Epaper_24-06-28 ISB by Pakistan Today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to participate in the United Nations-

and IB are subordinate to the prime minister LHC s Justice Shahid Karim made the remarks while hearing a case on the alleged threats to a judge of a Sargodha Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and his harassment by the intelligence and law enforcement agencies Earlier former LHC chief justice chief Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan had taken suo moto notice and had issued written order on the initial hearing of the case However following Justice Ahmad s elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Shahid Karim is presiding over the case During hearing on Thursday, Justice Karim converted the suo moto notice into a writ petition He said that he would appoint a prosecutor as well as a judicial assistant in this case If we find out who tried to meet the judge we are ready to investigate him the counsel for the federal government said Directives would be issued to Punjab IGP that the decision to block the road be taken after consulting the judge”, Justice Karim said, noting that the Punjab IGP should issue directions to all police officers in this regard Justice Karim further said that all judges of ATC courts should have call recording apps on their phone If any such phone call comes, it should be recorded, he said On June 13, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, the then chief justice of the high court, had summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar and other officials on the complaint The LHC registrar office had received a special report on June 7 from District & Sessions Judge (DSJ) Muhammad Abbas, wherein he said that on May 25 the first day of his new charge as Sargodha ATC judge a message was conveyed to him that some authority of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) wanted to meet him in his chamber

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday declared the government has taken notice of the resolution passed by the US House of Representatives saying a resolution would be introduced in the National Assembly to counter the US motion regarding democracy in Pakistan Draft resolution will be shared with the opposition and treasury benches and both the treasury and opposition benches must show sovereignty and unity to adopt the resolution FM Ishaq Dar said while winding up discussion on the cut motions, in the budget session of the Nation Assembly Dar response comes a day after the US House of Representatives had passed a resolution expressing robust support for democracy in Pakistan by an overwhelming 368-7 vote

The deputy Pm also the foreign minister read out the FO s response to US resolution

He then announced that with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ’s permission the government would bring a resolution to counter this (US) resolution

We must show our sovereignty and our unity We must show that we mean business, the deputy PM said

“We can also criticise 50 things over here with regards to other countries But we refrain; I believe there is mutual dignity and respect in this only that they also reciprocate what we do,” Dar said in a fiery speech on the floor of the lower house of parliament He stated that the government has taken notice of the US resolution and that a draft resolution was ready, which would be shared with both, the treasury benches and the opposition The deputy PM stressed the need to “come [together] in unity with a clear resolution against or in response to the US resolution He also noted that the resolution would be passed once the 2024-25 budget debate has concluded Addressing a point brought up by another MNA with regards to overseas Pakistanis being

CJP questions as to why ex-President Alvi had not set polls date on behalf of PTI

Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faes Iza has questioned as to why former President Arif Alvi had not set a date for elections on behalf of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) despite being associated with the party The chief justice made the remark lead a 13-member full court hearing the petition filed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) against the denial of reserved seats Earlier during the hearing, Justice Jamal Mandokhel had stated that it is every candidate’s right to get a symbol in election A candidate participates in the

elections, not the party, the candidate only shows his affiliation with the party the candidate has the right to get the symbol for the election he added Thursday s court session followed Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan s submission of the government s written reply to the apex court The reply opposes the SIC’s plea to allocate reserved seats for women and minorities in the National and provincial assemblies

In the detailed 30-page submission, the government argues that reserved seats for minorities and women should be allocated to political parties that participated in the elections and won at least one seat

The allocation should be based on the party’s total number of seats won as stipulated by the law Independently elected candidates are counted towards reserved seats for women and non-Muslims only when they join political parties within 3 days of publication of names of the returned candidates in the official Gazette” under Articles 51(6)(d) and (e) as well as 106(3)(c) the AGP s response read

The SIC neither contested the general elections as a political party nor filed any list of candidates for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims under Section 104 of the Election Act 2017 it further stated

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday turned down the pleas of former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to suspend their seven-year conviction in the Nikah in Iddat case Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Afzal Majoka announced the

had received a 10-year sentence in the cypher case The Toshakhana case sentences had been suspended in April while earlier this month Imran and Qureshi had also been acquitted in the cipher case The Iddat conviction was widely criticised by civil society, women activists and lawyers for being a “blow to women’s right to dignity and privacy” Activists had protested in Islamabad against the verdict while a Karachi demonstration against the state s intrusion into people s private lives had also denounced it Previously, District and Sessions Judge

