Kashmir repression NE year after India’s revocation of Articles 370 and 35A, O the situation in India-held Kashmir remains a powder keg of anger and repression. Ravaged by a brutal curfew that included complete shutting down of internet services, Kashmir today continues to suffocate under unprecedented military presence. The Hindu supremacist government of BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had boasted on Aug 5 last year that the annexation of Kashmir would bring peace and prosperity to the people of the region. A year later all such predictions have proved wrong. Thousands of Kashmiris have been imprisoned, tortured and made to disappear, and yet the population remains defiant. There is hardly any doubt that Mr Modi’s real objective in revoking IHK’s special status as a semi-autonomous region under Article 370 was to bring about a demographic change there. Since last year, the government has aggressively promoted migration of Hindus to IHK through various incentives. In the long run, the BJP wants to convert the Muslim Kashmiri population into a minority on its own land. This policy has continued to unfold in the occupied territory since August last year under the shadow of Indian guns. Both the government and the pliant Indian media continue to claim that normalcy has returned to Kashmir but nothing could be farther from the truth. A large number of Kashmiri leaders —including the pro-Indian ones — remain incarcerated, freedom of movement is severely curtailed and independent media cannot get access to the region. Draconian measures like a communication blackout are routinely used to clamp down on resistance. Horrendous incidents of beatings and custodial killings of Kashmiris, including young boys, by the occupying force are commonplace. The heart-wrenching image of the infant sitting on the dead body of his grandfather slain by Indian soldiers is only one illustration of the gross human rights violations being perpetrated by the Indian occupying force. The annexation of occupied Kashmir has also had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of people. The influx of outsiders into the region has put a strain on employment opportunities for locals who have already suffered the loss of earnings under the blanket curfew that was imposed prior to the annexation last year. The much-touted investment conference that was to be held in Kashmir is yet to see the light of day. Covid-19 has added another adverse factor in the lives of people while providing security forces an excuse for further clamping down on movement. Occupied Kashmir is on the brink of a political, demographic and financial disaster. Pakistan should undertake every effort feasible to highlight the situation and mount pressure on India to reverse the disastrous decision of revoking the special status of Kashmir. India must not be allowed to get away with this travesty. This message should resonate loud and clear on Aug 5.NDMA in Karachi HE fact that the National Disaster Management Authority —a federal agency which, by virtue of its very definition, is designed to move in and launch operations when disasters strike — has been tasked by the prime minister to clean Karachi’s storm drains shows that the metropolis’s civic infrastructure has collapsed. It is no secret that decades of neglect and misrule by various parties have left Karachi in tatters, and the state this megacity is in is no less than a man-made disaster. NDMA personnel, along with the FWO, started work cleaning Gujjar nullah, one of the city’s main storm drains, on Monday, taking out tonnes of sludge that had blocked the free flow of water and resulted in horrendous urban flooding in parts of the city during heavy rain spells at the end of last month. Another heavy spell has been forecast by the weatherman in the city later this week, which perhaps explains the federal government’s urgency to get the drains cleaned. While it may be a relief that some action has been taken at the official level to save Karachi from further rain-related misery, calling in federal agencies designed to be deployed in emergencies is only a stopgap measure. When the nation’s largest city has a barely functioning local government, residents look at such ad hoc moves as the only solution. Indeed, all the players that use Karachi as a political battleground are equally responsible for this sorry state of affairs. The PPP-led Sindh government over more than a decade has, bit by bit, stripped away nearly all the powers of the local government, specifically keeping water, sewage and solid waste (mis)management under its wing. The disastrous results are in plain sight. Meanwhile, the MQM-led mayoralty also does little other than complain about lack of powers and funds. While its plaint