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Delhi Court discharges Sharjeel Imam in the case of instigating the 2019 Jamia Nagar riots, to remain in jail in Delhi anti-Hindu riots case

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Delhi Court discharges Sharjeel Imam in the case of instigating the 2019 Jamia Nagar riots, to remain in jail in Delhi anti-Hindu riots case

A Delhi court Saturday cleared Sharjeel Imam of all charges that were invoked against him in the sedition case related to a speech he delivered in 2019 which provoked violence in Jamia Nagar in Delhi on December 15, 2019, during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The former JNU student Sharjeel Imam would, however, continue to be in jail under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or UAPA in the conspiracy case related to the February 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

Along with Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha had also been discharged in the same case. The court, however, framed the charges of unlawful assembly and rioting against one Mohammed Iliyas.

Saket court additional sessions judge Arul Verma pronounced the order.

Both Tanha and Imam were accused by the Delhi Police of rioting, and unlawful assembly. Sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 332, 333, 308, 427, 435, 323, 341, 120B and 34 of the IPC had been invoked against the duo in the case.

Both Sharjeel Imam and Asif Iqbal Tanha were granted bail in the matter by the Saket Court in September 2022.

Sharjeel Imam incited violence his hate speeches

Sharjeel Imam was arrested in January 2020 after he delivered several provocative speeches that triggered violence during anti-CAA protests in Delhi and several other states. The current case relates to a speech given on December 2019 in Delhi. According to the police, his speech provoked violence in Jamia Nagar in Delhi on December 15, 2019, during protests against the now-enacted Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

The mob damaged public and private properties including several vehicles during the riot in Jamia Nagar. Around 1500 demonstrators blocked the road and did not listen to the people who urged them to clear the road, and four public buses and two police vehicles were set ablaze during the violence.

Sharjeel Imam is facing other cases for other speeches he gave during the anti-CAA protests, including instigating Islamists to cut of North Eastern region from the rest of the country by blocking the ‘chicken’s neck’ in North Bengal.

Pakistan blocks Wikipedia after 48-hour deadline to remove ‘blasphemous content’ ends

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Pakistan blocks Wikipedia after 48-hour deadline to remove ‘blasphemous content’ ends

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has decided to block Wikipedia after it refused to remove the content considered blasphemous by Pakistan from its website. The restoration of access within its territory will be subject to Wikipedia removing the alleged blasphemous content from its website.

Earlier, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) degraded access to the online encyclopedia by reducing or disrupting access to it after giving it a 48-hour deadline to remove all ‘blasphemous’ content. Wikipedia was given this warning on February 1, however, they were not told which content is considered blasphemous by Pakistan.

As per a report by The News, Wikipedia was approached for blocking/removal of the blasphemous content by issuing a notice under applicable law and a court order, however, they failed to comply.

An opportunity was further provided by Pakistan to appear for a hearing or remove the ‘blasphemous’ content, but since Wikipedia didn’t pay attention to either, PTA decided to block them, their spokesperson said.

The restoration of Wikipedia services in Pakistan will be subject to the removal of all the content that Pakistan considers blasphemous.

Wikipedia got a warning from Pakistan

Earlier, on February 1, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that it will block Wikipedia if it fails to take down content deemed to be blasphemous within 48 hours. 

“Wikipedia was approached for blocking/removal of the said contents by issuing a notice under applicable law & court order(s). An opportunity for a hearing was also provided, however, the platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the Authority. Given the intentional failure on part of the platform to comply with the directions of PTA, the services of Wikipedia have been degraded for 48 hours with the direction to block/remove the reported contents,” the press release from PTA read.

PTA had warned Wikipedia that its services will be blocked in Pakistan in case it fails to comply with its directions.

Blasphemy laws in Pakistan

Notably, amidst widespread riots over foodgrains and severe power outages as a result of the ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan, the country’s parliament has recently tightened the country’s draconian anti-blasphemy law.

In January, the Parliament reinforced Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws, which are regularly applied to settle personal scores or to persecute minorities.