Shahrukh Arjumand was hearing the case and had reserved the verdict in May However, on the day of its expected announcement, he sought transfer of the case, citing Maneka’s request for recusal from hearing the appeals Subsequently the case was transferred to ADSJ Majoka However the counsel for Bushra Bibi had filed a petition before the IHC seeking her release on

GOVT APPROVES RS82B TO OGDCL FOR TFCS INVESTMENT

g Veteran civil ser vant takes on new role to oversee

burdening residential consumers with higher electricity

ISLAMABAD g h u l a M a b b a S The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has deliberated over 26 development projects worth Rs 900 billion during its meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan Out of these 17 projects worth Rs 33 billion have been approved by the CDWP forum while 9 projects worth Rs 867 billion have been recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration

The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra Additional Secretary Planning members of the Planning Commission JCE (Ops) JCE (Ep) as well as respective federal secretaries and representatives from federal ministries and provincial governments As per details the agenda included discussions on projects in sectors such as Energy Governance Health Higher Education Information Technology Agriculture & Food Security Industries & Commerce, Mass Media, Physical Planning & Housing, Transport & Communication, and Water Resources Two projects related to the Agriculture & Food sector, namely the “National Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Programme” worth Rs 3000 million and the Pakistan Model Agriculture Research Center worth Rs 4000 million were approved by the forum A project in the Energy sector, Supply of Gas to Localities within 5 km Radius of Gas Producing Fields-SSGCL” worth Rs 1093 439 million was also approved The 500 kV Matiari–Moro-Rahim Yar Khan Transmission Line project worth Rs 188 563 250 million was recommended to ECNEC for further consideration The project aims to construct a 500 kV double circuit transmission line from Matiari to Moro and Moro to Rahim Yar Khan to overcome constraints in south-to-north power transmission The National Transmission & Dispatch Company (NTDC) is responsible for operation and maintenance, with financing sourced from NTDC equity, local debt, and foreign debt Eight projects related to Transport & Communication were presented including the Realignment of KKH from Takhot to Railkot worth Rs 4133 930 million the

Gwadar Blue Economy worth Rs 1500 million, and the Land Acquisition as per Gwadar Master Plan” worth Rs 3920 million which were approved by the CDWP forum Another major project the Revised PC-1 Construction of Lahore-SahiwalBahawalnagar Motorway (Length: 295 Km) worth Rs 435,720 821 million, was recommended to ECNEC This project will be partially financed through a loan from the Korean EXIM Bank Additional projects in the Transport & Communication sector including the Construction of Chakdara-Chitral Road Project N-45 Section III Kalkatak Chitral worth Rs 10,960 519 million, the “Electrical & Mechanical Works for Lowari Tunnel Project” worth Rs 37 257 410 million the Dualization of SialkotEminabad Road up to Kamoke worth Rs 10 688 million and the Construction of Border Terminal at Pak-Afghanistan Border Badini worth Rs 24,944 80 million, were recommended to ECNEC Four projects related to Higher Education were approved including Provision of Hostel Facilities for 160 Female Students worth Rs 617 503

million and Establishment of National Institute of Intelligence and Security Studies at Quaid-i-Azam University” worth Rs 1969 005 million The “PM’s Youth Internship Program” worth Rs 27 691 621 million was recommended to ECNEC In the Mass Media sector four projects were approved, including the Revamping of PTVC worth Rs 1969 920 million and the “Upgradation and Replacement of

R I M E M I N I S T E R Shehbaz Sharif s offer to the PTI to hold talks broke no new ground The government made no new pre-talks offer, and thus it was almost inevitable that the PTI leadership in Parliament made the acceptance of the offer conditional on PTI chief Imran Khan s release from prison However, Mr Sharif s offer was made in Parliament, which added weight to the offer It also added weight to the rejection It should be noted that business would go on as usual, and that talks would remain subjected to political convenience However, even the PML(N) does have figures who say that Mr Khan should remain in jail for the rest of the tenure; but the PTI is still unable to wrap its head around the imprisonment of its leader And not just it s leader, but other party workers The PTI has been unable to convert its undoubted support into the sort of mass mobilization that would lead to the government being forced to talk

