JOHANNESBURG: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Tuesday likened restrictions the Taliban have placed on women in Afghanistan to the treatment of Black people under apartheid in a lecture in South Africa organized by Nelson Mandela’s foundation.
Yousafzai survived being shot in the head when she was 15 in her native Pakistan by a gunman after campaigning against the Pakistani Taliban’s moves to deny girls education.
Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, Yousafzai, now 26, has become a global symbol of the resilience of women in the face of repression.
“If you are a girl in Afghanistan, the Taliban have decided your future for you. You cannot attend a secondary school or university. You cannot find an open library where you can read. You see your mothers and your older sisters confined and constrained,” Yousafzai said during the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg.
Yousafzai said the Taliban actions should be considered “gender apartheid” and that they had “in effect ... made girlhood illegal.”
She said international actors should not normalize relations with the Taliban, which returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 as US-led forces withdrew after 20 years of war.
A Taliban spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Yousafzai’s remarks.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have also stopped most Afghan female staff from working at aid agencies, closed beauty salons, barred women from parks and curtailed travel for women in the absence of a male guardian.
The Taliban say they respect women’s rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan custom and that officials are working on plans to open girls’ high schools, but after over 18 months they have not provided a timeframe.
In an interview after her lecture, Yousafzai said she was concerned the Taliban would take away sciences and critical thinking even from boys.
“It’s so important for the international community to not only step up to protect access to education for girls but also ensure that it is quality education, it is not indoctrination,” she said.
Referring to the war in Gaza, she said she wanted to see an immediate cease-fire and for children to be able return to school and their normal lives.
She added: “We look at wars, ... especially the bombardment that has happened in Gaza, ... that has just taken that normal life away from children.”
Malala Yousafzai likens Taliban’s treatment of women to apartheid in Mandela lecture
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Malala Yousafzai likens Taliban’s treatment of women to apartheid in Mandela lecture
- The Pakistan-born Nobel Peace Prize winner says the Taliban have ‘made girlhood illegal’ in Afghanistan
- She warns the Taliban will take away ‘critical thinking’ from men after implementing ‘gender apartheid’
Pakistan says it downed five jets after Indian missile attack as global powers urge restraint
- Official sources in Indian Kashmir confirm to Reuters at least three of their planes have ‘crashed’
- PM Sharif to hold a national security meeting today to finalize Islamabad’s response to the situation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday it had downed five Indian fighter jets in a major escalation between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, a claim partly corroborated by Indian government sources who confirmed at least three, as the international community urged both countries to exercise restraint and avoid further conflict.
The military confrontation follows a missile attack by India on Tuesday, when the Indian armed forces said they had struck nine Pakistani sites described as “terrorist infrastructure” allegedly linked to an April 22 militant assault in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.
According to Pakistan’s military, six locations across its territory, including Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh, Kotli and Muzaffarabad, were targeted, resulting in the deaths of eight civilians and injuries to at least 35 others.
Pakistan said it had also responded to the Indian strikes, though details were a bit murky initially.
“The aggression they committed has been responded to by Pakistan many times over,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said in a televised statement on Wednesday.
“Not only were five of their jets shot down, but a drone was also brought down,” he added. “We also targeted their posts along the Line of Control. Their posts were destroyed, and they were forced to wave the white flag.”
According to Reuters, local government sources on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir said three of their fighter jets had “crashed” in the region. Pakistan’s military also told the news agency it had shot down five Indian aircraft, though the Indian authorities have not officially confirmed any planes were brought down by hostile fire.
In New Delhi, the Indian defense ministry maintained that its strikes had targeted militant infrastructure and avoided civilian or military installations.
The escalation prompted immediate international concern. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was closely monitoring the situation and echoed President Donald Trump’s earlier remarks hoping the conflict would end quickly.
“I will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership toward a peaceful resolution,” he said.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged both nations to exercise “maximum military restraint,” warning that the world could not afford a broader military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed countries.
China’s foreign ministry also called on both sides to de-escalate and said it regretted India’s military action while expressing concern about the rising tensions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) during the day to finalize Islamabad’s response and review military preparedness.
Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province declared an emergency, placed hospitals and security forces on high alert and ordered schools to remain closed.
The latest crisis was triggered by the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. India accused Pakistan of orchestrating the attack but provided no public evidence.
Pakistan, in response, denied any involvement and called for an international investigation.
Kashmir has remained a flashpoint between the two countries since 1947. Both nations claim the region in full but administer separate portions. They have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory, and tensions have remained high, particularly since India revoked the special semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
India accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups that have waged an insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir since 1989, a charge Islamabad denies, saying it provides only moral and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.
The current confrontation recalls the last major military standoff between the two nations in 2019, when an Indian airstrike in Balakot was followed by Pakistani retaliatory action, including the downing of an Indian fighter jet and the capture of its pilot, who was later released in a gesture of goodwill.