The laws, which currently carry the death penalty for anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad, can now also be used to punish those found guilty of insulting those associated with him.

The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Act 2023, which was unanimously approved by the country’s National Assembly last week, increased the minimum sentence for individuals who disrespect the holy figures of Islam.

Assam Police arrests 2044 in illegal child marriage cases, number of complaints and accused rises to 4074 and 8000 respectively

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Assam Police arrests 2044 in illegal child marriage cases, number of complaints and accused rises to 4074 and 8000 respectively

In a sweeping crackdown on child marriage in Assam, the police arrested around 2,044 people including 57 Kazis and Pujaris for their involvement and alleged participation in child marriage on Friday. The government earlier stated that there are more than 4074 cases filed amid the campaign and actions will be taken against the accused, further declaring such marriages as illegal. 

“We have a list of 8,000 named accused and so far we have arrested only 2,044 people. The drive against child marriage will continue over the next three to four days and after we get all the data, a proper district-wise analysis can be done,” Director General of Police G P Singh said on Friday.

Besides members of families that married off their minor children, the police have detained 57 ‘purohits’ and ‘Kazis’ who performed such wedding rites in religious institutions, the DGP said. 

He stated that the arrests were made after verifying information obtained from family members, the child welfare society, local residents, and police officers. “We will follow the law, perform thorough investigations, and file charge papers,” Singh confirmed. 

According to the reports, a total of 4074 cases have been filed against families, Kazis and pujaris involved in child marriage. Further the police say that there are around 8000 accused, of which 2044 have already been arrested. The DGP added that a few people have absconded since the police began taking action in these cases on Friday. “Efforts are underway to find these absconding people and nab them,” he added.

Giving a district-wise break up of cases filed, Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier informed that action on the cases would begin from February 3, and accordingly, police started arresting people named in the cases from last night itself. The CM also informed that more cases are likely to be filed by the police in the coming days.

According to the data provided by the CM, among the 4004 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. 58 people heading towards Kerala in a bus were detained yesterday by the police in Rupahi. Similarly, many Qazis accused of performing the marriage of minors have disappeared from several places.

Kerala: Zahhad, a biological woman, halts transitioning into a man to produce a baby with her partner who is a biological male, transitioning into a woman

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Zahhad, a biological woman, halts transitioning into a man to produce a baby with her partner who is a biological male, transitioning into a woman

In a first, a trans-couple from Kerala who were undergoing hormonal therapy already to get their genders changed, announced their pregnancy on Friday. Zahhad who is 23 and Ziya Paval who is 21, have been living together in Kozhikode for the past three years.

According to reports, Zahhad who is a biological woman who was undergoing treatment to become a trans man, paused ‘her’ treatment as she got pregnant. Ziya on the other hand is a biological man who has been undergoing treatment to become a woman. The couple is all set to welcome their child next month, reportedly making them the first ‘trans couple’ to have a child.

“When we started to live together three years ago, we thought our lives should be different from other transgenders. Most transgender couples are boycotted by society as well as their families. We wanted a baby so that we leave behind something of ourselves even after our days in this world are numbered,’’ said Paval when asked about the pregnancy.

Taking to Instagram to announce ‘his’ motherhood, Paval posted a picture of ‘him’ and Zahhad with ‘her’ baby bump and wrote that ‘he’ was happy and excited to have a baby and to be called a ‘mother’. “As the long-awaited dream in me will come true, I am also waiting to hear the call in the small voice of a mother…. Just a few more days to go. Lord, give me and my life partner who knew my dreams the ability to move forward without getting tired in any crisis,” Paval said.

“Time has brought us together. It’s been three years. Like the dream of mother in me, his dream of father and a desire to be our own brought us together in a single thought. 8 months old and moving in his tummy with full consent,” ‘he’ posted.

Paval meanwhile also confirmed that ‘he’ is undergoing the treatment to become a woman and that Zahhad was undergoing the treatment to become a man. ‘He’ added that Zahhad would continue with the hormonal treatment post-delivery. “Six months or a year after delivery, Zahhad will also resume the treatment to become a trans man,’’ Paval added.

