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Asia News PAKISTAN Politics

Clash of hybrids leaves Pakistan in tatters

The PMLN government’s decision to ban Pakistan’s most popular party and charge PTI leaders with sedition has sparked fears of a political clash and potential martial law. Amid economic crisis and security challenges, Pakistan risks severe instability and unrest, writes Dr Sakariya Kareem

The decision of the PMLN government led by Shehbaz Sharif to ban the most popular political party in Pakistan and initiate sedition proceedings against PTI leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former President Arif Alvi has put the country on a disastrous path to a clash between two hybrid political dispensations.

The Pakistan Army, the creator of both hybrid formations, will likely be caught between the two stools, putting the army chief, General Asim Munir, on a more difficult wicket.

General Asim Munir with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

The army had created the hybrid regime led by Imran Khan during General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure. When Bajwa fell out with Khan, the artificial edifice collapsed, ironically propelling the former cricket star as a popular political leader among the disgruntled masses, mostly young voters. The country’s fortunes, however, plummeted. When the army got a new chief Asim Munir, there was a deep divide in the military leadership and Munir had several bones to pick with Imran Khan. Munir was keen on punishing Khan and propping up a new hybrid regime with Shehbaz Sharif as the Prime Minister.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa

The move is now unravelling with Imran Khan gaining popular support as the Shehbaz Sharif government, doing the bidding of General Asim Munir, is mounting uncalled-for persecution of the former Prime Minister. The recent Supreme Court ruling in favour of Khan’s party, PTI, has further rattled the army-backed government. The apex court had given PTI the due share of reserved seats in the National Assembly besides recognising it as a parliamentary party. The PTI thus has emerged as the single largest party in the Lower House, reducing the Shehbaz Sharif government’s two-thirds majority in both the Houses. The court’s decision indirectly indicts the government’s desperate efforts to suppress the PTI and its leader. A lower court had earlier given a clean chit to Imran Khan and his wife in the marriage case, undermining the deep state’s concerted attempts to dismember Khan’s party and career.

The move to ban PTI has the nod of PMLN supremo, Nawaz Sharif. This shows a political leader who was once labelled the `Lion of Punjab` has turned into a `jackal` hemmed in by the Generals who do not trust him a bit. If the government goes ahead with this suicidal mission, it will signal the end of PMLN and deepen the divide among the senior and middle-rung leadership of the army. The army is already cut by divisions over PTI and Imran Khan.

Former PM Imran Khan shaked hands with then Lt. Gen. Munir

Many commentators suspect that the move was a strategic ploy to pave the way for martial law. The Generals were uncertain about Shehbaz Sharif’s ability to stabilize the country amidst its severe turmoil. If the situation deteriorates further, Pakistan could face a disaster akin to the 1971 crisis when the country split into two. Alongside political instability, Pakistan is experiencing one of its worst economic crises, leading to widespread poverty and unrest. Security challenges are intensifying across the east, centre, and west, presenting formidable difficulties that won’t be easily resolved. Banning the PTI and imprisoning Imran Khan for an extended period could provoke public unrest, which the Generals might struggle to contain. In this power struggle between hybrid regimes, both the country and the military risk losing whatever remaining prestige and stability they have.

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-Top News Sport UK News

Amnesty slams French hijab sports ban

Volleyball.

France is the only European country to enforce a ban on headscarves in sport, which also contradicts the rules of international sports bodies such as FIFA, the International Basketball Federation and the International Volleyball Federation…reports Asian Lite News

Amnesty International has accused France of breaking international human rights law by enforcing a ban on women competing at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris wearing headscarves.

In a report on the ban published on Tuesday, Amnesty also accused the International Olympic Committee of weakness by not challenging France’s “discriminatory” law.

Anna Blus, Amnesty’s women’s rights researcher in Europe, said: “Banning French athletes from competing with sports hijabs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games makes a mockery of claims that Paris 2024 is the first ‘Gender Equal Olympics’ and lays bare the racist gender discrimination that underpins access to sport in France.”

