PESHAWAR: A group of clerics in Pakistan’s northwestern Upper Kohistan district on Friday declared in a decree that women’s campaigning for votes ahead of the upcoming national elections was “against the Islamic law.”
The decree comes less than two weeks before Pakistan goes to national elections on Feb. 8 and the candidates, including women, make last-ditch efforts to sway voters in their constituencies.
The six-point declaration, seen by Arab News, was signed by 18 clerics who claimed to be from the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) religious party, but the JUI distanced itself from the decree.
“Voting for a candidate who has any ideology against the Islamic system is a false testimony, which is a major sin,” it read. “Taking women to the homes of voters to pressurize them is against Sharia (Islamic law).”
The decree further said that voting in return for money was the “worst kind of bribery” and differentiating between national and provincial assembly votes was against the “Jamiat’s ideology.”
Kohistan, which comprises Upper Kohistan and Lower Kohistan districts, is a conservative region in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province where women are often forced to live within the confines of strict tribal norms.
Three women candidates, including two backed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, are currently running for provincial assembly seats in the Upper Kohistan district.
They include Tehmina Faheem and Momina Basit, who are backed by the PTI, and Sannaya Sabeel.
Reached for comment, JUI’s KP general-secretary Maulana Atta-ul-Haq Darwaish distanced his party from the decree.
“This (decree) is not the stance of the JUI but it could be the wish of some individuals and tribal members,” he told Arab News. “This is simply not the policy of the JUI to stop women from electioneering or campaigning.”
Darwaish noted that his party had been urging women to vote on the election day and as per the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) rules, it had given tickets to at least 5 percent woman candidates to compete in the general elections.
“People in Kohistan areas live under strict tribal norms and make their decisions through jirgas (village councils), so the said decree could be based on tradition and local norms rather than a decision of Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam,” he said.
The Elections Act, 2017 ensures the participation of women in the electoral process in the South Asian country.
Section 9 of the act says that “if the turnout of the women voters is less than 10 percent of the total votes polled in a constituency, the Commission may presume that the women voters have been restrained through an agreement from casting their votes and may declare, polling at one or more polling stations or election in the whole constituency, void.”
“A political party shall make the selection of candidates for elective offices, including membership of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and Provincial Assemblies, through a transparent and democratic procedure and while making the selection of candidates on general seats shall ensure at least five percent representation of women candidates,” reads its section 206.
During the 2018 national elections, woman voter turnout in the National Assembly constituency NA-11 in Kohistan was recorded at 27.94 percent, while it was 26.97, 36.71 and 14.95 percent respectively in PK-25, PK 26 and PK 27 provincial assembly constituencies in the area, according to Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), an advocacy group of civil society networks committed to strengthening democracy in Pakistan.
Sohail Ahmad, who speaks for the ECP’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, said no one could stop women from canvassing and they would take action, if a complaint was filed against the decree or the individuals who had issued it.
“It is the duty of the ECP to provide equal opportunity to every citizen to participate in the elections,” he said. “No one can stop women from participating in the election process.”
In northwest Pakistan, clerics declare canvassing by women ‘against Islamic law’
https://arab.news/6c7p3
In northwest Pakistan, clerics declare canvassing by women ‘against Islamic law’
- The declaration was signed by 18 clerics who claimed to be from the Jamiat Ulema Islam religious party, but the JUI distanced itself from it
- It comes less than two weeks before Pakistan goes to national polls and candidates, including women, make last-ditch efforts to sway voters
Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten joins team in Leeds ahead of England series
- Former South African batter Gary Kirsten will oversee Pakistan’s training session on Monday, confirms Pakistan Cricket Board
- Four-match series against 2022 world champions England will serve as preparation for Pakistan ahead of T20 World Cup in June
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan men’s white-ball Head Coach Gary Kirsten formally kicked off his assignment on Sunday after joining the squad in Leeds, as the green shirts prepare for a challenging England T20I series with the World Cup weeks away.
Kirsten and former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie were announced as Pakistan’s new white-ball and red-ball head coaches respectively last month. Gillespie will arrive in Pakistan in July, the PCB said, in time for the World Test Championship series at home against Bangladesh.
The former South African top-order batter, 56, played 101 Test matches and 185 ODIs during his career from 1993-2004 in which he scored a total of 14,087 runs and 34 centuries.
Kirsten, who was batting coach of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Gujarat Titans, was welcomed by the team management and skipper Babar Azam in Leeds on Sunday. Senior Team Manager Wahab Riaz presented Pakistan’s official training jersey to Kirsten, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.
