Malala demands more US support for Afghan women

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai Monday demanded more US support for women and girls in Afghanistan, as she met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Afghanistan right now is the only country where girls do not have access to secondary education. They are prohibited from learning," the 24-year-old, who works with female Afghan activists, noted in remarks standing alongside Blinken.

"This is the message of Afghan girls right now: we want to see a world where all girls can have access to safe and quality education," she added, while presenting a letter addressed to President Joe Biden from a 15-year-old Afghan girl named Sotodah.

Sotodah wrote in her letter that "the longer schools and universities remain closed to girls, the more it will shade hope for [their] future," according to Yousafzai.

"Girls' education is a powerful tool for bringing peace and security," added Yousafzai, reading the letter, "If girls don't learn, Afghanistan will suffer, too."

Secondary schools in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regained power this summer, have reopened for boys only, and only men are permitted to teach.

"We hope that the United States, together with the UN, will take immediate actions to ensure that girls are allowed to go back to their schools as soon as possible," Yousafzai noted before a private meeting with the secretary.

Blinken, whose country this summer hastily withdrew its troops from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, saluted Yousafzai as "an inspiration to girls and women around the world," and someone who "by her work, by her efforts, is making a real difference."

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Corona claims 7 more lives in pakistan within a day

Pakistan has reported 7 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,287,393. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,784 on Tuesday.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 232 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

Till now 13,042 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,627 in Sindh 5,864 in KP, 961 in Islamabad, 742 in Azad Kashmir, 362 in Balochistan, and 186 in GB.

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Sialkot incident will have no impact on the two countries' friendly ties: SL high commissioner

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mohan Vijay Vikrama has assured that the Sialkot lynching will have no impact on the two countries' amicable relations.

"Pakistan and Sri Lanka are friends and will remain friends. I assure you that this incident will not affect our relations," said the Sri Lankan high commissioner.

During a press conference on Monday, Sri Lanka's high commissioner praised the Pakistani government's support and thanked the Pakistani people for their sympathies and condolences, stating that the incident was unfortunate.

Lauding the steps taken by the government of Pakistan, Vikrama said that a large number of people have been arrested since Friday, when the incident took place in Sialkot.

"I am sure that the government of Pakistan will take steps to ensure that the family of Priyanta Deyawanda Kumar gets justice. This is a murder. The Sri Lankan government is sure that it [the incident] has nothing to do with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We have seen that Pakistan has taken immediate action, " he added.

"We don't need to claim we're friends; Pakistan and Sri Lanka have social, defence, and commerce ties, and this incident will not impact the existing relationship," he said.

He said that the remains of a 48-year old Sri Lankan citizen had been sent to Colombo.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Arshad Dad apologised on behalf of the party to the Sri Lankan high commissioner, saying it was unfortunate that religion was used in such an incident.

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Sialkot incident will have no impact on the two countries' friendly ties: SL high commissioner

Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mohan Vijay Vikrama has assured that the Sialkot lynching will have no impact on the two countries' amicable relations.

"Pakistan and Sri Lanka are friends and will remain friends. I assure you that this incident will not affect our relations," said the Sri Lankan high commissioner.

During a press conference on Monday, Sri Lanka's high commissioner praised the Pakistani government's support and thanked the Pakistani people for their sympathies and condolences, stating that the incident was unfortunate.

Lauding the steps taken by the government of Pakistan, Vikrama said that a large number of people have been arrested since Friday, when the incident took place in Sialkot.

"I am sure that the government of Pakistan will take steps to ensure that the family of Priyanta Deyawanda Kumar gets justice. This is a murder. The Sri Lankan government is sure that it [the incident] has nothing to do with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We have seen that Pakistan has taken immediate action, " he added.

"We don't need to claim we're friends; Pakistan and Sri Lanka have social, defence, and commerce ties, and this incident will not impact the existing relationship," he said.

He said that the remains of a 48-year old Sri Lankan citizen had been sent to Colombo.

Meanwhile, PTI leader Arshad Dad apologised on behalf of the party to the Sri Lankan high commissioner, saying it was unfortunate that religion was used in such an incident.