may be partially justified, the KMC does not seem to be particularly active in using whatever powers remain with it. On the other hand, the PTI’s federal government — which has the most MNAs elected from Karachi — watches from the wings and after disaster strikes, moves in to the rescue with swashbuckling solutions. None of these are tenable approaches. Whether it is federal agencies launching clean-up operations, or the Sindh government unveiling grandiose foreign donor-funded civic projects, all these moves will fail unless there is an elected, empowered local government in place that can clean and maintain Karachi as part of its constitutional duty.BY JAWED NAQVI SS. There are Hindus and Hindus ‘STREAMS of cultural and religious mingling in the family found melookingaftera kindly Saraswat Brahmin in his last days. Thad brought the friend from his Mumbai home to Delhi after he was diag ‘nosed with a galloping brain tumour. It gave him jst four or five menths. ‘in his mid-70s, Bhau was a much-loved people's doctor who taught pharmacology and practised alternate medicine at a leading medical college in ‘Mumbai. Now, meaning some five years ago, he himself needed hands on care and I offered to ‘organiseit at home. When he passed away after four ‘months that were filled with absorbing memories ‘and natu sangeet — a dazzling range of ragabased theatre music that Ustad Karim Khan and Ustad Alladiya, ‘Khan embraced and. taught their Maharashtrian disciples — I realised Thad to per form Bhat?s lat rites “There are secular and religious routes to crema: tion in predominantly Hindu India but only a rel lous one curiously for burial. Foremost rational Ist that he was, Viadimir Lenin would have to choose between a Christian or Muslim or Jewish Service, were he to cop it in India. On the other hhand, he could be cremated with « rousing clenched fisted red salute, a bonus being no med ation by pesky priests hau's sister joined the cremation, and asked ‘me to perform the Hindu rites. One was used t0 {riends of every ideological stripe being seen off Without a pries'’s involvement. The sister’ insist fence on a religious farewell made it somewhat ‘complicated for me. Itold her to no avail about the legendary theatre diva Zohra Sehgal who. was given a heartrugging farewell at the same place ‘through a serupulously non-religious route. She ‘was so certain of the dead end here and now that ‘heinstructed her family to collect her ashes, only If they were determined to, but then they should flush it down the tube, ‘Bhau was a Sanatani Hindu, as Gandhi and also his Hindutva killers were, but the priests offered aneasier passage. If we chose the Arya Samall way itwould be quicker with literitual. Arya Samajis, like the erstwhile Brahmo Samajis of Bengal ‘oppose dol worship while stil having serious ideo logieal differences. The priest and the sister insisted, and I poured water around the body, smashed the earthen pitcher and bowed in rever: fence tothe departed soul ‘One thought of journalist Praful Bidwai who was cremated here tothe masic of Malikarjun Mansur’s ‘Raag YamaniBilawal, Kith ve gue logawa where have the beautiful souls gone, so goes the Mhaval. Safdar “Hashmi and both his parents were given a clenched fisted send-off atthe Delhi crematorium, ‘Religion and traditions are meant to see us through the mortal life, not to obstruct its pas ‘sage. Hindutva has hijacked both with a eynical Purpose, There's a scene in Akhtar Mirza’ Naya ‘Daur, a movie from the 1950s, in which the villain Mixing religion with polities in India has led to communal violence, banning of books, subversion of secular laws, and hollowing out of justice. surreptitiously plants the idol ofa Hindu deity on the path of a proposed road the villagers were building pro bono, and which he opposed. During the digging the villagers found the idol, and Dilip ‘Kumar the hero saw it as a ploy to retard their ‘good work. Gullible villagers however decided t0 Take @ more tortuous route, an example of how polities thrives on blind faith, After destroying Secular Palestinians, Iraqis and Syrians, they ere ate religious extremists, and declare this was the nature of Islam. ‘Mixing religion seth polities in India has led t0 ‘communal violence, banning of books, subversion ‘of secular laws, and hollowing out of justice Thad stopped going to the movies when standing up for the national anthem became mandatory Under Hindutva's watch. My decision was a way of respecting Rabindranath Tagore, author of the Indian anthem, not unlike legendary sarod maes: tro Ustad Hafir Ali Khan refusing any recording of hhis music. “They will play it at paan shops,” he ‘would protest. One has removed the treasure rove of expletives that accompanied the refusal. The great’ vocalist Bhimsen