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‘We are capable of responding back’: Farhan Saeed

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LAHORE: The singer-actor suggested the PCB boycott the World Cup 2023 in response and argued that the Indian team must realize that “their value is no longer the same”.

Farhan Saeed recently appeared on a television program for his upcoming film Tich Button. While most of the questions were about his film, host Waseem Badami teased the subject of the Indian cricket team refusing to come to Pakistan for next year’s Asia Cup and hosting the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Saeed called their response “childish” and reminded the panel that it has been happening for quite a while.

The actor joined Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Aadi Adeal and Mustafa Chaudhry as part of the promotions for his film and a healthy discussion on Pakistan’s upcoming cricket tournaments and matches ensued. Then came the topic of India’s decision to back out of next year’s Asia Cup. “If this is what they do and the World Cup takes place, then Pakistan should host a PSL here, the entire nation should go and see it, and boycott the World Cup because this is stupid and childish and has been happening for quite some time,” said Saeed.

The Mere Humsafar actor suggested that we need to respond, as suggested by Khan and Akmal. He urged the PCB to promote cricket and take a stand where needed. “I think we should we shouldn’t be scared of anyone at this point because if in the T20 World Cup the number one and number three batsmen are absent, that will be one dull tournament. So they should also realise by now that their value is no longer the same as the team that never lost a World Cup. We are capable of responding back so they should just back off a little,” said Saeed.

Shifting the focus to the former cricketers next to Saeed, Badami said that the ‘Sajni’ singer carries the sentiments of the people. Khan, the former batsman agreed with Saeed and said any cricket fan around the world would agree with them and their stance, which is that matches between India and Pakistan must take place, with both teams visiting the countries.

Indian cricket board’s Secretary Jay Shah ruled out the possibility of the Indian cricket team visiting Pakistan for the 50-over Asia Cup next year, saying that they had decided to hold the tournament at a neutral venue. “It’s the government that decides over the permission of our team visiting Pakistan, so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue,” Shah, who is also the president of Asian Cricket Council, said.

Read more: New Zealand to play in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan and Karachi

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US repatriates 46 smuggled artifacts to Islamabad

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ISLAMABAD: The US Government has repatriated 46 artifacts back to Pakistan, including the most notable $1.1 million Buddhapadha, that now fill the central space at the Islamabad Museum.

The Kushan period footprints of Buddha (Buddhapadha) were stolen from an unknown archaeological site in the Gandhara region of Pakistan in the 1980s, and smuggled to the United States.

A Japanese art dealer Tatsuzo Kaku was involved in smuggling the sculpture.

“The footprints of the Buddha were recovered by the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York during the investigation and prosecution of a criminal case involving international smuggling and sale of stolen antiquities,” said Assistant Director Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) Dr Mehmoodul Hassan. He elaborated that the artifact was detected at an auction where it was put up for sale for an estimated $1.1 million.

Kushan period footprints of Buddha among antiquities now showcased at Islamabad Museum, say officials

He said the ancient region of Gandhara, Swat and Taxila were thickly dotted with Buddhist archaeological sites of 1st to 5th century CE.

“These sites are situated in the far-flung mountainous areas and subject to the clandestine excavations and cultural heritage artifact recovered by antique hunters are taken to the international antique markets through illicit means,” he added.

The new display showcased DOAM’s efforts through four years of patient diplomacy and bureaucratic challenges to get the valuable antiquities repatriated.

Dr Hassan said that after completion of the legal procedure the Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr handed over the second century CE Buddhapada to the consulate of Pakistan, New York at a repatriation ceremony.

After completion of all formalities, the footprints of Buddha along with 45 other specimens of Gandhara were restituted by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, National Heritage and Culture Division, Pakistan, on September 16, 2021, with the active support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The footprints (Buddhapadha) are made of green schist, explained Assistant Director DOAM Abdul Ghafoor Lone.

“These footprints are 116 centimetres wide and 90 centimetres high. The footprints are divided by Corinthian pilasters. The upper border is decorated with undulated garland which is atypical Gandharan style influenced by Graco-Roman architectural traditions,” Mr Lone added.