There are three different timelines at work, all starting with events that need to be talked about The first is the dismissal of the Khan government just over two years ago Then were the events of May 9 last year, which opponents insist show the inherent wrongheadedness of the PTI, and which supporters still blame on agents provocateurs Another point of contention are the February elections, which the PTI insists were badly rigged How the PML(N) counterclaims that the 2018 elections were rigged, and the 2024 ones fair, or how the PTI claims rigging in 2024, and defends the 2018 ones is not clear, but it seems that these issues have to be addressed

However, these are politicians, who would do well to remember that parliaments are basically talking shops, and it is by discussion that problems are resolved Even in armed conflicts, the end occurs through talks That talks must take place if issues are to be resolved is indisputable The PTI is the party without power, therefore it needs to talk more than the government does Even if talks do not start at once, there must be some contacts, informal at least initially, setting up the modalities However, Mr Khan may represent the biggest hurdle It may make sense for lesser beings to take on the burden of the pollution inherent in talking to those he has labelled thieves and dacoits while he is yet in prison

Dedicated to the legac y of late Hameed Nizami Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

M A Niazi Editor Pakistan Today Babar Nizami Editor Profit

getting into the news for all the wrong reasons Not only was the Chief Minister restoring electricity at a federal installation by throwing his (considerable) weight around, he was also threatening to write to the IMF that the federal government was not settling his province’s dues Then there was the Midyan incident where a tourIst was lynched by an angry mob for descrating the Holy Quran after

when nine Chinese nationals were among 14 killed in an attack However, it would not like too close

under PTI rule since 2013 The links between the PTI and the Taliban have been alleged but there has been no arrest at which evidence must be prov

judge, at which such allegations have been tested However, the attack on the Chinese was supposed to have been commited by the Baloch Liberation

linked before there has been no allegation of links between the PTI and the NLA or any Baloch nationalist group for that matter The Prime Minister and Defence Minister have both dialled back on the Azm-i-Istehkam operation, saying that it is not to be a full-scale operation like previous ones but a continuation of the operations that are being already carried out It was pointed out that the previous operations have not succeeded in eliminating terrorism It may be argued that terrorism was at least being contained, and had not replaced the foothold it had lost, the control of the South Waziristan Agency The importance of the Tribal Areas of which the Waziristans are a part can be gauged from the fact that they were first made part of the settled area of KP and then the TTP demanded that they be reverted The KP government has to explain why it all o w e d t h

province It has also been pointed out

political

Both countries foreign policies are characterized by a willingness for head-on confrontation with imperial powers of the West In light of

military support for Russia in the

TThe author is a Research Officer at Balochistan Think Tank Network T h e s t r a t e g i c a l l i a n c e a g r e e m e n t i n t h e M i d d l e E a s t

War a Russo-Iranian military pact has the potential to materialize in the near future as a counter to the Strategic Alliance Agreement In the deal, another major clause with potential destabilizing effect is the willingness on part of the USA to develop Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear programme This may be taken as an affront by the Iranian government which has for decades fought a diplomatic battle with the Western powers for retaining its civilian nuclear capability but has only received increasing mistrust from the West in response The policy circles within Iran, especially the revolutionaries, may interpret the civilian nuclear deal as a preliminary for subsequent development of a Saudi nuclear bomb thereby heightening Iranian suspicion with the potential to prompt Iran to seriously consider nuclear weapons deployment Even though Iran and Saudi Arabia recently normalized diplomatic relations, nothing concrete has been done to bolster bilateral ties among the two regional contenders Chinese efforts although initially impressive have been missing in the aftermath of the rapprochement creating a void which the USA is keen to fill The normalization of ties with Israel as per the agreement, and increased US military presence and engagement may negatively impact the security calculus of the region by heightening an adversary’s threat perception causing further crisis instability in the region

The greatest challenge for the deal right

now is Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state which appears to be unlikely in the foreseeable future Many security analysts argue that Israel has long had an aspiration for a Greater Israel That said, the deal still faces challenges from the violence in Gaza which needs to be addressed The UNSC resolution backed by the USA has as of yet failed to curtail the violence especially Israel s continued massacre of ordinary Palestinians Interestingly, President Biden put forward the ceasefire plan calling it an Israeli proposal, yet reports have emerged that farright government officials within Israel’s coalition government have blatantly rejected it The ambiguous state of affairs may altogether jeopardize the US-Saudi pact This brings us back to Iran s role as a disruptive power in the region which has the capacity, through its network of proxies, to deny the conducive and secure atmosphere needed for such a deal to materialize Experts already agree that the Hamas attacks on October 7 was to some extent prompted by Iran as it apprehended an Arab-Israeli normalization of ties and increased US role in providing security to the Gulf States, something Iran would never allow These developments will only deteriorate the volatile dynamics in the Middle East, especially the highly contentious Saudi civilian nuclear programme If the deal is formalized it can potentially prompt Iran to attain similar security guarantees as well possibly from Russia This paints a pessimistic outlook for the broader security of the Middle Eastern Region as complex alliances are notorious for lowering the threshold for conflict

Rising violence against journalists

Should Bangladesh react to Myanmar’s provocations?

