Islamabad, Pakistan: Terrible information has surfaced from those who were arrested by law-enforcing agencies during the PTI protest in Islamabad. The arrested Afghan citizens in their confessional statements confirmed that they were hired by PTI Peshawar on daily wages to attack private and public properties such as vehicles, state buildings motorcycles etc.
Under the guise of peaceful protest in Islamabad, the confessional statements of more Afghans who committed evil are on the public scene exposing evil-minded rioters crossed all boundaries against the state. Several miscreants who were arrested for spreading chaos and disorder also include Afghan citizens who were hired for spreading chaos in the country.
The statements of Abdul Qadir, Javed, Amanat Khan, Mudasar, and Nurudin are reproduced from their video confessional statements.
My name is Abdul Qadir, I belong to Afghanistan and I work in Peshawar. In Peshawar, a man named Javed asked us to do a day’s labor for 5 thousand rupees. Javed gave us only one day’s money but not two days’ money, miscreants. This person instructed us to go and vandalize the PTI rally and set cars and houses on fire.
My name is Amanat Khan and I am from Afghanistan. Please stay away from taking money from PTI and indulging in violent activities. These miscreants should not harm the country and the nation by breaking the country’s property, do not burn the vehicles, and also do not damage the roads.
My name is Mudasir and I am from Afghanistan. We were given money by the PTI people to set fire in Islamabad, break people’s bikes, and set fire to houses too, miscreants. Now we are in the police station but no one is coming to bail us out and we are lying here in this situation, miscreants
My name is Nuruddin and I am from Afghanistan. The PTI people gave us two to three thousand labor to spread chaos during the meeting in Islamabad and set fire to the vehicles. I request my Afghan brothers to work for the right and stay away from such evil elements who are harming their own country.
Official channels informed DND News Agency that strict legal action will be taken against the elements involved in mischief and any mischief under the guise of so-called protest will not be tolerated
Monitoring Desk: The 23rd Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States, which will be hosted in Islamabad on October 15-16, 2024, is surely an important event for Pakistan. The ground realities in South Asia raise several questions including whether the SCO can resolve border disputes, enhance people-to-people contacts, and develop high trade between Pakistan and India or SCO offers only dreams to over 1.5 billion populations of India and Pakistan.
She believes the SCO is a success story for countries of Central Asia that resolved 90 percent of border disputes through sideline meetings during SCO forums but there is no hope that India and Pakistan will ever resolve the Kashmir issue at their side-line meeting.
She indicated that SCO was born out of the ‘Shanghai Five’ and its objectives and aims are the same as the Shanghai Five that helped to resolve border disputes among members because states of former USSR Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan had several border issues, resulting in border tensions and these states also had border issues with China.
“On April 24, 1997, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan signed the Treaty on the Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions. The first two meetings of the Shanghai Five focused on security confidence-building measures in the border areas between them as China and these countries share borders of over 7,000 kilometers in length and border problems were a potential threat to the relations among member states. It was also decided that their military forces would not engage in any offensive activities within the border areas; would not conduct military exercises against each other; would limit the scale, level, and frequency of military exercises in the border areas; would inform each other about their respective major military activities in the areas within one hundred kilometers from the borders; would invite each other to observe their planned military exercises; would prevent dangerous military activities in the border areas; and that they would enhance friendly exchanges between the military forces and border patrol forces along with the border areas. The foremost question is can Pakistan and India reach this level of understanding and coordination?’, she asked.
She also raised the issue of people-to-people contact and high trade among member states. Since all Central Asian States were former republics of the former Soviet Union, consequently they have very soft visa regimes and the Chinese visa regime is also quite soft for Central Asian countries and Russia. She believes that these points are just a dream if we talk about Pakistan-India relationships but we know only dreamers change the world”.
Monitoring Desk: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has government banned government employees from attending PTM rallies. A notification has been released in this regard. Notification says:
All government departments and employees are informed that participation, whether physical, financial, or otherwise, overt or covert, in any program or activity of a proscribed organization is illegal and will be dealt with according to law.
The names of the following persons have been included in Schedule 4 under Section 11EE of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 for assisting the banned organization Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.
