Saturday, 23 January, 2021 I 9 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 205 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Pakistan, india go head to head over minority rights in Unga
ISLAMABAD
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Staff report
AkISTAN and India sparred on Friday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the situation of minority rights in each other's countries as the assembly adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, condemning damage and destruction of religious sites. Rejecting what were termed India's “unwarranted assertions” on the burning down of a Hindu shrine in khyber Pakhtunkhwa's karak tehsil last month, Pakistani delegate Zulqarnain Chheena said India should set its own house in order rather than feigning concern for minority rights elsewhere. "This is not the first time India has tried to feign concern for minority rights elsewhere while being the most egregious and persistent violator of minority rights itself,” he added. The resolution was proposed by Saudi Arabia and co-sponsored by other Arab
nations including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Sudan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine, which is recognised as a non-member observer state by the United Nations. Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Venezuela were also co-sponsors. Speaking during the assembly, however, India's representative said it was "ironic" that Pakistan was one of the cosponsors of the resolution, alleging that the attack on the karak shrine was carried out with the "explicit support" of law enforcement agencies. "The resolution cannot be smokescreen for countries like Pakistan to hide behind," India Today quoted the Indian delegate as saying. Exercising his right of reply, Chheena said: "The clear difference between India and Pakistan with respect to minority rights can be gauged from the fact that the accused in the karak incident were immediately arrested, orders were
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issued for repairing the temple, the highest level of judiciary took immediate notice, and the senior political leadership condemned the incident. "Whereas in India, blatant acts of discrimination against Muslims and other minorities take place with state complicity." In this regard, the Pakistani delegate cited the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens, the 2002 Gujarat massacre, the 2020 Delhi pogrom, the 1992 demolition of Babri Mosque and acquittal of the accused in 2020, blaming of Muslims for spreading coronavirus, raising the bogey of 'love jihad', cow vigilantism and terming West Bengal Muslims "termites", extra-judicial killings of innocent kashmiris and blatant attempts to turn Muslims into a minority in occupied kashmir. "The RSS-BJP regime's record is replete with instances of gross and systemic violations of the rights of minorities, in particular Muslims,” the Pakistani delegate said. “The Indian leadership is yet to condemn the perpetrators of the Delhi massacre in February 2020 let alone bring those criminals to justice. "As a perennial purveyor of statesponsored discrimination against its minorities, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of minority rights elsewhere," Chheena told the Assembly. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said: "Pakistan will continue to play a leading role in denouncing violent attacks on religious sites." The resolution condemns the "increasing targeting of cultural property, including religious sites and ritual objects [...] by terrorist attacks and outlawed militias, often resulting in destruction as well as theft and illicit trafficking of stolen items".
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FM urges Biden to work on Afghan peace process, withdraw troops ISLAMABAD Staff report
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that US President Joe Biden should follow up on the ongoing Afghan peace process and withdrawal of the US troops from the country. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the foreign minister said that the new US administration should realise that there is an opportunity in Afghanistan and they should persevere with what was initiated. Qureshi stressed on the need for the intra-Afghan negotiations, currently continuing in the Qatari capital Doha, to focus on moving forward. “Pakistan is playing the role of a facilitator,” he said. “The ultimate responsibility […] is with the Afghan leadership. It’s their country, it’s their future.” “I have had a number of meetings [with them], and I have been telling them … and convincing them, please come into the mainstream,” said Qureshi. “You have come to the table, and by coming to the table you have earned respectability to a large extent in the international community.” Qureshi said he had urged Taliban Political Commission (TPC) chief Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had previously spent years in Pakistani custody, to “accept the change” in Afghanistan.
Senate chairman backs open ballot polls in Upper House ISLAMABAD tLtp
Submitting his reply in support of presidential reference, seeking the Supreme Court’s (SC) interpretation for open ballet in upcoming Senate election Friday, the Senate chairman termed the option will promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process. The federal government has filed the reference in the top court under Article 186 of the Constitution seeking its opinion about holding the upcoming Senate polls through the open ballot. The government has sought the opinion of the court if the issue can be decided without amending the Constitution by introducing an Amendment in Section 122 (vi) of the Election Act 2017. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani submitted that Senate elections are held through secret ballot as per Election Act 2017 saying as per Article 226 of the Constitution all elections under the Constitution, other than those of the prime minister and the chief minister, shall be by secret ballot. He said that the top court has always interpreted the Con-
“Accept this new reality, and accept this change. You cannot turn the clock back. Understand what has happened, live with it and see what can be done.” During talks with Afghan government counterparts, Qureshi said Pakistan had been urging Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government to accept the “ground reality” of the Taliban’s support amongst some Afghans. “The Taliban and people who are sympathetic to them, they are a reality,” he said. “Who are they? They are Afghans. Talk to them, tell them, convince them that they should give up violence and shift from the bullet to ballot.” Qureshi said Pakistan aimed to have broad-ranging ties with Afghanistan, and that its ultimate goal was regional connectivity after peace was established in its northwestern neighbour. “It is not going to be an easy ride. It is going to be difficult, the road is going to be bumpy and it’s going to be time-consuming, one has to understand all of that,” he added. “And yet there are opportunities, we should not miss those opportunities.” Qureshi further stated that “there are elements from outside who do not share our vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
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more inside
Govt to facilitate foreign, local investors: PM STORY ON BACK PAGE
SBP keeps policy rate unchanged at 7pc STORY ON PAGE 09 stitution of the country by keeping the public interest in view. “The Parliament has the prerogative to make amendments in the law, while the Supreme Court has the right to interpret the constitution,” Sanjrani added. The Senate chairman maintained that elected representatives are bound to party discipline and those voting against the party in the Senate polls should have the courage to exercise their right to vote openly. “It is consensus among all stakeholders including parliamentarians, political parties, intelligentsia, journalist and civil society that free and fair elections to elect members of the
Senate of Pakistan would promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process, acknowledge respect for will of the voters, strengthen political parties and their discipline which is essential for parliamentary democracy”, said the chairman of the upper house in his reply. It is pertinent to mention that during last week, in its reply submitted with the SC, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the possibility of holding Senate polls through the open ballot saying the Senate elections would be held as per the Constitution of 1973.
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Bilawal seeks noconfidence motion against PM instead of holding rallies STORY ON PAGE 03
Ex-PM Abbasi calls for abolishing NAB STORY ON PAGE 03