SI N C E the beginning of the Rohingya crisis, Myanmar has been shirking responsibility Ever since the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population victims of genocide have been pouring into Bangladesh The Rohingya, who have been living in Rakhine state for almost 1000 years, have falsely been portrayed as Bangladeshi infiltrators Ignoring that, Bangladesh has given shelter to the Rohingyas for humanitarian reasons But despite all this Myanmar wants to get into a conflict with Bangladesh

PROVOCATIONS FROM MYANMAR’S

E N D: Bangladesh has been showing humanity vis-à-vis Myanmar ’s brutality and extremism for decades The international community is trying to deal with the crisis in a law-abiding way However Myanmar is trying to provoke Bangladesh in some ways that are not acceptable As the Myanmar junta has acted with impunity in the past, it is again showing the audacity to violate international norms Early in the Rohingya crisis Myanmar staged several border provocations Bangladesh felt the heat of escalating clashes in the bordering regions for a couple of months, with the sound of gunfights keeping the locals in bordering areas awake at night The Myanmar authorities fired mortar shells and dispatched helicopters inside Bangladesh Even two people were killed in February after mortar shells reportedly fired from Myanmar landed and exploded on Bangladesh s side Again, the Myanmar army placed landmines one after another in the border areas,

which violates border norms The military has also repeatedly violated Bangladesh’s airspace By creating pressure the Tatmadaw (military) hoped the remaining Rohingya in Myanmar would go to Bangladesh or elsewhere The junta also expected to incite Bangladesh to join its war on the rebels, which would further increase the persecution of Rohingya But Bangladesh faced the situation with patience Recently there was a firing from Myanmar on a vessel coming from Saint Martin s Island on June 5 The trawler was damaged but there were no casualties Since then, the transport of goods and passengers from Teknaf to Saint Martin’s Island has come to a halt There have been at least three incidents of gunfire during this period With apprehensions of a food shortage on the island the government arranged for a ship to carry food products by sea to the island Even in this challenging situation, the Bangladesh Security Force is dealing with the situation with utmost patience As relations between the two countries are now chilly Bangladesh should find a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the tension it is currently experiencing at the border with Myanmar A good beginning could be fostering military diplomacy with Myanmar, not receiving any war provocations However, Bangladesh is determined with its no-conflict policy in the Bay of Bengal region and peaceful coexistence with neighboring countries

Amid these growing skirmishes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army across the border the new army chief of Bangladesh General Wakeruz-Zaman said that his forces would not step into any provocation He said, Bangladesh is on the right track so far without stepping into Myanmar ’s trap Solutions should be sought in all other ways than engaging in conflict ” Additionally Bangladesh s new army chief has emphasized defense diplomacy as key to resolving the Myanmar border crisis, saying there was no possibility of conflict between the two militaries He also warned, “We do not want to see any provocation We do not have any issues with Myanmar apart from the Rohingya issue We want them to take back the Rohingya Aside from that I do not see we have any hatred or problem towards them Bangladesh is concerned about border tensions So far, security has been strengthened in the bordering areas of Myanmar and local police and coast guard have also been put on alert The government should also consider keeping the armed forces ready and the navy on heightened alert should things go beyond control on the other side of the border while also being cautious WAY F O RWA R D: From its

Bangladesh will not engag e in war under any provocation But it is also necessar y that Myanmar bullets should stay within their borders BangladeshÊs militar y and national strength are not visible to the Myanmar forces, so they were unaware of it But in the face of escalations, where Myanmar border guards themselves fled to Bangladesh, as they realiz ed the capacity of its militar y strength However, Bangladesh should make ever y effor t to solve the problem peacefully Bangladesh has already summoned MyanmarÊs ambassador many times It focuses on diplomacy rather than showing militar y strength. But, if necessar y, Bangladesh has the capability and power to react to any provocations, and our neighbour knows it, too.