Joshi counted Khan Saahab, father of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, among hisrovered gurus ‘Onone oceasion in the cinema hal, self-righteous ‘goons beat up a physically challenged person who ‘wasnt able to get up from his wheelchair for the ‘national anthem. What is lest known is that people who ‘made the standing mandatory before the {screening of movies harbour nothing but contempt {or Tagore and his progressive work against blind faith. Tho Nobel laureate is revered in Bangladesh, ‘where one of his immortal songs is the national ‘anthem, and he is loved in Sei Lanka for inspir their Sinhalese anthem, Namo Namo Maca, easly the most lilting. composition among the world’s ‘national songs. For all this and more, rightwing “Hindus want to remove Tagore’s works from school and university syllabuses. "How does the state-induced ascent of ignorance for the suspension of human fellowship, say in ‘Kashinirsince ayear tothe day, play ut in Tagore’: vision for India he spelled out in the poams of (Gitanjalt? “Where the mind is without fear and the hhead is held high, where knowledge is free. Where ‘the world has not been broken up into fragments by harrow domestic walls... Where the eleat stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert ‘and of dead habit. Into that heaven of freedom, ‘my father, let my country awake.” “Talking of a clear stream of reason, Hindutva ‘enthusiasts would have dispatched Tagore to the fate meted out to Gauri Lankesh and her comrades for rejecting ignorance, whieh Indians have been ‘doing since ancient times, This was the land of the CCharavakas after al, who challenged Brahminieal ritualism with the power of reason and logic. They ‘oo were Hindus, though the word was coined much, later, Hindus wsho would find the current order primed to crumble under the weight of Its own cule tivated ignorance. The writer is Dawns comespondentin Dh. {awednaqvi@gmailcomMore testing needed CONSIDERABLE decrease in the number of active A Covid-19 cases in the past couple of weeks has resulted in the easing of restrictions, the opening up of public spaces and reduced testing in several parts of the country. It is, however, too soon to let down our guard. As Prime Minister Imran Khan rightly pointed out, carelessness during Eidul Azha could cause a fresh spike in infections, putting further strain on our already overstretched healthcare resources. Though the daily number of deaths and infections have decreased considerably, the authorities would still have to keep an eye on the emerging trend over the next couple of weeks as those newly infected — their numbers could be considerable due to violation of SOPs and socialising over Eid — begin to show symptoms. This means that testing, which has gone down, has to be ramped up. Even at its peak, testing by the government was far below the target. But now that the rate of infection has fallen, government testing also seems to be on the decline. For example, the Punjab government has eased the lockdown earlier than anticipated while also reducing the number of tests by around 30pc of its daily capacity of 17,000. Less testing may leave us vulnerable if a second wave of infections begins in the country, so there is absolutely no room for complacency, and SOPs must be strictly enforced everywhere. There are also concerns that the approaching month of Muharram may see a spike in infections as people congregate to fulfil religious obligations. To really push the country out of this pandemic, both the government and the people will have to keep taking adequate precautionary measures. The authorities should maintain a baseline level of testing despite the decline in cases to be able to predict and prepare for a potential second wave of Covid-19 and to obtain more data. On its part, the public must follow the government- recommended SOPs to make sure that we conquer this pandemic once and for all.BY ARIFA NOOR The PM tl IN the middle of hard negotiations over NAB. and FATF-related legislation and the opposition’s bluster, the PTT still managed to make i all about the chaos within. the government by abruptly removing two advisers — Tania Aidrus and Zafar ‘Mirza Aina day's work, forthe ruling party Both the advisers took to Twitter to announce their ‘resignations’ while the ‘sources took to the media simultaneously to reveal that the resign: tions were not given” voluntarily. (The two depart- ing members. weren't allowed graceful exit) Publicly the resignations were linked tothe recent “debate ver dual nationalities, especially as Aideus ina tweet made. connection between the two. On the other hand, Mirza in his tweet referred to the negative coverage of advisers to the government. ‘nce then, much has been said about the two resignations