Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh delivers a speech in Gaza City, on Jan. 23, 2018. The Islamic Hamas movement called on Tuesday for Palestinian national conference to discuss a new Palestinian strategy. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stressed in a televised speech the need for a new strategy that addresses the U.S. and Israeli declaration aimed at striking the Palestinian issue. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar/IANS)
Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the rally where the participants chanted slogans of “Death to Israel”…reports Asian Lite News
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh has urged the Islamic nations to forge strategic partnerships to fight for seizing control of Muslim lands across the world.
Pakistani newspapers reported that in a recorded speech played in a Jamaat-i-Islami rally in Peshawar on Sunday, Haniyeh urged the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan government to support the Palestinian cause with concrete actions. The rally was organised in support of Hamas and Palestine.
Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq and other senior leaders of the party also addressed the rally where the participants chanted slogans of “Death to Israel” and “We are ready to sacrifice our lives to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque”, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“I hope Prime Minister Imran Khan would take practical steps for supporting the cause of Palestine,” Haniyeh said, urging the Muslim countries to establish strategic partnerships to get complete control over Al-Quds in Jerusalem.
In response to Haniyeh’s appeal, Jamaat chief Sirajul Haq endorsed him and said that the “existing circumstances have proved that the issue of Palestine and Kashmir could not be resolved through resolutions”.
“Time has come to move forward to liberate Palestine and Kashmir from the clutches of Israel and India,” Haq said.
“A small group of Afghan Talibans defeated the US allied forces in Afghanistan while the Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia having a 7.4 million strong army, are unable to deter the Israeli aggression,” Dawn quoted Haq as saying at the rally.
Demands India to restore the pre-August 5, 2019 status of Jammu and Kashmir, reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that Pakistan would hold talks with India if New Delhi restores the pre-August 5, 2019 status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two Union territories.
“If Pakistan revives its relations with India (without the latter restoring the status of Kashmir), it will be similar to turning our back on the Kashmiris,” Khan said during a live questions and answers session with the people.
Khan said that if India takes back the steps it took on August 5, “then we can definitely hold talks”.
New Delhi has repeatedly said Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the country is capable of solving its own problems.
India has told Pakistan that it desires normal neighbourly relations with it in an environment free of terror, hostility and violence. India has said the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.
Ties between India and Pakistan nosedived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country. Subsequent attacks, including one on Indian Army camp in Uri, further deteriorated the relationship.
The relationship dipped further after India’s war planes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
The relations deteriorated after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories.
However, lately there has been some improvement when the two countries agreed in February to restore peace on the Line of Control. It is said that the rival officials have been interacting through the back channel diplomacy to ease tension.
Khan also responded to several questions about domestic issues including inflation and promised that his government was working hard to bring down prices of commodities. He also said that Pakistan will continue to achieve economic growth in the days to come as he termed the process gradual and one that would take time.
Last week, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take decisive measures and ensure implementation of the UN Charter and the UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and play a key role in resolving the longstanding dispute.
Indian-Army-soldiers-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir
“Pakistan desires normal relations with India, however, the onus is on India to create an atmosphere to enable meaningful engagement,” the Minister said during his interaction with the Guterres in New York.
Qureshi also renewed his invitation to India for a dialogue and said that the only solution to the Kashmir dispute is through talks, based on the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“India is running away from table talks with Pakistan on Kashmir,” he said.
Qureshi briefed Guterres about what he called serious human rights violations in the “Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir”, including incarceration of political leaders and extra-judicial killings.
The Foreign Minister also brushed aside the criticism on Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, by the opposition political parties, for selling of the Kashmir cause, stating that the premier can never compromise on the Kashmir cause as he is the “Ambassador of the Kashmir cause and is the voice of the people of Kashmiris to the world”.
“Let this be clear, Pakistan’s position on the issue of Kashmir is very clear. There can be no talks until India reverses its decision of August 5, 2019,” he insisted.
Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years….reports Asian Lite News
Former Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett, also leader of the pro-settler party of Yamina, announced that he has accepted a coalition deal with centrist Yair Lapid to form “the government of change” to oust Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister.
Bennett said in a statement on Sunday that he and Lapid, leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, will work to put together a coalition government following the March 23 elections, reports Xinhua news agency.
“I intend to do all I can to form a unity government with my friend Yair Lapid to rescue the county from the tailspin and return Israel to its course,” he added.
