Video - Islamic Shrine custodian and helpers, drug and slashes 20 worshipers in Pakistan.

Islamic Shrine custodian and helpers, drug and slashes 20 worshipers in Pakistan.(RT).

A shrine custodian and his four suspected accomplices were arrested after a grisly rampage which left at least 20 people dead and several injured.

The gruesome incident took place at a shrine in the city of Sargodha in Pakistan on Saturday night. The shrine’s custodian, believed to be a government employee and resident of Lahore, allegedly drugged and killed 20 people using a dagger and a club.

Authorities were alerted by an injured woman who managed to escape the bloodbath along with three other survivors and reach a local hospital. Police arrested the main suspect and his four suspected accomplices at the scene.

“The 50-year-old shrine custodian Abdul Waheed has confessed that he killed these people because he feared that they had come to kill him,” regional police chief Zulfiqar Hameed told AFP.

“The suspect appears to be paranoid and psychotic, or it could be related to rivalry for the control of shrine.”

The suspect supposedly summoned the victims to his room one by one, gave them an “intoxicating substance,” and then removed their clothes before beating and slashing them to death, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing Sargodha Deputy Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatta.

“Beating and torturing” the worshippers in order to “cleanse them” was apparently a common practice in the shrine, the official added.Read the full story here.

Two transgender Pakistanis tortured to death in Saudi Arabia.

Two transgender Pakistanis tortured to death in Saudi Arabia. (ET).

Two transgender persons, both natives of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), died on Tuesday after being subjected to torture allegedly by Saudi police in Riyadh for dressing up as women in public.

Thirty-five transgender people were arrested by a law enforcement agency for cross-dressing, which is a punishable offence in the kingdom.

A rest house was raided where a ‘Guru Chela Chalan’ gathering, a formal meeting of Khuwaja Sara in which they choose their Guru (leader) and Chelas (Students), was taking place.

Amna, 35, who belonged to the Mingora area of Swat and Meeno, 26, who was from Peshawar died in police custody. 

The police allegedly packed them in sacks and thrashed them with sticks in prison.

Colonel Fawaz bin Jameel alMaiman, the police’s media spokesperson in Riyadh, told a local news agency that the field-control management had the site under constant surveillance. Women’s clothing and jewellery were also recovered from the rest house.

He added that the 35 people inside had been apprehended.

“Majority of the arrested, belong to K-P and the others from other cities of Pakistan. Torturing humans after throwing them into bags and beating them with sticks is inhumane,” said Qamar Naseem, a transgender rights activist.

While 11 were released later after paying a fine of 150,000 riyals, 22 are still in police custody, Naseem added.

The suffering ended for these two after being physically tortured, however, the rest are still languishing in Saudi jails, he added.

”No one is there to save them as the life of a transgender is not of any value to anyone, not even for our own government,” he lamented.

Naseem said that the National Commission for Human Rights had been contacted and they are awaiting their response. Read the full story here.

Pakistan - Parents slam Pak-Turk schools handover to Turkish 'Islamist' NGO.

Pakistan - Parents slam Pak-Turk schools handover to Turkish 'Islamist' NGO. (ET).

LAHORE: Parents of students of Pak-Turk schools and colleges blasted the Pakistan government for handing over the education system to a Turkish nonprofit organization called Maarif Foundation. They alleged the move was an effort to gain political millage.

Speaking to the media at the Lahore Press Club on Friday, parents representing the Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges Parent-Teacher Association said their children’s future was put at stake to “please a foreign political party”.

They said that the schools and colleges would suffer if handed-over to the “poorly-equipped and infamous” Maarif Foundation. The speakers underlined they would be forced to take their children out of the schools if the government went ahead with the plan. They also threatened to protest, along with students, against the government. The parents said those taking over do not understand the education systems in Pakistan, whether it is matriculation or Cambridge.

Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges Parent-Teacher Association was represented by Qadeer Hussain, Adnan Kakar and Ghazala Bano. They all agreed Maarif Foundation was an infamous entity that would destroy the future of their children. Qadeer Hussain claimed that any school handed over to the Maarif Foundation was closed-down. “It is unacceptable that a complete chain of high-performing schools will be being destroyed at the behest of a foreign political party.”

Adnan Kakar said that the way Turkish teachers, who spent decades educating Pakistani children, were treated was shameful. He added foreign dictation would not be accepted as it was matter of their children’s future.

Ghazala Bano alleged members of the Maarif Foundation were involved with ISIS and some were imprisoned on terrorism charges. She said that around 30 teachers from Maarif were being trained at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML). “They are being taught English. How will they teach when they are learning the language of education at this stage?” She said Turkey’s domestic political issues should not impact Pakistani society and the government should think about the associated risks. She added the future of more than 15,000 students was at stake.


Related:

Is [Erdogan’s] Maarif Foundation capable of delivering quality education?

The Pak-Turk Schools and Colleges management is being pressurized to be handed over to Maarif Foundation as it has also filed petition to become party to the litigation process in Islamabad High Court.

Though funded by Turkey’s Ministry of Education, the nascent organization remains a mystery and source of anxiety for staff, parents and students of the Pak-Turk institutions alike.