Reportedly, Zahhad who was born as a woman is said to have removed ‘her’ breasts already to become a trans man. “Zahhad had already removed both breasts and both of us had been going ahead with hormone treatment. In our longing to have a baby, we paused the process,’’ reiterated Paval.

The netizens meanwhile expressed shock at the news while a few of them also congratulated the couple for their future journey. “God please come down, there’s an emergency I repeat!” commented one of the Instagram users on Paval’s post.

Screenshot of Instagram post by Paval

Meanwhile, other users indicated that the news was hard to digest and that the Muslims had ‘reached their peak’ “Don’t go against nature”, “So-called progressive society,” wrote others.

Screenshot of Instagram post by Paval

Ziya Paval who will soon become a trans woman is a resident of Kozhikode while Zahhad who will continue ‘her’ treatment to become a trans man hails from Thiruvananthapuram. The duo left their homes three years ago and have been living together in Kozhikode. The couple revealed that they have attained immense support from the doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode. Zahhad is supposed to deliver the child in the same hospital next month.

Reports mention that the couple has undergone the insemination process to get their ‘good news’ and that the doctors have told them not to reveal the process to anyone. The couple will feed the baby in the initial months from the breast milk bank at the medical college as Zahhad has already removed her breasts to become a trans man.

Columbian Medical College endorses using brain-dead women as surrogate mothers, later apologises after outrage

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Columbian Medical College endorses using brain-dead women as surrogate mothers, later apologises after outrage

On Wednesday (February 1), the Colombian Medical College tendered an apology after it endorsed a controversial paper by a Norway-based academic named Anna Smajdor, who called for using brain-dead women as surrogate mothers.

As per a report by The Telegraph, it had published a Spanish translation of the research paper and initially defended its actions by claiming it to be representative of the author’s view.

“Women are not utensils to be thrown away after use, women have human rights, even if some people forget this,” Colombian member of Congress Jennifer Pedraza reacted strongly to the development.

After being labelled misogynistic, the Colombian Medical college was forced to retract and issue an apology. “(Our objective is) medical progress at the service of humanity with the highest bioethical standards,” it said in its defence.

The Background of the Controversy

On November 18 last year, academic Anna Smajdor published a research paper titled, ‘Whole body gestational donation’ in Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics.

“We already know that pregnancies can be successfully carried to term in brain-dead women. There is no obvious medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be possible,” the abstract of the contentious paper read.

“I suggest that states and health services should adapt their policies and procedures to allow for WBGD among other donation options,” she added.

Screengrab of the research paper by Anna Smajdor

“I suggest that brain stem dead men would also have the potential to gestate, meaning that the pool of potential donors is further increased – and that certain feminist concerns might thus be assuaged,” Anna Smajdor had claimed.

She wrote, “Since we are happy to prolong the somatic survival of already pregnant brain-dead women, to initiate pregnancy among eligible brain-dead donors should not trouble us unduly.”

The academic concluded, “Abortion, especially late term abortion, can be traumatic for gestating women both emotionally and physically. However, in the case of WBGD, the gestating woman is already dead and cannot be harmed.”

The controversial idea was floated by a bioethicist, at Queensland State University, named Paul Gerber in June 1998. In his defence, he said, “‘I can’t see anything wrong with it and at least the dead would be doing some good. It’s a wonderful solution to the problems posed by surrogacy and a magnificent use of a corpse. It has my complete support.”

‘Bharat is secular because it has Hindu majority’: What CM Yogi Adityanath said about Sanatan Dharma, Bharat and our ‘tolerance’

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‘Bharat is secular because it has Hindu majority’: What CM Yogi Adityanath said about Sanatan Dharma, Bharat and our ‘tolerance’

On Friday, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said that India is a secular country because it has a Hindu population in the majority.  

