New York, United Nations  27 Sept 2019, Daily Dawn

The highlight of his more than 45-minute-long speech was intense criticism of India for its annexation of occupied Kashmir and the continued restrictions imposed in the region.

The premier began his wide-ranging, at times apparently extemporaneous speech by saying he feels honoured to represent Pakistan at the world forum.

He said he would not have come to the UN if he did not feel that some "urgent issues" needed to be addressed.

 

Kashmir oppression

The issue which the prime minister talked in most detail about was the oppression of the people of occupied Kashmir. "When we came to power, we swore that we would try to bring peace.

"We went to fight the war on terror and we faced losses of [thousands of people]. "I opposed the war because in the 1980s we joined the struggle against the Soviets funded by western countries.

"The mujahideen were trained by the Pakistan Army and they waged the freedom struggle. The Soviets called them terrorists and we called them freedom fighters.

"In 1989 soviets retreated; the Americans packed up and left. Here we had indoctrinated them in jihad against foreign occupation and now that the US had taken over, we were supposed to tell them it's no longer jihad.

"And so the US turned against us and it was a nightmare. "Taliban were in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda was there; what did Pakistan have to do with it?  "When we came to power we decided we would dismantle what was left. I know India keeps alleging that these groups are there.

"I welcome UN observers, see for yourself. "We now have a relationship with Afghanistan, Russia and then we wanted to mend fences with India. "I have friends in India and I love going to India. So when my party came to power, we reached out to India and (said) let's resolve differences through trade. "(Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi said there were terrorist attacks from Pakistan. We said well we have attacks in Balochistan from your end.

"Unfortunately we didn't make any headway. Our foreign minister was at the UNGA but they cancelled the meeting. "Meanwhile a 20-year-old Kashmiri boy blew himself up at the Indian convoy. And India blamed us.

"I spoke to the Indian public on television. I said if you give us any iota of proof, we will immediately take action, because we have clamped down on these groups. They bombed us (instead), and we retaliated.

"We immediately returned the [captured Indian] pilot, saying that we do not want an escalation.

"Rather than taking that as a peace gesture, [Modi claimed that] he had taught Pakistan a lesson; that their jets had killed 350 terrorists.

"Complete lies. They just killed 10 trees of ours which was quite painful given that we are growing all these trees."

Washington, 24 Sept 2019

(New York Times)

Seoul, Sept. 13 (Yonhap)

President Moon Jae-in said Friday his administration will keep doing its best to create opportunities for separated families in the two Koreas to be reunited as often as possible.

Zurich, September 12 (FIFA News)

Doha, 09 Sept 2019 (QNA)

Amir of State of Qatar,  Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani officially inaugurated the state-of-the-art Trauma and Emergency Center block at Hamad General Hospital (HGH).  One of the largest in the region, along with a cutting-edge Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy chamber was officially opened today.

Present on the occasion were Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Qatar,   Dr Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari,  Minister of Public Health , a number of dignitaries and officials at HMC.

Amir of Qatar was briefed on the facilities during inspection of  various sections of the block

The Hyperbaric Therapy Unit houses a cutting-edge hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, that can hold up to 18 people and provides oxygen therapy for a range of medical conditions as well as decompression treatment for diving accidents.

The new block marks a significant expansion of trauma and emergency services in Qatar. In addition to a new Emergency Department, it also offers trauma, urgent, and critical care services and features a dedicated ramp for ambulance arrivals at HGH.

Dr Hanan Mohamed Al-Kuwari regarded as an important milestone in the provision of emergency and trauma care in Qatar.  She said that this day nderlines our ongoing commitment to expanding capacity and improving services. This commitment will ensure the people of Qatar will continue to receive the best possible care delivered in leading-edge facilities, now and for many years to come. New Trauma and Emergency Center blocks are four times larger than the former Emergency Department. Moreover, the new facility will serve as a beacon of excellence in our network of emergency services,” said Dr. Al-Kuwari.

Hamad Al Khalifa, Chief of Healthcare Facilities said HMC’s commitment to delivering high-quality trauma and emergency care in Qatar and highlighted the improved patient environment within the new Trauma and Emergency Center.

He said “Patients have an unparalleled level of comfort. They can recover in a state-of-the-art healing environment, improving their recovery journey and the healthcare experience for both themselves and their family.”

Dr Abdulla al-Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at HMC drew particular attention to the key role of clinical teams at the new Trauma and Emergency Center in meeting Qatar’s emergency and trauma care needs. He said that 'Not only does the new centre offer a spacious healing environment equipped with the latest technology, but it also benefits from the delivery of care by the very best doctors, nurses, and other clinical staff. These highly trained professionals have been recruited from across the globe and have spent many months preparing for the opening through a number of simulation exercises. Their experience and expertise, coupled with our state-of-the-art facility and ultra-modern equipment, will ensure the best possible care experience.