South Waziristan
1. Manzoor Ahmed Pashteen
2. Shah Faisal Ghazi
3. Jamal Maliar
4. Beautiful scholar
5. Muhammad Sami alias Pashteen
6. Hayat Khan
7. Ameer Hamza
8. Ishtiaq Mehsud
9. Muhammad Bilal
10. Abdul Qahar
11. Dr Syed Alam
12. Saifur Rehman
13. Murtaza Khan Mehsud
14. Mustafa Chamto
15. Mohammad Farooq
16. Mohammad Sajjad
Swabi
1. Khairul Ameen
2. Liaquat Ali Yousafzai
3. Irfan Majnoon
4. Muhammad Ali
5. Muhammad Usman
Bajaur
1. Salman Khan
2. Abuzar Khan
3. Ghirat Khan
4. Asif Ali
5. Wajid Ali
6. Huzaifa
Khyber
1. Hussain Ahmed
2. Aftab Shinwari
3. Sami Allah
4. Mohib Afridi
5. Muhammad Hanif
6. Jahangir Khan
7. Malik Naseer Ahmed
8. Khan Wali
9. Imran Lala
10. Amjad
Malakand
1. Zaheer Jahan
2. Hidayat Rahman
3. Taj Muhammad Gharzing
4. Mushtaq Khan
5. Saeed Tajmal Hasan
6. Kamran
Monitoring Desk: There is a debate going on among journalists in Islamabad claiming that TTP (officially known as Fatinta Al-Khawarij) has announced a 5-day ceasefire in Khyber district in support of the Pashtun National Court (Jirga) to support PTM as both are two sides of one coin. The ceasefire will be effective from October 9 to 13.
The banned Pashtun Tahafiz Movement (PTM) announced the holding of the so-called “Pashtun National Court” in the Khyber district on October 11, 2024.
The official circles believe that the activities of the banned PTM are a fight for the rights of the Pashtun people, but the reality is the opposite and the PTM is the political form of TTP which sows anti-state ideas and hatred among Pashtun tribes.
TTP was founded on the implementation of the so-called Shariah, but the declaration issued uses the same language as the banned PTM. The declaration of TTP has chosen the words according to the PTM and its so-called manifesto, which proves their nexus. The Pashtun areas have been bathed in fire and blood for the last two decades by TTP while in their ongoing declarations, the impression of victimization and mudslinging on the armed forces of Pakistan is being thrown. The declaration of a 5-day ceasefire by TTP is actually a failed attempt to arouse sympathy among the innocent Pashtun nations.
The talk of forced arms in the ongoing declaration is historically a complete lie because the establishment of TTP actually took place through the funding and facilitation of forces India and other hostile forces that always try to harm Pakistan, of which there is indisputable evidence.
Banned PTM is actually another form of TTP that is unable to publicize itself and has become weak, so the outlawed PTM has taken over this responsibility through the Pashtun card. TTP’s statement in favor of the banned PTM makes it clear that both organizations have the facilitation of enemy countries to spread chaos in Pakistan and especially Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Manzoor Pashteen has not given any statement of condemnation or recorded any protest against the ongoing bloodshed and brutality by the terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Where the security forces are fighting against the terrorist organizations creating riots in Pakhtunkhwa, PTM is supporting these terrorists by wearing the cloak of victimhood. The declaration issued by Fattana Al-Khuraj in favor of the banned PTM confirms the nexus of both against Pakistan.
Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan’s media campaign on Palestine Solidarity Day has no mention of ‘Israel’. An expensive campaign releasing colored half-page advertisements to newspapers has everything regarding the Gaza genocide except the name of who is conducting this genocide. This can be a unique print media campaign and can be used as a textbook example of its uniqueness.
Pakistan’s media campaign on Palestine Solidarity Day has no mention of ‘Israel’
In simple words, all the advertisements for Palestine Solidarity Day (October 7, 2024) that the government of Pakistan has published in the newspapers; the word ‘Israel’ was not mentioned in the entire advertisement so there could be no question for condemnation phrases.
It is written that Palestinian children are being buried alive and burned. However, it is not written who is burying them alive and burning them. It is written that it is not enough to just condemn but to whom one should condemn is not written for readers.
Prime Minister Pakistan Mian Shehbaz Sharif has been raising his voice for Gaza since the day he came in office and he walked out from the UNGA Session when the Israeli prime minister started his speech. While following PM Sharif, several heads of state also walked out and boycotted the speech of the Israeli prime minister. He in his speeches also condemns Israeli genocide by mentioning the word ‘Israel’. However, the ministries under his command like of Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs look shy to use the word ‘Israel’ in campaigns to support the Palestinian cause.