The decoration of the footprints consists of sacred symbols of Buddhism – symbols of three pronged triratna (three jewels) representing Buddha, his doctrine and his followers, he elaborated. “The symbol of dharmachakra (wheel of law) denotes Buddha’s doctrine and lotus flower symbolises Buddha,” he said.

Among other showstoppers are the several 1st century BC stone panels depicting the palace life, scenes of dancing devotees before Buddha’s enlightenment.

Besides Buddha’s relic caskets, equally striking pieces of rescued antiquity include bath trays, depicting Greek sea god – an art form that later inspired Buddhist stone structures, said Mr Lone.

“Antiquities are vital to modern society. They provide insight into human history. When shared with the public, they create inroads to learning about interesting and fascinating cultures of world,” said Director General Department of Archaeology and Museums Dr Abul Azeem.

The Buddhapadha is now on display in Islamabad Museum, Sir Syed Memorial Society building.

In his recent visit to the new display, US Ambassador Dr Donald Blome wrote in the comments register: “Thank you for preserving and caring for this remarkable collection, demonstrating the incredible riches of Pakistan’s heritage.”

The US government has also already handed over another consignment of 104 confiscated artifacts to the Pakistani authorities in the US.

Another 191 ancient treasures believed to have also been spirited out of Pakistan would be returned to the country after working through diplomatic and legal means.

Read more: Twin cities among districts with highest number of child abuse cases

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Twin cities among districts with highest number of child abuse cases

abuse - The News Today - TNT

ISLAMABAD: Twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been listed as districts with second and third highest numbers of child abuse cases among 10 districts of the country.

According to information shared by SAHIL, a non-governmental organisation working for child protection on its twitter handler, Kasur is on top of the list of child abuses in the country with 298 cases.

SAHIL report stated that 292 cases of child abuses were reported in the district of Rawalpindi and 247 in Islamabad even though the federal capital had a higher literacy rate and slightly more law-abiding citizens.

Sahil said in its findings that in the year 2021 out of the total 3,852 cases more than half — 52 per cent — had been reported from these 10 districts. After six years, Kasur is on the top with 298 cases.

It also reported that Faisalabad came in the fourth place with 237 cases followed by Gujranwala with 198 cases, Sialkot 186, Khairpur 152 and Lahore 150 cases.

As many as 120 cases of child abuse were reported in Okara and another 107 in Muzaffargarh.

The number of cases of child abuse reported by Sahil in 2021 were 2,000. Incidents of child sexual abuse increased by 14pc in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period the year before, the NGO had reported.

The organisation, which has worked on child protection against sexual abuse since 1996, blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the increase in the cases, arguing that children were home and more than 55pc of their abusers were acquaintances.

The situation was no better in the year 2018 when Sahil reported that cases of child abuse had increased by 11pc compared to 2017 with more than 10 children facing some form of abuse every day in Pakistan.

The NGO said 3,832 cases were reported in the year 2018. In comparison, 2,445 such incidents were reported by newspapers between January and December 2017.

Read more: Islamabad police lodges FIR against Sophia Mirza, Shahzad Akbar

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Johnson returns to UK amid rumors he will run for leader

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LONDON: The lightning-fast race to replace Liz Truss as British Prime Minister got even wilder Saturday as former leader Boris Johnson jetted back to the UK amid speculation he will run to reclaim his former job.

Johnson was ousted by a series of ethics scandals just three months ago, but boarded a flight back to London from his vacation in the Dominican Republic, days after the dramatic resignation of his successor, Liz Truss.

He remains a divisive figure among fellow Conservative lawmakers.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, said Saturday morning that it was “difficult to see” how Johnson could become prime minister again when he is “absorbed and distracted” by an ongoing inquiry into alleged parties at Downing Street while the rest of the country was observing COVID-19 lockdown rules, and Johnson’s statements to parliament afterward. The new prime minister is supposed to be in place by Oct. 28.

Even so, Johnson has the public backing of several other former Cabinet colleagues, including former Home Secretary Priti Patel, who tweeted Saturday: “Boris has the mandate to deliver our elected manifesto and a proven track record getting the big decisions right.”