“Those in need of urgent medical care can be received and treated through the Emergency Department on the ground floor and we also have trauma, urgent, and critical care facilities available across the remaining three floors, which house state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including an MRI, ultrasound, and three CT scanners. Our patients will also benefit from a threefold increase in X-ray capacity, compared to the previous facilities.

Dr Al-Ansari said walk-in patients arriving at the new Centre’s Emergency Department will go through initial assessment and treatment. On findings, the patient will either be admitted to the hospital or discharged.

In event of mass casualty or incident requiring immediate surgical intervention, five trauma and emergency rooms which are fully equipped to be converted into mini operating theatres.  Patients can then be rapidly and seamlessly transferred from there to the Trauma or Surgical Intensive Care Units as well as the operating theaters at Hamad General Hospital via the link bridge on the first floor.

Ground floor of the new Trauma and Emergency Center is dedicated to walk-in emergencies. First floor to critical and trauma care patients, Second floor is dedicated to urgent care patients, whilst the Third floor has been designed to care for patients requiring isolation or monitoring before being discharged.

06 Sept 2019

Pakistanis in Qatar condemned Indian atrocities and worst human rights violations on Kashmiris in Indian held Kashmir. Pakistani embassy in Qatar marked Defense day recently. The speakers on the occasion expressed their solidarity with the people of Kashmir and assured their full support to the suppressed Kashmiris.

On the occasion, officials of Pakistan embassy read messages of President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Masood Gul, Charge d’ Affaires at the embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan said that 6 September is a landmark in the history of Pakistan which reminds us of the sacrifices by our armed forces for defending the beloved homeland.  The people of Pakistan demonstrated unsurpassed national unity and stood by their armed forces to thwart the evil designs of the enemy. He said that It is a matter of great pride that the nation and armed forces have also displayed similar spirit during recent years.

For expressing solidarity with the people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Charge d’ Affaires highlighted the atrocities committed by Indian Armed Forces in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. He expressed solidarity of Government and People of Pakistan with Kashmiri brethren.

He highlighted the plight of the Kashmiri brothers victimized by the Indian state-sponsored terrorism. He further added that unilateral step of revoking Article 370 and 35 A of the constitution, the Government of India cannot change the disputed status of Indian Occupied Kashmir, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

A prominent academician Prof. Dr. Farhan Chak, from Indian Occupied Kashmir addressed the gathering. He thanked Government and people of Pakistan for supporting the freedom struggle by Kashmiris.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Pakistani community and Pakistan Armed Forces Personnel based in Qatar.

Doha, 08 Sept 2019

A Qatari delegation comprise on Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Qatar Free Zones Authority will be participating in 'Qatar-China Investment Forum' set to kick off today in Xiamen City, China.

The forum will be held on sidelines of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT 2019) which will last till September 11. CIFIT 2019 theme this year is 'Introducing FDI and Going Global'

Mohamed bin Twar, First Vice Chairman, Qatar Chamber of Comerce is representing the Chamber.

CIFIT takes place in September every year in Xiamen, China. CIFIT focuses on nationality and internationality, investment negotiation and investment policy promotion, coordinated development of national and regional economy, as well as economic and trade exchanges.

CIFIT is currently China's only international investment promotion event aimed at facilitating bilateral investment. It's also the largest global investment event approved by the Global Association of the Exhibition industry.

CIFIT included many activities  such as investment and trade exhibition, the International Investment Forum (IIF), a series of seminars on hot investment issues, and investment project matchmaking symposia.

Doha, 08 Sept. 2019

At a time when the National Human Rights Committee and international organizations were hoping that the Saudi authorities would resolve the humanitarian crisis, lift the violations and compensate the victims of the blockade, the Saudi authorities issued a statement broadcasted by the Saudi press agency on September 7, 2019, to mislead public opinion and provide pretexts to justify violations, unilateral sanctions and arbitrary measures, and claim that they have addressed the violations resulting from the blockade.

A statement issued in this regard by National Human Rights Committee of State of Qatar.

The Saudi authorities are once again making an unsuccessful attempt to deceive public opinion and the international community by giving misleading statistics and figures to cover up their violations against citizens and residents of the State of Qatar.

Using policies to conceal the facts will not benefit the Saudi authorities and will not protect them from condemnations and demands to compensate the victims and to stop violating their rights.

Since the beginning of the blockade, the National Human Rights Committee has addressed the relevant human rights bodies in Saudi Arabia with the aim to eliminate the damages affecting the rights of the victims and preventing them from obtaining justice.

