Hazara elders pledge support for Taliban rulers

More than 1,000 Shia Hazaras pledged their support on Thursday to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, saying that the “dark period” of previous Western-backed governments had ended with the return of the Islamists.

Afghanistan’s Hazaras have been persecuted by Islamists for a long time, but on Thursday community elders gathered in Kabul alongside Taliban leaders in a show of support.

Senior Hazara leader and former lawmaker Jafar Mahdawi, who organised the gathering, said the previous government of president Ashraf Ghani was the “darkest point” in the history of Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan had no independence and (foreign) embassies ruled every aspect of the government,” he said. “Thank God, we have now passed this dark period.”

A community leader says Afghanistan’s new rulers have put an end to war, stopped corruption and increased security

Since the Taliban seized power in August, the new rulers have put an end to the war, stopped corruption and increased security, Mahdawi said.

But he called for a more inclusive government from the Taliban and urged the new rulers to reopen schools for girls.

“In the coming weeks or months we hope to witness an inclusive government that has representatives of all people,” Mahdawi said.

The current government, which the Taliban say is an interim one, is made up almost entirely of the group’s Pashtun stalwarts and does not include any woman.

Taliban leader and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the gathering that rebuilding the country was a priority.

“Our jihad against the foreign invaders has ended and now we will start jihad for building the country,” he said.

Senior Hazara cleric Ayatollah Waezzada Behsudi called for reconciliation between all the ethnic groups of the country.

“Let’s forgive each other... If the current government wants to be sustainable, it must have support from all the people,” he said.

The Hazaras, who make up 10 to 20 per cent of Afghanistan’s around 38 million population, have been persecuted for a long time in the Sunni majority country.

The Islamists have carried out several mass killings of Hazaras, including in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998, where Human Rights Watch says at least 2,000 mainly Hazara civilians were executed. Several bomb attacks in recent years have also killed and wounded scores of Hazaras in the country.

Some Hazaras who attended Thursday’s gathering expressed fears that members of the militant Daesh group would carry out attacks against them.

“In these three months we have witnessed several explosions and suicide attacks,” said Qari Mohammad Reza Haidari.

“People are worried about Daesh’s influence and that they may get control of some parts of the country or challenge the (Islamic) Emirate,” he said, referring to IS with its Arabic acronym.

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UN launches effort to end violence against women by 2030

UN Secretary General António Guterres urged governments on Thursday to redouble their efforts for ending violence against women by 2030 as the world began 16 days of activism to highlight the issue.

“Violence against women is not inevitable,” the UN chief said in a message. “Change is possible, and now is the time to redouble our efforts so that together, we can eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030.”

For thirty years, the United Nations observes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and this year it also kick-started 15 days of activism to highlight the issue across the globe.

In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described gender-based violence as the ‘shadow pandemic’ and emphasised the need to combat it as an emergency.

“We recommit to preventing and responding to gender-based violence as a moral and strategic imperative, as a fairness and equity issue, and as a driver of our collective prosperity and security,” he said.

In New York, UN Women chief Sima Bahous said gender-based violence (GBV) was a global crisis. “In all of our own neighbourhoods, there are women and girls living in danger.

Around the world, conflict, climate-related natural disasters, food insecurity and human rights violations are exacerbating violence against women,” she said.

The United Nations also issued a report, pointing out that more than 70 percent women have experienced violence in some crisis settings.

The report shows that in both rich and poor countries alike, gender prejudice has fuelled acts of violence towards women and girls. And this violence “often goes unreported, silenced by stigma, shame, fear of the perpetrators and fear of a justice system that does not work for women,” Ms Bahous said.

According to this report: Nearly 1 in 3 women experience violence at some stage and during crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the violence increases.

Data from 13 countries since the pandemic, shows that 2 in 3 women reported living in fear of violence and food insecurity during the pandemic. Only 1 in 10 women said that victims would go to the police for help.

Stopping this violence starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls. With survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights agenda, “we can end gender-based violence,” the UN report adds.

The UN also suggests long-term strategies that tackle the root causes of violence, protecting the rights of women and girls, and promoting strong and autonomous women’s rights movements.

UN partner countries last year witnessed a 22 per cent increase in prosecution of perpetrators; 84 laws and policies were passed or strengthened; and more than 650,000 women and girls were able to access help – despite pandemic-related restrictions.

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Death toll in Russian mine tragedy jumps past 50

A gas leak in a Siberian coal mine killed at least 52 people on Thursday, Russian news agencies said, including six rescuers who were sent down to try to bring out dozens of men in what was one of Russia's worst mining disasters since Soviet times.

The regional Investigative Committee said three people, including the director of the Listvyazhnaya mine and his deputy, had been arrested on suspicion of violating industrial safety rules.

It said miners had suffocated when a ventilation shaft became filled with gas. State television said prosecutors believed there had been a methane explosion.

The dead comprised 11 miners already confirmed killed, 35 who had been reported missing, and the six rescue workers.

Dozens of people were treated in a hospital, at least some of them for smoke inhalation. Four were in critical condition.

The coal-producing region of Kemerovo, roughly 3,500 kilometres east of Moscow, has suffered fatal mining accidents for years.

