Author: Arif ArifArman

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The US and China this week are pitching rival visions of what constitutes a resilient and sustainable supply chain, marking the latest chapter in their fierce competition to assert a global trading system built around their respective economic needs. Just hours before Beijing was to launch its first international expo on supply chains featuring American tech giants like Tesla, Apple, Intel and Qualcomm under the tagline “connecting the world for a shared future”, US President Joe Biden convened the inaugural meeting of his supply-chain resilience council in Washington on Monday. In doing so, Biden announced 30 new actions…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Arthur Anthony, a 70-year-old Christian man, owner of a small hotel near Dhoke Noor Chowk in Rawalpindi was shot at and critically wounded by some unknown man riding a motorbike, who fled after the shooting. Arther Anthony said that when his hotel started good business another person compelled him to sell the establishment to him. On his initial refusal, the man started propagating among people in close vicinity of his hotel that he is a Christian and no Muslim should have food from his hotel. Being unable to take the pressure of religion-based hate propaganda he decided to…

YUSUF DURRANI: On the pretext of terrorism, the Pakistani Army is driving millions out of their homes, schools, businesses, and neighborhoods to a country that they may never have considered home. Millions are forced to live in tent colonies set up hastily along the borders. Living conditions are pathetic. Scores of children are separated from their parents. Women and children are forced to travel by buses, without any male relatives. These millions had escaped Afghanistan to Pakistan for succor when their homes were taken over by terrorists and their masterminds. They believed in Pakistan’s forefathers who had pledged to protect…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The vulnerable villages in Pakistan’s mountainous north are facing a threat to their future due to melting glaciers caused by global warming, Reuters reported. On the steep slope of a glacier jutting through the Hunza Valley, Tariq Jamil measures the ice’s movement and snaps photos. Later, he creates a report that includes data from sensors and another camera installed near the Shisper glacier to update his village an hour’s hike downstream. The 51-year-old’s mission: mobilise his community of 200 families in Hassanabad, in the Karakoram mountains, to fight for a future for their village and way of life,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The recent denial of visas to 788 Sikh devotees by Pakistan, preventing them from celebrating Guru Nanak Jayanti (Gurupurab) at historic gurdwaras in the country, stands as a stark reminder of the deep-rooted intolerance that continues to plague Pakistani society, particularly towards its minority communities. This insensitive decision not only denies Sikh devotees the opportunity to practice their faith and connect with their spiritual roots, but it also serves as a stark illustration of Pakistan’s blatant disregard for the rights of its religious minorities. The Sikh community holds a special reverence for Pakistan, as it is the birthplace…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Several Western diplomats and the United Nations have strongly criticised Pakistan over its decision to impose hundreds of dollars in exit fees for every Afghan refugee who fled the persecution by the Taliban condemning the decision as “shocking and frustrating”, The Guardian reported. The “unprecedented” move targets refugees who are waiting to leave Pakistan for Western countries under resettlement schemes, and charges about USD 830 for each person This comes after Pakistan announced a crackdown on undocumented foreigners and set November 1 as the deadline for about 2 million unregistered Afghans to leave the country. It further started…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A convoy of trucks bringing goods into Myanmar from China has gone up in flames in what state media reported on Friday was an insurgent attack, compounding surging insecurity that has raised concern in neighbouring China. The fire in the town of Muse came as China’s ambassador to Myanmar met top officials in the Myanmar capital for talks on stability on the border after recent signs that their relationship has been coming under rare strain. “Due to this terrorist act … about 120 out of 258 vehicles carrying household goods, consumer goods, clothes and building materials were destroyed…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: One year has passed since the November 24 Urumqi Fire. Maybe the world has forgotten that, but we Uyghurs haven’t. Because that day, Uyghurs experienced a tragedy that has never happened to any nation in human history. On that day, 44 people lost their lives in a fire that broke out in an 18-storey building where Uyghurs lived in Urumqi. The majority of these people were mothers and children. The screams of mothers and children coming out of the fire spread through the buildings to Urumqi and reached the world via the internet; but no one could help…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked China for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, which its China office on Nov 22 called a “routine” check. The Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on Nov 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases. They attributed the increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children, respiratory syncytial virus, and the virus that causes Covid-19. Both…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: In a record achievement, the Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered 69 Pakistani drones that entered Indian territory in the last 10 months of this year, foiling attempt of smugglers to smuggle narcotics, data collated by the border guarding force reveals. Accessed by the ANI, the data points out that majority of these drones are “Made in China”, and of Quadcopter designs– which have four rotors– in different models. As per the data, a total of 69 such drones were seized by the BSF between January 1 to October 31 this year on the Western Border of India…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: China is closing, destroying and repurposing mosques, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has alleged in a new report. The crackdown is part of a “systematic effort” to curb the practice of Islam in China, HRW said. There are about 20 million Muslims in China, which is officially atheist but says it allows religious freedom. Observers, however, say there has been an increased crackdown on organised religion in recent years – with Beijing seeking greater control. The BBC contacted China’s foreign ministry and ethnic affairs commission for comment in advance of publication of the HRW report. “The Chinese government’s closure,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A creditor has seized a pair of luxury houses on Hong Kong’s Peak connected to China Evergrande Group’s chairman Hui Ka Yan, the latest setback to the fallen property tycoon. The creditor, Orix Asia Capital, appointed receivers for the adjacent homes, according to documents lodged with the Land Ministry. The properties, 10C and 10E on Black’s Link, are linked to Mr Hui via his associate Tan Haijun, who is listed as a director of the companies holding the houses. Mr Hui has seen his wealth evaporate and his freedom curtailed as creditors look to salvage what’s left of…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Nepal seems to be losing interest and confidence in China due to concerns about the sustainability of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the negative effects of Chinese social media apps, encroachment on Nepalese