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Myanmar junta jails ousted leader Suu Kyi for four years

Myanmar's junta on Monday awarded four years of imprisonment to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for incitement against the military and breaching COVID-19 rules, a government spokesman told AFP.

The penalty is first of a series of possible sentences that could see the Nobel laureate imprisoned for decades.

Suu Kyi, 76, has been detained since the generals ousted her government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country's brief period of democracy.

She has since been hit with a series of charges, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud, and she faces decades in jail if convicted on all counts.

On Monday Suu Kyi was sentenced to two years for incitement against the military and another two years for breaching a natural disaster law relating to Covid, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP by phone.

Former president Win Myint was also jailed for four years on the same charges, he said, but added they would not yet be taken to prison.

"They will face other charges from the places where they are staying now", he added, referring to their detention in the capital of Naypyidaw but without giving further details.

Journalists have been barred from proceedings in the special court in Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi's lawyers were recently banned from speaking to the media.

In recent weeks, the trials of other ranking members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy have wrapped up, with the junta doling out harsh sentences.

A former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail this month, while a close Suu Kyi aide was jailed for 20.

Amnesty International immediately condemned the sentences against Suu Kyi.

"The harsh sentences handed down to Aung San Suu Kyi on these bogus charges are the latest example of the military's determination to eliminate all opposition and suffocate freedoms in Myanmar," said Amnesty deputy regional director for Campaigns Ming Yu Hah.

"The court's farcical and corrupt decision is part of a devastating pattern of arbitrary punishment that has seen more than 1,300 people killed and thousands arrested since the military coup in February."

International Crisis Group's Myanmar senior advisor Richard Horsey also told AFP the sentences "were about retribution and a show of power by the military".

"It would be surprising, though, if she were sent to prison. More likely, she'll serve out this and subsequent terms at her house or a regime 'guest house'."

The military, which has dominated life in Myanmar for decades, has defended its coup, claiming fraud allegations in last year's general election, which Suu Kyi's party won comfortably.

International pressure on the junta to restore democracy swiftly has shown no sign of knocking the generals off course, and bloody clashes with anti-coup protesters continue across the country.

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Two Pakistani pilots martyred in Siachin helicopter crash: ISPR

Two pilots of the Pakistan Army Aviation embraced martyrdom Monday after their helicopter crashed in Siachin, confirmed the ISPR.

Major Irfan Bercha and Major Raja Zeeshan Jahanzeb were martyred in the incident, stated the ISPR.

"Search and rescue helicopters and army troops have reached the incident site," the statement added.

 

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Remains of Sialkot lynching victim repatriated to Sri Lanka from Lahore

The human remains of Sri Lankan factory manager Priyantha Kumara, who was lynched by a mob in Sialkot last week, were repatriated to Sri Lanka from Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport on Monday.

A mob comprising hundreds of protestors, including the employees of the factory Kumara was the manager of, had tortured him to death on Friday and later burnt his body over blasphemy allegations.

A first information report was registered against 900 workers of Rajco Industries on the application of Uggoki Station House Officer (SHO) Armaghan Maqt under Sections 302, 297, 201, 427, 431, 157, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 7 and 11WW of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The applicant stated that the protesters had slapped, kicked, punched and hit Kumara with sticks in his presence, and dragged him out of the factory on Wazirabad Road where he died. They then set the body on fire. The SHO said he was helpless in front of the mob owing to shortage of personnel.

The body was brought to the airport in an ambulance where Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs Ejaz Alam Augustine received it and dispatched it via a Sri Lankan Airlines flight with state honours.

Other officials present on the occasion included Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony Hafiz Mohammad Tahir Ashrafi, Honorary Consul General of Sri Lanka Yasin Joya and representatives of the Punjab Home Department and Sri Lankan High Commission.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Ashrafi said the whole nation would have to unite to eradicate extremism the way it had eliminated terrorism from the country.

"Today is a day of grief but we promise that the killers of Priyantha Kumara will be brought to justice," he said.

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