The Listvyazhnaya mine is part of SDS-Holding, owned by the privately held Siberian Business Union. The owner had no immediate comment.

Some 285 people were inside the mine when smoke spread through the ventilation shaft, the Emergencies Ministry said. Authorities said 239 had made it to the surface.

President Vladimir Putin said he had spoken with the governor and emergency officials, and the Kremlin said he had ordered the emergencies minister to fly to the region to help.

Kemerovo declared three days of mourning.

In 2007, the region was the site of the worst mining accident since the collapse of the Soviet Union when an explosion at the Ulyanovskaya mine claimed the lives of more than 100 people. In 2010, explosions at the region's Raspadskaya mine killed more than 90 people.

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Defense secretary earns Supreme Court's ire over commercial use of cantonment land

"We have decided not to allow use of cantonment land for commercial uses in the future," the Secretary of Defense, retired Lt Gen Mian Hilal Hussain, summoned before a three-member Supreme Court bench, assured an irate Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed on Friday.

The apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar, has been hearing a case related to the conversion of cantonment land for private and commercial use.

A day earlier, the chief justice had ordered the defense secretary to appear before the court to answer questions related to the case.

When asked to submit a written report on military lands that had been converted for private or commercial use, the defense secretary asked the court for some time to do so.

"You were given land, but what are you using it for?" Justice Gulzar asked the defense secretary.

"This land was provided to you for strategic and defense purposes. You, on the other hand, are using it for commercial ventures," he noted.

"You have built wedding halls, cinemas and housing societies on it," added the chief justice.

"We have decided not to let this happen in the future," the official assured in response.

At this, the secretary was scolded by Justice Qazi Amin.

"What do you mean [by that]? Every [commercial] activity [already occurring] on cantonment land will also need to end," he added.

"You're sitting in Islamabad, how can you know anything about what is happening here [in Karachi]?" wondered the chief justice.

"Go visit all the cantonment areas and notify them that the land will henceforth only be used for strategic and defense purposes," he ordered.

"The Masroor and Kaemari bases have been converted into commercial [land]," remarked the chief justice.

"When we instructed the [authorities] to take down signboards, they instead erected tall buildings behind them," he said.

After hearing the defense secretary, the chief justice sought a written statement and adjourned proceedings of the case till Tuesday, November 30.

The case will next be heard in Islamabad.

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Poverty not our issue, inflation is: Shaukat Tarin

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Shaukat Tarin has said that all taxes on petrol have been abolished and that all benefits from the reduction in oil prices will be transferred to the people.

Talking to media in Karachi, Tarin said if we do not refinance, something else will have to be done. "The real effective exchange rate should be close to 165, 166. Our money is undervalued by Rs10," he said, adding that there were rumours that lockers would be seized, but no such thing will happen.

Tarin said that our problem is with the lower middle class because they are being exploited. "Our problem is not of poverty, but of inflation," he said, adding that according to the World Bank, poverty in the country has decreased by 1%.

Inflation in the United States has reached 9% and the US has taken action on the price of oil, which is coming down, he said.

The finance advisor said that the government will not allow any increase in taxes, and that no new taxes will be imposed. "Only tax exemptions will be abolished and all taxes on petrol have also been abolished. All the benefits of reduction in oil prices will be passed on to the people," he said.

Speaking about the rupee, Tarin urged people not to pay attention to rumours. "The value of the rupee will not decrease," he assured, warning those who are thinking that they will earn from the dollar that they will be hit hard when the value of the dollar comes down.

These speculators will be shocked when the value of the dollar decreases, he commented.

He further said that we have to develop the agriculture sector, highlighting that the government is giving a subsidy of more than Rs150 billion to fertilizer companies for gas.

"Is this subsidy reaching the farmers?" he asked, adding that the government will make sure this becomes a reality.

Tarin then spoke about small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) being the backbone of any country. There are 400,000-500,000 SMEs in Pakistan, he said.

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Victims,builders protest outside Nasla Tower, police baton charge and shelling

Police baton charges crowd outside Nasla Tower on Friday.According to the details, the police had to baton charge the gathered protesters in order to disperse them away from Nasla Tower.

The protesters demanded that the demolition of Nasla Tower should be stopped meanwhile police battalion arrived at the place.

As per the details shared by police sources, the protesters wanted to hinder Shahrah-e-Faisal while a spat between both the parties also took place. It is pertinent to mention here that the protesters also hurled slogans.

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Contempt of court laws do not insulate retired judges from criticism: IHC CJ

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah on Friday rejected a petition filed against the PML-N leaders declaring it non-maintainable and observed that ‘contempt of court’ laws do not apply on criticism of retired judges, even if they retired as chief justice of the country.

A petition had been moved in the IHC seeking contempt of court proceedings against PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and ex-prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi over their statements related to former chief justice Saqib Nisar.

Maryam had held a detailed press conference on Wednesday regarding a recently surfaced audio clip allegedly featuring the retired chief justice allegedly issuing directions to wrongfully convict or detain Maryam and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Retired chief justice Nisar has already strongly denied that he issued any extra-legal or illegal instructions in any corruption cases against the Sharifs. He has said the audio clip in question has been fabricated and he is contemplating what kind of legal action he will take against it.

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