territory, and criminal syndicates operated by Chinese elements. The recent stance taken by the Nepal government, not endorsing the BRI and President Xi Jinping’s security doctrine, speaks volumes about China’s declining influence in the Himalayan country. Nepal unexpectedly and without notice banned the Chinese social media app TikTok. Nepalese Minister Rekha Sharma stated, “Our social harmony, family structure, and family relations are being disturbed…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on Wednesday foiled a smuggling bid and recovered a drone with contraband items weighing 534 grams from the farming field near Mianwala village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district. The operation was carried out in the evening hours and was launched after getting specific information regarding the presence of a drone, the Public Relations Officer of BSF’s Punjab Frontier said in a press release. During the search operation, at about 5:42 pm, BSF troops intercepted a suspected drone activity near Village Mianwala in Tarn Taran. “BSF troops recovered 1 drone along with 1…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A China-linked fund that is a major shareholder in Australia’s Northern Minerals has filed a motion to oust the rare earth developer’s chairman after the fund’s move for a higher stake was rejected on national interest grounds early this year. Singapore-based Yuxiao Fund, which owns a near 10 per cent stake in Northern Minerals, proposed a shareholder’s resolution that Chairman Nicholas Curtis be immediately removed as a director, Northern Minerals said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. Yuxiao Fund is a private company that lists Chinese national Wu Yuxiao as its sole shareholder and director, its corporate filings…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Pakistan has been experiencing one of the worst economic crises in its history. Although many factors have contributed to the country’s current economic predicament, China’s role has largely been ignored in domestic debates. Pakistan’s economic struggles have often been attributed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which is seen as the primary cause of the country’s financial woes. However, Pakistan’s economic crisis has also deepened because of China’s increasing involvement in its economy. Numerous Chinese loans and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) contributed to Pakistan’s worsening economic crisis when the country was relieved at the eleventh hour by…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Philippines has approached neighbors such as Malaysia and Vietnam to discuss a separate code of conduct regarding the South China Sea, its president said on Monday, citing limited progress towards striking a broader regional pact with China. Relations between the two have grown more tense under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has increasingly complained about China’s “aggressive” behavior while rekindling strong ties with the Philippines‘ sole treaty ally, the United States. Speaking in Hawaii at a livestreamed event, Marcos said escalating tension in the South China Sea required the Philippines to partner with allies and neighbors to…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: A crackdown by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) in Karachi has revealed that pharmacies and medical stores are selling medicines at five-fold higher prices than the maximum retail price (MRP) approved by the authority. Following instructions of caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan, the authority has launched a crackdown against drug profiteers across the country and raids are being conducted on warehouses of wholesalers, distributers, pharmacies and medical stores. According to Drap rules, pharmaceutical companies can sell medicines at any price lower than the MRP, but they cannot exceed the MRP. For increasing prices, pharmaceutical companies…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The setting up of a $10 billion state-of-the-art and deep conversion refinery with capacity to refine crude oil of 300,000 barrels per day (BPD) is in the doldrums as the vibes coming from Saudi Aramco are not up to the mark. They are all the more confusing as Pakistan authorities have notified the new green refinery policy loaded with huge incentives of 7.5 percent deemed duty for 25 years and a tax holiday of 20 years as per the wishes of the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), senior officials privy to the development told The News. “Now, top…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Hong Kong police arrested four men on suspicion of illegally entering the city on Monday after they boarded a bus in Shek O using a damp HK$100 (US$12.8) banknote. Four other suspected illegal immigrants who accompanied the Pakistani passport holders on the double-decker bus to Shau Kei Wan were being hunted, the force said. Shortly before 8.30am, police received multiple calls from passers-by who spotted on Cape D’Aguilar Road in Shek O a group of eight non-Chinese men thought to have entered the city illegally. The group had escaped before police arrived. Officers then carried out a search…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: HUNDREDS of Afghan refugees who were rushed out of Pakistan to the UK have been languishing in military bases as the government scrambles to find accommodation, the Independent has reported. Around 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, were evacuated following the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021 to be provided residence in the UK. They have been stuck in Pakistan since last year. The UK was compelled to repatriate the refugees last month after Pakistan decided that illegal foreigners should leave the country by Nov 1. According to the Independent, some relocated families have been…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: Three people travelling in a car were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on roadside exploded in Hoshab area of Kech district in Balochistan on Sunday, officials said. Commissioner Mekran Division Saeed Ahmed Umrani confirmed that unidentified terrorists targeted a car using an improvised explosive device (IED) in Hoshab tehsil of district Kech, adding all three persons travelling in the car were killed on the spot. Levies and personnel of other law enforcement agencies rushed to the spot and launched investigation into the incident. The deceased were promptly transported to a nearby hospital. A huge contingent…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: During a meeting with Pakistan’s chief of army staff, General Syed Asim Munir, the scholars expressed their concerns about the use of Afghanistan’s territory against Pakistan and asked the current Afghan government to take action in this regard. “The forum unanimously supported Government’s measures to harden the State including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of One Document Regime, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures and anti-power theft drive. It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns,” Pakistan Armed Forces News said on X. Meanwhile,…

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The new immigration rules for the Pak-Afghan border crossing have triggered massive protests in Chaman. On October 21, a large number of residents from across the district, gathered to stage a demonstration against the mandatory passport policy introduced by the government. Among the demands was a call to withdraw the mandatory passport policy and restore the old system (requiring only a CNIC and Tazkira for entry into Pakistan), stop the mistreatment of Afghan refugees and restore a rule allowing rotary packages for daily wage workers. As the sit-in, attended by tribal elders, political workers and local traders under…