Home Blog Page 2443

Lucknow District court allows Hindu litigants to appeal for a survey of Teele Wali Masjid

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Lucknow District court allows Hindu litigants to appeal for a survey of Teele Wali Masjid

On Thursday, February 9, a District Court in Lucknow held that a lawsuit of Lord Sheshnagesh Tileshwar Temple situated in the complex of the disputed Teele Wali Masjid on the Laxman Teela along Gomti river is maintainable. 

The bench of additional district judge-I (ADJ-I) Prafull Kamal has permitted Hindu litigants to appeal at a lower court for a survey of the Teele Wali Masjid. The contention by the Muslim litigants that the case cannot be maintained was rejected by the ADJ court. The revision petition was filed by Sunni Central Waqf Board pleading that the case was time-barred under the Places of Worship Act 1991.

ADJ Kumar upheld the senior division civil judge’s order dated September 25, 2017, which stated that the case was maintainable and should be decided on grounds of merit.

The next hearing in the case will be held on February 17.

The Hindu litigants had argued that Lakshman, Lord Ram’s younger brother, had constructed the “Lakshman Teela” on the disputed mosque complex site where the present Teele Wali Masjid stands. There are ancient temples dedicated to Sheshnagesh Tileshwar and other Hindu deities that were allegedly demolished in 2013 in an attempt to alter the site’s religious character. In the original lawsuit filed in 2013, the Hindu plaintiffs sought a survey of the mosque complex to be conducted.

In 2013, Lord Sheshnagesh Tileshwar Mahadev Virajman, Laxman Tila Sheshnag Teerth Bhoomi, and others filed a civil claim in a lower civil court, alleging that a Hindu sacred edifice was demolished to make place for a mosque during the era of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Hindu petitioners claimed that a portion of the property where the mosque stood was theirs and should be given to them.

According to advocate Harishankar Jain, who is also involved in the cases of the Gyanvapi complex and the Mathura mosque, the whole complex is the site of Sheshnagesh Tileshwar Mahadev, which was destroyed during Islamic tyrant Aurangzeb’s reign.

The Secretary Home Ministry through the Union of India, the Lucknow Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India, the State of Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary Home, District Magistrate Lucknow, Director General of Police UP, Senior Superintendent of Police Lucknow, Superintendent of Police West Lucknow, Inspector Chowk, CEO of Sunni Central Board, Chief Executive Officer through the Waqf, and Maulana Fajalurrehman have been named as respondents in the case.

The Places of Worship Act, 1991

The Places of Worship Act, 1991 was passed by the PV Narasimha Rao-led Congress regime to maintain the status quo of the religious character of places of worship as it was in 1947, except in the case of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, which was already in court. It was also to provide for the maintenance of the religious character of such a place of worship as on that day.

The Act states that a site of worship’s religious character must remain the same as it was on August 15, 1947. The law also states that nobody ever shall translate any religious denomination’s holy site into one of a distinct denomination or section.

The law also asserts that each and every lawsuit, appeal, or other proceedings pertaining to changing the character of the area of worship pending before any court or authority on August 15, 1947, will be terminated as soon as the legislation becomes effective, meaning there cannot be any further legal proceedings.

The act also imposes a positive obligation on the state to maintain the religious character of every place of worship as it existed at the time of independence.

Exemptions

There is a legal exception. If the change of status occurred after the cutoff date of August 15, 1947, legal action may be taken under the Places of Worship Act, 1991. This saves court cases, lawsuits, and appeals involving the possibility of status that were filed after the cutoff date.

Additionally, any place of worship that is an ancient monument, historical site, or archaeological site protected by the 1958 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act is exempt from the statute.

Any lawsuit that has been successfully resolved, any dispute that has been settled amicably between the parties, or any conversion of place that occurred prior to the commencement of the Act.

