A women’s protest in Kabul, Afghanistan turned violent after the Taliban prevented the protesters from marching to the presidential palace in the city. The protesters alleged that the Taliban attacked them with tear gas shells.
According to the protesters, Taliban forces used tear gas to stop the protest.#TOLOnews
Women have been protesting in Afghanistan demanding “equal rights and full participation in political life.” The protesters took to the streets on Friday as well.
According to CNN, “a group called the Women’s Political Participation Network marched on the street in front of Afghanistan’s Finance Ministry, chanting slogans and holding signs demanding involvement in the Afghan government and calling for constitutional law. Footage showed a brief confrontation between a Taliban guard and some of the women, and a man’s voice could be heard saying, ‘Go away!’ before chanting resumed.”
There have been concerns regarding women’s rights in Afghanistan ever since the Taliban regime took over the country. The Jihadist outfit is known to enforce a fundamentalist interpetration of the Islamic Shariah law.
Indian Engineering and Construction major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has won a prestigious contract from the British Royal Navy for developing designs for Fleet Solid Support ships. The Defence Ministry of the UK has announced that four consortia of companies, including L&T, have been awarded the contract to build three new Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the logistics arm of the British Royal Navy.
The four consortia have been awarded Competitive Procurement Phase (CPP) design contracts worth around £5 million each. The four consortia which have been awarded the contracts are Larsen and Toubro with UK company Leidos Innovations, Serco with Damen, Team Resolute that includes Harland & Wolff and BMT, and Team UK that includes Babcock and BAE Systems.
The winners of contracts will now develop their design proposals and explain how they will fulfil the specified requirements. After assessment of these proposals, the final bidder will be selected and the contract to manufacture the ships will be awarded. The preferred bidder is expected to be announced by the fourth quarter of next year and a contract is expected to be announced in 2023. The total cost of the FSS program is pegged at £1.6 billion ($2.2 billion).
Fleet Solid Support Ships are support ships for Aircraft Carriers, which supply dry items like ammunition, explosives and food to the carriers. The new FSS ships will provide logistical support to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, enabling them to stay at sea for longer without the need to return to shore for replenishment of supplies. The new ships will replace ageing RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie of the Royal Navy.
According to the RFP issued for the program, the FSS ships are required to have a total cargo capacity of up to 7,000 m3 (250,000 ft3), should be able to sail at a sustained speed of 18 knots without resupply, and they must be capable of delivering non-bulk logistic material whilst underway and making 12 knots through the water and transferring single loads of up to 5 tonnes.
India’s campaign at the Tokyo Paralympics is one of the country’s extraordinary achievements. Indian athletes have been on a record-setting spree so far, with the medal tally standing currently in double-digit –a first for India, not just at the Paralympics but also in the Olympics.
India had sent 54 athletes to compete in nine sports, including Archery, Athletics (Track and Field), Badminton, Swimming, Weightlifting, among others. This is the biggest-ever contingent India has sent to any Paralympics.
So far, India has won 15 medals – three gold, seven silver and five bronze medals. Currently, India is placed 34th on the medals tally. The Tokyo Paralympics 2020 will conclude on September 5, when Indian athletes will compete at the remaining events. On Sunday, the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games will be held.
Here’s the list of Indian athletes who won laurels at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympics:
Gold Medal:
1. Avani Lekhara – Gold Medal – Women’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting standing SH1
Shooter Avani Lekhara scripted history as she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics after winning the R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 event.
The 19-year-old from Jaipur, who sustained spinal cord injuries in a car accident in 2012, finished with a world record-equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record.
SH1 category is designated to athletes with lower limb impairment for competition in Rifle events.
Avani Lekhara – Gold Medal in Shooting/ Image Source: Times of India
Sumit Antil won the second gold medal for India in the men’s javelin throw F64 event. Antil broke his own world record in the men’s javelin F64 category with a throw of 68.55m to hand India the second gold medal at the Paralympic Games 2020.
In 2019, Sumit had secured a silver in the World Para Athletics Championships. Ahead of the Paralympic Games, Sumit had held the world record with a throw of 62.88m. He recorded 66.95m in his very first throw, and in his second attempt, he threw 68.08m. In his fifth, he threw 68.55m, which eventually secured a gold medal for Sumit.