and what brought them about. From petty palities Aldus was @ Tareen inductee and zhow that he had fallen out, her fate could not have ‘Deen any different — to allegations of wrongdoing “allegedly allowing drugs in from India in Mirza’s ‘case and the registration of Digital Pakistan with SECP without the prime minister's knowledge in ‘Aidrus's case — myriad reasons have been given. ‘Sadly, my inability to cultivate sources prevents ‘me from providing the inside story of these two lunceremonious departures or the ones that are ‘rumoured to follow shortly. But uninformed souls ssuch as myself can try and make up for itby point. ing out obvious patterns “The most obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the prime minister still does not know whom to place where; his eabinet choices are a case of trial {and error, and this game of musical chairs is likely ‘toeontinue. People will eome and go and the depar ture will be abrupt and uneeremonious, perhaps because removal from cabinet is rarely ever digni- fied. However, the leaks to the media will make it ‘worse in the PIs ca ‘Second, is also the issue of the elected and une: lected members of the Imran Khan eabinet and what the departure of Mirza and Aidrus will mean for this balance. Some, who had highlighted the domination ofthe unelected people in the cabinet are now concluding/predicting the lected led! would Tead the charge against the former and ‘sould overshadow them, ‘But there is little proof of this so far, The number bfadvisers continues to be strong and they are still holding. on to key portfolios such as petroleum, CPEC and finance. Even ifthe sources’ prove cor. reetand more departures are scheduled, how many Aepartures willit take tosay safely thatthe elected members of the eabinet are now in the driving Seat? Thirteen of them are stil there and in impor. fant postions. ‘Along with this, there is also the prime minister to consider. His shetorie may focus on the corrupt ‘opposition but his actions show that he distrust politicians in general. The corrupt system he rails Against is partly rooted in constituency polities, where the elected ones came from, In addition, he [uncomfortable with their longevity, sense of Independence, and chameleondike ability to adapt to different parties; perhaps this is why senior PTL faces who have careers dating back to before the PITs advent, were relegated to portfolios such as defence and Toreign affairs. (Before someone points out the chief minicter of Punjab asan excep ton, he truly isthe exception that proves the rule.) ‘Butdistrust snot the onl issue for Khan; he also ddoosn't think traditional politicians are rained for ‘complex governing tasks — and this isthe collec tive failure of political parties because they have not trained their cadres. Hence, those who think the elected members will soon replace or over: thadow the tinelected outsiders shouldnt be too hopeful. This divide may continue for a while longer if not the entire term. “This also leads t the third point, which is con nected tothe second about distrust, ‘slamabad is replete seth remours about hove the prime ministeris trying to keep abreast of the Khan and his ‘advisers’ ks that traditional politicians aren't trained for complex governance. possible corruption by those around him. Some of the occasions on which someone or the other in & position wastold to takea hike, there were hushed ‘whispers about how the prime minister had been Biven a report about possible wrongdoing or cor ruption, and this led fo the ‘sacking! Such stories are rarely confirmed but they are leaked and cir ulated with such coavietion that they become Tact ‘Bur the authenticity of (both asin media and the intelligence) these ‘reports’ remains suspect, pe haps because there isarely any follow-up action. ‘The most interesting case in this regard was of ‘the former health minister, Amir Kiyani. When he ‘was removed, it was rumoured to be because of Some shady deals within the health department but Tater he was given an important post within the party hierarchy. "What explains this? Khan's etractors may put it down to-@ whim bue it could falso be though it may not be the only other expla ‘ation — that the prime minister is provided raw Intelligence which leads to conclusions not neces: sarily or entirely correct. He acts immediately and hastily. He would not be the first head of state to be tempted thus, nor the last. Those who came before hhlm were also susceptible vo such habits. Checking up on and spying on the governments own people isan age-old practice. ‘And with Khan's fixation on corruption, there is ‘a chance that surveillance will focus on financial hhanky-panky; such reports willbe considered ser! fuslysand even exploited by the factions within the arts ‘deall, this isa tendency best curbed, if any les sons are to be learned from the NAB finsco— but it is unfortunately an unpopular opinion outside of the opposition eireles and chances are it will con tinue. Perhaps it is another reason the cabinet will continue to witness more departures and arrivals than the Dubai airport, The witeris aurasAROUND 1930, Mohammad Ali Jinnah left for London, He bought a house on West Heath Road, set up his law chambers on King’s Bench Walk, and restarted practice. ‘The Musalmans, he would later say, were “led by either the flunkeys of the British government or the camp followers of the Congress...