PFI was planning to radicalise Lakshwadeep Muslims with the ‘Islam is under attack’ trope, reveals ATS chargesheet

OpIndia Staff
-
0
PFI was planning to radicalise Lakshwadeep Muslims with the ‘Islam is under attack’ trope, reveals ATS chargesheet

Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) filed a 600-page charge sheet against PFI terrorists on February 2, 2023, detailing how the accused were working towards turning India into an Islamic nation by 2047. In the chargesheet, the ATS alleged that a PDF file was recovered from the mobile phone of the main accused Mazhar Mansur Khan containing a draft Draft Booklet detailing a roadmap for ‘Regaining the glory of Islam by 2047’.

On one of its pages, the document stated that the PFI discussed gathering Muslims from Kashmir and Lakshadweep together to carry out its nefarious plot to convert India into an Islamic state by 2047.

The chargesheet read that the PFI document stated that because Lakshadweep and Kashmir have a 70% Muslim population, it can target them to further their plans. It further stated that there is a need to instil terror in their minds that Islam is under attack.

The document revealed that the PFI was using fear as a tool to brainwash and rope in members of the Muslim community. They were pushing the propaganda of Muslims being in danger and atrocities being heaped upon them. Using this trope, they wanted to train Muslims to use arms. The banned organisation was also disseminating the idea that Islam was under attack and that unless Muslims banded together against the Hindus, they would be obliterated.

This was the same narrative they intended to tell to the Muslims of Lakshadweep and Kashmir in order to bring them together. They had also reached out to members of their community in other parts of the country, notably the Northeastern states.

The chargesheet further revealed that fear-mongering among Muslims was created by using propaganda material in the form of pamphlets and speeches. Some had even acquired jobs as reporters and cable operators in order to spread the word.

PFI terrorists called ‘Agnipath’ a scheme for ‘Muslim genocide’ where Hindus would be trained to take Muslims on

Earlier in the day, OpIndia reported how the Maharashtra ATS chargesheet revealed that the PFI was spreading propaganda about Agnipath being a scheme for “Muslim genocide.”

This propaganda was also being used by the PFI to mobilise Muslims against the Indian state.

The message was titled, “Agnipath ya Sanghiyo ki bandar sena” (Agnipath or an army of monkeys by Sanghis).

The message said that the Agnipath scheme would recruit Hindus between the ages of 17 and 21, and impart arms training and army training to them. After their 5 years stint in the army, they would be walking, out in the world, with arms training. The Agnipath scheme was likened to “Satan Israel like policy” where in every corner of the country, Hindus with army training would form groups. “This would be an army of rioters, who, because of their army training, would not run away if push comes to shove”, the message said.

Rahul Gandhi said in parliament exactly what PFI claimed in propaganda against the Agnipath scheme: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rahul Gandhi said in parliament exactly what PFI claimed in propaganda against the Agnipath scheme: Details

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi keeps echoing comments made by Islamist groups in the name of criticising the Narendra Modi government. In the latest such incident, he repeated claims made by the banned Islamic group PFI while attacking the Agnipath scheme of the Indian defence forces. Rahul Gandhi said that Angipath Scheme will create unemployed youths trained in guns, which echoes PFI’s claims that the scheme is a ploy to train Hindu youths in weapons to attack Muslims.

During his speech in the motion of thanks to the President’s address in Lok Sabha on 7 February, Rahul Gandhi claimed that people criticised the Agnipath scheme during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. He said that youths told him that after 4 years of service as Agniveers, they will lose their jobs, and they will not get pensions or any other benefits after retirement.

Claiming that retired army generals have criticised the scheme, Rahul Gandhi said that the retired officers have said that thousands of youths will be given training in weapons, and after some time they will be put into society. ‘There is unemployment, there will be increased violence in the society’, Rahul Gandhi said citing unnamed retired army generals.

A clip of Rahul Gandhi’s speech was shared on Twitter by Twitter user named iMac_too, who pointed out that the Congress leader’s comments are similar to PFI’s claims on the Angipath scheme.