Minister for National Education Ismet Yilmaz expressed that Turkey’s Maarif Foundation is the extension of the Ministry abroad and said, “It is a public foundation and founded by law. We also have our Ministry of National Education schools abroad; when they will be ready and when they will demand it from us, we will also transfer them to the Foundation.”

Not only will the Maarif Foundation be unable to accomplish anything conducive and rewarding, it will not be able to prepare the required generation of youth with open-mindedness and critical thinking.

Maarif Foundation claims to have taken control of private Turkish schools in Somalia, Guinea, Chad, Senegal, Mauritania and Sudan.

Maarif Foundation is so desperate to hire staff to replace the Turkish schools abroad that it is offering jobs to inexperienced youth, many of whom has recently completed their degrees.

According to a study by the Turkey’s Ministry of National Education, there are 12,824 students who will be teaching and providing education in about 120 countries where Maarif is required to provide teaching staff as well as management.

The parents and staff members, privy to Turkey’s substantial share of problems in the education sector fear for that it will not be able to maintain the standard of teaching and management that has been the hallmark of the founding organization. In fact, Turkey’s annual education ratings are considerably inferior to many developing countries.

The activities of the Maarif Foundation, which has brought two-dozen teachers currently learning English at National University of Modern Languages, lack requisite offshore teaching experience as well as exposure to Pakistani culture and society.

The basic question arising here is as to why Pakistan should accept Turkish public sector teachers while its own citizens prefer the expensive but quality private sector education for their kids. A marginal number of Turkey’s MP would have attended public sector schools while their children surely are enrolled in private sector teaching institutions.

Besides lacking knowledge of Pakistani society, the staff sent from Turkey not only has been chosen on political basis but is also devoid of administrative and foreign language skills.

Given AKP’s close ties with Muslim Brotherhood, blind import of manpower will come with political ideology, which has been minimized in Pakistan’s schools and colleges after efforts of two decades.

Not only will the Maarif Foundation be unable to accomplish anything conducive and rewarding, it will not be able to prepare the required generation of youth with open-mindedness and critical thinking.

Pakistan: 'No review of blasphemy law': Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs.

Pakistan: 'No review of blasphemy law': Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs.(Mnnonline).

Earlier this week, various reports surfaced saying that a Senate committee in Pakistan wanted to examine the blasphemy law and perhaps add checks and balances so the law is less abused.

However, since word got out about re-examining the blasphemy law, Pakistan’s Minister for Religious Affairs, Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, released a statement refuting the rumor.

Brother Ray with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada explains, “He said they have turned down all the news regarding the change in the blasphemy law. Various news agencies had been circulating on social media and news reports that were released that the government is likely to change the existing blasphemy law. [Yousef] said, ‘We have no plan to diversify or modify the blasphemy law.’

He said, ‘The present democratic government is fully determined and affirms to implement the existing law in true spirit. It has no concoction to make any change in the blasphemy law.’”

The blasphemy law has led to the imprisonment of many Pakistani Christians and religious minorities. Anyone who is accused of insulting Islam faces a potential death sentence.

“Over the years, we’ve worked with several blasphemy cases in the country and, without a doubt, Christians have really been abused by this law. We have seen many fine believers who have been thrown in jail. Asia Bibi, probably one of the most highlighted cases, in the last seven years she’s been in prison,” says Brother Ray.

“Also, there are countless others we have worked with over the years that, because Muslims are jealous because they’re being blessed in their businesses or things like this, they would take a page of the Koran or verses of the Koran, they would burn it and throw it in front of their shop, and then accuse these people of blasphemy. Then while these business owners were going through months and months (if not years) of court cases, the Muslims would take over their businesses and shut them down, take their properties, all kinds of devious things they have done because of the situation with the blasphemy law.”


Although there have been several abuses of the blasphemy law, Brother Ray says there are Pakistani Muslims who recognize the abuses and oppose it. Read the full story here.

You can also click here to check out persecution and prayer alerts with Voice of the Martyrs, Canada to stay up to date on the persecuted Church around the world.

Islamic Pakistan climbs to fourth worst country for persecution of Christians.

Islamic Pakistan climbs to fourth worst country for persecution of Christians. (BPCA)

The recently released ‘World Watch List 2017', produced by Open Doors has shown that Pakistan has unfortunately moved up to fourth place for how badly Christians are treated.

In 2015 Pakistan had ranked at number 8 and last year they rose to 6th. Now. Currently, only North Korea, Somalia and Afghanistan, were worse for Christians, but Pakistan is considered to have the most incidents against Christians overall of any of the nations listed. 

"This gives an idea of the increasing severity of the situation in Pakistan for Christians, and why the UK government should give far more consideration to the reality in both funding aid and dealing with Christian asylum seekers who manage to escape, or who do not want to return because of the threat after studying here and so on. In addition, it shows the reality on the ground is still worsening, despite some tentative and fragile actions by the authorities that are sometimes claimed as small signs of hope."

'Movement of Solidarity and Peace', a Muslim NGO, shocked the world with their estimations of 1000 minority girls being kidnapped every year and forced into Islamic marriage. 