Cardiovascular or heart disease is the leading cause of death in developed and developing world. Heart disease occurs due to the complex interaction of factors most of which are modifiable.
Whenever we talk about non-communicable diseases that can be reduced by lifestyle modification, heart disease is a prime example of this. The risk factors that lead to heart disease are too common in the developed world and are also of serious concern in the developing world. Effective integrated health promotion programs and policies are cornerstones and best tools to deal with this epidemic.
Major risk factors for cardiovascular disease are hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, smoking, and stress. Diabetes and hypertension have a direct relation with obesity and stress. So, a healthy lifestyle is important in preventing diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Hypercholesterolemia is also related to dietary factors and physical activity. So if we summarize the lifestyle changes to prevent these diseases they come down to eating healthy and being physically active. Avoidance of cigarettes and other harmful substances along with the reduction in the level of stress is also important for the reduction of these diseases. Stress can be reduced by physical activity, healthy eating avoiding addictions, and positive attitude. If we go deep into these lifestyle factors we know that they all are interrelated. If we can set someone or a community on a healthy lifestyle, they will be able to attain all healthy habits and consequently, all benefits related to them. They will start eating healthy. They may start growing vegetables which will increase their physical activity and reduce their stress level. Once they get the habit of being in nature they will be less inclined towards harmful substances like cigarettes and alcohol. Our main focus is how people can adopt these healthy habits and then maintain a healthy lifestyle.
There is no single solution to solve the challenge of heart disease. World Health Organization promotes the use of multiple fiscal and educational policies as a first-line approach to reducing heart diseases. Now it is proven that population-based strategies are more effective than those aimed at individuals as communities play a big role in lifestyle modification. Health and longevity are influenced by the characteristics of the communities. Social and environmental factors play a role in shaping healthy behaviors. There is mounting evidence that using a broader approach through population-wide community-level intervention results in better adaptation by the people. A community-based approach to monitoring blood pressure with an automated device increased the accuracy of blood pressure measurements, diagnosis, and management. Awareness of the importance of the interrelation of social and economic factors in shaping lifestyle behaviors makes healthier choices easy, for example making a walkable community. We can move from an individual approach to a collective approach in small communities especially if we want to educate people about healthy choices. It will create a bond between people and maintenance of lifestyle modification will be easier. For further care individualized approach with a multidisciplinary setting would be helpful.
Multidisciplinary teams are increasingly found useful as a source of delivering comprehensive primary care. This will include the prevention of non-communicable diseases like heart disease. Having a multidisciplinary and integrated approach will enable people to get what they need as if the major cause of hypertension and heart disease in a person is obesity. He will benefit from the guidance of a nutritionist and physical activity instructor. Patients with stress-related issues which can lead to disease itself and also to unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle, will benefit from a clinical psychologist. People who have difficulty adopting healthy behaviors will benefit from behavior therapy. A lot of lot of research has been done in recent years to help people leave certain unhealthy activities and make healthy behavior changes. So there are proven strategies to help people change their behavior. That is effective on an individual level and in groups, depending on which type of intervention is needed. Furthermore, recent studies have proved that spiritual intelligence can promote patients’ physical and mental health. So paying attention to the spiritual approach as part of integrated care is also important.
Integrated care refers to an approach in healthcare in which a multidisciplinary team of different healthcare professionals is used, and the focus would be on all aspects of health. They care for the patient, taking him as a whole, monitor their needs, and act accordingly together. Care is integrated instead of compartmentalized. So patients and healthy people have these facilities under one roof which makes it easier to use.
The author Dr. Attia Anwar is a consultant family physician with a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of GP UK. She is a strong advocate of health and well-being and wants patient participation in decision-making regarding health.
Islamabad, Pakistan: All Parties Conference (APC) on Palestine was attended by all political parties of Pakistan except PTI. The conference was jointly hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, the Pakistan People’s Party, and the PMLN-led government in the center here on Monday.