Johnson needs the backing of 100 lawmakers before 2 p.m. Monday to be on the ballot paper.

Johnson’s former Treasury chief, Rishi Sunak, who precipitated Johnson’s ouster by resigning in protest at his former boss in July, is another likely runner. Sunak lost to Truss in a vote of Conservative Party grassroots members just over seven weeks ago, but he was strongly supported by his party’s lawmakers.

Sunak’s warning to Truss during the previous leadership race that aggressive tax cuts would devalue the pound and send interest rates soaring was proved right earlier this month, and he is being pitched as a safe pair of hands who can shore up financial markets. The Truss government was later forced to reverse almost all of the unfunded cuts that it announced.

Conservative lawmaker Helen Grant tweeted that she is backing Sunak again because of his “economic and organizational competence”.

House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt is the only candidate to publicly declare she is running to replace Truss, saying in a tweet Friday that she represents “a fresh start.”

Mordaunt, a straight-talking 49-year-old Royal Navy reservist who briefly served as U.K. defense secretary in 2019, is the bookmakers’ third favorite. Outside of Conservative circles she is perhaps best known for appearing on the 2014 reality TV diving show “Splash!” in which contestants learn to dive.

Johnson has so far won the support of six Cabinet ministers, including respected Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. But he was lagging behind Sunak in publicly declared support, Saturday, as was Mordaunt. Bookmakers make Sunak the most likely next leader.

The leadership uncertainty comes at a time of weak economic growth and as millions struggle with higher borrowing costs and rising prices for groceries, fuel and other basics. A growing wave of strikes by train and postal workers, lawyers and others has revealed mounting discontent as a recession looms.

Truss quit Thursday after a turbulent 45 days, conceding that she could not deliver on her tax-cutting economic package, which she was forced to abandon after it caused turmoil in financial markets.

Read more: Khawaja Asif refutes reports of talks with PTI

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Islamabad police lodges FIR against Sophia Mirza, Shahzad Akbar

Sophia - The News Today - TNT

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Police has registered a case number 465/22 against model Sophia Mirza, former accountability minister Shahzad Akbar and others on the request of Umar Farooq Zahoor for conspiracy, forgery and misuse of public office.

At the Police Station Secretariat in Islamabad, Norwegian origin Pakistani businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor has registered a case alleging that Miss Sophia Mirza and Mirza Shahzad conspired to create a fabricated story against him by misusing authority and using undue influence.

Umar Farooq Zahoor has engaged lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq to represent him at all forums in relation to this matter. The lawyer said there is overwhelming evidence against the accused persons and conviction is possible through efficacious and robust prosecution of this matter.

Mian Ali Ashfaq stated that Islamabad Police should make every effort to bring Shahzad Akbar into the fold of inquiry and prosecution of this matter, including arrest through Interpol if he disregards or does not comply with the notices issued by Islamabad Police in due course.

Umar Farooq Zahoor has stated in the application that both Sophia Mirza (also known as Sofia Mirza and Khushbakhat Mirza) and Shahzad Akbar conspired against him and intentionally misled former PM Imran Khan’s cabinet by not disclosing to the federal cabinet that he was Ambassador at Large of Liberia for Middle East and South East Asia including Pakistan and that criminal prosecution was not possible for a diplomat in a family dispute.

Umar Farooq Zahoor has been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last two decades as ambassador at large for the republic of Liberia since 2019 for the middle east and south east and Pakistan region.

Umar Farooq Zahoor has also accused two senior officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of being part of the conspiracy against him.

The application says: “That Shehzad Akbar, Sofia Mirza and Sanaullah Abbasi (EX DG FIA) with criminal intent and consultation with each other got registered FIR No. 36/20 and 40/20 in FIA CCC Lahore and Shehzad Akbar and Sanaullah Abbasi with criminal intent by misusing their position and authority pressurized the investigation officers of the case especially Umaid Butt, Deputy Director AHTC, Syed Ali Mardan Shah Inspector FIA ACC, Habib Ur Rehman Inspector FIA/AHTC, Hina Khan IP/SHO Banking Crime, Beenish Rehman SI/SHO Anti-Corruption, Uzma Ashiq SI/SHO Corporate Crime to prepare a forged and fabricated warrant of arrest of the applicant so the enable them to get Red warrant from Interpol. They further prepared a fake warrant of arrest and order of court after consultation with each other with criminal intent and prepared another fake Non bailable warrant of arrest.”