In the F64 category, athletes are classified based on primary impairments in the lower limbs, including only limb deficiency and leg length discrepancy. All athletes in these classes compete standing without support.
Sumit Antil – Gold Medal in Javelin/ Image Source: Twitter
Shooter Manish Narwal clinched India’s third gold at the ongoing Paralympics in the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 Shooting final. The 19-year-old Manish Narwal won gold in the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 Shooting final with a new Paralympics record of 218.2.
SH1 category is designated to athletes with upper or lower limb impairment for competition in the pistol events.
Manish Narwal – Gold Medal in Shooting/ Image Source: Twitter
4. Pramod Bhagat – Gold Medal – Badminton
Pramod Bhagat won the Men’s Singles SL3 event badminton gold medal match against Great Britain’s Daniell Bethell at the Tokyo Paralympics on Saturday.
33-year-old Bhagat from Bhubaneswar, Odissa, had contracted polio when he was 4 years old, and had picked up the sports after watching his neighbours play.
Bhavina Patel won a historic silver medal in the Table Tennis event in the Paralympic Games. She had reached the finals of the Women’s Singles Class 4 Category in the Tokyo Paralympics, however, she lost to Chinese paddler Ying Zhou.
The 34-year-old Patel, diagnosed with polio when she was 12 months old, had defeated world number 3 Miao Zhang of China in the semifinal showdown. C4 category includes people with lower-limb impairments or issues with lower-limb functionality.
Bhavina Patel – Silver medal -Table Tennis/ Image Source: News18
2. Nishad Kumar – Silver medal – Men’s High Jump T47
Nishad Kumar clinched a silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event in the Paralympics with an Asian record effort. The 21-year-old Kumar jumped 2.06m to win the silver and set an Asian record.
T47 class is meant for athletes with a unilateral upper limb impairment resulting in some loss of function at the shoulder, elbow and wrist. Hailing from Una in Himachal Pradesh, Kumar had met with an accident at the age of eight that resulted in the loss of his right hand. He was also infected by Covid-19 earlier this year while training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.
Nishad Kumar – Silver medal – Men’s High Jump/ Image Source: TOI
Devendra Jhajharia is one of India’s sporting legends. Two-time Paralympic gold-winning javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia settled for silver in his to win an extraordinary third Paralympic medal. With the silver medal this time, Devendra Jhajharia has become the first Indian to win three medals in the Paralympics.
The 40-year-old Jhajahria had won gold medals in the 2004 and 2016 Games, pulled off a new personal best throw of 64.35m for the silver.
The F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position. Jhajahria had lost his left hand after accidentally touching an electric wire while climbing a tree at the age of eight.
Yogesh Kathuniya secured a silver medal in the men’s discus throw F56. The 24-year-old, a B.Com graduate from New Delhi’s Kirorimal College, threw the discus throw at a distance of 44.38m in his sixth and last attempt to clinch the silver.
Kathuniya suffered a paralytic attack at the age of eight, which left him with coordination impairments in his limbs. He had won a bronze medal in the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai with the best throw of 42.51m to secure a Tokyo berth.
The F56 classification is for athletes who have full arm and trunk muscle power. Pelvic stability is provided by some to full ability to press the knees together.
Yogesh Kathuniya – Silver Medal – Men’s Discus throw/ Image Source: TOI
5. Mariyappan Thangavelu – Silver Medal – Men’s High Jump T42
Mariyappan Thangavelu, who had won a gold medal in the Rio Paralympics High Jump event, won yet another medal for India in the Tokyo Paralympic games 2020. He won a silver in the men’s high jump T42 event. Mariyappan cleared 1.86m while American gold winner Sam Grewe succeeded in soaring above 1.88m in his third attempt.
The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs. The athletes compete in a standing position. Mariyappan Thangavelu, who hails from Tamil Nadu, had suffered permanent disability in his right leg after being crushed under a bus when he was only 5.
Mariyappan Thangavelu – Silver Medal – Men’s High Jump/ Image Source: Twitter
6. Praveen Kumar – Silver Medal – Men’s High Jump T64
Praveen Kumar won silver in the Men’s High Jump T64 classification with the best jump of 2.07m.
The 18-year-old Praveen Kumar, competing in his debut Paralympics, set a new Asian record with a 2.07m jump. Praveen Kumar, competing in his debut Paralympics, set a new Asian record with a 2.07m jump. This was also Kumar’s personal best performance, and he is also the youngest medal winner in the Indian contingent.
