAD: Two servants, a driver and a gunman, of an influential Punjab personality were arrested on Saturday for allegedly carrying liquor bottles in Islamabad, ARY News reported. According to details, Islamabad police arrested servants – identified as Ajmal and Zaman – of an influential Punjab personality for allegedly carrying liquor bottles. Meanwhile, a case has been registered in the Secretariat Police Station of the federal capital under various provisions against the arrested driver and gunman. The accused revealed before the magistrate that they were carrying bottles for the personality. The accused further revealed that they gave an envelope full of money to Faheem Mirza, an employee of Punjab House, on the instructions of the personality. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/ugMRdOs https://ift.tt/XMFBvNo

US on edge ahead of fatal police beating video release

WASHINGTON: The southern US city of Memphis braced itself for unrest on Friday as authorities prepared to release a body-camera video depicting the fatal assault of a Black man by five police officers who, the victim’s mother said, “beat him to a pulp”. In a Tennessee grand jury indictment returned on Thursday, the five officers, all Black, were each charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression in the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father. Nichols succumbed to injuries he sustained from his encounter with police and died while hospitalised on Jan 10, three days after he was pulled over while driving. “They had beat him to a pulp,” Nicholas’s mother RowVaughn Wells told CNN . “He had bruises all over. His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck was bursting because of the swelling.” “I knew my son was gone, even if he did live he would have been a vegetable,” Wells said, sobbing. Memphis Fire Department says it’s re

Danish politician commits another provocative, sacrilegious act

KARACHI: In yet another provocative act on Friday, far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in Denmark, Anadolu Agency reported. The incident took place days after Paludan, the leader of Denmark’s far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), committed a similar act outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan 21. Several Muslim countries, including Pakistan and Turkiye , have condemned the provocative incident in the strongest terms . On Friday, Paludan burned the holy scripture with a helmet on his head just across from the Islamic Society mosque after noon prayers in the Dortheavej district of Copenhagen. The notables of the congregation advised those coming out of the mosque to leave the area to avoid provocation. Turkiye summons Denmark’s envoy; protests in Pakistan, Afghanistan The Danish police closed the street, while strict security measures were in place around the mosque. Khalid al-Subeyhi, a Palestinian mosque v

UN sees South Asian women as most vulnerable to human trafficking

UNITED NATIONS: Women continue to comprise the largest share of trafficking victims in South Asia, a new UN report has said. In 2020, however, more men were detected as victims of trafficking in the region compared to previous years, said the report prepared by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The ‘Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2022’ also showed a decline in trafficking, even though crises and pandemics increased the vulnerabilities of communities against trafficking. Globally, the number of victims fell by 11 per cent in 2020 as compared to a year ago. The number of convictions for trafficking offences also fell by 27pc over the same period, further augmenting the trend registered by UNODC since 2017. Decreases were registered in South Asia (56pc), Central America and the Caribbean (54pc) and South America (46pc). In South Asia, both men and women were trafficked for forced labour and sexual exploitation, and to a lesser degree, for forced marriage, the repor

Senate slams acts of desecration in Sweden, Netherlands

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday unanimously adopted a resolution expressing its deepest dismay and shock at the vicious and vile act of the burning, tearing and desecrating the Holy Quran in Sweden and Netherlands. Rules were suspended to allow lawmakers to discuss the matter and pass a resolution to condemn the desecration of the Holy Quran in the two European countries. The resolution, moved by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of Jamaat-i-Islami, said the upper house strongly protests to governments of Sweden and the Netherlands for allowing the extremists and fanatics to burn the Holy Quran in the name of freedom of expression. The pretext of freedom of expression could not be used to attack religious sentiments and emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims of the world, the resolution said. Describing these acts of Islamophobia as being hateful, vicious, highly explosive and contrary to principles of international law, the resolution expressed the collective will of state and people of Pakistan aga