RAMALLAH: Hundreds of Palestinians marched to protest the treatment of prisoners held in Israeli jails on Saturday, following reports of abuse and even torture. Relatives held up pictures of prisoners and waved Palestinian flags during separate demonstrations in Ramallah and Nablus in the occupied West Bank. “Even if the whole world submits, we will not recognise Israel,” chanted the protesters in Ramallah. Thousands of Palestinians have been detained in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel since the start of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations human rights office said this week. They have mostly been held in secret and in some…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
KATHMANDU/DHAKA: At least 32 children have been killed during student protests that engulfed Bangladesh last month, the UN’s children’s agency has said. “I have just returned from a week in Bangladesh, and I am deeply concerned about the impact of recent violence and ongoing unrest on children,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, Unicef’s Regional Director for South Asia, in a statement issued on Friday. He said that Unicef confirmed that at least 32 children were killed during July’s protests, with many more injured and detained. This is a terrible loss. “Unicef condemns all acts of violence. On behalf of Unicef, I extend my heartfelt condolences…
ISLAMABAD: The world is ill-prepared to address the long-term impacts on social development arising from shocks that more rapidly turn into crises, a UN report has warned. The World Social Report 2024, prepared by the United Nations Department of Social Affairs (DESA), says shocks are becoming more frequent and intense and are amplified and spread through the networks that connect across countries and systems. The report, released earlier this week, says rapid progress in eradicating poverty, expanding inclusion, reducing inequality and securing employment within the framework of sustainable development serves to build resilience at the individual and community level. Given adequate…
BEIRUT: Middle East tensions soared on Saturday as Iran and its allies readied their response to the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, blamed on Israel, spurring fears of a regional war. Israel’s ally the United States said it would move warships and fighter jets to the region, while Western governments have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon — where the powerful Hezbollah movement is based — and airlines cancelled flights. The killing earlier this week of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, hours after the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah’s military chief in Beirut, has triggered vows of vengeance from Iran and the “axis of resistance”. Groups…
ISLAMABAD: A leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and former MNA, Ali Wazir was arrested after a road accident in the wee hours of Saturday morning. He was later produced before an antiterrorism court (ATC) that handed over his custody to the police for six days. However, Islamabad police despite being contacted did not give official version of the incident till late in night. Sources said two motorbikes collided with each other before one of those hit Mr Wazir’s vehicle. They said the ex-MNA shifted the injured motorcyclist in his vehicle to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims)…
LAHORE: Police investigation suggested that four suspects were involved in the murder of PTI founding member Dr Shahid Siddique two days ago. The owner of Iqra Medical Complex in Johar Town, Dr Siddique was standing outside Khizra Mosque in Valencia Town after offering Friday prayers when an unknown man approached him and opened fire. The doctor succumbed to his injuries while being taken to a hospital. Police have registered a case against four unidentified attackers and started an investigation. Police also recorded statements from the family and eyewitnesses and collected video footage from CCTV cameras installed in nearby streets. Initial investigations suggested…
QUETTA: Heavy monsoon rains lashed various areas of Balochistan for the third consecutive day on Saturday, creating a flood-like situation in different regions, as flash floods continued to wreak havoc, disrupting traffic on highways and roads connecting the province to other parts of the country. At least 12 people have been killed over the past few days in rain-related incidents so far. The main rivers, including Nai Gaj, Bolan, Lehri, and Mola, were swollen with high floodwaters as their catchment areas, comprising Ziarat, Harnai, Zhob, Sanjavi, Loralai, Qila Saifullah, Muslim Bagh and Khanozai, received continuous heavy rainfall over the last three days.…
‘Gwadar ka mahasara band karo’ (stop the siege of Gwadar) echoed outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Saturday afternoon as civil society activists took to the streets against the state crackdown on Baloch protesters in Sindh and Balochistan. Under the dull sky, they chanted slogans against the government’s “cowardice” and “hypocrisy”. Their voices, the loudest among the three demonstrations underway in the area, were undeterred even as the city’s humidity levels peaked. “We won’t back down until and unless the oppression stops,” said Virsa Pirzado, one of the protesters and a member of the Sindh Commission on the Status…
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that the army owes an apology to him since he was “abducted” by the Rangers on May 9, 2023. The PTI leader’s remarks came during a media talk at Adiala Jail where he was asked that the army wants those behind violent protests of May 9 to apologise and whether he would tender an apology. Mr Khan further said he was arrested by the Rangers, which is headed by a serving major general, from the premises of the Islamabad High Court. Since May 7, when ISPR Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif said any…
ISLAMABAD: Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, in their dissenting verdict in the reserved seats case, have regretted that the “superstructure” created by the July 12 majority judgement does not in any way come within the ambit of the jurisdiction vested in the Supreme Court or the Constitution. “The issue was simply the matter of post-general elections directly related to the reserved seats for both women and non-Muslims on the basis of proportional representation system of political parties’ lists of candidates under Article 51 and 106 of the Constitution,” the dissenting note explained. “In the process of general elections all…