Iran’s election could bring lasting peace

The betting scandal rocking

Britain’s elections

continued to engage in peaceful demonstrations against Raisi s extremism The late president s death triggered another cycle of protest The opposition movement demanded that in contrast to 2021, some of its own leaders be allowed to campaign for the presidency and vowed that, otherwise, it would organize massive street demonstrations that would catapult the country to the brink of civil war The Guardians caved in to this demand While they approved five hard-liners to run in the election they also allowed Masoud Pezeshkian to place his name on the ballot Pezeshkian represents a stunning contrast to his rivals Instead of seeking divine inspiration, he went to medical school, became a cardiac surgeon and served as president of the University of Medical Sciences in the Iranian city of Tabriz for five years Between 2001 and 2005 he was Iran s health minister before turning to electoral politics serving as the parliament s first deputy speaker from 2016 to 2020 Few Iranians have combined academic, bureaucratic and political achievement in such a remarkable fashion What is more Pezeshkian responded to Amini’s brutal death in 2022 by immediately denouncing the police efforts to implement religious faith through the use of force At the time he could not know whether Raisi would respond by ordering his arrest which is why many other members of the Iranian elite held their tongues

The Guardians’ decision to allow five hard-liners to run will only improve Pezeshkian’s chances In fact with the religious vote fragmented a champion of the enlightenment could win a landslide victory If Pezeshkian wins a dramatic shift in America s long-standing view of Iran as its archenemy will be essential to respond constructively Blinken, thankfully, is nimble enough for such an about-face Moreover his nonstop shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East means that he can readily reach out to potential Iranian negotiators No less important Biden will be eager to take Blinken s reports seriously, because the split in the American Jewish community and Arab-Americans growing opposition to his candidacy represent a major threat to his re-election The threat will get even bigger after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Washington to address a joint session of Congress on July 24

By that point Biden could be in a position to invite Netanyahu to join multilateral negotiations with Iran Such a scenario could not only dramatically reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation and a wider war in the Middle East but also prepare the way for a twostate solution that would permit both Israel and Palestine to coexist in peace Raisi s death represents a rare opportunity in which political leaders of long-standing rival countries have powerful incentives to inaugurate a new era of diplomacy But Biden must seize the moment If he views Pezeshkian as an enemy, Khamenei will be able to sabotage the new president’s popular standing and convince voters to repudiate his vision the next time around This is not the first time in recent history that a few quick decisions in the White House determine the future of the Middle East Some have led to years of bitter conflict This one could mark out a pathway to peaceful coexistence for decades to come Bruce Ackerman Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale is the author of Revolutionary Constitutions: Charismatic Leadership and the Rule of Law (Harvard University Press 2019) which includes an analysis of Iran s political development throughout the past century

And the distinctly obsessive will place higherodds bet on the exact score when Arsenal plays Spurs, that sort of thing The betting market is now so advanced and so hugely profitable – for the firms taking the bets not the punters placing them – that you can gamble on just about anything: whether London will have a white Christmas this year – meaning that it snows on Christmas Day –the odds are 8 to 1 (or an 11% chance); or whether India will win the 2026 football World Cup (you can get odds of 4,500 to 1, pointing to a 0 02% probability); or the much greater likelihood that NASA will confirm alien life on earth before the end of the year (900 to 1 or a 0 1% chance so what are you waiting for!)

This betting mania now extends from sport to another great competitive arena: electoral politics If you want to back the Labour Party to win next week s UK general election, you’ve left it a bit late – that’s a betting certainty, with odds of 25 to 1 on (a 96% chance of it happening); or if you think Boris Johnson will return from the cold to again lead the Conservative Party you can get odds of 40 to 1 which suggests a 2% probability There are limits to this gambling free-for-all Professional footballers can t bet on the result of games, whether they are playing or not It just feels wrong –and gives the impression that they are prepared to throw games or encourage their friends to do so Any footballer found breaking these rules faces stern sanction And we all know about the shadow that has fallen over international cricket from time-to-time because of the actions of illegal betting syndicates and the players they bribe In politics too, placing bets based on ‘inside’ information – that is using