Sadly their report released on 17th April 2014 estimated 700 of those abducted girls where Christian and aged between 12 and 25, that is almost two a day and the world stays silent.

Christians are thought to make up the majority of bonded labor  (modern day slaves) in Pakistan with a figure in excess of a million and 86% of Christians are known to be working as domestic laborers, cleaners and sewage workers, with some government and local government adverts asserting only Christians should apply.

15% of all blasphemy allegations in the country are lodged against Christians despite being only 1.6% of the population and two severe bomb attacks on Christian communities in the last two years, evidences the need for better protection of our vulnerable minority.

In 2016 alone we have already seen attempts to demolish four old churches (click here); Two terrorists attacks targeting Christians (click here) and (here);  A man falsely accused of blasphemy for watching a debate on facebook  (click here). A sixteen year old accused of blasphemy for posting an offensive image (click here), A couple accused of sending blasphemous texts to an Imam (click here), a 14 year old boy was sodomized and hung to death (click here), A Christian father was killed after trying to retrieve his daughter who was raped and forcibly married (click here), to name but a few...

Please sign our petition (click here)

Islamic Pakistan ranked second-last on gender equality index.

Islamic Pakistan ranked second-last on gender equality index. (ET).

Pakistan has been ranked the second worst country in the world for gender equality for a second year in a row.

The World Economic Forum’s global gender gap ranked Pakistan at a dismal 143 with a 0.556 score. Pakistan ranked just above Yemen among 144 countries, performing way behind India and Bangladesh which ranked at 87 and 72 respectively. War torn Syria performed better than Pakistan with a score of 142.

South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan secured 100th, 110th, 115th and 121st spots respectively.

In the overall ranking, Iceland took the first spot, followed by Finland and Norway. Interestingly, the United States, with a rank of 45, saw a drop in its rankings owing to decrease on Economic Participation and Opportunity.

In December last year, a UN report said Pakistan ranked 121, better than India and Afghanistan in gender equality.

For those who are interested Islamist 'Dictatorship' Turkey ranked 130 place. In 2006 they were still at the 105 place the Erdogan rule takes it's toll on Gender Equality in Turkey. The number of Women being murdered in Turkey has also risen during Erdogan's rule. Read the full story here.

Video - Pakistani Policeman Slaps Female Anchor During Live Report.

Video - Pakistani Policeman Slaps Female Journalist During Live Report. (Sputnik).

Saima Kanwal, reporter with Pakistani news channel K-21 was doing a live report on the problems faced by the peoples at the Nadra registration center in Karachi when a Pakistani Frontier Constabulary trooper deployed as a guard slapped her face.

Frontier Constabulary personnel first tried to stop the news reporter Saima Kanwal from entering the premises of the Nadra registration office and then the guards tried to stop the cameraman from taking the video footage of the office area.

Meanwhile, Saima Kanwal started asking questions with the security guard about why he had been misbehaving with the women present at the registration office then suddenly one of the Frontier Constabulary guard slapped her very hard and also fired his gun in the air. Read the full story here.

Pakistan - 150 Sunni Muslim Clerics issue death Fatwa for Christian Asia Bibi.

Pakistan - 150 Sunni Muslim Clerics issue death Fatwa for Christian Asia Bibi. (PCP).

As hearing date of appeal of Asia Bibi against death sentence on blasphemy charges in Supreme Court of Pakistan Lahore Bench is approaching the radical Muslim groups have also lined up for showdown to put pressure on Judges of SCP to uphold death sentence for her issued by District and Session Judge Sheikhupura, a lower court carrying jurisdiction of police station in which FIR was lodged under section 295 C PPP.

Today about 150 top Muslim Clerics (Muftis) issued a religious decree and demanded from Government to hang Asia bibi and all other prisoners of blasphemy laws and also demanded speedy trial of pending cases of blasphemy in Pakistani courts.

The religious decree warned government of Pakistan that if Asia Bibi was sent abroad with any conspiracy then administration will face consequences.
The Markaz Ahl-e-Sunnat Lahore which have issued signed Fatwa of 150 of Muslim Mullahas have warned Supreme Court of Pakistan to hearing appeal of Asia Bibi because Islamic teaching have judgment of hanging or beheading of blasphemers and Asia Bibi deserves death.

They also issued  a Death Fatwa of killing all of those who rescued blasphemy accused and assisted or trying to rescue blasphemers.

This week, the Shuhuada Foundation, a group connected to Islamabad’s infamous Red Mosque where Islamists fought battles with security forces in 2007, warned that its supporters would take to the streets and become “a centre for the anti-government movement” if Bibi was released.

Breaking : Asia Bibi blasphemy appeal adjourned in Pakistan as judge pulls out

Pakistani Christians Assaulted by Drunk Muslim Mob Using Metal Rods as Weapons.

Pakistani Christians Assaulted by Drunk Muslim Mob Using Metal Rods as Weapons.(Christian post).

A drunken Muslim mob in Pakistan stormed the homes of Christians and beat men, women and children because they deemed the Christian residents to be "ritually impure."