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi further claimed that senior Army officers have said that they believe that the scheme didn’t come from within the army, idea came from outside. Then Rahul Gandhi claimed in the parliament that the Agnipath scheme came from the RSS and the home ministry. “Senior army officials said this, I am not saying,” he claimed. It is notable that Rahul Gandhi kept referring to the Agnipath scheme as Agniveer scheme. Actually the scheme is named Agnipath, and the soldiers recruited under the scheme are called Agniveers.

Rahul Gandhi further claimed that the scheme has been imposed on the army, and it will weaken the army. He also claimed that the Agnipath scheme was imposed on the army by NSA Ajit Doval. He said that army officers said that they do not want the scheme, but it was forced on them.

With these words, Rahul Gandhi claimed that as the Agniveers will become unemployed after their term in the service is over, they will create violence in the society, as they have training in weapons. This claim is almost similar to what PFI had alleged about the new recruitment scheme for defence forces.

According to a charge sheet filed by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) against several PFI members, the group had described Agnipath scheme as a tool for “Muslim genocide”. From the messages send by the PFI members, it was found that they were spreading propaganda against the scheme to mobilise Muslims against the Indian state.

The message said that the Agnipath scheme would recruit Hindus between the ages of 17 and 21, and impart arms training and army training to them. After their stint in the army is over, they would be walking out in the world with arms training. PFI claimed that Hindus with training in the army will form groups to attack Muslims.

Just like Rahul Gandhi said that the idea of Agnipath scheme came from the RSS and it was forced on the army, PFI also said that Agnipath scheme is an extension of the RSS module to impart arms training to Hindus. PFI even compared the scheme to Israel’s policy on Palestinians, saying that this recruitment scheme will train Hindus to commit genocide against Muslims.

Contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s claim that army officials didn’t want the Agnipath scheme, the fact is that the top brass of the three services has backed the scheme. They say that they need young soldiers, and the scheme is perfect to reduce the average age of the soldiers. The scheme is also vital to keep the bulging pension bill in the defence forces under control, which put a constraint on the upgradation and procurement of weapons and other required items.

The full speech of Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha can be watched below:

Google engineer develops GitaGPT, a Bhagavad Gita-inspired AI chatbot for those seeking spiritual guidance

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Google engineer develops GitaGPT, a Bhagavad Gita-inspired AI chatbot for those seeking spiritual guidance

OpenAI has introduced cutting-edge AI technology for long-form question-answering, known as ChatGPT. This AI is capable of providing conversational answers to even the most complex questions. And just in line with ChatGPT, there’s an even more specialized platform available to offer spiritual guidance. The latest addition to the AI chatbot scene is GitaGPT, promising to deliver answers drawn straight from the revered Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita.

The GitaGPT was developed by Sukuru Sai Vineet, an engineer at Google, utilizing the powerful GPT-3 language model. This AI technology was specifically trained on the Bhagwad Gita, the 700-verse Hindu scripture, to deliver its remarkable results.

“GitaGPT is a GPT-3 powered app that generates answers to your life issues from the Bhagavad Gita,” reads the description.

GitaGPT, the AI bot draws upon the timeless knowledge and wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s ancient scriptures, to offer users guidance and enlightenment in their life choices.

By utilising the profound wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, GitaGPT provides its users with a distinctive viewpoint and a deeper comprehension of their inquiries. GitaGPT offers individuals a unique perspective on life’s big questions, like life purpose and ethical dilemmas, by providing answers informed by the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. The goal is to give users insightful and meaningful guidance to help them navigate their lives.

GitaGPT provides answers to deep philosophical conundrums of life

The creator of the AI tool, Vineet, shared a few examples of how the chatbot worked.

In one of the interactions, the question was posed, “What is the purpose of life?” The GitaGPT bot responded with, “The Bhagavad Gita explains the meaning of life as seeking liberation from ageing and death, seeking refuge in the divine, and realizing the knowledge of the self and all action. It involves dedicating oneself to the divine and performing actions as an offering, with a detached and knowledgeable mindset. The ultimate aim is to attain the brilliant Supreme Being.”