In an exclusive interview with India TV, CM Yogi said that followers of Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) have whenever required provided protection to the followers of other religions in times of threat or danger.  “We view it as our Daayitva (duty). We do not view Sanatan Dharma as a mode of worship. Modes of worship can be different, it can be Vedic, Jainism, Buddhism, or Sikh,” CM Yogi said.

To this, the India TV anchor asks the question about Muslims and Christians, CM Yogi while responding to this said that the question is if followers of Sanatan Dharma have not given the protection (Sangrakshan) to them when they were faced with crisis or threat. 

“We have always protected them, you see Bharat is secular today because it has a Hindu majority, which guarantees the protection of everyone. Bharat believes in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and adopts it in its way of life otherwise what has been happening in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and many other countries. In many such countries in the world, places of worship of other religions, the followers of which are minorities there, are being destroyed completely, but nobody speaks up there,” Yogi said.

When the anchor says that India is tolerant, CM Yogi asked, “what shall I do? Will this country be punished for its tolerance and kindness?”

Before speaking about his recent comments where he called Sanatan Dharma the national religion or Rashtriya Dharma, CM Yogi cited a reference to Ramayana to define Sanatan Dharma and its comprehensive nature.

“In Ramayana, there is a small definition of Sanatan Dharma. When Lord Hanuman was heading towards Lanka, he stops at Mainak mountain where he was asked to take a rest, it is mentioned in Ramayana as ‘Krite Cha Pratikritavyamesh Dharma Sanatan’ (कृते च प्रतिकर्तव्यम् एष धर्म: सनातन:।) which means repaying good deeds is Sanatan Dharma,” CM Yogi said. 

CM Yogi Adityanath also commented on the recent controversy surrounding Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, wherein Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya demanded the removal of a few verses that referenced women and Shudras “This is an amateurish attempt by the Samajwadi Party to draw people’s attention away from development. They aim to weaken our commitment to progress. They are harming the state by doing this.”

Recently, during an event related to the restoration of Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Jalore, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called the Sanatan Dharma as the ‘national religion’ and said that every citizen of the country should respect it. CM Yogi also asserted that for the religious places that were destroyed or desecrated in the past, a campaign should to started to restore them, as was done in the case of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 

CM Yogi said, “Our Sanatan Dharma is India’s “Rashtriya Dharma”. We establish a connection to “Rashtriya Dharma” when we rise above selfishness. Connecting to the national religion makes our nation secure. Symbols of our honour should be re-established, and the cow and Brahmins should be protected. If our religious places were desecrated in any era, then there should be a campaign to restore them, like the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya. After 500 years, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts, Bhagwan Ram’s grand temple is being built in Ayodhya.”

‘Allah-Hu-Akhbar’ and ‘Naara-e-Taqbeer’ slogans raised in AMU again, students stage protest, extend support to BBC documentary: Read about their demand

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‘Allah-Hu-Akhbar’ and ‘Naara-e-Taqbeer’ slogans raised in AMU again, students stage protest, extend support to BBC documentary: Read about their demand

On Friday, the students of Aligarh Muslim University staged a protest against the suspension of students who had raised dangerous Islamic supremacist slogans on the occasion of Republic day within the campus. The protesting students also raised Islamic slogans like ‘Nara-e-Takbeer Allah-hu-Akhbar’ during the demonstration and demanded the revocation of the suspension order issued against the AMU students on January 26.

According to the reports, the students are said to have staged the protest after the Friday Namaz. They submitted a written memorandum to the proctor of AMU and demanded that all the suspended students be reinstated with immediate effect. The memorandum also praised and justified the controversial BBC documentary which has been banned by the Centre.

The memorandum potentially exposed the proctor of AMU’s claims. He had earlier said that the posters of the BBC documentary on the campus were put up by outsiders and not AMU students. It was reported yesterday that several posters with QR codes were pasted on the walls of the AMU campus. The QR codes would allow the students to watch the banned BBC documentary on their mobile phones on scanning.