As the systematic persecution of Christians in Pakistan continues to increase across the country and the situation shows no signs of improvement, the London-based charity British Pakistani Christian Association reports that a small group of Muslim men in the Faisalabad district physically beat at least seven Christians in the town of Samundri last Friday.

The inebriated men were reportedly being loud and obnoxious as they walked down the residential streets of Samundri. After a Christian woman asked them to quiet down and told them they were disturbing the peace in the neighborhood, they were enraged by "the audacity of 'ritually impure' Christians making demands on them," BPCA reports.

The drunk Muslim men gathered up at least a dozen of their friends and grabbed sticks, metal rods and other assorted weapons and returned to attack the Christian residents.

Upon returning to the neighborhood, the mob stormed the Christians' homes and indiscriminately beat them without regard for whether they were attacking men, women or children, according to BPCA.

Not only did the Muslim mob physically and verbally assault Christians, they also insulted Jesus Christ, even though He is also a prophet in the Quran.

Seven victims were injured in the attack, five of whom had to go to the hospital to receive treatment for their injuries.

Among those injured are 48-year-old Arif Masih, 40-year-old Parveen Akhtar, 42-year-old Akram Masih, 50-year-old Jamaal Masih, 35-year-old Sharifaan Bibi, 34-year-old Shahzad Masih and 35-year-old Zahid Masih.

"I had returned from work and we were enjoying some rest as we waited for our food to be prepared. A group of drunk Muslims came and were shouting loudly and saying lewd things to any young girls that were passing," Arif Masih told BPCA officer Kanwal Amar, who visited with the victims in the hospital and at their homes to provide counseling and support.

"My wife asked them to leave the area as they were disturbing locals and they started shouting obscenities at us, but left shortly after," Masih continued. "About and hour later they returned with a gang of around 15 people and started beating us with sticks and poles. They said all Christians should be killed. They said we were evil demons and made Pakistan impure. I thought I and my family would be killed. It was very frightening."

When Amar first arrived, he noticed that no report had been filed by police in response to the incident even though there were eyewitness accounts and visible injuries as evidence. Amar later visited the police station in Samundri with a couple local village leaders to urge police to seek justice for the abused Christians.

After providing overwhelming evidence, Deputy Superintendent Malik Shahid finally registered a police report.

As police have begun questioning suspects, BPCA reports that the severity of the injuries sustained by the Christians will determine the severity of the charges leveled against the Muslim men.

However, there are no X-ray machines at Samundri hospital, which means that there will be a bit of a wait until results can come back from Faisalabad General Hospital.

"To many, this attack just seems to be an act of drunken violence. But the manner of the insults directed at these innocent Christians, evidences their lowly status," Armar said in a statement to BPCA. "I believe most Muslims in Pakistan hold a deep hatred for Christians that is easy to evoke just by a Christian being in their presence. Fear of an attack is an ever present fear in the minds of all Christians living here and our government is doing little to change this."

Pakistan ranks as the sixth worst country in the world when it comes to the persecution of Christians, according to Open Doors USA's World Watch List.

As Christians comprise only 4 million of the nation's 199 million total population, they are often victimized through accusations of blasphemy, bonded labor agreements, beatings and the systematic kidnapping and forced marriage of Christians girls. Read the full story here.  

High Commission of Canada to Pakistan shuts down a Canadian-Pakistani anti-Ahmadiyya troll

High Commission of Canada to Pakistan shuts down a Canadian-Pakistani anti-Ahmadiyya troll . (ET).

The High Commission of Canada to Pakistan fired back after receiving a message calling Ahmadis “non-Muslims” on social media.

On 23rd August 2016 the twitter account of the Canadian High Commission shared a picture and wrote: “Acting High Commissioner Stuart Savage delighted to visit Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.”

The picture of the acting High Commissioner was followed by another tweet in which the HC compared the area of Faisal Mosque, Islamabad to that of the Bait-un-Nur Mosque, Calgary. The Bait-un-Nur Mosque covers an area of 4,500 square meters, while Pakistan’s Faisal Mosque cover a whopping 5,000 square meters.

Faisal Mosque, Islamabad, Pakistan: 5000 sq.m. – Baitan Nur mosque, Calgary, Canada: 4500 sq.m. #BiggestMosque pic.twitter.com/k9zr3JCnXC

— Canada in Pakistan (@CanHCPakistan) August 23, 2016

A Canadian-Pakistani responded to the tweet by saying “Qadianis are declared non-Muslims by courts and Muslims. U must respect court judgment?”

The Canadian High Commission answered back saying:

Canada remains concerned by the persecution of the Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan.

@Asmatkhan787 Persecution on religion illegal in Canada. Ppl can complain eg to Can Human Rights Commission https://t.co/U7UsRKT12p & police

— Canada in Pakistan (@CanHCPakistan) August 24, 2016

The Bait-un-Noor Mosque opened in 2008 and was built by the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam. The sect is practically banned in Pakistan and its followers face severe persecution. Many Ahmadis have sought refugee protection in Canada due to the increasing violence in Pakistan.