Besides, the chatbot also quotes specific verses from the Hindu scripture from which the answer is inspired.

We tried checking for ourselves but GitaGPT seems to be under beta testing as it did not answer our question.

Source: https://www.gitagpt.in

However, its launch has had the internet buzzing about a chatbot that could impart life lessons drawn from the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita and share timeless knowledge with the enquirer.

Animal Welfare Board of India withdraws appeal to celebrate February 14 as ‘Cow Hug Day’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Animal Welfare Board of India withdraws appeal to celebrate February 14 as ‘Cow Hug Day’

Just two days after issuing an appeal to celebrate February 14 as ‘Cow Hug day’ the Animal Welfare Board of India has withdrawn the appeal. On Friday, the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) under the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying of the Ministry of Fisheries issued a notification saying that the appeal has been withdrawn.

The notification uploaded on the website of the Animal Welfare Board of India said, “as directed by the Competent Authority and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying the appeal issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India for the celebration of Cow Hug Day on 14th February, 2023 stands withdrawn.” The notification has been signed by Secretary Sujit Kumar Dutta.

It is notable that on 8th February, AWBI issued an appeal to all cow lovers to celebrate Valentine’s Day also as cow hugging day, saying that hugging cows would bring emotional richness and would increase individual and collective happiness.

The board, which criticized the glitz of western civilization, said that Vedic traditions are nearly gone as a result of the development of western culture over time. The Animal Welfare Board of India stated that cows are known as “Kamdhenu” and “Gaumata” because of its nourishing nature like mother, the giver of all providing riches to humanity.

It stated, “In view of the immense benefit of the cow, hugging with cow will bring emotional richness hence will increase our individual and collective happiness. Therefore, all the cow lovers may also celebrate the February 14 as Cow Hug day keeping in mind the importance of mother cow and make life happy and full of positive energy.”

The appeal also garnered the support of Union minister Giriraj Singh, who advocated for everyone to have a positive attitude toward cows. Giriraj Singh, the minister for rural development in the Narendra Modi-led government, responded, “It is a commendable initiative,” when questioned about the directive that was released on the guidance of the department of animal husbandry and dairying.

However, now the government decided to withdraw the appeal to celebrate ‘Cow Hug Day’ on February 14. Earlier it was reported how Islamists and liberals had insulted the idea by sharing memes and vile comments on social media. Some said that cow was going to kiss bhakts on Valentine’s Day while others shared images of beef to criticize the government’s effort.

Women can enter mosques for Namaz provided that there is no intermixing of men and women: AIMPLB tells Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Women can enter mosques for Namaz provided that there is no intermixing of men and women: AIMPLB tells Supreme Court

On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, the All-India Muslim Law Personal Board (AIMLPB) told the Supreme Court there is no bar on Muslim women offering Namaz in mosques, provided there is no intermixing of men and women in the mosque. In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the Muslim Personal Law Board told the Supreme Court that as per Islamic texts, traditions, and beliefs, women are permitted to enter mosques for namaz as long as there is no free intermixing of men and women in common areas.

“Considering the said religious texts, doctrines, and religious beliefs of the followers of Islam, it is submitted that entry of women into mosques for offering namaz inside mosques is permitted,” the affidavit filed through advocate M R Shamshad said.

The affidavit was filed in the hearing of a petition filed by one woman, advocate Farha Anwar Hussain Shaik, who urged the apex court to declare the prohibition of entry of Muslim women into mosques as illegal and unconstitutional. She said that this only violates the constitutional rights of Muslim women, it is also not allowed as per Quran. She argued that no Islamic holy text mandates keeping men and women separate in mosques.

The petitioner also claimed that women are allowed to perform hajj and umrah rituals in Mecca and Medina along with their male companions.