“Gary Kirsten will oversee the team’s practice sessions from Monday,” the PCB said.
Kirsten will get to spend a few days with Azam’s squad before Pakistan faces England in the first T20I of the four-match series at Headingley on May 22. The series will be Pakistan’s last one before the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA in June, where they begin their campaign with a game against USA in Dallas on June 6.
Squads:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.
England: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Mark Wood
Schedule for England series:
22 May – v England, 1st T20I, Leeds
25 May – v England, 2nd T20I, Birmingham
28 May – v England 3rd T20I, Cardiff
30 May – v England, 4th T20I, The Oval
Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Kazakhstan today
- Deputy PM Ishaq Dar will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts on sidelines of SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting
- Meeting to focus on “comprehensive preparations” for upcoming SCO Heads of States Council meeting in July
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend a two-day Foreign Ministers Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Monday in Kazakhstan’s Astana city, state media reported, where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with counterparts.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia, with China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan as its permanent members. The SCO member states collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.
The event will be attended by foreign ministers of the SCO member states, the SCO secretary-general and director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Executive Committee, the organization said.
“Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at two-day meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, beginning at Astana in Kazakhstan tomorrow,” the state-run Radio Pakistan said on Sunday.
It said Dar would also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting.
The SCO said one of the main items on the agenda will be the “comprehensive preparations” for the July meeting of the SCO Heads of States Council. During the foreign ministers’ meeting, the heads of the delegations will exchange views on international and regional agendas, security issues and the development of political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation within the SCO, the organization said.
“Participants will also sign several resolutions regarding the final documents of the upcoming SCO summit and adopt a communique,” the SCO said.
The SCO’s agenda of promoting peace and stability, and seeking enhanced linkages in infrastructure, economic, trade and cultural spheres, is aligned with Pakistan’s own vision of enhancing economic connectivity as well as peace and stability in the region.
Since becoming a full member of the SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing toward advancing the organization’s core objectives through its participation in various SCO mechanisms.
During his visit to China last week, Dar also met SCO Secretary-General Ambassador Zhang Ming and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the organization’s charter and its ideals, the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
‘For sake of humanity’: Thousands rally in northwest Pakistan against Israel’s war on Gaza
- The rally was organized by the Jamat-e-Islami (JI) religious party, which has held several similar protests in recent months
- It came as another Israeli strike killed 31 people in Gaza on Sunday amid US national security adviser’s visit to Israel for talks
PESHAWAR: Thousands of Pakistanis, including students, activists and politicians, gathered on Sunday in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar to demand an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
The rally, called ‘Gaza Million March,’ was organized by the Jamat-e-Islami (JI) religious party, which has held several protests and marches in recent months to condemn Israeli military actions in Palestine.
The war broke out after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,100 people. Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,456 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Speaking to participants of the rally, JI chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman lamented that men, women, children, journalists and human rights activists had been killed in Palestine, but world leaders and rights groups remained silent.
“They want no one to raise their voice for Palestine or against [Israeli] oppression,” he said, adding, “For the freedom of Palestine, we will march in every street.”
Participants of Sunday’s rally said they had gathered to express solidarity with Palestinians and raise their voice against Israel’s actions.
“The reason for our assembly here is to show solidarity with Gaza,” said Amir Hamza, 24.
Mian Hafiz Naeem, another participant who came from the Balakot town, criticized Pakistani politicians “for not doing enough” on the Gaza situation.
“They are not realizing that not only Muslims, but humanity is being killed over there,” he said, adding that he came to attend the rally “for the sake of humanity.”
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and maintains its support for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.
In recent months, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue of Israel’s war on Gaza at the United Nations through its permanent representative, Ambassador Munir Akram.
Dr. Noreena Arshad, a resident of Peshawar who came to the rally along with her daughters, said she did not belong to any political group and came to the rally with the sole purpose of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
“I don’t belong to any political party or organization, but I am here to stand in solidarity with Gaza and Palestine,” she told Arab News. “This is the least of faith that we should believe at least in our hearts that they [Palestinians] are being oppressed.”
Over 300 Pakistani students evacuated from Kyrgyzstan following mob violence against foreigners
- Separate flights carrying 140, 175 Pakistani students arrived in Islamabad, Lahore respectively on Sunday night
- Pakistan has started evacuating students from Bishkek after violent attacks last week against foreigners
ISLAMABAD: Two separate flights carrying over 300 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in Lahore and Islamabad on Sunday night, days after violent clashes in the central Asian country forced Islamabad to evacuate its nationals and arrange for their safe return.