Bennett, a former ally of Netanyahu, said he took the step in order to prevent yet another election after four inconclusive elections in two years.
Lapid has till Wednesday to form a new government, otherwise there will be new elections – the fifth in the past two years with all previous four of them having failed to produce a clear majority.
Lapid’s centrist party came in second in the elections on March 23, behind Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.
After the March elections, Netanyahu had failed to form a government, so President Reuven Rivlin appointed Lapid to do so.
He has until Wednesday to form a new coalition government.
Bennett and Lapid have agreed to rotate as Prime Ministers, with Bennett serving first, according to Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news.
Lapid is trying to ensure the support of several small parties that are far apart on the political spectrum, in order to form a minority government that would be acceptable to Arab deputies.
They are united above all by their rejection of Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption.
However, the smaller parties have widely diverging political goals.
If Lapid succeeds, it would end bring an end to the era of Netanyahu, in office since 2009, as well as from 1996 to 1999.
This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah…reports Asian Lite News
After a ten-years of suspension, Kuwait on Sunday announced the resumption of visas, including in family and business categories for Pakistani citizens.
This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, reported The Express Tribune.
It further reported that Kuwait had banned work visas for Pakistan in 2011 and despite attempts by previous governments the restrictions could not be lifted.
In March 2017, the then government had also announced the lifting of the ban by Kuwait during the visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the oil-rich country. However, the decision was never implemented.
The interior minister said that Pakistani families and the business community faced enormous problems with the ban on Kuwaiti visa, adding that Pakistani labour played a very important role in Kuwait’s early development, The Express Tribune reported.
He said that the restoration of work visa will create new employment opportunities for Pakistanis, adding that it would also boost trade between the two countries. (ANI)
The country also termed the recently unveiled US policy on the North “just trickery,…reports Asian Lite News
North Korea on Monday slammed the United States for lifting all restrictions on South Korean missiles as a “stark reminder” of Washington’s hostile approach to Pyongyang.
The country also termed the recently unveiled US policy on the North “just trickery,” Yonhap News Agency reported.
The first reaction of North Korea comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden agreed at their May 21 summit to use diplomacy to resolve the North’s nuclear standoff and to terminate all “missile guideline” restrictions on the flight range and warhead weight of South Korean missiles.
As per the news agency, North’s criticism appeared to be restrained as it was couched in a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) article under the name of an international affairs critic, rather than official government statements.
“The US, doggedly branding the measures taken by the DPRK for self-defence as violation of UN ‘resolutions,’ grants its allies unlimited right to missile development. It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue,” the article stated.
“The termination step is a stark reminder of the US hostile policy toward the DPRK and its shameful double-dealing,” it said. “Lots of countries now view the US key DPRK policy, namely ‘pragmatic approach’ and ‘maximum flexibility’ produced by the Biden administration with much effort as just trickery.”
DPRK is the acronym of the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In the summit, the two countries reaffirmed the belief that diplomacy and dialogue are essential for achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea has yet to respond to the call for dialogue, as per NHK World. (ANI)
US Navy warships sailing through the South China Sea (Photo twitter@USNavy)
The sources said the American officials were not sure of the destination of the Iranian naval vessels, but they believe “they may be ultimately headed for Venezuela.”…reports Asian Lite News
US national security officials are reportedly monitoring two Iranian ships which are believed to be headed to Venezuela, according to a news report.
The Politico, citing three people familiar with the matter, said “an Iranian frigate and the Makran, a former oil tanker that was converted to a floating forward staging base, have been heading south along the east coast of Africa.”
The newspaper said the move could be perceived as “provocative” amid tense US-Iranian relations, the Arab News reported.
The sources said the American officials were not sure of the destination of the Iranian naval vessels, but they believe “they may be ultimately headed for Venezuela.”
Three weeks ago, a US Coast Guard ship had fired warning shots during a close encounter with vessels belonging to the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) in the Strait of Hormuz.
Six US Navy vessels escorting the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine, encountered 13 IRGCN fast attack boats while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Iranian boats approached the US formation at high speed, closing in as close as 150 yards (about 137 metres).
The US Coast Guard Cutter Maui fired about 30 warning shots from a machine gun before the Iranian boats left, Kirby added.
That was the second such encounter in two weeks.