However, the Muslim Personal Law Board completely dismissed her arguments, saying that intermixing of men and women in mosques is not allowed in Islam. The affidavit claimed that no Islamic religious text authorised the mixing of genders in any mosque.

It further stated that when it comes to practising namaz around the Kaaba in Mecca, temporary arrangements are made by constructing barricades to separate men and women worshippers during the prayer.

The etiquettes of prayer, particularly no open intermixing of both sexes, are freely, scrupulously, and truly observed by all devotees, men and women alike, AIMLPB said. In reality, aside from Masjid Al-Haram, there are scores of mosques in Mecca where, since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, no intermingling of the sexes is permitted, the affidavit further read.

It is worth noting that almost every mosque has separate entrances for men and women, as well as separate cleansing and washroom spaces.

According to the affidavit, the AIMPLB, as a body of experts with no state authority, can only provide advisory opinions based on Islamic principles. It stated that the AIMPLB and, for that matter, the Supreme Court cannot delve into the realm of particular arrangements of a religious place, which is a completely privately managed entity for religious practises of believers in religion.

“Thus, a Muslim woman is free to enter into a masjid (mosque) for prayers. It is her option to exercise her right to avail such facilities as available for prayers in a masjid,” the affidavit said.

According to the affidavit, Islam does not mandate Muslim women to join daily five times prayers in congregation, nor does it require Muslim women to offer weekly Friday ‘Namaz’ in a congregation, but Muslim males must.

“The Muslim woman is differently placed because, as per doctrines of Islam, she is entitled to the same religious reward (sawab) for praying as per her option, either in the masjid or at home,” it said. The board further appealed to the community that the issue of making appropriate space for women should be kept in mind wherever new mosques are constructed. 

The next hearing in the plea is likely to be held in March.

SC rejects Abdullah Azam Khan’s plea against Allahabad HC verdict that had annulled his election as Suar MLA

ANI
-
0
SC rejects Abdullah Azam Khan’s plea against Allahabad HC verdict that had annulled his election as Suar MLA

The Supreme Court has rejected Abdullah Azam Khan’s review petition challenging its order upholding Allahabad High Court’s verdict disqualifying the former legislator for not having attained the minimum qualifying age on the date of the election.

“We make it clear that what has been observed by this court is with reference to the election petition assailing the election of the returned candidate (Mohammad Abdullah Azam Khan) from 34, Suar Assembly Constituency of District Rampur,” the apex court stated.

The court further stated that the result of the election was declared on March 11, 2017, and the criminal cases, if any, pending in reference to the same subject may be decided on their own merits.

“The review petitions are accordingly dismissed,” a bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and BV Nagarathna said in an order delivered on November 7, 2022.

The Supreme Court ruled that there was no manifest error by the Allahabad High Court, which annulled Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam Khan’s election as Uttar Pradesh MLA, and it did not require any intervention by the top court.

“The present review petitions have been filed against the final judgment dated November 7, 2022. We have perused the review petitions as well as the connected papers’ support thereof and find no manifest apparent error on the face of the record. In our opinion, no case for review is made out,” the court said.

The top court turned down the appeal filed by Abdullah Azam Khan challenging his disqualification as MLA by the Allahabad High Court order on the ground that he was underaged and not qualified to contest the poll in 2017.
The Allahabad High Court had declared the election of Azam Khan’s son from the Suar Assembly segment of Rampur district null and void as he was less than 25 years of age. Abdullah Khan was elected as MLA on an SP ticket on March 11, 2017.

“In the instant case, the date of birth of the appellant throughout in his records is January 1, 1993, and only in the year 2015 when the appellant became keen to enter into active politics, the mother of the appellant submitted an application for the first time on January 17, 2015, claiming that the appellant was born on September 30, 1990, and birth certificate may be immediately issued to her and within three days, the birth certificate was issued by the Nagar Nigam, Lucknow on January 21, 2015,” the HC had noted earlier.