She added: “Discriminatory rules policing what women wear are a violation of Muslim women’s and girls’ human rights and have a devastating impact on their participation in sport, blocking efforts to make sports more inclusive and more accessible.”

The report details how bans on wearing headscarves in multiple sports in France, justified domestically on grounds of secularism but which is not accepted in international law, have created a situation where the Olympic host is in breach of the IOC’s own human rights rules as well as numerous human rights obligations and treaties to which France is a party.

The IOC has failed to call on France to overturn bans on headscarves at the Olympics and in other sports, claiming in a letter earlier this year that French law was outside the committee’s remit, and that “freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.”

France is the only European country to enforce a ban on headscarves in sport, which also contradicts the rules of international sports bodies such as FIFA, the International Basketball Federation and the International Volleyball Federation.

Basketball player Helene Ba told Amnesty that the French ban “is a clear violation of the Olympic charter, values and provisions, and an infringement on our fundamental rights and freedoms … I think it’s going to be a shameful moment for France.”

She added: “Mentally it is also hard because you really feel excluded … especially if you go to the bench and the referee tells you to go to the ladders (stands). Everyone sees you … It’s a walk of shame.”

Another female athlete told Amnesty anonymously: “It is sad. It’s even shameful to be at this point in 2024, to block dreams just because of a piece of fabric.”

In a press release, Amnesty said: “For several years, French authorities have been weaponizing these concepts (of secularism) to justify the enactment of laws and policies that disproportionately impact Muslim women and girls. And all of this is occurring against a backdrop relentless, twenty-year campaign of harmful lawmaking and regulation of Muslim women’s and girls’ clothing in France, fueled by prejudice, racism and gendered Islamophobia.”

ALSO READ-Amnesty calls on Taliban to reopen secondary schools for girls

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UK News

Wet wipes containing plastic to be banned from sale

According to DEFRA’s Beach Litter Monitoring Data for 2015-2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the U.K…reports Asian Lite News

Wet wipes containing plastic will be banned from being sold in the U.K. following legislation to be tabled in Parliament soon, the British government announced on April 22, as the world marked as Earth Day.

U.K. Environment Secretary Steve Barclay said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) will table the legislation for England before Parliament’s summer recess in July.

The devolved regions of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are expected to follow on with their legislation later in the year to make it a U.K.-wide ban as part of an aligned approach.

“Wet wipes containing plastic are polluting our waterways and causing microplastics to enter the environment,” said Barclay.

“DEFRA will introduce legislation before the summer recess to crack down on this unnecessary source of pollution, following our successful single-use carrier bag charge and ban on microbeads in personal care products… Plastic-free wet wipes are readily available, and several retailers have already stopped selling wet wipes containing plastic,” he said.

The Minister said it was part of a “step change” needed to protect the country’s waterways from pollution.

“The ban builds on a raft of actions already taken to protect our waterways and hold water companies accountable — including accelerating investment, putting water company fines back into the environment and quadrupling the number of inspections of water company sites,” he added.

According to DEFRA’s Beach Litter Monitoring Data for 2015-2020, an average of 20 wet wipes were found per 100 metres of beach surveyed across the U.K.

Once in the water environment, wet wipes containing plastic can accumulate biological and chemical pollutants, increasing the risk of harm to the animals and humans who encounter them.

Banning them is expected to reduce plastic and microplastic pollution and reduce the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment sites when wrongly flushed.

The ban follows a public consultation on the issue, which showed overwhelming support for such a move.

The law will be introduced via secondary legislation under the U.K.’s Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), with 95% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposals.

An 18-month transition period will start from when legislation is passed to allow businesses time to prepare. Following consultation with industry, the ban will not include the manufacture of these products, in line with other recent single-use plastic bans.

“Boots removed all wet wipes containing plastic from sale in stores and online last year as part of our long-standing commitment to sustainability and working with suppliers and customers to reduce the use of plastic,” said Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots, one of the U.K.’s largest retailers of such products.