Is Imran Khan endorsing and financing an institution that officially supports the Afghan Taliban?

Is Imran Khan endorsing and financing an institution that officially supports the Afghan Taliban? (ET).

For those as yet unaware of the legend, Darul Uloom Haqqania is a large religious seminary located in Akora Khattak in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). It was founded in 1947 by Maulana Abdul Haq, a prominent scholar of Hadith who had trained at the Darul Uloom Deoband, the centre of Deobandi Islam in undivided India. It remained, till the start of the Afghan-Soviet war, a somewhat respectable institution that stayed away from politics and controversy.

The students and administration of the seminary even played an important role in ensuring security and safety for the engineers and labour crews of the massive Karakoram Highway project. Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 Maulana Abdul Haq declared fighting the Soviets a compulsory duty for all Muslims.

At this point a heavy emphasis on holy war was incorporated into the teachings of the institution which continues to this day. Darul Uloom Haqqania is currently presided over by Maulana Abdul Haq’s son, Maulana Samiul Haq who is a diehard supporter of the Afghan Taliban. The seminary has some rather illustrious alumni. Among these are:

- Mullah Akhtar Mansoor: Erstwhile leader of the Afghan Taliban who was killed by an American missile strike last month.

- Asim Umar: Shadowy leader of al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan appointed by no less than al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri himself.

- Jalaluddin Haqqani: Feared leader of the Haqqani group and one of the most wanted men in the world. - Mullah Omar: Founding father of the Taliban who died in 2014. He attended the Madrasah only briefly but was awarded an ‘honorary degree’ much later due to the seminary’s full confidence in his moral uprightness and scholarly abilities.

Not once has the madrassah distanced itself from any of these individuals and continues, from most reports, to contribute large number of ‘graduates’ to the cadres of the Afghan Taliban and other extremist groups.

As recently as 2013 Maulana Samiul Haq stated in an interview with Reuters that Mullah Omar is “an angel-like human being” and that the Taliban should be allowed to fight for the “freedom of Afghanistan”.

 Now coming to the point of my preamble about the Darul Uloom Haqqania – and this is where things get very interesting. Last Thursday, Provincial Minister Shah Farman informedthe K-P Assembly that Darul Uloom Haqqania has been allocated Rs300 million from the state budget.

The monies will be disbursed over two budgetary years to the seminary. He observed that past governments had never delivered on the promise to provide religious seminaries with funding from the provincial budget which this government was finally delivering on.

What, for the love of God, is going on? What achievements, what contribution to the country is Darul Uloom Haqqania being rewarded for? Is the K-P government actively endorsing and financing an institution that, as yet, officially supports the Afghan Taliban and has had many well know terrorist leaders in its ranks?

This is a very unfortunate, and in all honesty, perilous state of affairs. Terrorism has weakened our nation from within like nothing else in our history. Extremism continues to be on the rise as evidenced by the unrelenting spate of sectarian violence and the targeting of minorities which continues with unperturbed, savage impunity.

Yet here we are, giving Rs300 million to a madrassah with well-known ties to terrorist organisations and widely known to contribute to the rank and file of the Afghan Taliban.

Here’s the thing; we will not be able to make an iota of difference to the scourge of terrorism and other manifestations of extremism till religious seminaries remain beyond the precinct of proper civilian law. This lack of oversight is unacceptable to begin with but takes on a more treacherous dimension when one takes into account the harm done to Pakistan by the extremism that these institutions have helped breed.

Imran Khan defended the grant to Darul Uloom Haqqania in an interview on Wednesday stating that this was going to bring seminaries into the “mainstream” and “keep them away from radicalisation”. 

I am sorry Khan Sahib, without a clear cut agenda or legislation that delineates how Madaris are going to be regulated and prevented from being incubators of radicalisation that is not going to cut it.

By all accounts, attending Darul Uloom Haqqania has led to youth being radicalised and you want us to believe it will keep them away? What manner of denial is this? How distant are you from the reality of Pakistan and this world-renowned seminary of Akora Khattak?

I appeal to K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and Chairman PTI Imran Khan to immediately revoke the allocation of money to Darul Uloom Haqqania. I would further request them to set an example for the rest of the country by bringing every madrassah in K-P under the jurisdiction of the Board of Education.

Affronts like these to the intelligence and misery of the people of Pakistan must cease. Religious schools must be regulated and any material preaching hatred against other sects and religions as well as glorifying bloodshed must be banned.

The 2-3 million students attending seminaries must be taught curricula meeting at the very least the national standard for Matriculate and Intermediate graduates. The purpose of education is to produce a capable workforce and the leaders, scientists and visionaries of tomorrow. Pakistan’s Madaris have instead become an assembly line for inadequately educated and unskilled individuals unable to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s future and predisposed to bigotry and violence. Our children deserve better.

Related:

Fresh recruits for Taliban? Imran Khan will lead Tsunami to Waziristan.

'US drone strikes on Pakistani territory must stop: Army chief General Raheel Sharif.

'US drone strikes on Pakistani territory must stop: Army chief General Raheel Sharif. (ET).

