NEW DELHI: The Indian Government has ordered to block 35 YouTube channels and two websites based in Pakistan, claiming that they were running “anti-India propaganda”.
Indian Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in a statement, said that the websites and channels had a total of 120 million subscribers and were running “fake news” on former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the Indian media reported on Friday.
“The YouTube channels, websites, and other social media accounts blocked by the ministry were used by Pakistan for spreading anti-India fake news about sensitive subjects related to India,” it said.
It was observed that these YouTube channels had also started posting content to undermine the democratic process of the upcoming elections in five states, the statement said.
The statement further said that some of the YouTube channels were being operated by anchors of Pakistani TV news channels.
It may be mentioned that New Delhi has been caught red-handed spreading ‘fake news’ and misinformation against Islamabad lately. In 2020, an independent non-profit organisation focused on tackling sophisticated disinformation had exposed the latest iteration of an Indian influence campaign aimed at defaming Pakistan within the EU institutions.
According to an investigation by the EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based NGO, a coordinated influence operation, to malign Pakistan’s reputation, was being led by the New-Delhi-based Srivastava Group and amplified by Asia News International (ANI), an Indian news agency.
The operation’s mission was to discredit nations in conflict with India in the region, in particular Pakistan and also China to a certain extent. In the long run, the campaign was aimed at bolstering India’s global perception, which would ultimately allow New Delhi to bag more support from international institutions such as the EU and the UN.
In August last year, a sustained disinformation and propaganda campaign by India and previous Afghan administration to sabotage the Afghan peace process and target Pakistan, was uncovered, showing the extent of the fifth-generation warfare.
National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf had revealed that many Indian and Afghan social media accounts were involved in maligning Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan took a cautious approach on the demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier as Islamabad did not out-rightly rejected the India’s proposal nor accepted it.
“Pakistan was committed to improve relations with India and have a dialogue which is meaningful, constructive, result-oriented and sustained”, said a spokesperson of the Foreign Office, during the weekly media briefing.
The spokesperson went on to say that on multiple occasions, the prime minister and the foreign minister have expressed our position on this matter (dialogue). “But India has vitiated the environment — the conditions are not there. We have repeatedly said that onus lies on India to take necessary steps for an environment conducive for constructive dialogue,” he added.
He was asked about Pakistan’s reaction on any possibility of India’s demilitarization of the Siachin Glacier. Recently, Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said that India was not averse to the possible demilitarization of the Siachen Glacier provided Pakistan accepted the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) that separates Indian and Pakistani positions.
“Pakistan has a policy, which is derived from the principle of friendly neighborhood. We want peace and friendship in our neigborhood, good relations with all including India,” the spokes-person said.
“But you have seen how the developments have unfolded in our region; you have witnessed the very hostile Indian attitude especially during the last a couple of years and since the illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019 in IIOJ&K, the situation has further deteriorated and in this context we have to see how we can move forward,” added the spokesperson.
In his opening statement, the spokesman said it is encouraging that the international community is increasingly realizing the gravity of the situation in IIOJ&K towards which Pakistan has been drawing attention all these years.
“You would have followed example the Russell Tribunal on Kashmir held in Sarajevo last month, and the filing earlier this week of an application by a London-based law firm with the British Police seeking arrest of Indian officials over their alleged role in war crimes in IIOJ&K,” he opined.
Reportedly, the law firm has submitted report based on over 2,000 testimonies taken between 2020 and 2021, providing extensive evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit documenting how Indian military and civil leadership were responsible for the torture, kidnapping and killing of activists, journalists and civilians.
“It is self-evident that India can no longer escape international and legal censure for its rampant human rights violations in IIOJ&K, and we call upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and international human rights and humanitarian organizations to hold India accountable”, said the spokes-person.
He added that the world needs to do more because the kind of reaction and response that is there is not enough, and that is why Pakistan continues to raise its voice and mobilize international opinion and support for the Kashmiri people.
Regarding the latest position on the Indian request to send wheat assistance to Afghanistan through the land route of the Wagah Border, the spokes-person responded, “As you would recall Pakistan has allowed on humanitarian grounds on exceptional basis.
We have conveyed to the Indian side, necessary details of arrangements put in place by Pakistan, and for about 3 weeks now, are awaiting further response from India about the date of dispatch and other information regarding the first consignment”, he added.
Turning to Afghanistan and the issue of Pakistan recognizing Kabul, the FO spokes-person said this was an important issue and has been discussed and deliberated by many countries.