ALSO READ-Single-Use Plastic Cut by 18 Million in 2 Years

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-Top News UK News

UK announces ban on disposable vape

The changes, decided after a consultation in which there was 70% backing for the disposable vape ban, are expected to come into effect towards the end of this year or in early 2025…reports Asian Lite News

UK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.

The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, would be put together with the help of experts who would try to anticipate possible loopholes, Victoria Atkins said.

“We will listen very carefully to suggestions that big tobacco and other vaping companies will somehow find a way around this,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“The motivation here is to help ensure that children and young people are not dragged into this addiction to nicotine, which sadly, these vapes can mean for children, young people.”

Questioned about the possibility of vaping firms adding USB charging points to what remained un-refillable and cheap vapes to dodge the ban, Artkins said: “That’s incredibly cynical and it shows, if you like, the battle that the government is prepared to take on.”

The government is also seeking to make vaping less appealing to children by restricting sweet and fruity flavours, introducing plain packaging and making displays less visible in shops.

The changes, decided after a consultation in which there was 70% backing for the disposable vape ban, are expected to come into effect towards the end of this year or in early 2025.

Atkins said there was a balance to be struck in terms of curbing the use of vapes by children and young people without overly affecting their availability to people seeking to use them to give up tobacco.

“We are mindful of the impact on industry and this is why, for example, when it comes to the flavours, the choice of flavours, the packaging and the placement of vapes in shops, we have said that while parliament grants the powers through the bill, we will of course consult on how this should be implemented.”

The move forms part of a wider response to a public consultation on smoking and vaping, which has resulted in plans for some of the world’s toughest anti-smoking measures.

Although vaping can be useful to help adult smokers to quit, doctors are concerned about the unknown long-term health impact of vaping on young people and their developing respiratory systems, as well as nicotine addiction, which can cause anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches during withdrawal.

Recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled, with 9% of 11- to 15-year-olds doing so. The proportion of 11- to 17-year-old vapers using disposables has increased almost ninefold in the past two years.

The ban will reduce the environmental impact of disposables, of which 5m are thrown away each week, up from 1.3m last year.

ALSO READ-UK govt to crackdown on vape marketing targeting kids, teens

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-Top News Abu Dhabi UAE News

Abu Dhabi announces lorry and worker-bus ban on New Year’s Eve

Exemptions from the ban include vehicles from public cleaning companies and logistical support,” added the Traffic and Patrols Directorate…reports Asian Lite News

Trucks, heavy vehicles and buses transporting labourers will be banned from Abu Dhabi roads on New Year’s Eve, the Traffic and Patrols Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police, in cooperation with the Integrated Transport Centre, announced.

“This includes Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, Mussafah Bridge and Al Maqtaa Bridge,” the Traffic and Patrols Directorate of the Abu Dhabi Police added, noting that the ban will be implemented from 7 am on Sunday, December 31, 2023, until 7 am on Monday, January 1, 2024.

“Exemptions from the ban include vehicles from public cleaning companies and logistical support,” added the Traffic and Patrols Directorate.

“Traffic patrols would be deployed across all roads and traffic surveillance would be intensified through smart systems in order to ensure traffic flow,” noted the Directorate. (ANI/WAM)

ALSO READ-Abu Dhabi Launches Maritime Hub for Industry Collaboration

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India News Social Media Tech Lite

WhatsApp banned 74 Lakh accounts in India in Aug

Chinese hackers luring Indian WhatsApp users into 'part-time' jobs

The company received only one order from the Grievance Appellate Committee in the country in August, and complied with it…reports Asian Lite News

Meta-owned WhatsApp banned a record over 74 lakh bad accounts in India in the month of August, in compliance with the new IT Rules 2021. Between August 1-31, the company banned “7,420,748 accounts”.

About 3,506,905 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users, WhatsApp said in its monthly compliance report.

The most popular messaging platform, which has over 500 million users in the country, received another record 14,767 complaint reports in August in the country, and the records “actioned” were 71. “Accounts Actioned” denotes reports where WhatsApp took remedial action based on the report and taking action denotes either banning an account or a previously banned account being restored as a result.