Army chief General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said US drone strikes on Pakistani territory are regrettable and must stop as they are a threat to the sovereignty and security of the country, Express News reported.

“US drone strikes in Pakistani territory are regrettable and must stop,” said General Raheel while speaking to the media after President Mamnoon Hussain’s address to the joint session of Parliament.

General Raheel Sharif was present at the session marking the start of the new parliamentary year along with the navy and air force chiefs.

Earlier, the army chief warned the recent US drone strike targeting late Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was detrimental to bilateral relations between the two countries. The army chief’s reaction came during a meeting with the Ambassador of US David Hale at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, a statement issued by Inter Services Public relations (ISPR) said.

While expressing serious concerns over the drone strike, COAS said such acts of sovereignty violations are detrimental to relations between both countries and are counter-productive for ongoing peace process for regional stability. Read the full story here.

Pakistan - Young Female teacher burned alive for refusing marriage proposal.

Pakistan - Teenage girl burned alive for refusing marriage proposal. (ET).

A 19-year-old woman who was tortured and then set on fire by a group of men in a village near Murree, succumbed to injuries on Wednesday.

Maria Sadaqat, was admitted in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) with 85 per cent burn injuries. According to reports, Sadaqat’s death led to her family members protesting outside the hospital, claiming that she wasn’t given proper treatment.

“She was badly tortured and then burned alive. We brought her to hospital in Islamabad but she succumbed to her wounds today,” Abdul Basit, Sadaqat’s uncle, told AFP outside a burns centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital.

Basit said his niece had been attacked by the principal of the private school where she had formerly worked as a teacher, and by his accomplices after she refused a marriage proposal from his son.

"He was divorced and twice her age, so she refused the proposal and left her job when they pursued her time and again... eventually they attacked her," Basit said.

Grieving relatives outside the centre wept and protested at the teenager’s death as police moved her body to another hospital for a post-mortem.

Earlier in a statement, Sadaqat told the police she could identify two of the five attackers. Police officials claimed to have arrested two suspects.

Sadaqat was a teacher at a private school in Dhok Kallar in Lower Dewal.

Police and locals said that five persons tortured Sadaqat at her home on Tuesday after she got back from work. They said one of the attackers worked at the same school as the victim.

According to the victim’s statement to the police, the attackers thrashed her, pour petrol over her, and set her on fire. She cried for help but had already suffered massive injuries when neighbours, who lived at a reasonable distance, were able to get to her.

“We have arrested at least one of the accused and a hunt is on for the rest,” Mazhar Iqbal, the officer directing the murder investigation, told AFP.

Speaking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday, PIMS spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ihsani said that the victim had suffered 85 per cent burns.

A doctor at the hospital said Sadaqat had succumbed to serious burns.

“The poor woman was becoming better but then could not survive because most parts of her body had serious burn injuries,” said Ayesha Ihsani. More here.

Mullah Mansour or Muhammad Wali: Fake name but genuine 'Pakistani' credentials on CNIC.

Mullah Mansour or Muhammad Wali: Fake name but genuine 'Pakistani' credentials on CNIC. (ET).

While Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor may have used a fake name to obtain a Pakistani identity card, his credentials with the authorities are all genuine, verifiable on specific helpline numbers.

Mansoor was reportedly killed in Balochistan in a US drone strike on May 21. A Pakistani CNIC and passport found at the site identified the victim as Muhammad Wali, a resident of Karachi.

The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which issues computerised identities to Pakistani citizens, also facilitates verifying the basic credentials via short messaging services (SMS).
When forwarded Wali’s identity card number 54400-0563462-9 at 7000 – a service to verify the CNIC holder’s name, the reply is: Muhammad Wali, son of Shah Muhammad.

The voter registration details of any CNIC number can be obtained through a text message to 8300. Wali’s number shows he was a registered voter with the serial number 38, block code 454050104, ward number 31 in Chaman Municipal Corporation union council of Killa Abdullah district.

While getting an identity card is a struggle for many Pakistani citizens, especially those living in districts other than their permanent address, the fact that Mullah Mansoor was able to get a Pakistani CNIC as well as a passport raises quite a few questions.

According to the “current address” mentioned on the CNIC, Wali lived in Flat Number B-016 of Bismillah Terrace, Plot Number FL-03, Karachi. Interestingly, the address does not include the area of this residential building, which is actually located in Gulzar-e-Hijri, Karachi.

A raid at the address in Karachi provided clues to the slain militant’s past as well.

A suspected militant associated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was among three people arrested in a raid by intelligence personnel at Bismillah Terrace near Sohrab Goth, a police source told The Express Tribune. The men were identified as Jabbar alias Charya, Haji Yousuf and Shaiq. Hmmm......Just like Osama Bin Laden 'Home sweet home' is Pakistan'.Read the full story here.

Video - Abdul Sattar Edhi: Pakistan's richest poor man

Video - Abdul Sattar Edhi: Pakistan's richest poor man. HT: TheExpressTribune .

For over 60 years, Abdul Sattar Edhi has shown us the power of one individual’s unwavering commitment and sincerity to the cause of humanity. As I write this, it pains me to say that Edhi has been robbed of just that.

