Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PoK) has recently become a focal point for widespread anti-government demonstrations, as agitated residents express their outrage over excessively high electricity bills. The region is now buzzing with calls for a complete boycott of bill payments, reflecting the frustration of the local people. Hundreds of protestors have taken to the streets of PoK, united in their condemnation of what they see as outrageously inflated electricity bills that are placing an unjust financial burden on their households. Their collective stance revolves around one unwavering commitment: they will not settle these bills until their grievances are properly addressed.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Presenting a strong case for a permanent seat for India on the UN Security Council, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar opined on Sunday that the UN should be prepared for “reform” in this regard. “What would happen if they do not reform? People will find solutions outside. And this is a message the UN has to understand,” Dr. Jaishankar said in an interaction with students and faculty of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) on the topic ‘G-20 and Vikasit Bharat.’ “Resistance to reform will eventually – it’s a bit like survival of the fittest…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A man was arrested and booked in Rawalpindi on Saturday in connection with the desecration of the Bible, Dawn reported. The incident came to light after a video showing a man insulting the Holy Book with a slipper surfaced on Twitter. The Rawalpindi police in response to the video stated that the suspect was “swiftly traced” and apprehended through “prompt law enforcement action”. The police further stated that an “exemplary punishment” would be meted out to the suspect following a “thorough and merit-based” investigation. Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali told Dawn the arrest was made earlier…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hundreds of thousands of people, including workers and supporters of the National Party, Haq Do Tehreek, and other parties, held a protest rally and staged a sit-in in the Turbat area of Pakistan’s Balochistan against the ban on trade activities at the Pakistan-Iran border areas on Saturday, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. While carrying placards and banners inscribed with their demands, party leaders, workers and supporters marched in Turbat town. National Party leaders led the protesters and chanted slogans against the government. After marching in the town, the protesters held a sit-in on the main road of Turbat town, where…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India Water Foundation highlighted the country’s commendable progress in the field of sanitation and rights to water at the 54th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday. At a side event titled “Safeguarding Human Right to Water and Sanitation in India amidst Climate Change”, the panellists deliberated on the Sustainable Development Goal for water and sanitation. They also commended Clean India or Swachh Bharat Mission wherein 105 Million toilets were built bringing behavioural change in almost 600 million Indians. India’s Jal Jeevan Mission will achieve safe and affordable drinking water as well as…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A detailed report by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) on smuggling, tax evasion, drug trade, hoarding, illegal currency business and misuse of Afghan transit trade shows how different mafias are hugely haemorrhaging the country’s economy, The News International Newspaper reported. The News International, published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English-language newspapers in Pakistan. The report submitted to the government by the IB also highlights what the agency is doing to check the economic terrorism threatening Pakistan. As per the report, just the illegal supply of Iranian POL products alone causes an annual loss of at least…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Harmeet Singh, Pakistan’s pioneering Sikh journalist and anchor, finds himself at a crossroads as he navigates the aftermath of his termination from Public TV. Singh alleges that he is grappling with severe challenges to sustain himself in the country following a dispute involving fake news. Singh’s dismissal from Public TV came in the wake of a complaint by Shazia Atta Marri, a leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and a former minister. Marri accused Harmeet Singh of spreading false information about a raid by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on her residence, purportedly resulting in the recovery…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Accusing police of making fake reports, Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) has rejected the police reports on Jaranwala’s blasphemy case with their new changed narratives. Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said that police have made fake reports on Jaranwala’s blasphemy incidents. “We reject both versions of police, first of foreign conspiracy just after the incident dated 16 August and now of honour crime to personal interests,” he added. He also said that since the attacks on Jaranwala happened on August 16, where 21 Churches and about 100 houses were burnt, the series of attacks…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Amid a major financial crisis, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) cancelled several domestic and international flights, ARY News reported on Thursday. The flights scheduled to take off from/to the Karachi airport were cancelled after the national airline failed to pay Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for fuel supply. The Pakistan-based media outlet reported that the cancelled flights include Karachi-Turbat, Karachi-Gwadar, Karachi-Quetta, Karachi-Sukkur and Karachi-Multan. Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is at risk of grounding 15 planes as it is yet to clear dues worth up to Rs 20 billion, Geo News reported. Moreover, over 30 flights…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance has failed to pay the salaries of staff employed in certain diplomatic missions for the last three months due to the dollar liquidity crunch in the country. This has led to a massive hue and cry, The News International newspaper reported. The News International, published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English-language newspapers in Pakistan. Press attaches working in the US, and Hong Kong as well as press counsellors deputed in Singapore continue to live without salary from June. Pakistan’s Finance Ministry has said that the country’s foreign exchange limits have already…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is bolstering its air power along the coast facing Taiwan with a permanent deployment of new fighters and drones at expanded air bases, Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday in its biennial report. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up its military activities near the island in recent years in response to what Beijing calls “collusion” between Taiwan and the United States and to prevent Taiwan independence. China staged war games around Taiwan in August of last year and again in April, and its forces operate around the island almost daily.…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s arms exports have declined due to poor quality, and weak and inconsistent performance, which puts buyer countries in peril. In the last decade, China’s weaponry exports have dropped by nearly a quarter, according to a report by the Directus. Furthermore, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is plagued by the issue of low-quality weapons. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s arms shipments fell 7.8 per cent between 2016 and 2020 when compared to the preceding five-year period. Its global market share has shrunk from 5.6 per cent to 5.2 per cent. Demand for Chinese…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The visiting delegation of the CPN-UML raised the map issue with the leaders of the Communist Party of China during a meeting in Beijing on Monday. A high-level UML delegation led by the party’s General Secretary Shankar Pokhrel met with several CPC leaders as part of the exchange programme between the two Communist parties. “China should support Nepal’s new map [unveiled in May 2020],” Rajesh Rai, who is also a part of the visiting delegation, quoted Pokhrel as saying during the meeting with Chinese leaders. According Rai, vice-chairman of the UML’s media wing Press Chautari Nepal, issuing a…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China’s economy will grow less than previously thought this year and next as a struggling property market dogs what was once the world’s growth engine, according to a Reuters poll of economists who said the risks were skewed to further downgrades. The world’s second-largest economy has been struggling after a brief post-COVID recovery, dragged by huge debt due to decades of infrastructure investment and a property downturn, posing risks not only to itself but also to the global economy. With 70% of household wealth tied up in the ailing property market, coupled with rising youth unemployment, weak consumption…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was elected as President of the Philippines for a six-year term in 2022, there was speculation that he would continue with the pro-China stance of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. However, in the years since, Marcos Jr has done a 360 degree turn and turned his attention to making the US a frontline ally of the Philippines. The visits by US naval ships and offer of a base to US forces have opened up a new chapter, resultantly, President Xi Jinping has told former President Rodrigo Duterte to continue to promote cooperation between the…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The G20 summit reached a successful conclusion in Delhi on September 10, featuring numerous prominent global leaders who also engaged in a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines. The summit led to the consolidation of a comprehensive framework with the objective of fostering enhanced collaboration among the G20 member nations, the European Union, and the recently incorporated African Union. India faced several challenges at the beginning of its G20 Presidency last December. The global economic landscape was marred by turbulence, which was aggravated by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ukraine conflict and the resultant…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan’s entire debt servicing is on track to reach a historic high of pakistan”>Pakistan Rupee (PKR) 8 trillion, with the prospect of a minor increase in the policy rate in the region of 1 per cent against the anticipated allocation of PKR 7.3 trillion for the current fiscal year, The News International reported. The fiscal year 2023–24 will mark the first time when practically every month of the current fiscal year, federal revenue receipts will be less than what is needed to pay for servicing domestic and international debt. Since the fiscal position will only become worse, there…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Delhi G20 Summit concluded successfully on Sunday. The two-day summit received approbation for conveying the “message of unity,” and the outcomes were referred to as “truly meaningful achievement.” India received praise for skillfully and efficiently conducting the proceedings. There was considerable skepticism about whether there would be a concluding leaders’ declaration given the divergent opinions on the Ukraine war among the members of the Group of Twenty. Confounding such thinking, the Delhi Declaration, with 83 paragraphs, was adopted with consensus. After prolonged and painstaking negotiations, a declaration reaffirming territorial integrity, sovereignty, and international law citing the UN…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Monday imposed an anti-dumping duty on some Chinese steel for five years, according to a government notification. On September 4, India’s steel secretary, Nagendra Nath Sinha, said New Delhi was monitoring the steel imports situation after the steel industry raised concerns over potential dumping by Chinese sellers. From April to July, China was the second biggest steel exporter to India, after South Korea, selling 0.6 million metric tons, up 62 per cent from the same period a year earlier. In all, India imported 2 million metric tons of finished steel in the period, the highest since…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In an unprecedented move that sent ripples through the international diplomatic community, India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, extended a warm embrace to the African Union (AU) during the G20 Leaders’ Summit held in New Delhi. This bold step, met with resounding support from world leaders, firmly established India’s position as a rising geopolitical power on the global stage. Under the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future,” Prime Minister Modi’s opening address set the tone for an inclusive and collaborative summit. The announcement of the AU’s inclusion as a permanent…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Calling the consensus on G20 Leaders’ declaration a “truly meaningful achievement”, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida Sunday said that the member countries were able to agree under the leadership of India as this year’s chair. “Under the leadership of India as this year’s chair, we were able to agree on the G20 Leaders’ declaration which is a truly meaningful achievement,” said Kishida while addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the G20 Summit. India passed the ceremonial gavel of the G20 presidency to Brazil on Sunday while the New Delhi Declaration was adopted by G20 leaders on…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: World Bank President Ajay Banga on Sunday said that India in its G20 presidency has set a path for the world and lauded that the G20 declaration was anonymously adopted by all G20 nations. “I consider the fact that there was a declaration, a tribute to the fact that the G20 leadership found a way to give and take and negotiate and find a right way to agree and set a path for the world. The world is watching, the G20 has got the developed world and the developing countries,” Banga said. While speaking to ANI, Banga emphasised…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday described the New Delhi G20 Summit as “a milestone” and said the active role of the Indian presidency “has genuinely consolidated” the G20 countries from the Global South for the first time in history. Addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the G20 Summit here, Lavrov said a healthy solution has been found in the declaration regarding the need to strive for a clear and equitable balance of interest. “It is a long way to go but this Summit has been a milestone… I would also like to mention the…

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad Bin Salman has said the kingdom would work together with Bangladesh to enhance cooperation in all possible areas. He made this assurance at a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Sunday morning in New Delhi. According to the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh, Hasina had a very fruitful meeting with Salman. The Saudi prince praised Bangladesh PM for her inspirational leadership in achieving remarkable socio-economic development in Bangladesh over the recent years. Prince Salman expressed his satisfaction about the ongoing investment made by…