“In support thereof, the documentary evidence which the appellant has placed on record obtained from the Queen Mary’s Hospital, Lucknow, as a foundation on which the birth certificate has been issued as alleged from the Nagar Nigam, Lucknow, in our considered view, no probative value could have been attached to it,” the court had noted.
“The High Court, in our considered view, has examined the documentary and the oral evidence available on record in extenso, we find that no manifest error was committed by the High Court in passing the impugned judgment, which may call for our interference,” it said.

Section 13(3) of the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969, clearly postulates that delayed registration of birth and death is permissible provided the procedure prescribed has been followed after taking orders from the Magistrate and proving the correctness of the date of birth, the court had observed.

Noting that the defence of the appellant is that since his name was already registered in the records of Nagar Nigam, Lucknow, Section 13(3) of the Registration of Birth and Death Act, 1969 may not apply, the HC said this submission appeared to be misplaced.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

‘Stop running behind small peddlers’: SC grants bail to Sabir who was caught with 8 kg of illegally farmed opium

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Stop running behind small peddlers’: SC grants bail to Sabir who was caught with 8 kg of illegally farmed opium

On Friday (February 10), the Supreme Court of India granted bail to one Sabir, who was accused of illegally cultivating 8 kg of opium in Madhya Pradesh.

The matter was heard by a Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud. While granting the accused bail, the apex court remarked, “What are you doing about real offenders who are running international syndicates? “

“Try and catch them and then save the people…You are catching small-time peddlers, farmers, etc but the not real culprit,” it further remarked. Sabir was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

His bail application was opposed by the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Vikramjit Banerjee, who pointed out that Sabir had previously been convicted twice.

The Supreme Court noted that Sabir had served 5 years in jail for an offence that carried a maximum punishment of 10 years and was thus ‘entitled’ to bail. The apex court rejected the argument of ASG and claimed that opium was not found in a car/ truck but in the agricultural land of the accused.

The Background of the Case

The case (titled Sabir Vs State of Madhya Pradesh) dates back to March 1996 when Sabir and his father Hamid were caught cultivating poppy opium in excess of the area, which was originally licenced to them.

“It was found that accused Sabir had planted poppy plants exceeding 10 array land for which he was licensed to produce the opium poppy. The raiding party also found that the crop of opium poppy has been attributed from the exceed area and kept concealed in the Nala near his field,” the prosecution had revealed.

“During the inspection, the search team come to know that after lancing, the opium collected by the accused persons from the illegally cultivated poppy have been kept in their house and neither this excess area nor the opium collected out by this excess area has been entered into the records of the Village Lumberdar,” it added.

Pakistan-IMF meeting over bailout package fails as IMF does not trust Pakistan completely due to credibility crisis, talks to continue

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan-IMF meeting over bailout package fails as IMF does not trust Pakistan completely due to credibility crisis, talks to continue

In a major blow to a cash-strapped Pakistan, the talks for a much-needed bailout package between International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan have failed, posing a serious question on the country’s ability to repay international loans. Pakistan is talking with IMF on a $1.1 billion funding round, which is part of a $6.5 billion bailout package signed in 2019. While an IMF team was in Pakistan to discuss the deal, the talks collapsed as they failed to reach a staff-level agreement within the stipulated time.

The development comes as talks between the IMF and Pakistan, which took place from January 31 to February 9 in Islamabad, came to an end. The IMF delegation had arrived in Islamabad to meet with the Pakistani authorities. However, despite not reaching an agreement, the two parties have decided to continue the talks on the bailout deal via video calls.

IMF Pakistan Mission Chief Nathan Porter stated in a statement that “Key priorities include strengthening the fiscal position with permanent revenue measures and reduction in untargeted subsidies, while scaling up social protection to help the most vulnerable and those affected by the floods; allowing the exchange rate to be market determined to gradually eliminate the foreign exchange shortage; and enhancing energy provision by preventing further accumulation of circular debt and ensuring the viability of the energy sector. Virtual discussions will continue in the coming days” and added that significant progress had been made.”