| felt so disappointed and so depressed, that I decided to settle down in London”, His first trip to England was equally instructive. Though he was always meant to manage his father’s mercantile business, London ended up changing Mr Jinnah for- ever. He joined Lincoln’s Inn, read Dicey, listened to speeches in the House of Commons, and favoured the Liberal Party. When he returned to India, he rose to be its greatest legal practitioner. Even in self- exile in London in the 1930s, he rebuilt his practice in the Privy Council in no time. One does wonder, all things considered, how Mr Jinnah would fare in today’s Pakistan. To be clear, he was never a dual national; the laws of empire made him a British subject. But it would be difficult for the Quaid, having spent several years of his prime as a working professional abroad and, on a lighter note, having bought a property in London (albeit one in his own name, by lawful means, and not lent to him by his children, Qatari princes, or Saudi kings). Counterfactuals are always a silly busi- ness, but had Mr Jinnah never lived, stud- ied, or practised across the sea, it’s hard to imagine his becoming a barrister, drawing close to parliamentary politics, keeping his struggle constitutional, or beating the British at their own game — thus wint his case for a new nation. Interestingly, the Quaid’s ‘local’ cred tials were doubted by some in his own Ii! time. As Gandhi put it, “Jinnah has hated me since the day I asked him in a meeting to give up English and speak in Gujarati.” Today’s Pakistan strikes a similar bar- gain: it forces its parliamentarians to give up a second passport under Article 63(1)(c) of the Constitution. The recent resigna- tions of two special assistants to the prime minister — for reasons that almost cer- tainly don’t have to do with one of them being a dual national — has sparked the same debate. Per the charge sheet, dual nationals have divided loyalties; stakes abroad preclude them from serving at home; and testtube prime ministers have parachuted in and out. None of these reasons actually hold. First, the world’s moving elsewhere. A dual citizen can be prime minister of Britain, prime minister of Canada, presi- BY ASAD RAHIM KHAN Duelling nationals dent of the US, prime minister of New Zealand, president of France, and chancel- lor of Germany. On the other end of the spectrum, dual citizens are kept out of par- liaments in India, Israel, Afghanistan, and Australia. We’ve decided to park ourselves in the second neighbourhood when it comes to dual citizens, whose remittances we bring in, but whose representatives we push out. Second, barring them from elected office is a bogus protection in the first place. Arch-rivals Nawaz Sharif and Gen Musharraf live abroad indefinitely. Former leaders freely ‘enjoy’ foreign properties (their ownership subject to pending court cases) and have made an entire life for themselves on other continents. Third, the inverse is equally true: Altaf Hussain, long graced by Her Majesty’s royal purple, ran much of Karachi, and a chunk of our assemblies, for a generation. Article 63(1)(c) does nothing to prevent our rulers from acting like dual nationals, or dual nationals from acting like our rulers. Fourth, renounc- ing a passport sec- onds before contest- ing elections neither The current legal Fee voids one’s stakes framework yes jones. sakes doesn’t foreign linkages. Iv’s : a hasty workaround require for a legal bar, when an electoral the bar in question bar: should be done away with anyway. Fifth, disloyalty isn’t the exclusive province of foreign passport-holders; it’s just as likely to be home-grown. The most consistent example of knifing Pakistan’s interests in the kidneys has, more often than we'd like to admit, come from some of its highest diplomats. Sixth, the law in field, the Citizenship Act of 1951, doesn’t allow for passports to be acquired from just any country, but from a specific, notified list of states. The current legal framework is already consid- ered and restrictive, and doesn’t require an electoral bar on top. In the end, Pakistan needs to start wel- coming all its citizens, and