Videos of a brawl between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students went viral on social media last week, prompting frenzied mobs to target hostels of medical universities and private lodgings of international students, including Pakistanis, in the city.
Pakistan has since then ramped efforts to repatriate its students from the city, dispatching commercial and special flights to the country. According to official statistics, around 10,000 Pakistani students are enrolled in various educational institutions in Kyrgyzstan, with nearly 6,000 residing and studying in Bishkek. Foreign Minister Dar on Sunday confirmed no Pakistani had died in the clashes.
The first batch of around 130 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in the eastern city of Lahore late Saturday night. On Sunday, another flight carrying 140 Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan arrived in Islamabad and was received by Federal Minister of Petroleum Musadik Malik.
“I have no words to describe your situation but I feel the pain and suffering that you and your parents have gone through,” Malik told the students upon their arrival in the country. He said some students did not want to return to Pakistan on account of their exams.
“Any student who wants to come, we will bring them,” he vowed.
Separately, another flight arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on Sunday night with 175 Pakistani students from Bishkek. Information Minister Ataullah Tarar welcomed the students, saying that Islamabad was in touch with Bishkek over the current situation.
“Our ambassador in Kyrgyzstan is in contact with students,” Tarar was quoted as saying by the information ministry. “On Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s instructions, special arrangements have made to shift the Pakistani students from the airports [to their homes.]”
Pakistan’s ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Hasan Zaigham said on Saturday that five Pakistani medical students had been injured in the mob attack. One student was admitted to a local hospital with a jaw injury, while the other four were released after receiving first aid.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it had summoned and handed a note of protest to Kyrgyzstan’s top diplomat in the country in response to violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek.
Fresh floods kill 66 in northern Afghanistan
- Hundreds of people have died in flash floods this month that have also swamped agricultural lands in Afghainstan
- The latest heavy floods hit multiple districts of Faryab province Saturday, resulting in human and financial losses
KABUL: Fresh floods killed 66 people in northern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Sunday, after weeks of flooding that has inundated farms and villages and swept away swathes of communities.
Hundreds of people have died in flash floods this month that have also swamped agricultural lands in a country where 80 percent of the population depends on farming to survive.
The latest heavy floods hit multiple districts of Faryab province on Saturday night and “resulted in human and financial losses,” said Asmatullah Muradi, spokesman for the Faryab governor, in a statement.
“Due to the floods 66 people were killed,” he said, adding that at least five people were injured and others were still missing.
The flooding damaged more than 1,500 houses, swamped more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land and killed hundreds of livestock, he said.
The floods came a day after provincial police said more than 50 people were killed in flash flooding in the western province of Ghor.
Just over a week ago, more than 300 people were killed by torrents in northern Baghlan province, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Taliban officials.
Taliban officials have warned the tolls would go up in regions impacted by flooding, as destroyed infrastructure hampered aid delivery and efforts to find the missing.
The death toll from the Ghor flooding rose from 50 to 55 on Sunday, according to Abdul Wahid Hamas, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
“More than 3,000 homes were totally destroyed due to the floods” in Ghor, he added.
Videos shared on social media platform X by the WFP showed currents of brown water crashing through walls of homes and churning through streets in Ghor.
Residents in Baghlan, Ghor, Faryab and other affected provinces found themselves without shelter, stripped of their homes and livelihoods.
“We were inside our home when rain started and all of a sudden, a flash flood came, we were trying to get things out but it washed away our home, our life, everything,” Ghor resident Jawan Gul told AFP on Saturday.
The flooding also sparked concern for the revered 12th-century Jam minaret, located in a remote part of Ghor, provincial officials said.
Images circulated to media showed brown torrents crashing around the base of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“The situation of Jam was very concerning,” Abdul Hai Zaeem, information and culture director in Ghor, told AFP, adding that mud was still piled high around the brick minaret.
The WFP warned that the recent floods have compounded an already dire humanitarian situation in the impoverished country.
Spring floods are not uncommon in Afghanistan, a country of more than 40 million people, but above-average rainfall this year has sparked devastating flash flooding.
Even before the most recent spate of floods, about 100 people had been killed from mid-April to early May as a result of flooding in 10 of Afghanistan’s provinces, authorities said.
The rains come after a prolonged drought in Afghanistan, which is one of the least prepared nations to tackle climate change impacts, according to experts.