PTI sources claim that PTI initially decided to participate in today’s APC to show support with Palestine but decided at night not to participate after a lot of harsh words were exchanged between Chairman Barrister Gohar and PTI’s media team sitting in the United States. “Finally foreign group prevailed on the plea that its foreign donors and partners will get angry if we (PTI) support Palestine. This is the real reason why today PTI did not participate in the All Parties Conference on Palestine’, commented an important PTI leader on the condition of not revealing her/his identity.
An all-party conference was held to express solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians, where the national leadership demanded the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and membership of the United Nations. The APC was chaired by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari. APC was attended by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chairman People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, JUI (F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other political leaders of the country.
In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar presented a joint resolution strongly condemning Israel’s genocidal actions and said that Pakistan will redouble its efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
All Parties Conference on Palestine was attended by all parties except PTI
President Asif Ali Zardari said in his address that Yasir Arafat kept coming here, I kept meeting him along with late Benazir Bhutto. He added that a year ago Israel attacked Gaza and Palestine, and Israel’s actions are endangering the world. Apart from Palestine, Israel is also attacking Lebanon. He added that Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians, 41 thousand Palestinians have been martyred due to Israeli aggression. The health and education infrastructure in Palestine and Gaza has been destroyed. President Asif Ali Zardari said that we demand the United Nations to stop Israel from aggression. We will continue to raise the issue of Israel’s human rights violations in every forum, we call on the UN Security Council to stop Israel from aggression. He said that Israel should return from all occupied Arab territories, the international community has failed to stop the genocide of Palestinians.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who closed the conference, praised the participants for their solidarity on the Palestinian issue. He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and called for a ceasefire.
“What Israel is doing in Palestine is unimaginable. Innocent people are being slaughtered, and the world powers are silent,” said Sharif. “We will form a group of experts to visit key international capitals and deliver Pakistan’s message of solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami who took the initiative of APC, Hafiz Naeem said that in the context of Pakistan’s resolution, Pakistan does not recognize Israel as an independent state. Quaid-e-Azam had declared Israel as an illegitimate state in 1940, but Pakistan has never recognized the existence of Israel. He also said that “we have a clear position that Israel is an illegitimate and occupying state, Quaid-e-Azam had said that Pakistan will never recognize Israel”.
MQM Pakistan chief Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said in his address that we have done political demonstrations, but there is a need to talk further. He said that I think there is a need to go ahead and raise the voice diplomatically, and convey the message of Pakistan to all Islamic countries. He said that the Prime Minister should announce to sponsor the children of Palestine in all the universities of Pakistan, any practical steps should be announced today. He said that we have condemned, we cannot repair, we should announce practical measures today.
In his address to the All Parties Conference, Khalid Magsi said that our shouting would not make any difference to Israel. How will we stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment? We should all look into our necks. Khalid Magsi said that the people of Palestine are not at a loss, they are succeeding.
Muslim League (Q) leader Chaudhry Salik Hussain said that the Prime Minister’s speech at the UN also had a great impact. He said that we should talk openly here, children are being martyred in Palestine, and we should think about the solution to the Palestine problem. He said that so many women and children were not martyred in any war. After seeing the facts, we should decide on a strategy in this regard.
Abdul Aleem Khan, the leader of the Stabilization Pakistan Party, said that it has been a year since the Israeli brutality. We have not really done anything for Palestine, we have not done what we could. He said that the massacre of Palestinian children was going on even during the UN meeting. The world has gone numb. We are divided into many things. He said that there is nothing left for those countries which were divided among themselves, today look at those countries where there was fitna and corruption. Abdul Aleem Khan said that the countries where Israel attacked were not economically stable, they were divided. Do politics but put the country first.
Awami National Party leader Amil Wali Khan said that we should think about how to end the oppression of Palestinians. He said that along with Palestine we will also talk about the freedom of Kashmir. Afghanistan is also an oppressed country. He said that let the Kashmiris make their own decisions, we should also look at our own country. Emil Wali said that the cry we are crying for Palestine should not be the same for Balochistan and KP in the next 50 years.
The APC concluded with a unanimous resolution calling for the immediate cessation of Israeli hostilities and urging the Muslim world to form a unified platform to defend Palestinian rights. The participants also agreed on sending a delegation to key international capitals to raise awareness of Israel’s crimes.
The resolution declared that Israel’s ongoing actions are a grave threat to regional stability and world peace, and called on global powers to take immediate action.