Ishaq Dar, the finance minister of Pakistan, was scheduled to hold a press conference to announce the program’s resumption, which was not held.

Despite the inconclusive meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan is convinced that the deal will go through and IMF will sanction the funding after resolving the issues. Finance minister Ishaq Dar told reporters that Pakistan has agreed with the IMF on the conditions to release the funds. He said that talks with the IMF would resume virtually on Monday, and the delay in reaching an agreement was due to “routine procedures.” Dar further said they will implement whatever has been agreed upon between their teams.

Hamed Sheikh, Pakistan’s secretary of finance, stated in a statement on Thursday that “Actions and prior actions have been agreed but the staff level agreement will be announced subsequently.” He further said, “The discussions with the IMF are now over. The MEFP (Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies) paper has been given to Pakistan by the IMF,”

Credibility crisis 

The IMF was unwilling to completely trust Pakistan this time due to a credibility crisis and has established certain prerequisites. The Pakistani govt failed to provide adequate and convincing assurances to the IMF mission, which resulted in the failure of the staff-level talks.

IMF has set several conditions to release funds under the bailout package, and while Pakistan has implemented some of them, IMF is still not convinced. Some of the conditions include a return to a market-based exchange rate and higher fuel prices, which were implemented recently, causing massive inflation and a surge in fuel prices. Pakistan has also agreed with the IMF to introduce fiscal measures, including new taxes.

The IMF raised its concerns at the policy-level discussions about the projections presented by Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance regarding the inflows of external financing from multilateral, and bilateral creditors, and commercial loans.

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, and Nathan Porter, the head of the IMF mission, had a virtual meeting in order to resolve the impasse.

Reportedly, the IMF has sought assurances from China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates about the fulfilment of the loans they had committed to providing to Pakistan.

Since its foreign exchange reserves have dropped to just $2.9 billion, the lowest level since February 2014, Pakistan urgently needs the staff-level agreement and subsequent board approval for the ninth review to release $1.1 billion. The country needs at least $7 billion to pay off its external debt, but the reserves are not sufficient to finance imports even for two weeks.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said in a recent weekly statement that the week ending February 3, 2023’s external debt repayments caused the country’s foreign exchange reserves to drop by $170 million to $2,916.7 million (or $2.92 billion).

The risk of failing to repay foreign debt has increased due to the concerning levels of Foreign exchange reserves. Pakistan’s finance minister despite the declining forex reserves was hopeful that the country will be able to conclude the IMF bailout programme however, things did not go as he thought.

The staff level agreement is the first but most crucial step in asking the IMF board for permission to finish the 9th assessment.

As per Pakistani media reports, a cash-strapped Pakistan government removed the dollar cap to the conditions laid down by the International Monetary Fund. It resulted in the historic fall of Pakistani currency in the interbank market. Currently, it is trading at 277.81 Pakistani rupees per US Dollar. Removing the dollar cap was one of the conditions to resume the bailout. Other conditions included easing fuel subsidies and more. The letters of credit (LCs) were also restricted by the government amidst the falling foreign exchange reserves.

Economic crisis in Pakistan 

Pakistan is experiencing its worst economic crisis in years as the country is dealing with a shortage of food, a shortage of power, sky-high inflation, and a collapsing currency. The economy of Pakistan has been spiraling out of control due to the vicious cycle of debt and partial payments. 

In addition to running out of money, Pakistan has also run out of flour to feed its population, and the country is facing massive power cuts as well.

As the government of Pakistan failed to end the economic crisis in Pakistan, over 7 million workers in its textile industry have been laid off. The country’s textile associations have blamed the mass layoffs on the Shehbaz Sharif government’s incompetence and shrinking exports.

Even in the midst of the severe economic crisis, it was reported that the Pakistani government was importing expensive luxury BMW cars for its cabinet ministers instead of focusing on measures to increase exports. 