begin from a position of trust. A starting point would be to allow dual nationals to contest elections, subject to renouncing their citizenship before taking oath as legislators. The logical end would be undoing the bar altogether, and becoming a better place for it. = The writer is a barrister.BY OWEN BENNETT-JONES 4 Double standards WASHINGTON’S economic sanctions on senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party in retaliation for the mistreatment of Uighurs should, on the face of it, be a source of deep embarrassment for Islamabad. After all, the leading advocate of Muslim rights in China is now the Trump administration. “The United States,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said recently, “will not stand idly by as the Chinese Communist Party carries out human rights abuses tar- geting Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and mem- bers of other minority groups in Xinjiang, to include forced labour, arbitrary mass deten- tion, and forced population control, and attempts to erase their culture and Muslim faith.” This is in stark contrast with Imran Khan’s statement; when asked about the plight of fellow Muslims in China, “Frankly,” he said, “I don’t know much about that.” But of course everyone knows what is hap- pening. As many — mainly Western — think tanks and journalists have docu- mented, the Chinese government has detained hundreds of thousands of its Muslim citizens in re-education camps. Most of them have never been charged with crimes and can’t challenge their detentions. Media reports suggest the detainees have been targeted for contacting people from any of the 26 countries China considers sen- sitive, such as Turkey and Afghanistan; attending mosques; having too many chil- dren (more than three); and sending texts containing Quranic verses. Often, the only ‘crime’ these people have committed is being Muslim. ‘The list goes on. Uighur exiles, who strug- gle to get published in Muslim countries, even speak of copies of the Quran being burnt. And yet no one in the Muslim world reacts to these actions, Which poses an awk- ward question: how can it be that when an American soldier burns religious verses, angry Pakistanis riot so violently that peo- ple die, but when a Chinese soldier does the same thing, they shrug their shoulders, and look the other way? Pakistan is by no means alone in aban- doning the Uighur Muslims. Most of the Muslim world has remained silent. The one Muslim country to show some solidarity — Turkey — has since backed down. In 2019, the Turkish foreign ministry issued a state- ment saying the Chinese treatment of the Uighurs was “a great embarrassment for humanity”. A few months later, President Erdogan resiled from that position, saying a solution could be found to help Muslims interned in Chinese camps “taking into account the sensitivities” of both sides. So much for the post Ottoman powerhouse. But even if the failure of the Muslim world is a collective one, the failure to defend the Uighurs is especially poignant in Pakistan. When it was created back in 1947, many saw Pakistan as an ideological state; a leader of the Muslims around the globe. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Islamic summit heldin Lahore in 1974 attracted kings, presidents and prime ministers from all over the Muslim world. Pakistanis revelled in their centrality to the ummah. And then, in 1998 the nuclear bomb tests cemented the idea that Pakistan was the vanguard of Muslim states, a leader of the faithful with interna- tional heft. So how can it be that the Uighurs are more stoutly defended by American Christians than Pakistan Muslims? The answer isnot so hard to find. Pakistan and the US are in fact driven by similar impulses. It barely needs saying that the Americans have no genuine interest in Uighur rights. Washington has only raised the issue to advance is position in its trade dispute with China. If the US was really con- —_—_____ cerned about defending Muslims in western China it would have been campaigning on Uighur rights long before President Trump decided to launch his new Cold War. Meanwhile, Pakistan says nothing because it wants to protect its trade, security and diplomatic relationship with China. In both cases, cal- culations about national interest have been taken more seriously than human rights. The US is well used to being denounced as hypocritical, But Pakistan likes to think of itself as better than that. Asa foreign cor- respondent visiting Pakistan, I have lost count of the times that government officials have cornered me to ask why the West shows. so little interest in the rights of Kashmiri Muslims. I generally reply that the answeris obvious — India has a much bigger economy than Pakistan and foreign counties