Monitoring Desk: The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan mourns again as two more Chinese citizens were killed in a terror attack when an oil tanker exploded near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi and killed two Chinese citizens on Sharea Faisal near the airport.
Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for this vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack.
The Chinese embassy in Pakistan strongly condemned the deadly explosion near Karachi’s international airport, labeling it a “terrorist attack” that resulted in the tragic deaths of two Chinese nationals.
The statement indicated that the explosion targeted a convoy from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company and expressed deep condolences for the victims from both countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan issued a delayed statement condemning the “heinous terrorist attack” that claimed the lives of two Chinese engineers and injured another.
Monitoring Desk: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a report on October 7, 2024, to mark the one-year genocide of Palestinians that started after Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched the deadliest attack on Israel resulting unending Israeli attacks on Gaza and West Bank, purging Palestinian nation and committing the genocide of Palestinian Muslims.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, more than 41,600 Palestinians have been killed, many of them women and children, and 96,600 injured. Thousands more are missing and believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Nearly the entire population of Gaza has been displaced, many of them multiple times, with no safe place to go.
UN Report says:
Thousands of Palestinians are arbitrarily detained, reportedly subjected to torture and other inhuman treatment and with no information on their whereabouts.
Civilians face extreme deprivation, with limited or no access to health care, food, electricity or humanitarian aid. Children have missed out on an entire year of education. Schools sheltering displaced families have been repeatedly shelled, health-care workers and hospitals have been systematically attacked, and aid convoys have been continually blocked and even shot at. In the West Bank, the use of lethal force by Israeli forces, along with rampant settler violence and house demolitions, have led to a sharp rise in fatalities, widespread destruction and forced displacement.
“No statistics or words can fully convey the extent of the physical, mental and societal devastation that has taken place,” said Joyce Msuya, the Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “But we know what must happen: The hostages must be released and treated humanely. Civilians must be protected and their essential needs met. Palestinians arbitrarily detained must be released. Humanitarian workers must be safeguarded and their work facilitated. Perpetrators must be held accountable for any serious violations of international humanitarian law. And the assault on Gaza must stop.”
The past year has seen Israel blocking humanitarian access into and within Gaza, crippling aid operations. As a result, a weakened population is left to battle disease, hunger and death.
More than 300 aid workers, the vast majority from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), have been killed in Gaza – more than in any other single crisis, making Gaza the most dangerous place for aid workers.
Despite the immense risks – including violence, looting of supplies, and access challenges – humanitarian agencies continue to deliver aid when and where they can. More than 560,000 children were vaccinated against polio during the first phase of an emergency vaccination campaign – an example of what can be achieved when aid workers can reach people in need. But such examples are few.
“It has been 12 months of unrelenting tragedy – this must end,” said Ms. Msuya. “Member States must wield their influence to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and human rights and compliance with the rulings of the International Court of Justice. They must also work to end impunity. An immediate ceasefire and durable peace are long overdue.”
Today is the first anniversary of the Israeli bombing of Gaza which was started after Hamas’s rocket attack on Israel. Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami offered the government to join the Palestine Solidarity Day and for All Parties Conference on Palestine issue. The invitation was given to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman who visited PM House and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted to host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and to support the Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Islamabad, Pakistan: The Government of Pakistan is observing a nationwide Palestine Solidarity Day today as October 7 is the first anniversary of the Israeli bombing of Gaza that was started after Hamas’s rocket attack on Israel.
Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami offered the government to join the Palestine Solidarity Day and for All Parties Conference on Palestine issue. The invitation was given to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman who visited PM House and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted to host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and to support the Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Monitoring Desk: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has government banned government employees from attending PTM rallies. A notification has been released in this regard. Notification...
Monitoring Desk: There is a debate going on among journalists in Islamabad claiming that TTP (officially known as Fatinta Al-Khawarij) has announced a 5-day...
Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan’s media campaign on Palestine Solidarity Day has no mention of ‘Israel’. An expensive campaign releasing colored half-page advertisements to newspapers has...
Islamabad, Pakistan: All Parties Conference (APC) on Palestine was attended by all political parties of Pakistan except PTI. The conference was jointly hosted by...
The author Dr. Attia Anwar is a consultant family physician with a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of GP UK. She is a strong advocate of health and well-being and wants patient participation in decision-making regarding health.
