APS massacre case: Supreme Court summons PM Imran Khan

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has summoned Prime Minister Imran Khan today (Wednesday) in the Army Public School (APS) massacre case.A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed is hearing the case.

On December 16, 2014, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants stormed the Army Public School in Peshawar and gunned down over 140 people, mostly schoolchildren, in cold blood.

A hearing of the case took place today during which the apex court summoned the prime minister to appear before the bench at 11:30am, in his personal capacity.

During the previous hearing of the case, parents of the children martyred in the 2014 terrorist attack had complained to the court that they had lost their children in the incident hence the top civil and military leadership of the country should be summoned by the Supreme Court and cases registered against them.

The victims' parents had also demanded of the apex court to hold a transparent inquiry into the incident. The court had asked the attorney general to review the situation and take necessary steps--whether it be an investigation or filing cases against those responsible-- and inform the court.

When the hearing resumed today, the court asked the attorney general for an update, who responded by saying that FIRs cannot be registered against the top leadership.

At this, the bench angrily told the government's lawyer that the incident had taken place as a result of a "security lapse" which the government should accept, adding that the top civil and military leaders of the time should have known about the attack.

The chief justice then remarked that Pakistan's agencies and institutions have access to all sorts of information but when it comes to the security of the people "our security agencies fail".

Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan said the APS massacre had taken place in response to Operation Zarb-e-Azb, adding that state institutions should have taken effective steps against it.

During the hearing, the attorney general sought time from the court to seek directives from the prime minister and other officials so he can respond to the court.

However, the bench said this was a very serious case and that it would summon the prime minister and seek answers from him.

The attorney general had sought further time for the prime minister to appear before the court. However, the bench expressed anger at his request and said the parents of the victims of the APS massacre are also in court.

The hearing of the case has been adjourned for the time being and will resume by 11:30am.

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England to tackle New Zealand in first semi-final today

England and New Zealand will clash with each other today in the first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Eoin Morgan's England will head into today's Twenty20 World Cup clash as favourites against New Zealand, two years after both sides clashed in a dramatic 50-over final.

England have lost opening batsman Jason Roy and pace bowler Tymal Mills but they sealed a final-four place with four wins in five Super 12 games.

Roy collapsed on the pitch with a calf injury in England's final group match that they lost to South Africa and was later ruled out of the tournament and replaced by James Vince.
England's aggressive brand of cricket got them past West Indies, Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka with clinical ease to finish as group leaders ahead of the Aussies.

But the Kiwis are no pushovers and who better than England to appreciate the Black Caps' worth after they needed a super over to edge out Kane Williamson's side when the 2019 ODI World Cup final finished in a tie.

"If England and New Zealand provide a fraction of the drama they did on a glorious afternoon at Lord's in July 2019, then the T20 World Cup might get the spark it desperately craves this week," former England captain Mike Atherton wrote in The Times.

New Zealand matched England's 241 courtesy of Ben Stokes' unbeaten 84 at the end of 50 overs and then their 15 in the super over before England were declared winners on boundary count.

England have reached the final four of the T20 World Cup without star performers Stokes and Jofra Archer and Roy's departure adds to their woes ahead of today's game in Abu Dhabi.

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President Alvi summons a Parliament joint session on 11 November

President Dr Arif Alvi has summoned a joint session of the Parliament on Thursday, November 11, as Opposition parties brace to give a tough time to the government on legislation over electoral reforms, NAB and other issues.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry disclosed that the session had been convened to pass the electoral reforms and various other bills.

The minister criticised Opposition parties, advising them to "learn to stand on your feet".

"You can't succeed by hatching conspiracies all the time," the minister said. "The Opposition will have to patiently wait for two-and-a-half years more and later, for another five years," he taunted, hinting that the PTI would complete its present tenure and win another term in office during the next general elections.

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Malala Yousuf Zai Got Married to Asser Malik

Congratulations are in order because Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai surprised everyone on Tuesday night by announcing she had tied the knot with Asser Malik.

"Today marks a precious day in my life," she wrote in a Twitter post. "Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families," she announced, asking people for prayers.

The 24-year-old wore a tea pink outfit paired with simple jewellery. Her husband is Asser Malik, the general manager of the PCB's High Performance Centre. He wore a simple suit and matched his tie to her outfit.

Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai also posted on Twitter about the news.

Her friend also posted pictures from the nikkah featuring a beaming Malala and her new husband did too!