“This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp’s own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform,” according to the company.

Moreover, the company received only one order from the Grievance Appellate Committee in the country in August, and complied with it.

In a bid to empower millions of Indian social media users, the Centre recently launched the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) that looks into their concerns regarding content and other issues. The newly-formed panel, a move to strengthen the country’s digital laws to tame the Big Tech companies, will look into appeals by users against decisions of social media platforms.

“We are an industry leader among end-to-end encrypted messaging services in preventing and combating abuse. In addition to our safety features and controls, we employ a team of engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and experts in law enforcement, online safety, and technology developments to oversee these efforts,” said WhatsApp.

ALSO READ-WhatsApp plans to replace green checkmark for verified channels

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-Top News EU News Europe

Finland Bans Entry of Russia-Registered Passenger Cars

With this move, Finland complies with the guidelines of the European Commission issued on September 8.

As of midnight, Finland will close its borders to passenger cars registered in Russia, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.

“In the future, only EU citizens permanently residing in Russia or their family members, diplomats or equivalent individuals, or people travelling for humanitarian reasons, can enter Finland with a passenger car registered in Russia,” the statement said on Friday.

With this move, Finland complies with the guidelines of the European Commission issued on September 8, prohibiting the entry of passenger cars registered in Russia into the European Union, Xinhua news agency reported.

The decision aims to prevent Russian citizens from circumventing sanctions imposed on the country, the Ministry said.

Cars that are already in Finland and have Russian license plates must leave the country by March 16, 2024, the Ministry added.

The move follows similar decisions made by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania earlier this week to bar the entry of vehicles registered in Russia.

ALSO READ: Russia expels two US diplomats, Washington vows to respond

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-Top News UK News

Sunak apologises for LGBT ban in armed forces

The government has previously accepted that the treatment of LGBT armed forces personnel and veterans prior to the year 2000 was completely unacceptable and highly regrettable…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday apologised on behalf of the UK government for the treatment of LGBT veterans, saying a previous ban on their deployment in the armed forces was an “appalling failure” of the British state.

Sunak’s apology in the House of Commons came as an independent review concluded that pre-2000 investigations into an individual’s sexuality were intrusive and invasive, and for some caused long-lasting and severe impacts on the lives of veterans and their families.

“The ban on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people serving in our military until the year 2000 was an appalling failure of the British state – decades behind the law of this land,” said Sunak.

“As today’s report makes clear, in that period many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment while bravely serving this country.

“Today, on behalf of the British state, I apologise, and I hope all those affected will be able to feel part of the proud veteran community that has done so much to keep our country safe,” he said.

The independent review, chaired by Lord Terence Etherton and co-commissioned by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Office for Veterans Affairs, examined the experiences of personnel between 1967-2000 who were impacted by the ban on homosexuality in the armed forces.

The government has previously accepted that the treatment of LGBT armed forces personnel and veterans prior to the year 2000 was completely unacceptable and highly regrettable.

“I am pleased that this review has shone a much-needed light on a shameful and unacceptable historical chapter in our armed forces history,” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

“It is heartbreaking that the very tolerance and values that we expected our soldiers, sailors and aviators to fight for, were denied to many of them. I am pleased we now have the opportunity to right those historic wrongs so that LGBT veterans can once again take pride in their service,” he said.

The scope of Lord Etherton’s review focused on three main areas, with the primary one being the effect the historic policy may have had on those impacted by the ban, including the consequences for their future lives.

It also looked at the accessibility of veterans’ services for LGBT people and how to ensure that LGBT veterans are recognised and fully accepted as members of the armed forces.

“The apology today is an important part of addressing the historic hurt that many LGBT veterans feel,” said Johnny Mercer, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

“We’re also looking to the future as we learn from the past, including stepping up support services for veterans affected by the issues raised in this review,” Mercer said.