Pakistan says eight killed, 35 injured after India fires missiles at six locations
- Pakistan military says Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh, Kotli, Muzaffarabad cities targeted
- India says hit “terrorist infrastructure” at nine sites from where April 22 militant attack against India was “planned”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday eight civilians had been killed and 33 injured as India launched missile attacks at six locations in a sharp escalation of hostility between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between the longstanding enemies in the aftermath of an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month in which 26 men were killed. India, without providing evidence publicly, has accused Pakistan of involvement in the assault in the hill station of Pahalgam and vowed to respond. Pakistan has denied involvement, and several top officials have spoken since of intelligence that India was planning to launch retaliatory attacks.
Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both rule it in part and claim it in full and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants involved in a separatist insurgency in its part of Kashmir since 1989, which Islamabad denies, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.
“Total of six locations in Pakistan were hit,” Chaudhry said in televised remarks, saying the attacks were carried out using “different weapons.”
“Eight Pakistanis were martyred, 35 are injured and two are missing.”
An Indian government statement said its armed forces had launched "Operation Sindoor," hitting nine sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir from where it said the Pahalgam attack of April 22 had been “planned and directed.”
No Pakistani military facilities had been targeted, the statement added.
Detailing the casualties, the Pakistan army spokesman said a 3-year-old child, two men and two women had been killed in Ahmedpur East, a city in the eastern province of Punjab, while 31 people were injured.
One man was killed in Muridke, also in Punjab, while two teenagers had died in Kotli in Azad Kashmir, which is a part of the disputed Himalayan region governed by Pakistan. Other places that were struck were Muzaffarabad, also in Azad Kashmir, and Sialkot and Shakargarh in Punjab, but no casualties were reported there.
“The Pakistan Armed Forces, with the full support of the Pakistani nation, are giving and will continue to give a strong response to this cowardly and unprovoked attack,” Chaudhry said, without giving details on the nature of Pakistan’s retaliation.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told BBC Pakistan had shot down three Indian planes while Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Bloomberg TV Pakistan has downed five Indian planes and captured some Indian soldiers also.
The claims could not be independently verified by Arab News.
When asked if he feared a further escalation of the conflict, Tarar told Sky News Pakistan had offered to be part of an investigation into the Pahalgam attack but India had acted as “the aggressor without evidence.”
Pakistan's foreign ministry said while the Indian air force had remained within Indian airspace, it “violated Pakistan's sovereignty using standoff weapons.”
“MAXIMUM RESTRAINT”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has meanwhile convened a meeting of the National Security Committee at 10am to finalize Pakistan’s response to the Indian actions while the ministry of defense in New Delhi said it would provide a “detailed briefing” on the operation later in the day.
A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “very concerned” about the Indian military operations and had called for “maximum military restraint” from both countries.
"The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan,” the statement said.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, US President Donald Trump said he had just heard about the intensification of hostilities that had occurred in recent hours.
"It's a shame … I hope it ends very quickly," he said.
After the Pahalgam attack, India and Pakistan unleashed a raft of punitive measures against each other, with Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines, and India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries.
Diplomatic relations between Pakistan and India were weak even before the latest conflict as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy and not posted its own ambassador in New Delhi after India revoked the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir in 2019.
The last military confrontation between the rivals occurred in 2019 when India conducted air strikes on what it said was a militant training camp near the northwestern Pakistani town of Balakot in response to a suicide car bombing in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pulwama area.
Pakistan, which said the planes had bombed an empty hillside and not a camp, launched a retaliatory incursion into Indian airspace that led to a dogfight between the two air forces, leading to the capture of an Indian pilot.
The situation cooled after he was released days later.
On Wednesday morning, Indian police said two women had been injured in Indian-administered Kashmir in shelling by Pakistani troops. One of them was in critical condition, they added. There was no comment from the Pakistani military.
In Pakistan, an emergency has been declared in the country’s largest and most populous province of Punjab, the provincial chief minister said, with hospitals and security forces on high alert. Schools will also remain closed on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Pakistan International Airlines said flights already airborne had been diverted to Karachi, while flights on the ground had been put on hold.
Qatar Airways said on X it had temporarily suspended flights to Pakistan due to Pakistani airspace closure.
With inputs from Reuters
Pakistan Ulema Council urges pilgrims to abide by Hajj code of conduct
- More than 112,000 Pakistani pilgrims will perform Hajj under government, private schemes this year
- The code of conduct highlights sacredness of the Hajj period, aims to ensure hassle-free experience
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a body of Pakistani clerics and religious scholars, urges Pakistani Hajj pilgrims to comply with the Hajj code of conduct and not to engage in any violation of rules during the annual pilgrimage, it said on Tuesday.