In the T64 category, the athletes are classified based on primary impairments in the lower limbs and include only limb deficiency and leg length discrepancy. All athletes in these classes compete standing without support.
Praveen Kumar – Silver Medal – Men’s High Jump T64/ Image Source: Twitter
Singhraj Adhana secured a silver medal in the Mixed 50m Pistor SH1 shooting event. He stood second with a score of 216.7, while fellow Indian Manish Narwal won the historic gold medal, securing two medals for the country in the same event.
SH1 category is designated to athletes with upper or lower limb impairment for competition in the pistol events.
Singhraj Adhana (L) – Silver Medal – Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 shooting with Manish Narwal (R)- Gold Medal – Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 shooting/ Image Source: Twitter
Bronze Medal:
1. Avani Lekhara – Bronze Medal – Women’s 50m Rifle three positions SH1
Avani Lekhara won her second medal at the Tokyo Paralympics after she clinched her second medal with a bronze in women’s 50m rifle three positions SH1 classification.
Lekhara finished with 445.9 points while China’s Zhang Cuiping won her third consecutive Paralympics gold medal at this event with a personal best of 457.9.
SH1 category is designated to athletes with lower limb impairment for competition in Rifle events.
Avani Lekhara – Bronze Medal – Women’s 50m Rifle three positions SH1/ Image Source: Twitter
2. Sharad Kumar – Bronze Medal – Men’s High Jump T42
Sharad Kumar won the bronze in the men’s high jump T42 event by clearing 1.83m. Kumar is a two-time Asian Para Games gold-medallist.
Kumar, who hails from Patna, Bihar, suffered paralysis in his left leg as a two-year-old after being administered a spurious polio vaccine. Kumar trained in Ukraine for over two years before the Paralympics under foreign coach Nikitin Yevhen after the Modi government stepped in. The government also assisted him in getting back to India from Ukraine during the Covid-19 restrictions.
The T42 classification is for athletes with a leg deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in the legs.
Sharad Kumar – Bronze Medal – Men’s High Jump/ Image Source: Twitter
3. Singhraj Adhana – Bronze Medal – Men’s 10m Air Pistol shooting SH1
Singhraj Adana won his first Paralympic medal after finishing third in the Men’s 10m Air pistol shooting SH1 event. He also won the Paralympics silver medal in the Mixed 50m Pistor SH1 shooting event.
The 39-year-old, who is affected by polio, made his Paralympics debut in Tokyo. He shot a total of 216.8 to finish the event in third place after qualifying for the eight-man final as the sixth-best shooter. The shooter from Haryana’s Bahadurgarh took to the sport only four years ago. Earlier, he had served as the chairman of the Sainik School in Faridabad.
Singhraj Adhana – Bronze Medal – Men’s 10m Air Pistol shooting/ Image Source: Twitter
The 25-year-old Sundar Singh Gurjar finished third with a best effort of 64.01m in men’s javelin throw F46 to win a Bronze medal.
Gurjar, who lost his left hand in 2015 after a metal sheet fell on him at his friend’s house, was third with a best effort of 64.01m in men’s javelin throw F46. The Jaipur-based Gurjar had won gold in the 2017 and 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.
The F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position.
Harvinder Singh won India’s first-ever archery medal in the Paralympics after beating Kim Min Su of Korea for the men’s individual recurve bronze in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
Singh, who is ranked world number 23, won a tight contest against South Korean archer Kim Min Su in a thrilling shoot-off for the individual bronze in the recurve men’s open section.
Harvinder Singh – Bronze Medal – Archery/ Image Source: Twitter
India’s performance at the Tokyo Paralympics surpassed the previous records achieved at the Rio Paralympic games, in which India had won 4 medals – 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.
6. Manoj Kumar – Bronze Medal – Badminton
One the day Pramod Bhagat won the gold medal at the singles Badminton event, another Indian Manoj Kumar won the bronze medal in the same event. He defeated Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara to clinch bronze in straight sets 22-20 21-13 on September 4. He had lost the semi-final to Great Britain’s Daniel Bethell in the badminton SL3 category, but bounced back to win third place. Manoj was struck by polio during his teenage years and had begun to play badminton at the age of five.