His application to the police station says that the accused “prepared false, fabricated and forged documents in the name of Honorable court and the Honorable Judge and used the same as original one and on the instructions and will of Sanaullah Abbasi (EX DG FIA ) to mislead the Honorable Supreme Court a fake, false and fabricated report dated 12-01-2022 was prepared.

“The applicant filed an application in the court of Ghulam Murtaza Wirk learned Judicial Magistrate Section 30 Lahore for summoning of record of the case and to get attested copies of the case record, the Honourable court summoned the challan as well as the record , the accused persons submitted 1 page report dated 04-06-2022 and did not mention a word about the case rather narrated another fake and fabricated story, upon which the court held vide detailed order dated 04-06-2022 that neither any non bailable warrant of arrest have been issued from court nor any report u/s 173 crpc has been submitted by the FIA which proves the fabrication of non bailable warrants of arrest prepared by the above named accused persons.”

Umar Farooq Zahoor requested to the police station to register a case against the accused persons for preparing fake and fabricated documents by” forging the signature and stamp of Honorable Judge, using forged documents as original one, deliberately preparing a fabricated report with criminal intent on the basis of forged documents for Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan and misusing the authority with criminal intent by breaching the trust of public office which was entrusted to them and above name accused persons be prosecuted for justice and fair play”.

The FIA Lahore branch registered cases of money-laundering and corruption against Mr Zahoor on the request of his former wife Sophia Mirza in March 2020 to get him on the Interpol database. The cases, registered with false accusations, were aimed at helping Sophia Mirza who has been involved in a long custody battle with Mr Zahoor over the couple’s twin daughters. Zainab and Zunierah, both aged 15, have been living with their father in Dubai since they were born.

Recently, the FIA confirmed that it had written to Interpol that Mr Zahoor was no longer a person of interest for the agency and no longer on the Exit Control List (ECL). Following that, the Interpol announced last week that it had removed his name from the Interpol Red Notice List.

Read more: Khawaja Asif refutes reports of talks with PTI

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Malala praises bravery of Sindh’s flood-hit female victims

KARACHI: “You are brave women coping in these difficult times”, said Malala Yousafzai, Nobel laureate while talking to female victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan during her visit in Dadu area of Sindh province.

Malala Yousafzai landed in Karachi a day earlier with her parents on her second visit to Pakistan since she was shot in the head at point-blank range by Taliban gunmen in October 2012 at the age of 15 as she was returning from her school in the Swat Valley.

The Pakistani education rights icon last visited the country nearly four years ago in 2018. During her current trip to Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai aims to help the flood victims of Sindh.

Sindh chief minister’s spokesperson Abdul Rasheed Chana said Yousafzai visited Juhi, a flood-affected area of ​​Dadu district, where she interacted with the flood affectees.

The flood-affected women welcomed her to their camp as Malala sat with the women and listened to their problems and encouraged them.

She commended their bravery during this difficult time.

Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, meanwhile, in a briefing to Yousafzai, said that there is still water in many areas. After draining the water, more surveys will be done to determine the damage to the schools in the area, he said.

He said that the education of two million children in 12,000 schools has been affected, on which Yousafzai expressed concern.

Malala Yousafzai was accompanied by Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah and social worker and founder of Zindagi Trust Shehzad Roy.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah appreciated Yousafzai’s visit to the flood-hit areas, saying her visit will raise the voice of a humanitarian crisis in Sindh to the world.

Read more: Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai returns to Pakistan to help flood victims

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Islamabad court approves two-day remand of Swati in controversial tweets case

Azam - The News Today - TNT

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad District and Sessions Court on Thursday sent senior PTI leader Senator Azam Khan Swati into police custody on a two-day physical remand after he was arrested over his alleged “controversial” tweets.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took Swati into custody from his home in Islamabad earlier, and presented him before senior civil judge Shabbir Bhatti’s court in the federal capital.