With expanding debt, rising energy import costs, depleted foreign reserves, political instability, a protracted decline in GDP growth millions losing jobs, the country desperately needs a bailout.

The situation in several cities of Pakistan is so grave that flour is being rationed and guarded by armed guards. Prices of flour and wheat have witnessed a dramatic surge. 

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi brings horrific excuse to cover up child marriage cases, bats for families that are depriving pregnant underage girls of medical care

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi brings horrific excuse to cover up child marriage cases, bats for families that are depriving pregnant underage girls of medical care

On Friday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized the Assam government’s ongoing crackdown on child marriages in a bizarre argument. He said that the minor victims of child marriage who are already impregnated by their ‘husbands’ are scared of the campaign and so are not seeking medical help during their pregnancies. He said that the pregnant girls are not going to doctors as they fear that their husbands and fathers might get arrested.

“Girls under 18 who are pregnant are choosing to deliver their child at home, not going to the hospitals because they are afraid of getting their fathers and husbands arrested,” Congress MP Gogoi said on February 10.

“Today, we got to know a teenage mother died because she bled to death due to complications during childbirth in the absence of community and ASHA workers. Even ordinary families feel that ASHA workers will report the matter to govt and local police,” he added blatantly attempting to defend the child marriage practice in the state.

This is reportedly a day after a 16-year-old pregnant minor woman lost her life while she was on the way to a hospital in Assam’s Bongaigaon district. The family members of the girl tried to execute her delivery at home amid the massive crackdown but her health deteriorated. She was rushed to Chalantapara health center. From there, the medical authorities recommended her to Bongaigaon hospital.

The minor girl could not bear the labour pain and breathed her last while on her way to the hospital. The police took cognizance of the incident and arrested the girl’s husband and father. The duo has been identified as Sahinur Ali and Aynal Haque.

Gogoi’s argument sought to justify not only child marriages, which are already illegal under Indian law but tried to twist the horrific scene where the families of those minor girls are keeping them away from basic medical facilities to cover up their own misdeeds. Surprisingly, being a lawmaker himself, Gogoi tried to oppose the government’s crackdown on illegal child marriages while batting for families who are subjecting underage girls to life-threatening pregnancies and childbirth without the slightest consideration for their health.

The Assam government launched a campaign to eliminate the practice of child marriage in the state and said that action would be taken against the family members, pujaris, and Kazis involved in child marriage. Accordingly, the state police arrested around 2528 persons for their involvement and alleged participation in child marriage and further declared such marriages as illegal.

The government earlier stated that there are more than 4074 cases filed amid the campaign and actions would be taken against all the accused involved. As reported earlier, there are around 8000 accused named in around 4074 cases from across various districts of the state.

According to the data provided by the state, among the 4074 cases, the largest number, 370, has been registered in the Dhubri district. Following that are 255 in Hojai, 235 in Uddalguri, 224 in Morigaon, 204 in Kokrajhar, and 192 in Guwahati. Hailakandi has the lowest case with just 1.

The crackdown on child marriage was started after the Assam govt in a January 23 cabinet meeting announced that strict measures will be implemented across the state to keep a check on the spike in child marriages in the state. The government had said that legal action against men who marry girls below 14 years of age would be initiated under the POCSO Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act. Similarly, action will be taken under the prevention of child marriage act in cases where the age of the bride is between 14 and 18 years.

The cabinet also decided to designate all 2,197 Gram Panchayat Secretaries to as ‘child Marriage Prevention (Prohibition) officers’ under The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to reduce Infant Mortality Rate & Maternal Mortality Rates and prevent child marriages in rural areas. The CM said that the move was based on a thorough discussion of the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) 5 by the state government.

Earlier even as Assam police started nabbing people accused in child marriage cases, some people attempted to flee from the state. Many Qazis accused of performing the marriage of minors have also disappeared from several places.

1...2,4422,4432,444...7,602Page 2,443 of 7,602