Reports mention that the AMU proctor taking cognizance of the incident issued orders for the removal of the posters and stated that the posters were put up by outsiders and that no AMU student was involved in this. However, on Friday, the AMU students themselves submitted the memorandum in which they happened to praise and justify the BBC documentary.

The protesting students on Friday demanded AMU student and NCC cadet Wahiduj Jama be reinstated after he was suspended for raising Islamic slogans on the occasion of Republic day.

It was reported earlier that the AMU had suspended a student for shouting “Allah hu Akbar” slogans on Republic Day. The incident of some NCC cadets raising slogans during Republic Day celebrations had come to light on Thursday. The video of people shouting the slogan at the program had gone viral on social media. The management of AMU then had acted upon it by suspending NCC cadet Wahiduj Jama, the student involved in the matter.

The protesting students alleged that religious slogans supporting other religions were also raised on the campus but the action was taken only against Jama who raised the slogan of ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’. “No action has been taken on the other students. The suspension of the student on whom action has been taken should be revoked,” said students who took out a march demonstrating from Jama Masjid to Baba Syed Gate.

Second spy balloon spotted over Latin America, Defence Sec Antony Blinken postpones his Beijing visit even as China calls it a ‘weather balloon’

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Second spy balloon spotted over Latin America, Defence Sec Antony Blinken postpones his Beijing visit even as China calls it a ‘weather balloon’

A day after a spy balloon was spotted flying over Montana in the United States, another spy balloon has been spotted flying in the skies of Latin America, Pentagon confirmed on Friday.

In a statement, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson said, “We are seeing reports of a balloon transiting Latin America. We now assess it as another Chinese surveillance balloon.”

Earlier, Canada’s Department of National Defence said that it is monitoring the potential second incident and is working with the US government to track the high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon. 

“A high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected and its movements are being actively tracked by NORAD,” read a statement from the Canadian Department of National Defence. “Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident,” the Canadian Department of National Defence said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Antony Blinken postponed his visit to Beijing in response to a separate high-altitude Chinese balloon intruding into US airspace.

The presence of this surveillance balloon in US airspace is a blatant violation of US sovereignty and international law, Blinken said in South Korea on Friday after speaking with Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat.

However, according to Blinken, he informed Wang that “the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement with China and that I plan to visit Beijing when circumstances allow.”

“Getting the surveillance asset out of our airspace is the first step. That’s what we’re focused on,” Blinken told the media.

Interestingly, China has claimed that the spy balloon is actually a weather balloon that had blown off course.

China’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Friday that it would keep in touch with the US to manage the unexpected scenario appropriately.

“The Chinese airship is a civilian device used for in meteorological and other scientific research. The airship deviated off track due to the influence of westerly winds and its limited control capacity,” it read.

“China regrets that the airship strayed into the United States by mistake due to force majeure. To properly handle this accident, China will maintain communication with the US  side,” the statement added.

Saradha chit fund: ED attaches properties belonging to Nalini Chidambaram, others worth crores, wife of P Chidambaram worked as ‘consultant’ for Saradha

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Saradha chit fund: ED attaches properties belonging to Nalini Chidambaram, others worth crores, wife of P Chidambaram worked as ‘consultant’ for Saradha

On Friday (February 3), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed that it has attached [pdf] properties belonging to Nalini Chidambaram, the wife of Congress leader P Chidambaram, in connection to the Saradha scam case.

As per reports, Nalini Chidambaram was hired as a consultant by the Head of the Saradha Group of companies, Sudipta Sen, during the UPA era. She was roped in to advise the group of companies in dealing with financial regulators and pending cases.

The Enforcement Directorate is now probing Nalini Chidambaram in connection to the investments made by Sudipta Sen in media ventures in Northeast India.

In a press release, the central agency said it has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth ₹3.30 crores and ₹3 crores respectively under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

“These properties were owned by Saradha Group and other persons, who were beneficiaries of Proceeds of Crime generated by Saradha Group of Companies,” Enforcement Directorate pointed out. It further informed, “The beneficiaries include Smt. Nalini Chidambaram, Debabrata Sarkar, Debendranath Biswas (Ex IPS and ex MLA CPM) and M/s Anubhuti Printers and Publications owned by Late Shri Anjan Dutta, ex-Minister in Assam.”