China

Malaysian PM Mahathir refutes

to further comprehensively deepen reform and expand high-level opening-up will create greater opportunities for the world and inject the much-needed impetus into a troubled world economy, experts noted According to a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee the third plenum will run from July 15 to July 18 The Political Bureau meeting decided to submit a draft decision on further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization to the plenum for deliberation according to the Xinhua News Agency The draft has thoroughly analyzed the new situations and problems in advancing Chinese modernization and scientifically planned the overall arrangements for further deepening reforms according to the Political Bureau meeting Political Bureau members were briefed on comments on the draft, which were solicited from both within and out-

side the CPC and the draft will be updated after discussions at the meeting Xinhua reported The third plenum is widely considered one of the most important events in China’s political agenda and is usually focused on various aspects of reform in the country The third plenary session of the 11th Central Committee in 1978 for example was an epoch-making event that ushered in the new period of reform, opening-up and socialist modernization that underpinned China’s economic miracle and rapid rise on the global stage over the past several decades

The third plenary session of the 18th Central Committee held in 2013 was also of epoch-making significance, as it marked the beginning of a new stage in China’s reform and opening-up that underpinned China’s high-quality development over the past several years despite complex international and domestic situations In 2023 China s GDP growth exceeded 126 trillion yuan ($17 3 trillion), up from about 59 trillion yuan in 2013, and a mere 367 9 billion yuan in 1978, the year that marked the start of China’s decades-long reform and opening-up

UN criticises Israel for unleashing army dogs on detained Palestinians

The working teams of China and the European Commission (EC) have maintained close communication and stepped up the consultations the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) confirmed on Thursday, responding to a question on the launch of consultations between China and the EU on the anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) initiated by the EU China has always maintained that trade frictions should be properly handled through dialogue and consultations Chinese officials have repeatedly expressed serious concerns and firm opposition to the anti-subsidy investigation into China’s EVs initiated by the EC He Yadong a spokesperson for MOFCOM said on Thursday during a routine press briefing The remarks were a response to a question of whether China-EU con-

On June 22 Israeli soldiers raided a house in the El-Jabariyyat neighborhood of Jenin, injuring three young men with gunfire They tied one of the wounded men to the hood of

sultations could follow the solution of the ChinaEU trade dispute on photovoltaic products dating back to 2013 when minimum import prices and limited import quantity were set On Saturday China and the EU agreed to launch consultations on the issue of the EU s antisubsidy investigation into Chinese EVs, during a video meeting between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and Valdis Dombrovskis executive vice president of the EC China-EU cooperation is in essence complementary and mutually beneficial

pakistan deplores UN repor t for omitting K ashmiri children’s suﬀering

The 14th Convocation of the University of Lahore 2024 was held with provincial health ministers

Khawaja Salman Rafique and Khawaja Imran Nazir participating as special guests The event was attended by Chairman Board of Governors Owais Rauf, Deputy Chairman Uzair Rauf, Rector Professor Dr Muhammad Ashraf ProRector Academics Nasir Mahmood

Director HLMC Shehnaz Rauf

Principal College of Medicine Dr Mehwish Arooj, Director Student Affairs Amara Owais, Dr Zahid Pervez, Registrar Ali Aslam, Controller Examinations Asim Ali prorectors deans heads of

Meanwhile Ambassador Akram added, The plight of children in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, previously included in the reports has been unjustly omitted despite their ongoing suffering under foreign occupation

Detailing the plight of children in the occupied territories, where human rights violations are tragically routine”, the Pakistan envoy said, adding “We vividly recall the heart-wrenching image of a threeyear old Kashmiri boy sitting in shock on his grandfather s lifeless body just murdered by Indian soldier; we remember 18-month-old Hiba, her eyes ruptured by pellet guns fired by security forces inside her home in

occupation “Generations of Kashmiri children have grown up amidst fear of violence and repression under foreign occupation the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member Council The report s most glaring and persistent failure and double standard has been its selective omission of certain situations, most importantly, the children of Palestine It has taken the killing of 14 000 children in the (ongoing) Gaza war for Israel to be included in the report (this year)

Kapran village of Kashmir He said that none of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and several Special Rapporteurs of the Human Rights Council have who asked for access to Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir to investigate the reports of massive violations of human rights, was allowed to go there

“I will like to ask the SRSG (Special Representative of the Secretary-General) whether she was able to visit Indian Occupied Kashmir during her visit to India, Ambassador Akram asked “The Special Rapporteur should investigate and report on the whereabouts and condition of the 13 000 Kashmiri youth who were widely reported to have been picked up and detained by the occupation forces after 5 August 2019 (when India illegally annexed occupied Kashmir)