However, the NHRC has not received any response. Furthermore, the Saudi authorities did not allow the technical mission of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit the Saudi Arabia in November 2017 to evaluate the impact of the measures taken on human rights.

In addition, there has been no response from the Saudi authorities to the communications addressed to Saudi Arabia from the UN special rapporteurs and international organizations.

Moreover, the report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council held from 9 to 27 September 2019, affirmed in paragraph 38 that “The restrictive measures imposed by various Gulf countries on Qatar remain in force.”

he unilateral measures and sanctions imposed on the State of Qatar constitute a full-fledged blockade against citizens and residents of the State of Qatar, which in turn constitutes a flagrant violation of all international human rights conventions and norms, and this cannot be justified under any pretext, according to the international reports. The majority of violations by the Saudi authorities are documented by the United Nations bodies, international organizations and some specialized international institutions.

From this perspective, The National Human Rights Committee affirms that it shall continue to provide these organizations with all the required data and documents. On the other hand, the Saudi authorities should take the following actions, if their claims are founded:

First:

to allow the UN-OHCHR technical mission to visit Saudi Arabia to evaluate the impact of violations resulting from coercive measures taken.

Second:

to approve the establishment of a fact-finding committee by the Human Rights Council to visit Saudi Arabia to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the human rights violations resulting from the blockade.

Third:

to recognize the competence of the International Court of Justice in accordance with article 22 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination to consider its claims that there are no human rights violations resulting from the blockade.

From this rostrum, The NHRC notes that respect for human rights should begin with the recognition of the role of international protection and accountability mechanisms, rather than simply claiming through statements to decisive and mislead international opinion.

05 Sept 2019, AlJazeera News

A Taliban suicide car bombing in the Afghan capital killed at least 10 Afghan civilians, a US service member and a Romanian soldier in the second such attack this week after a preliminary US-Taliban peace deal was announced.

The blast took place on Thursday in Shash Darak, a heavily fortified area adjacent to the Green Zone and home to several important complexes, including the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence service, and the US embassy.

At least 10 civilians were killed and 42 people wounded in the attack that was claimed by the Taliban,  which has been holding peace talks with the United States in Doha, Qatar, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

Hours later, the Taliban set off a car bomb outside an Afghan military base in a neighbouring province, killing four civilians.

"Peace with a group that is still killing innocent people is meaningless," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement.

'Killed in action'

Farid Ahmad Karimi, general manager at the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital close to the bomb site, told AFP news agency that both civilians and security personnel were among the dead and wounded.

Surveillance footage of the attack, which occurred at about 10:10am (05:40 GMT), showed a grey minivan explode just after it cut in front of a line of white SUVs waiting to make a right turn right onto a street.

One nearby pedestrian can be seen turning and trying to run away as the minivan crashed through a barrier just before the blast.

A NATO Resolute Support mission statement said the two service members were "killed in action," without providing details or releasing their names pending notification of their families.

The American soldier was the fourth killed in the past two weeks in Afghanistan.

A Taliban suicide bombing in eastern Kabul on Monday night - which the armed group said targeted a compound housing aid agencies and international organisations - killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 100, mostly residents.

The capital has been gripped by a surge in deadly violence even after the US and the Taliban reached an agreement "in principle" that would see the Pentagon pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan in return for various Taliban security promises.

Peace?

The US top negotiator for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said this week the two sides had drawn up a draft framework agreement under which US troops would leave five military bases in Afghanistan within 135 days of signing the pact.

"The Taliban are imposing their power while a deal is being finalised with them. In their claimed attacks, civilians are dying, they should immediately stop conducting such attacks when there are talks going on to bring peace in Afghanistan," Intizar Khadim, a political analyst in Kabul, told Al Jazeera.

On Wednesday, the Afghan government expressed doubts about the prospective deal, saying officials needed more information about the risks it posed.

There are some 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, deployed at various bases across the country.

Khalilzad is expected to meet Afghan and NATO officials to explain the draft agreement, which must be approved by US President Donald Trump before it can be signed

Doha (Qatar), 03 Sept. 2019 08:22 PM

Fans around the world are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. As the tournament fast approaches, the newly revealed emblem will serve as a beacon to fans across the globe, drawing them to a new type of FIFA World Cup™, where everything is within easy reach.

The emblem was inspired by traditional woolen shawls worn during the winter months – when the FIFA World Cup 2022™ will take place – in Qatar and around the world. Like football, the shawls' popularity is a unifying force, woven into the everyday fabric of people's lives.

The typeface created to complement the emblem likewise celebrates Qatar's heritage with a global twist. It brings traditional Arabic calligraphy into dialogue with other global languages through the integration of elements like the kasheeda – a lengthening of the line connecting letters to enhance the flow and elegance of the written word.