“There are obviously diverse views about it, as there are diverse expectations as well. There is also a priority attached to the immediate concerns such as the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that requires consistent engagement. We think the best way of doing this is in consultation and coordination with the neighboring countries and others in the international community. We are of the view that a broader approach on this is going to be useful,” he said.
Turning to the problems Pakistani students are facing while being unable to return to China to continue their studies, the spokes-person said this issue has been discussed between both countries on several occasions.
A list of 492 students has been shared with the Chinese Embassy with the request to treat them as first priority for return to China.
PESHAWAR: Three policemen sustained injuries in a hand grenade attack on law enforcement patrol in northwestern city of Peshawar on Tuesday.
As per the details garnered, some unidentified men attacked on a police mobile van in Budha Bair area of Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wounding three police personnel including a sub-inspector and two constables.
According to police, the injured cops including Sub-Inspector Fareed Khan were shifted to local hospital for medical assistance.
SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed visited LRH Hospital where he inspected the injured police personnel. SSP Operations directed to provide best medical facilities to the injured.
Haroon Rasheed said that the police personnel were on mobile duty within the precincts of Budh Bair police station.
Following the attack, law enforcement agencies reached the spot, cordoned off the area and launched extensive search operation for the arrest of the culprits.
ISLAMABAD: District Administration in the federal capital have closed nine more schools amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
The development comes as Pakistan reports more than 5,000 new infections in the last 24 hours. The country is battling a fifth wave of COVID-19, fueled by the highly transmissible omicron strain.
21 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in nine more government educational institutions in the federal capital amid surge in coronavirus cases following which the District Health Officer (DHO) has ordered immediate closure of educational institutions.
A notification has also been issued in this regard.
According to the letter issued by the DHO, the educational institutions reporting Covid case should be closed immediately and the institutions will remain closed till further intimation.
Earlier Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said on his Twitter handle, “Due to covid rise Islamabad Administration has started sealing schools for a period of ten days so that contact tracing can be done and positive cases are prevented to interact with other kids.”
The per day COVID-19 positivity rate has crossed 10 percent in Islamabad, according to the official.
He said the city s administration had also launched a crackdown on those violating the government-prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of the virus.
“Please wear masks and get everyone around you vaccinated as soon as possible,” the deputy commissioner urged.
ISLAMABAD: The electoral body on Tuesday rejected the request of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not to make public the report of Scrutiny Committee into party’s finances in ‘Foreign Funding Case’ till the arrival of Scrutiny Committees’ reports of PML-N and PPP,
The Election Commission of Pakistan sought progress reports from the scrutiny panels regarding probe into accounts of the two opposition parties within 10 days.
During the proceedings, the commission expressed shock over such an order and said that the report has already become a public document.
A three-member bench of Election Commission of Pakistan led by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and comprising of Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi heard the high-profile case 16 months after it first directed the Scrutiny Committee to furnish report into PTI’s finances by August 2020.
During the hearing, PTI’s counsel Advocate Shah Khawar requested the bench that the Foreign Funding Case related to PTI, PML-N and PPP be heard simultaneously, once the reports of Scrutiny Committees related to the two opposition parties were received.
He also requested the electoral body not to make public Scrutiny Committee’s report related to PTI till the arrival of related reports concerning the N-League and PPP. “How can we stop this report from being made public,” remarked Durrani, the Member ECP.
The CEC seconded him. “Do we have the authority to stop anyone from making a report public,” he asked the PTI counsel. “We cannot do that,” Raja added. The bench then directed that copies of the Scrutiny Committee’s report related to PTI’s accounts be provided to all the parties in the case. On PTI’s request, the bench directed the Scrutiny Committees investigating the funding of PML-N and PPP to furnish progress reports into related probes within 10 days The case has been adjourned for 15 days.
Later, speaking to media outside ECP, Planning Minister Asad Umar said the ECP also formed Scrutiny Committees to probe PML-N and PPP accounts in Foreign Funding Case. “The Scrutiny Committees’ reports about these two parties should also be furnished like that of PTI,” he said. The minister said Foreign Funding Case would have “positive effects on Pakistan’s political landscape if probed impartially and thoroughly.” Information State Minister Farrukh Habib also demanded that Scrutiny Committees reports related to PML-N and PPP be furnished “so that everything comes out in black and white.” He said ECP should hear Foreign Funding Case in an ‘open kachehri’.
Foreign funding case: ECP directs scrutiny committee to refurnish its report
However, Akbar Sher Babar, one of the founding members of PTI, who had moved the ECP accusing the PTI of being a foreign-funded party and seeking action against it in accordance with the related constitutional provisions, said: “The delay in concluding this case has cost Pakistan a bit too dearly. Had this case been concluded timely and logically, these rulers would not have been imposed on Pakistan.”
Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N said Prime Minister Imran Khan is looking for “lame excuses and delaying tactics to stop this case because his lies have been exposed.”
The ECP, last month, fixed Foreign Funding Case related to PTI for regular hearing from January 4 keeping in view that Scrutiny Committee submitted its report to the electoral body related to PTI in November.
On August 27 last year, the Scrutiny Committee submitted its first report to ECP regarding PTI’s finances in Foreign Funding Case but the commission rejected this report, termed it incomplete and directed the committee to refurnish the report latest by October 22, 2020, but the committee failed to meet this deadline.
On October 23, 2020, the ECP expressed ‘satisfaction’ over the Scrutiny Committee’s progress into Foreign Funding Case and allowed the panel to go ahead with the probe and complete the final report as ‘early as possible’ but did not specify any timeframe in this regard.
In November last year, the committee finally completed its probe and submitted the report to the ECP.
ISLAMABAD: Local government elections will be held on April 15 in federal capital through electronic voting machines (EVMs).
According to details, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the federal government to provide 3900 electronic voting machines for the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the concerned officials to provide the machines to ECP.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz has also assured that the commission will be provided the machines before the election.
KARACHI: Two bogies of the Green Line train traveling from Karachi to Islamabad derailed in Ibrahim Shah near Padidan area of Sindh on Friday morning. According to officials, 91 passengers were aboard.
All the passengers on board along with staff are safe, Railway officials said, adding fortunately, no loss of life or injuries were reported.
The passengers traveling in the bogies have been moved to other carriages and the journey to Islamabad has resumed. The accident has, however, affected traffic on the up-track.
The chief officer of the Pakistan Railways Sukkur Division has said that to prevent delays, trains on the route will only be run on the down-track. He revealed that the last two bogies of the train, economy and power plant, derailed.
A rescue crain has been dispatched from Rohri to resume operations on the Up track. Meanwhile, the Sukkur Express and Khyber Mail have been delayed at the Kot Lalu and Padidan railway stations.
The majority of train passengers in the country are working-class people who cannot afford the quicker bus journeys.
RAWALPINDI: Four Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on Friday in Mir Ali, North Waziristan.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement stated that one terrorist was apprehended along with weapons and ammunition, adding that the four soldiers were martyred during an “intense exchange of fire.”
The names of the martyred soldiers are: Havaldar Munawar, 40, resident of Bahawalnagar, Sepoy Zaka Ullah, 31, resident of Laki Marwat, Sepoy Farhan, 34, resident of Kohat and Sepoy Sheraz, 30, resident of Abbottabad.
In another IBO, two militants were gunned down by security forces while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the militants.
The two terrorists killed during the IBO have been identified as Shahzeb alias Zakir and Daniyal. “These terrorists were involved in terrorist activities against security forces, target killing and kidnapping for ransom,” it added.
ISLAMABAD: All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) on Friday organized a protest demonstration in front of Indian High Commission Islamabad against state sponsored terrorism by India in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in which 355 people were killed in 2021.
The protestors also highlighted Indian attempt to covert Muslim majority into minority, and continuous detention of Hurriyet leaders in Kashmir.
APHC General Secretary released data of human rights violations in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in the year 2021.
From January 01 to 30 December 2021, the Indian occupying forces launched the 467 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs).
The data of different human rights violations shows that 355 people lost their lives killings, 134 houses were destroyed and Kashmiris were 1686 arrested.
In 85 illegal encounters 178 militants died fighting Indian occupying forces during the year. As many as 128 Indian occupational forces were also killed which include 29 who committed suicide in different parts on IIOJK
During encounters, at least 135 houses were vandalized and destroyed by the Indian occupying forces. APHC said 49 civilians were killed in different violence related accidents including extrajudicial killing of Top Hurriyet leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehraie by Indian occupational forces and mother-daughter duo by mysterious blast in Handwara.
On 1st of September, APHC chairman Syed Ali Geelani also died after prolonged illness at his home which was turned into sub-jail
There were 122 instances of internet blockades recorded. In the out going year 1686 persons were detained by Indian occupational forces and lodged in different jails across India.
Indian authorities booked another 410 under draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) while as 178 persons were booked under Public safety Act.
SRINAGAR: Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, raising the number of slain youth to six since yesterday.
The troops martyred the three youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Verinag area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in.
The troops martyred three other youth during a similar operation in Mirhama area of Kulgam district, last night.