don’t want to jeopardise their trade relationship with New Delhi. It is a reply that is met with expressions of frustration about the perfidy and double standards of the West. But I can now see a way to answer the question a little more clearly. Next time I am asked why Western governments don’t take more interest in Kashmiri rights, I will reply: for the same reason Pakistan doesn’t take more interest in Uighur rights. = Pakistan has been silent on the mistreatment of Uighurs. The writer is a British journalist. His book The Bhutto Dynasty will be published later this year.Kashmiris reject Continued from Page 1 along the LoC who regularly face firing by the Indian armed forces’ because of Which they have suffered both human and material losses Frequency of ceasefire vio lations by India along the Loc has registered a sharp increase since 2015. This year India has so far committed nearly 1,844 ceasefire viola tions with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons, in which 14 people have been mar. tyred and another 138 seri ously injured. Mr Qureshi said the gov: emment and people of Pakistan salute the courage of the people living along the ToC, who have resolutely stood their ground and have chosen not to leave the area. “Your commitment to your soilis exemplary," he added. Other countries, he said, may not be speaking up over India’s excesses in Kashmir ands illegal actions because oftheirexpediencies and eco- hhomic interests, but Kashmiris should be clear that they are on the right path. “Kashmiris are increas. ingly getting alienated from India. Today there is no hon- ourable Kashmir, who would be supporting India’s action,” Mr. Qureshi told” people daring the visit. In his earlier video state ment, the foreign minister Said: “We want to assure the Kashmiris living near the ToC that the government, armed forces and people are standing firmly by them.” ‘Mr Qureshi said he wanted to send a clear message to India as well that whatever they tried do [to suppress the voice of the people, the Kashmiris had rejected theie ‘Aug Saction. The government is plan- ning to observe the first anni- versary of annexation of held Kashmir on Wednesday as ‘Yaumsilstehsal (Day of Exploitation). A number of activities have been planned for the day. ‘Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan received @ phone call from Turkish President | Recep Tayyip Enlogan, exchanged Bid greetings and discussed a range of important. issues wwith him, ‘A press release issued by the PAT Office’: media wing said that PM Khan congrattr lated President Erdogan on the reopening of Hagia Sophia for prayers and informed him that millions of Pakistanis watched it live on television, The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact on all issues of common interest. The Pakistan-Turkey stra- tegic relationship is under pinned by unique mutual trust, understanding and close’ cooperation. Pakistan deeply appreciates Turkey's steadfast support for the just cause of Kashmir, which President Erdogan reat firmed during his address toa joint session of parliament in February this year, the press release addedThree top lawyers to assist JHC in Indian spy case Court asks govt to again approach New Delhi, Jadhav for appointment of defence counsel By Malik Asad ISLAMABAD: TheIslam- abad High Court (IHC) on Monday appointed leading lawyers as amici curiae in Indian spy Kulbhushan Jad- hav case and asked Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan to once again seek response from the Indian government and the spy regarding appointment of counsel for his defence. The IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb warned against issuing unnecessary statements in this case as the court observed “everyone must keep in mind right to fair trial while issuing state- ment related to Jadhav”. “We appoint Mr Abid Hassan Manto, Mr Hamid Khan, Senior Advocates of the Supreme Court and for- mer presidents of the Sup- reme Court Bar Association, and Mr Makhdoom Ali Khan, Senior Advocate Sup- reme Court and former Att- orney General of Pakistan, as amici curiae for our legal assistance in general and, in particular, to ensure that the judgement of the Inter- national Court is effectively implemented,” the court order said. AG Khan gave an under- taking that his office would issue advice to the govern- ment in this regard. He said the government had com- mitted for his fair trial despite the fact that Jadhav had confessed to and con- victed of committing hei- nous crimes of espionage and terrorism in Pakistan. “Jadhav is taken care of, he is in good health,” the attorney general said. He said that in compli- ance with the stay order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the government did not execute the