The agency’s cybercrime wing registered a case against Swati late Wednesday night over the “controversial” tweets.

The PTI leader, soon after his arrest, was presented before senior civil judge Shabbir Bhatti’s court in the federal capital. PTI’s lawyer Ali Bukhari represented Swati in court.

At the outset of the court proceeding, the FIA officials requested the court to grant a seven-day physical remand of Swati for investigation.

However, Swati’s counsel claimed that the “worst” torture was inflicted upon the senator. They stressed that Swati has been arrested only on “political grounds”.

Later, the court partially accepted the FIA’s plea, granting a two-day physical remand of Swati.

He is the third senior leader of the Imran Khan-led PTI who has been arrested by the FIA after Saifullah Khan Nyazee and Hamid Zaman. However, Nyazee and Zaman are being probed for their alleged involvement in the prohibited funding to the party.

Meanwhile, PTI General Secretary Asad Umar condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of Swati.

Read more: PTI leader Azam Swati arrested from his residence in controversial tweets case

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UNGA unanimously adopts resolution asking full support in rehabilitation, reconstruction of Pakistan

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UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has unanimously adopted a resolution urging donor nations and institutions to provide full support to rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.

“The scaling calamities in Pakistan can linger for years. Massive guidance and support to the government of Pakistan are absolutely essential,” said UN Secretary General Ant­ónio Guterres, while speaking in favour of the resolution.

The resolution, co-sponsored by 159 countries, urges the international community, “in particular donor countries, international financial institutions and relevant international organisations, as well as the private sector and civil society, to extend full support and assistance to Pakistan in its efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts of the floods and to meet the medium- and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction needs”.

Recalling his recent visit to Pakistan, the UN chief said he did not only see the devastations caused by the floods. “I saw the best of humanity. I saw the immense generosity and solidarity of neighbors and strangers helping one another,” he said. “So, people themselves have risked and lost all their worldly possessions to rescue others.”

The secretary general recalled that on Oct 4, the UN launched a revised plan for collecting $816 million to help the flood victims in Pakistan. “I urge donor countries, international financial institutions, and other relevant international organisations, along with the private sector and civil society, to fully support these efforts,” Guterres said.

During an earlier UNGA debate on the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate-inducted disasters, Pakistan called for an early solution to the debt distress of nearly 60 developing countries through effective operation of international agreements and bilateral arrangements.

Pakistan specifically called for implementing the G-20 Common Framework, which addresses the problem of unsustainable debts faced by many developing nations.

Recent reports by various financial institutions acknowledge that about 60 per cent of low-income countries are at high risk or already in debt distress. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently published a list of 73 countries that face debt-related vulnerabilities.

At Thursday’s debate, Pakistan warned that more than 50 developing countries faced debt distress, and many may be obliged to default, as climate change continues to take its heavy toll. Pakistan, speaking for the Group of 77 (developing countries) and China, also called for a clear roadmap to overcome the recent series of “shocks” to the world economy.

“Countries, like Pakistan, which confront such climate-induced disasters, should not be left to fend for themselves,” said Pakistan’s UN permanent representative Munir Akram in his address to the General Assembly, adding, “We must construct global mechanisms that can enable climate-struck countries to access resources to mitigate the impacts of the ever more frequent and more intense climate disasters and to recover quickly from such disasters”.

“The unequal impacts have been accompanied by a deficit in solidarity — as visible on vaccine availability and the liquidity support — $17 trillion generated in the richer, less than $100 billion for the developing world,” Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the General Assembly Second Committee, which deals with economic and financial matters.

Pakistan is the current chairman of G-77 and China, which now has 134 members and is the United Nations’ biggest intergovernmental group of emerging countries.

Read more: Nothing real about ‘real independence’, says Rana Sanaullah

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TikTok removes 15m videos from Pakistan for violating Community Guidelines in Q2 2022

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ISLAMABAD: TikTok, world’s leading short-form video sharing platform on social media, has removed more than 15 million videos from Pakistan for violating Community Guidelines in the second quarter of the current year (Q2 2022).