To support those affected by the historic ban, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs said it is awarding 250,000 pounds to LGBT organisations to provide support services for impacted veterans.

This is in addition to the 45,000 pounds in funding provided to organisations last year to help them gather evidence for the review, the MoD said.

Within the review are 49 recommendations, including the restoration of medals that were required to be handed back on dismissal or discharge, the awarding of campaign and other medals that were withheld, the clarification of pension rights and the presentation of the Veterans Badge.

The government said it is committed to working with LGBT armed forces veterans to ensure that all restorative measures delivered are appropriate.

ALSO READ-US, Japan, South Korea to hold summit in August

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Tech Lite

WhatsApp bans over 65 lakh bad accounts in India

In the month of April, WhatsApp, which has more than 500 million users in India, had banned a record over 74 lakh bad accounts…reports Asian Lite News

Meta-owned WhatsApp banned more than 65 lakh bad accounts in India in the month of May, in compliance with the new IT Rules 2021, the company said on Sunday.

Between May 1 and May 31, 6,508,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned and 2,420,700 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users in the country.

In the month of April, WhatsApp, which has more than 500 million users in India, had banned a record over 74 lakh bad accounts.

The most popular messaging platform also received 3,912 grievance reports like “ban appeals” in May in the country, and the records “actioned” were 297.

“Accounts Actioned” denotes reports where WhatsApp took remedial action based on the report and taking action denotes either banning an account or a previously banned account being restored as a result.

“This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp’s own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform,” according to the company.

In a bid to empower millions of Indian social media users, the Centre recently launched the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) that will look into their concerns regarding content and other issues.

The newly-formed panel, a move to strengthen the country’s digital laws to tame the Big Tech companies, will look into appeals by users against decisions of social media platforms.

In a major push towards an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified some amendments aimed at protecting the rights of ‘Digital Nagriks’.

ALSO READ-OpenAI opens its first office outside the US

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-Top News India News Media

SC revokes ban on Kerala news channel MediaOne

Supreme Court.

The court noted that the file does not contain any evidence of the alleged link between the shareholders and JEI-H and the report of IB is purely an inference drawn from information that is already in the public domain…reports Asian Lite News

Stressing that the independent press is vital for democracy, and criticising the practice of sealed cover, the Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted the telecast ban on Media One, and said that national security claims cannot be made out of thin air and there must be material backing such an inference.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli said that an independent press is vital for the robust functioning of a democratic republic.

“Its role in a democratic society is crucial for it shines a light on the functioning of the state. The press has a duty to speak truth to power, and present citizens with hard facts enabling them to make choices that propel democracy in the right direction,” the court said. “The restriction on the freedom of the press compels citizens to think along the same tangent. A homogenised view on issues that range from socio-economic polity to political ideologies would pose grave dangers to democracy,” the court stated.
“The critical views of the Channel, Media-One on policies of the government cannot be termed, ‘anti-establishment’. The use of such terminology in itself represents an expectation that the press must support the establishment,” the court said as it came down heavily on the action of the MIB by denying security clearance to a media channel on the basis of the views which the channel is constitutionally entitled to hold produces a chilling effect on free speech, and in particular on press freedom. Criticism of governmental policy can by no stretch of imagination be brought within the fold of any of the grounds stipulated in Article 19(2),” the court further said.

The court noted that the file does not contain any evidence of the alleged link between the shareholders and JEI-H and the report of IB is purely an inference drawn from information that is already in the public domain.

“There is nothing ‘secretive’ about this information to attract the ground of confidentiality. Additionally, it cannot be argued that the purpose of national security will be served by non-disclosure merely by alleging that MBL is involved with JEI-H which is an organisation with alleged terrorist links. While we have held above that it would be impractical and unwise for the courts to define the phrase national security, we also hold that national security claims cannot be made out of thin air. There must be material backing such an inference.

The material on the file and the inference drawn from such material have no nexus,” the court noted. The court also opined that the non-disclosure of this information would not be in the interest of any facet of public interest, much less national security.

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