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and 23,620 Pakistanis through private tour operators. The total quota granted to Pakistan was 179,210, which could not be met.
The Hajj code of conduct urges pilgrims to refrain from disputes, and embody dignity and humility throughout the pilgrimage, according to the PUC. It highlights the sacredness of the Hajj period and the significance of sincere intention solely for the pleasure of Allah.
“Every Pakistani leaving for Hajj should comply [with] Saudi Arabia’s code of conduct and relevant instructions, and stay away from violating the requirements and regulations of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior,” PUC Chairman Tahir Ashrafi said in a statement, following his meeting with Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yusuf.
In the last few years, some Pakistani nationals have been found to be involved in violations of the code, including chanting political slogans. In 2022, the Madinah police had arrested at least five Pakistani nationals for “abusing and insulting” then Pakistani information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and minister for narcotics control Shahzain Bugti at the Prophet’s Mosque in the city.
Religious Affairs Minister Yusuf was due to leave for Saudi Arabia later on Tuesday to inspect arrangements for Pakistani pilgrims.
“Serving the pilgrims is our goal,” he was quoted as saying by the PUC.
More than 17,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims have reached the Saudi holy city of Madinah via over 70 flights on their way to perform the annual pilgrimage, according to the Pakistani religious affairs ministry.
Pakistan launched its Hajj flight operation on April 29 which will continue till May 31. Pilgrims will continue to leave for Madinah during the first 15 days of the operation and afterwards, they will land in Jeddah and travel directly to Makkah.
Lahore’s ‘Roses of Humanity’ art installation honors Gaza children killed in Israeli strikes
- Israel’s 18-month war on Gaza has killed more than 52,000 people, many of them women and children
- The installation features thousands of fabric roses, each representing a child whose life was cut short
ISLAMABAD: The Alhamra Arts Council in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore has opened an immersive art installation for visitors to honor the memory of children killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, highlighting the devastating human toll of the war.
Israel’s 18-month offensive against Hamas has killed more than 52,000 people, many of them women and children, and displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza’s population, Palestinian officials say. The Israeli military has also blockaded aid to the Gaza Strip since March.
In remembrance of the innocent lives lost in Gaza, the Lahore-based Labour & Love social enterprise, in collaboration with The Fundraisers BBS, has set up the installation at the Ustad Allah Bux Gallery, encouraging reflection on the situation in Gaza,
The installation features thousands of hand stitched fabric roses, each one representing a child whose life was cut short, transformed into a symbolic garden of remembrance, enveloped in evocative soundscapes, gentle fragrance and thoughtful lighting design.
“A total of 15,000 fabric roses represents the number of children reported killed in Gaza by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as of June 2024 a number that, heartbreakingly, has since grown,” said Nuria Iqbal, who curated the installation.
“Together, these roses form a radiant tribute to humanity, reminding us that dignity flourishes when we are seen, heard and held in compassion.”
The installation will be on display at the gallery from May 18.
Iqbal shared that each of the roses was crafted from discarded fabric, once cast aside and now reborn in beauty, symbolizing the forgotten lives of the children of Gaza.
“The varied colors and textures of the fabric reflect the rich diversity of creation and the strength of unity amidst difference,” she added.
The development comes at a time when Hamas has dismissed as pointless ceasefire talks with Israel, accusing it of waging a “hunger war” on Gaza where famine looms, as the Israeli military prepares for a broader assault.
The comments from Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim on Tuesday followed Israel’s approval of a military plan involving the long-term “conquest of the Gaza Strip,” according to an Israeli official.
The former Gaza health minister said the world must pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the “crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings.”
UK may restrict students from countries, including Pakistan, with high asylum claims
- The move follows the ruling Labour Party’s poor performance in last week’s local elections
- Of 108,000 asylum claims in Britain last year, 16,000 were from people with student visas
LONDON: The British government may restrict visa applications from students living in countries that are considered most likely to claim asylum in a move designed to bring down annual net migration, a government official said.
The move comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was punished in local elections in England last week by voters angry over issues, including illegal immigration.
The government is expected next week to publish a policy document, known as a white paper, which will set out how the government plans to reduce net migration, which reached 728,000 people in the year to June last year.
“Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,” the Home Office said in a statement.
High levels of legal migration have long dominated Britain’s political conversation and were one of the major drivers for the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Out of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in Britain last year, 16,000 had student visas, government data shows. The government does not provide a breakdown of the nationalities of those who had student visas, who went on to claim asylum.
But the government said people from Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka were the most likely to claim asylum in Britain after arriving on a work, student, or a visitor visa.
In the aftermath of the party’s poor local election results last week, some Labour members of parliament urged the government to do more to take a more decisive approach on issues such as bringing down net migration.
Jo White, who represents a group of lawmakers in previously Labour heartlands known as the “Red Wall,” said the government should stop “pussyfooting around.”