With 15,351,388 videos removed, Pakistan ranked second in the world for the largest volume of videos taken down for Community Guidelines violations from 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022.

According to the latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report; from Pakistan, 97% of videos were removed within 24 hours of being posted for violating Community Guidelines, 98% were removed before a user reported them, and 97% were removed before having any views.

TikTok is opening state-of-the-art cyber-incident monitoring and investigative response centers in Washington DC, Dublin, and Singapore this year.

The short-video platform has released its latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report for Q2 2022 (April-June 2022), building on its commitment to a multi-pronged approach to stop misinformation on the app.

The report reflects the platform’s ongoing commitment to earn trust by being accountable while working to be safe and welcoming.

The latest iteration of the report shows improvements made in countering misinformation and efforts made in the investment in digital literacy education to help get ahead of the problem at scale.

In the second quarter of 2022, 113,809,300 videos were removed globally, which represents merely 1% of all videos uploaded to TikTok. Pakistan, with 15,351,388 videos removed for violating Community Guidelines, ranked second in the world for the largest volume of videos taken down in Q2 2022.

In addition to removing accounts for violating Community Guidelines, the platform also removed accounts determined to be spam, along with spam videos posted by those accounts. It also took proactive measures to prevent spam accounts from being created through automated means.

Since last quarter, TikTok identified 33 new misinformation claims, resulting in the removal of 58,000 videos from the platform globally.

In the second quarter of 2022, the total volume of ads removed for violating advertising policies and guidelines decreased.

This is due in part to efforts to strengthen account-level detection and enforcement strategies, which have helped improve the ads ecosystem and create better experiences for both users and advertisers.

To further reiterate its commitment to fighting misinformation and ensuring safety, TikTok is introducing a new penalty system where if someone violates one of its Community Guidelines, their account will accrue a strike for this specific policy violation.

The platform will keep a count of the number of strikes accumulated, and if the person continues posting violative content, they will be permanently banned. The number of strikes leading to a permanent ban depends on the severity of the violation, and the number of total violations.

To learn more about content guidelines, tools and policies on TikTok, refer to the Community Guidelines, also available in Urdu language. (Edited by Khadijah Kamili)

Read more: Pakistani cuisine contributes towards Beijing’s diverse food culture

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Interior Ministry asks ECP to postpone Oct 16 by-polls for 90 days

ECP - The News Today - TNT

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry has demanded the postponement of the by-polls scheduled to be held on October 16 due to law and order situation which is possibly to rise as a long march announced by the political party.

The ministry penned a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the by-elections which are going to be held on October 16 in various constituencies of the country for 90 days, saying that a “political party” was planning to “besiege” the Islamabad this month.

In a letter written to ECP, the interior ministry stated that “Due to the recent torrential rains, accompanied by the melting of resulting in cataclysmic floods and heavy loss of human lives, crops, homes and infrastructural damage such as roads and bridges. Inundation has made access to certain areas close to impossible.”

“On top, waterborne diseases including dengue fever and threatening infectious illnesses have made things worse. As you are aware, relief and rescue operations have been launched on a massive scale by the Pakistan Amy and Frontier Corps (FC) in coordination with the National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities and other authorities,” it said.

“The Federation and the provinces hardest hit have directed all available resources toward the rehabilitation of flood-displaced people,” it added.

The Interior Ministry further stated that on the basis of credible reports by intelligence agencies, it has transpired that a political party is planning to besiege the Federal Capital between October 12th and October 17th, which coincides with the date of October 16, 2022, on which bye-elections are scheduled to be held.

“Needless to say, this would require the maximum deployment of all available troops to maintain peace in the capital city,” it added.

“In view of the prevailing circumstances mentioned, to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly and it is requested to further extend the date of bye-elections for a period of 90 days or as deemed fit by the ECP, ” it said.

Read more: Latest audio leak exposes Imran’s hypocrisy: PM Shehbaz

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