Edhi, the obstinately humble hero to Pakistan’s masses

Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Such will be the legacy of Abdul Sattar Edhi. His story will only live among the people; long after he has left us. Hmmmm......Now that's a real Nobel Peace\Prize winner!

Read the full story here.

PAKISTAN - Appeal court trial for Christian couple sentenced to death for blasphemy.

PAKISTAN - Appeal court trial for Christian couple sentenced to death for blasphemy. (Fides).

Lahore - An appeal has been filed to the Court of Appeal and the first hearing will take place in May regarding a Christian couple Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar.

This was reported to Fides by the team of lawyers of the "Farrukh Saif Foundation", Pakistani organization that has taken on the legal defense of the couple. The two were of accused of sending blasphemous text messages and were sentenced to death in 2014.

On July 20, 2013, the Christian couple, from Gojra, in Punjab, were accused of sending blasphemous text messages and were later arrested.

"The text messages were written in English but both of the accused were uneducated and incapable of writing proper Urdu let alone English", note the lawyers.

Shafqat is also confined to a wheelchair due to an accident in 2004 that resulted in him suffering a spinal injury.

The local police proceeded to torture him in front of his wife. He pleaded for mercy while the police continued in their attempts to extract a confession from him.

On 4 April 2014 the couple were given death "although the police failed to recover any mobile phone or SIM card allegedly registered in Shagufta’s name", refer the lawyers. The only evidence produced by the local police was the receipt from the phone company.

"Addition Sessions judge succumbed to Islamist pressure and handed down the death sentence", reaffirm the lawyers. The whole trial was concluded inside the boundary walls of the prison due to fears for the couple’s security. The couple have four children and activists of the "Farrukh Saif Foundation" are taking care of them.

"The blasphemy law, misused, has put hundreds of members of minority communities behind bars. The law is grossly abused to target minorities", say the lawyers of the "Farrukh Saif Foundation" to Fides. "In most cases, people are falsely and maliciously accused, just for personal revenge" they conclude. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/04/2016)

Pakistan - 'Religious' Cyber crime bill sails through National Assembly.

Pakistan - 'Religious' Cyber crime bill sails through National Assembly. (ET).

The National Assembly adopted on Wednesday a cybercrime bill that proposes rigorous penalties for creating fear or panic and stoking sectarian discord in the country, while exempting children less than 14-year of age from the offence.

Hardly a dozen or more lawmakers were present in the house when the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill, 2016 was tabled. It was cleared but not before an hour-long debate between opposition lawmakers and State Minister for IT Anusha Rehman. Now, the controversial bill will be laid in the Senate where the opposition is in majority.

But the IT minister said the bill was drafted after months of brainstorming and that it safeguarded civil liberties guaranteed in the 1973 Constitution. “We do not have any mechanism to stop the misuse of cyberspace,” she said, adding that the legislation was part of the National Action Plan against terrorism.

The bill says whoever coerces, intimidates, or creates a sense of fear, panic or insecurity in the government or public or a section of a community or sect, including advances religious, ethnic or sectarian discord shall be punished with 14-year jail-term, or up to Rs50 million fine, or both.

Similarly, glorification of an offence and hate speech, including its dissemination through information system, shall be punished with a five-year imprisonment or up to Rs10 million fine, or both. Glorification includes depiction of any form of praise or celebration in a desirable manner.

Similarly, glorification of an offence and hate speech, including its dissemination through information system, shall be punished with a five-year imprisonment or up to Rs10 million fine, or both. Glorification includes depiction of any form of praise or celebration in a desirable manner.

The proposed law also allows the federal government to establish an investigation agency for such offences and with powers to investigate them. The agency shall have the power to issue warrant for search and seizure of offensive or controversial content.

Related: Cyber crime legislation: Independent agency proposed in final draft

British-Pakistani man in Great Britain jailed for keeping wife as slave.

British-Pakistani man jailed for keeping wife as slave. (ET).

A man was handed a two year jail sentence Friday after becoming the first in England to be convicted of keeping his wife “in domestic servitude“.

In what the Crown Prosecution Service said was the first case of its kind in England, London’s Woolwich Crown Court heard that Safraz Ahmed, 34, imprisoned and beat his wife after an arranged marriage in Pakistan.

The mechanic from Charlton in southeast London forced his wife, Sumara Iram, to cook, clean and look after his mother from 5am to midnight every day after she moved to Britain in 2012.

He also slapped her in the face when she asked him to consummate their marriage, throwing tins of cat food at her head and covering her face with a cushion in other attacks.

Iram, 28, who had a master’s degree in Islamic Studies, was forbidden from leaving the house alone and took an overdose before eventually calling the emergency services in 2014, the court heard.

Sentencing Ahmed to two years in prison for holding a person in domestic servitude, Judge Christopher Hehir told him: “She was bullied and controlled by you, given little money and expected to cook, clean and look after your family as if she was a skivvy.

“She described your behaviour as physical and mental torture and in my judgement, she was right.”