convict. The stay order would remain intact till the time a petition from or on behalf of Jadhav was filed before the THC, he added. In response to the court query as to why the govern- ment did not file a petition under Article 199 of the Constitution and promul- gated Jadhav-specific ordi- nance, the attorney general clarified that the ICJ had not set aside the verdict of the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) or the mili- tary’s appellate court and read out the relevant para- graph of the ICJ’s decision that highlighted non-com- pliance with Article 36 of the Vienna Convention that defines a framework for consular relations between sovereign states. He said the ordinance did not enable the Indian spy to challenge his conviction but allowed him to file “review and reconsideration” app- eal to examine observance of Article 36. According to the attorney general, Indian Navy com- mander Jadhav entered Pakistan on March 3, 2016, and was arrested by the Pakistani authorities dur- ing a counter-intelligence operation in Balochistan. He said Jadhav confessed to his association with the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Mashkel, Wing (RAW), and involve- parts of Balochistan and Sindh and was awarded death sentence by a mili- tary court in April 2017. AG Khan said the mercy petition of the spy was pend- ing before the Chief of Army Staff and not yet decided since the ICJ had issued a stay order against the spy’s conviction. He said an appeal filed by Jadhav’s mother was also pending with the federal govern- ment. According to the attorney general, the Pakistani gov- ernment in compliance with the ICJ’s order was once again ready to provide con- sular access to Jadhav. He said the first consular access to the convict was given on September 2, 2019, second on June 16, 2020 and the third time the government arranged it for July 18, but the Indian High Commission did not avail the third access citing ‘flimsy’ reasons. The ICJ reaffirmed that “it is a principle of interna- tional law ... that any breach of an engagement involves an obligation to make repa- ration” and that “reparation must, as far as possible, wipe out all the consequences of the illegal act”. The ICJ considered the appropriate remedy in this case to be effective review and reconsideration of the conviction and sentence of Continued on Page 5PM's charity hospital chief appointed aide on health 90pe Covid patients recovered amid drop in number of new cases By Ikram Junaid Khan on Monday sppointed Dr Faisal Sultan as his special azitant on eath ‘with the satus of federal minister days ‘after the resignation of Dr Zafer Mirza ‘mid declining aumber of coronavirus ‘De Sultan, who has already been serv ing as PM focal person on Covid19 besides heading, ‘Shuakat Khanum ‘Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Contre (the charity hospital founded by Mr Khan) asits ciel excentive ofieer ‘Expected to take the charge of his office ‘on Tuestay (eda) ‘According to a nosfiation of the cabi- not division, signed by Joint Secretary ‘Talmor Talgmmul and available with Daun, PM Khan appointed Dr Sultan as Special assistant tothe prime minster on Icalth with the status of a federal sini ter with immediate effec. resignation of DeMirza who had assumed the charge of special assistant to the PAT ‘on health in Apel 2019, replacing Uber Sinister for national health services ‘Ramer Mehoood Kia. De Golan, 2 etenlsi plsciam oa medicine and infectious diseases, has teen serving as PM's focal person on Covidt9 and attending mectings of whe National “Command and’ Operation Centze on Covig19 regularly. He com pleted his zraduation from the. Kins Edward. Medical College "University, LEahore. He also holds the postgraduate degrees of Diplomate Americen Board of Internal” Medicine and. Diplomate ‘Atmarian Board of afectins Disa, ‘While talking to Daw, media coordi nator of Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) Sajid Shah said that hopefully Dr. Faisal would take the charge of his office on Tuesday. De Mirm visits NCOC hk De Mirza on Monday vnted the NCOC and a shield was given to him in recognition of his torts to eonerol the deadly virus According tothe NCOC data, 14 people lost thei ives and less than 900 People thre days of Eid Azha, On Mendy onl 213 out of 1.859 ventilators were occupied across Pakistan. There was no patient on Ventilator in Balochistan, Azad Tammi, 4nd Kashmir and GlgirBalistan: Ninety per cont patients of Covid1 in Pakistan Ihave already recovered ‘During his visit the NCOC, De Mirea was prevented a shield by" feders ‘Ministr for Planning, Development and ‘Special Initiatives Asad Umar The min Inter thanked the former PMs side for his efforts and wished im best of hac, for his future, Continued on Page 5