In April, a US Navy patrol ship fired warning shots as IRGCN vessels approached to an “unnecessarily close range” in international waters of the northern Persian Gulf.
The incident came days after the US Navy seized an illicit shipment of weapons, including thousands of small arms and dozens of anti-tank guided missiles, from a stateless dhow in the North Arabian Sea.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko with Russian President Vladimir Putin
During their meeting, Putin and Lukashenko spoke about trade and economic cooperation, Peskov said…reports Asian Lite News.
Russia will support Belarus with $500 million in credit over the coming weeks, the leaders of the two countries have agreed.
During a meeting in Sochi on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his visiting Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko agreed the sum would be paid out by the end of June, dpa news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying.
This is the second tranche of a credit package that was agreed before the controversial forced landing of a passenger aeroplane in Minsk on May 23 in order to arrest a dissident blogger, Roman Protasevich, and his partner Sofia Sapega.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt2PIhrnoMs
During their meeting, Putin and Lukashenko spoke about trade and economic cooperation, Peskov said.
Belarus’ economy is weak, and it has already borrowed billions of dollars from Moscow.
During the opening of the meeting, both leaders complained about pressure from Western countries on Belarus.
After the incident with the plane, the Ryanair commercial flight between Athens and Vilnius that was forced to reroute and land in Minsk, the European Union (EU) and the US imposed fresh sanctions on Belarus, which the Kremlin slammed as an emotional reaction.
Peskov emphasized that the fate of Sapega, who is a Russian national, mattered to the Russian authorities, but said the 23-year-old had a residency permit in Belarus.
Meanwhile President of the EU Parliament, David Sassoli, said he wants to keep up pressure Belarus in order secure the release of the blogger and his girlfriend.
Sassoli suggested that photos of Protassevich be exhibited at all airports in the EU and in the European Parliament.
“We will keep the attention and the pressure up and hope that this will lead to the release of Roman Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega,” he said in remarks to Germany’s Funke media group.
Sassoli called the EU’s initial reaction to the forced landing of a passenger jet in Minsk as “strong and unified”.
Only individuals who have had the first shot are currently receiving jabs….reports Asian Lite News
Afghanistan is waiting for new deliveries of Covid-19 vaccines amid a surge in infections and a third wave of the pandemic, Health Ministry spokesman Dastagir Nazari said on Monday.
Nazari told dpa news agency that the process of vaccinating new people has been stopped in the country.
Only individuals who have had the first shot are currently receiving jabs.
The country with an estimated population of 37 million has so far received 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca jab from India and another 468,000 doses from the international vaccine-sharing programme COVAX.
The doses were used to vaccinate health workers, members of the armed forces, teachers and media staff.
The country is expected to receive another 700,000 doses of vaccines from China “in the near future” ,but there is no exact date for the deliveries, Nazari said.
Afghanistan is struggling to receive vaccines for the entire population.
The country is supposed to receive vaccines for a fifth of the population through COVAX.
For another 28 per cent of the population, Kabul has the budget to buy vaccines itself, Nazari said.
Vaccine (ANI)
The government was trying to get vaccines as soon as possible.
However, he added, “like the majority of the underdeveloped countries”, Afghanistan was confronted with the problem that there is massive global vaccine demand.
Recently, the country witnessed a surge in new infections with the virus.
Currently, of 1,500 intensive care beds for the whole country 72 per cent are already occupied by patients, according to the official.
Afghanistan’s current Covid-19 caseload and death toll stand at 70,761 and 2,919, respectively.
Media reports suggest that China has refused to budge on Islamabad’s request to renegotiate the power purchase agreements, reports Asian Lite News
Bankrupt Pakistan’s debt problems seem to be escalating as it is all weather-ally China has declined to restructure USD 3 billion in liabilities.
Islamabad has requested Beijing to forgive debt liabilities owed to China-funded energy projects established under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The debt load, owed largely for the building of independent power producers (IPPs) on take-or-pay power generation contracts, is substantially more than the USD 19 billion in total invested in the plants, Asia Times reported citing reports and industry analysts.
Media reports suggest that China has refused to budge on Islamabad’s request to renegotiate the power purchase agreements, saying that any debt relief would require Chinese banks to amend the terms and conditions under which the credits were extended.