So far, the Enforcement Directorate has attached properties totalling 600 crores in connection to the Saradha chit fund case.

Saradha chit fund case

The Saradha scam broke out into the open in 2013 when a ponzi scheme run by the Saradha Group, a consortium of over 200 private companies, collapsed after collecting hundreds and thousands of crores from over 15 lakh investors.

Sudipta Sen, in a confessional letter to the CBI in 2013 had made several claims with far-reaching political implications. In the letter, Sen claimed that he had not only paid hefty pay-out amounts to Trinamool leaders but also to influential Congress leader in Assam Matang Sinh.

On December 1, 2020, Sen wrote a handwritten letter from his cell in the Presidency jail, detailing the amounts allegedly taken from him by several politicians belonging to the Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress and the CPI (M).

In a 2-page letter, the Saradha kingpin had alleged that MP and President of West Bengal Congress Committee, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, had received ₹6 crores from him.

He also claimed that CPI (M) leaders Sujan Chakraborty and Biman Bose had illegally benefitted to the tune of ₹9 crores and ₹2 crores respectively.

‘Poora Hij*a hai’: Pakistanis leave homophobic comments on pictures of North Nizamabad’s new Assistant Commissioner

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‘Poora Hij*a hai’: Pakistanis leave homophobic comments on pictures of North Nizamabad’s new Assistant Commissioner

Hazim Bangwar, a former singer and social media influencer, was recently appointed Assistant Commissioner in the North Nazimabad area of Pakistan. His appointment to the post created quite a buzz on Pakistan’s social media, with many taking a deep dive into Bangwar’s personal life and talking about his interests and ‘hobbies’.

Last week, Bangwar took to Twitter to share pictures from the office. “It’s a privilege to serve you as your new Assistant Commissioner,” read the tweet.

Sana Tariq Syed, the assistant commissioner of Liquatabad, confirmed the news on her Instagram and praised the newest addition to the team.

“To everyone asking me, yes, Hazim Bangwar is the new AC North Nazimabad. He is artistic and a talented musician but he also happens to be a competent, hardworking, financially and morally righteous officer – a feat we can’t say many of us possess. District Central is very proud to have him,” she wrote in an Instagram Story.

Hazim Bangwar’s nonconformist posts attract homophobic comments in a deeply conservative Pakistani society

But discussions on social media were stirred not by Bangwar’s appointment with the police but by the unconventional and patently feminine dressing sense reflected in his Instagram posts. Naturally, in a deeply conservative society such as Pakistan, where Islam is a state religion that regards gender fluidity as illegitimate, Bangwar’s maverick demeanour came under attack from homophobic elements.

Bangwar’s nonconformist personality had the detractors unsettled as they left nasty homophobic comments on his pictures on Instagram. “Pura ka pura h*jda lagta he,” read a comment on a picture of Hazim Bangwar where he is seen wearing a Leopard print dress.

Source: Instagram

Similarly, Bagwar’s other bohemian posts too attracted homophobic comments. 

Source: Instagram

In another picture, Bangwar is seen wearing a headband and what seems like a gown. “Khu*ry”, commented one Instagram user while another user took a swipe at Bangwar, asking him to disclose his gender in the caption

Source: Instagram

Who is Hazim Bangwar?

Hazim Bangwar is a singer and songwriter who was born on December 30, 1993, in Karachi, Pakistan. He grew up in New York and later lived in Pakistan for three years before moving to London for six years, where he completed two degrees in Fashion Design and Marketing from AIU London and LLB from University of London.

Hazim developed a passion for music during his time in London and started to get recognition for his hip-hop writing skills in 2014, leading to a deal with Young Money Entertainment, founded by Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. He has written for artists such as Jessie J, Future, Ciara, Juelz, T-Pain, Jason Derulo, and Nicki Minaj.

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