Damaris Lakin, a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer who worked on the trial, said it was a “ground-breaking case which demonstrates how far we have come in tackling modern-day slavery”.
The couple are now divorced. Hmmm......Two years? That's it? Injustice has been done towards the victim.

Safraz Ahmed has been jailed today for imprisoning his wife as a domestic slave in... https://t.co/kR8W6yOQK7 pic.twitter.com/palU3jEQBj

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) April 1, 2016

Lahore Taliban: "We wanted to kill Christians." But victims include Muslim women and children

Lahore Taliban: "We wanted to kill Christians." But victims include Muslim women and children. (AN).

This morning the city of Lahore seems deserted, with markets and schools closed in solidarity with the victims of yesterday’s suicide attack, which caused 72 victims, mostly women and children, and 350 injured.

The spokesman for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan off-shoot Jamaat ul Ahrar, Ehansullah Ehsan, claimed responsibility for the attack and stated: "We wanted to attack Christians who were celebrating Easter."

In fact this year, the Punjab government recognized Easter Sunday as a holiday from work and many Christian families from the suburbs had taken the opportunity to visit Lahore, or visit Gulshan-e-Iqbal park, the place of attack, in the area adjacent to children's amusement park, where there were also Muslim families and their young children.

Lahore priest Fr. Morris Jalal, confirms that "many Christians were killed" and states: "Instead of difficult and hard targets [military barracks, etc.], the terrorists now aim at soft targets. They use suicide bombs to cause as many  victims as possible as quickly as possible ".

Fr Emmanuel Yousaf Mani, director of the National Justice and Peace Commission, said: "We are in a situation similar to that in Syria. The terrorists are followers of a religion of terror. They spare neither Christians nor Muslims. They think they have license to even kill families and children”.

Since yesterday evening, the hospitals of the city are crowded with the families of those killed and injured. An elderly Muslim woman, who lost her 21 year old son and daughter in law, curses: "What will happen to the attacker on the day of judgment? Will he be forgiven in the presence of Allah? May God give us the strength to take revenge on that day! May we be allowed to obscure their faces. "

Arif Masih, a young Christian who was at the park with his family, said: " There was blood and bodies everywhere, it was devastating, I almost fainted ". A Christian woman, Asma Masih in tears, still does not know anything about what happened to his children: "my whole world has ended, the children insisted to come to the park to enjoy themselves, now I cannot find them, I have lost everything".

The police chief of Lahore, Haider Ashraf, said that about 20 kg of explosives were used in the attack, that there were four terrorists; three managed to escape, one blew himself up.

According to preliminary data, it is Muhammad Yousaf, 22-25 years old, son of a vegetable vendor from Muzaffargarh (Punjab), who has spent some time in a madrassa [Islamic school] in Lahore.

Many people, Christians and Muslims, are visiting hospitals to donate blood for the injured, showing their will to stand united against extremism. There are also people who are critical of the lack of security personnel and are insisting that the government deploy  special forces [rangers].


Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the Lahore hospitals and the injured, promising an all-out fight against terrorists. The Government of Punjab has announced three days of mourning.

Suicide bomber's CNIC- man belongs 2 south Punjab. A massive rangers operation in needed in #Punjab. #LahoreBlast pic.twitter.com/synn1zYEak

— Nadia Mirza (@nadia_a_mirza) March 27, 2016

At least 53 dead, 100 injured in Lahore apparent Suicide bomber blast

53 dead, 100 injured in Lahore apparent Suicide bomber blast. (ET).

@MFS001 @EjmAlrai @HasanSari7 @moscow_ghost
Majority #Christian Kids And Women Celebrating #Easter In #Lahore #Taliban #LeJ/#ASWJ/#SSP

— Dr Shahid (@DR_SHAHID) March 27, 2016

At least 25 people were killed and several were injured in a suicide blast outside Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in Lahore on Sunday evening.


According to initial reports, the blast took place near gate no 1 of the mentioned park. At least 20 people have been reportedly injured in the incident.

Police and rescue personnel have reached the incident site and have cordoned off the area.

“At least 10 people have been killed in a blast outside Gulshan Iqbal Park,” Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesperson for Recuse 112 told Reuters, adding that more than 30 people were injured and had been taken to various hospitals in the city.

“We cannot rule out that this was a suicide attack but things will be clear soon,” Haider Ashraf DIG Operations Lahore said.

"Ball Bearings have been used in the blast. Terrorists are targeting the innocent people." Kh. Salman Rafique

— Govt Of The Punjab (@GovtOfPunjab) March 27, 2016

It has also been confirmed that it was a suicide blast that ripped through the park when it was teeming with visitors.

“At least 38 people were killed and more than 100 are injured,” Mustansar Feroz, superintedent of police for the area told Reuters. “Most of the dead and injured are women and children.” Rescue officials said more than 30 dead bodies had been taken to hospitals around the city.

A police official told The Express Tribune that the blast took place when visitors were coming out of the park. The injured are being shifted to private medical facility nearby. Read the full story here.

Suicide bomber attacked families at a park in Lahore, killing 53 and injuring over 100.https://t.co/g05YD4MKb9

— Dr Shahid (@DR_SHAHID) March 27, 2016