The banks, including China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China, were not prepared to revise any of the clauses of the agreement reached earlier with the government, Beijing said in response to the request to renegotiate terms.
China Pakistan foreign ministers
Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator and industrialist Nauman Wazir told Asia Times, “First, the tariff determined by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) at the time of allowing power generation in the private sector was on the very high side.”
“Then, the IPPs submitted erroneous declarations concerning capital, financial assets and operational cost of the company, which became obvious when the balance sheets of the IPPs were made public,” he claimed citing evidence that came to light when an inquiry committee on Pakistan’s power sector revealed its findings last year.
Pakistan has already entered a sovereign debt “danger zone” with total liabilities and debts of USD 294 billion representing 109 per cent as a percentage of GDP as of 30 December 2020.
The Pakistan government reportedly owes about USD 158.9 billion to domestic creditors, of which public sector enterprises owe about USD 15.1 billion. According to The News International, the foreign commercial loans of USD 3.11 billion and USD 1 billion from Chinese deposits helped the government to achieve the net transfer of dollar inflows in the current fiscal year.
With the combination of foreign commercial loans and safe deposits, Pakistan received over USD 4.1 billion that was over 50 per cent out of the total received foreign dollar inflows from creditors.
The news outlet reported that according to official data of the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), during July-February of the fiscal year 2020-21, the Imran Khan government has received USD 7.208 billion total external inflows from multiple financing sources, which are 59 per cent of annual budget estimates of USD 12.233 billion for the entire fiscal year 2020-21.
The News International further reported; disbursement from multilateral and bilateral development partners also maintained a strong trend and is USD 3.098 billion during the period under review against the budgetary allocation of USD 5.811 billion for the fiscal year 2020-21 on concessional terms with longer maturity. These healthy inflows also helped to improve foreign exchange reserves and exchange rate stability.
The Pakistan outlet claims in its official report that increased level of external inflows from multilateral and bilateral development partners is indicative of their confidence in development priorities and policies of the government, including implementation of reforms in the priority areas of fiscal and debt management, energy sector and ease of doing business.
Vaccine and BRI
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in a report on vaccine diplomacy, said that Pakistan may be getting Chinese Covid vaccine shots in return for its approval of projects linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The EIU said that China may also seek to reward Cambodia and Laos with vaccines for their support on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
EIU said when it comes to donations, which are led by state-owned Sinopharm, the Chinese government has prioritised participants of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The Chinese authorities have not released complete data as to where vaccines have been sent, probably in an attempt to prevent comparisons among countries. News reports indicate particularly large donations have been pledged to Cambodia (1.7 mn doses) and the Philippines (1 mn). China will also provide loans for recipient countries to purchase vaccines; the Chinese government has pledged to extend a $1bn loan to Latin American and Caribbean countries for this purpose.
Such donations serve several purposes. They aim to create a positive environment for future bilateral economic and political co-operation, facilitate the economic recovery of BRI countries (which are in some cases suppliers of commodities for China), and expand China’s soft power through positive local media coverage, the report said.
The Chinese authorities are able to pursue domestic and overseas vaccination drives in parallel because they face less urgency to vaccinate their own residents; China has consistently kept new daily cases under 200 since April 2020.
China has shipped or plans to export or donate Covid-19 vaccines to a total of around 90 countries as of April 22. The number of countries that China supplies will expand if a Chinese vaccine candidate is approved by the WHO and can therefore become part of the COVAX programme. (ANI/IANS)
Passengers wait for their train at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 24, 2021. (Xinhua/IANS)
The Cabinet Division on Sunday issued a circular urging the authorities concerned to take necessary steps…reports Asian Lite News
The Bangladeshi government has extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown restrictions till June 6 to curb the recent Covid-19 resurgence.
The Cabinet Division on Sunday issued a circular urging the authorities concerned to take necessary steps, reports Xinhua news agency.
The government on May 24 extended the countrywide lockdown to May 30, but eased restrictions on long-route public transport services, which were suspended since early last month.
The decision came amid a slowdown in the increase of new cases and fatalities in recent days.
The country’s Directorate General of Health Services reported 1,444 new cases and 34 fatalities on Sunday, bringing the overall infection tally to 798,830 and the death toll to 12,583.
To combat Covid, Bangladesh declared a seven-day lockdown effective from April 5, which was later extended with strict measures in phases to May 23, and extended again till May 30.