 

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Malala Yousuf Zai Got Married to Asser Malik

Congratulations are in order because Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai surprised everyone on Tuesday night by announcing she had tied the knot with Asser Malik.

"Today marks a precious day in my life," she wrote in a Twitter post. "Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families," she announced, asking people for prayers.

The 24-year-old wore a tea pink outfit paired with simple jewellery. Her husband is Asser Malik, the general manager of the PCB's High Performance Centre. He wore a simple suit and matched his tie to her outfit.

Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai also posted on Twitter about the news.

Her friend also posted pictures from the nikkah featuring a beaming Malala and her new husband did too!

 

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Afghan authorities requested Pakistan to initiate talks with TTP: Fawad

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said Tuesday the interim Afghan government had requested Pakistan to initiate talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The banned TTP late Monday declared a one-month ceasefire, starting from November 9, hours after the information minister had announced that the government and the militant outfit had agreed to a complete ceasefire under the peace talks.

The state must talk from a position of strength with the militant outfit, the information minister said during a post-cabinet press conference, where he mentioned that the talks with the TTP would be in line with the constitution.

"TTP is not an organisation, it has several groups [...] and the talks with them could be successful only after they accept the constitution," the information minister said.

Chaudhry said the state had gone to war to establish peace in the country and through negotiations, it now wanted to permanently bring peace.

The information minister said the people living in merged districts wanted peace as the new generation had a changed perspective after witnessing their fathers' and grandfather's lives — which were spent in war.

"It is the state's responsibility to bring peace."

Chaudhry said peace was the ultimate goal of the government as it did not want instability in the areas where the TTP had a stronghold — and that "is what we are trying to do".

The information minister said speaking in detail about the agreement would be premature, as the government and TTP have agreed to a ceasefire.

"First, the ceasefire will come into force, after that we will analyse and see how can we take the talks forward," the information minister said.

The Afghan situation

Chaudhry said the new set-up in Afghanistan wanted peace in Pakistan ahead of acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to the country.

The acting foreign minister is set to make his maiden visit to Pakistan on Thursday (November 11), Chaudhry said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan had said that matters related to the economic crisis in Afghanistan and ease in visa regime would be discussed with the Pakistani authorities during the visit.

Chaudhry said Pakistan has decided to establish a special fund to support Afghanistan and Islamabad was ready to everything it can to help the Afghans during their hard times.

Three hundred million Afghans are suffering from malnutrition, children are being sold for rice and pulses, he said, stressing that the situation in the neighbouring country could not be overlooked.

Opposition should hold their horses

Taking a jibe at the Opposition, he said they would have to wait for a year or two, and after that, they would have to wait for another five years, as they have no program and no leader.

"You cannot achieve everything that you want through conspiracies [...] I would first suggest the Opposition to stand on its feet and stop hatching conspiracies," he said.

The information minister said the government's position was "stable" and in the next two to three months the mounting inflation would also come down — and we will move toward the election in 2023.

Chaudhry said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) "group" comes out on the streets every year, as protests against the government were its activity during the winters.

Other matters

The information minister noted the price of petrol and gas were increasing across the world — not only in Pakistan but said the inflation would come down in the country.

The federal government is working on the mechanism of setting up a central helpline — 911.

The government has also decided to put Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation's (PTDC) properties in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Punjab on lease.

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Asif Ali voted ICC Player of the Month for October 2021

After a stunning knock during the ongoing T20 World Cup, batsman Asif Ali has been voted the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men’s Player of the Month for October, it emerged on Tuesday.

According to the ICC website, Ireland’s Laura Delany also secured the title in the women's category.

"Asif beat Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Namibia's David Wiese to the men's award, and Delany beat teammate Gaby Lewis and Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda to the women's prize," the report said.

It noted that Asif scored 52 runs without defeat across three matches for the Green Shirts in October at the T20 World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 273.68.

The report mentioned his spectacular performance during the clash with New Zealand, when Asif scored 27 runs from 12 balls, helping the team defeat the Black Caps.

In the match against Afghanistan, with Pakistan needing 24 runs in the final two overs, Asif scored four sixes in the 19th.

Singing Asif's praises, ICC Voting Academy Member Irfan Pathan said that "helping your team to win, especially from the jaws of defeat, is what makes him special".

"Although he scored considerably less than other two nominated players, the contribution he made and the pressure situations from where he snatched the victories made all the difference," he said.

Reacting to the development, sports journalist Zainab Abbas congratulated Asif and said that it was "well-deserved".

 

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