He had started to compete in para-badminton events in 2011, and had won gold medal in the SL3 singles at the 2016 Asian Championships in Beijing. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2018, and was named Para Sportsman of the Year at the Sportstar Aces Awards in 2019.
Note: The Tokyo Paralympics are not yet over and the report will be updated with more medal winners when the events are completed.
There was a time when Jesuit priest Robert Solomon, with rice-bag on his back, was prowling and peeping in the hut of a poor to convert them to Christianity. He was trained in the art of cheating people with fake fables.
But in 1986, he relinquished the very religion (Christianity) which he was coaxing others to embrace. From Solomon, he became Dr. Suman Kumar with no more rice bags and no more fake fables which are chief tools of conversion to Christianity. In the same year, he joined the RSS.
Dr Suman, currently the organizational secretary of Hindu Jagaran Manch (Bihar-Jharkhand), is a quite interesting story about how an agent of conversion returned to Sanatan dharma.
Earlier based in Indonesia he was pursuing higher studies at Oxford University when he joined the church as pastor. It was around 1982 when Robert Solomon was regularly sent to Chennai in Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country for a mission to ‘covert India to Christianity.’
Church falsely told him that RSS people burn the Holy Book, vandalize church and torture missionary people. He was also asked to study the pattern of working of the RSS.
“In fact, he was told to spy on RSS and its activities. He had come to India to report back the church about RSS. But when he closely watched the RSS it opened his mind and perception. He was quite inspired by the RSS and converted to Sanatan dharma. Initially we were very curious about him,’’ said Rajkumar, an old-time RSS worker.
In 1986 Robert Solomon came in touch with Ashok Varshney; the senior RSS functionary and the then national organizational secretary of Arogya Bharti, Thakur Ram Govind Singh of Hindu Jagaran Manch and Swant Ranjan.
He started visiting the shakha of RSS at Orai in Uttar Pradesh and he soon became a regular visitor. He was quick to grab the eyeball of senior functionaries of RSS. During a conclave of the RSS held in Gorakhpur, he was officially given responsibility in the RSS. He was asked to work for the Hindu Jagaran Manch.
In 2004 Suman was sent to Jharkhand where his real fight with the church actually started. The whole of Jharkhand especially the Chotanagpur division was affected by the mass conversion of tribals in Christianity. The church had created such a network and penetrated deep into the tribal society that at once it looked impossible to smash the century-old conversion conspiracy.
He picked Gumla, Khunti (then a part of Ranchi district) and Simdega to start the homecoming of tribals back to their religion. Once in Jharkhand, he had invited all senior functionaries of the church to discuss and explain the position of the church on conversion. As usual, the church ran away from the debate.
A man who was once a missionary blue-eyed boy became their worst enemy. However, the missionary tried their best to instigate local people to boycott him as an outsider.
He convinced tribals that their conversion is a diabolic design of missionaries and they should not quit their religion. The strategy of the unification of Sanatan and Sarana was successful to a great extent since 8000 tribals who had converted in the past returned to their religion.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has suspended the foreign funding licence of a prominent Kerala-based NGO linked to Sheikh Abubakr Ahmed, a prominent Sunni leader, over violations of provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, an exclusive report published in the Times of India said.
EXCLUSIVE: MHA suspends foreign funding licence of Kerala NGO Markazul Ighasathil Kairiyathil Hindiyya, linked to prominent Sunni leader Sheikh Aboobacker Ahmed, over FCRA violations like misutilisation/diversion of funds & non-filing of returns; NGO recd Rs 146 cr in last 3 yrs pic.twitter.com/gxSXPkXPBD
The NGO—Markazul Ighasathil Kairiyathil Hindiyya—a top foreign funded organisation based out of Kozhikode, has received over Rs 146 crores in donations from abroad in the last three years. However, the home ministry found the NGO violating FCRA norms and barred it from receiving funding from any international donors without prior permission or till revocation of the suspension order.
In its suspension order dated August 27, 2021, the FCRA violations cited by the MHA comprised of inappropriate utilisation and diversion of foreign contributions by Markazul, misrepresentation of facts and its failure to submit annual FCRA returns for the year 2019-20.
A senior office-bearer of the NGO tried to underplay the suspension order it received from the MHA. The functionary said some clerical errors resulted in the suspension. He told the TOI that the group will be issuing a clarification after perusing the order.
However, a government official to whom TOI spoke said the decision to suspend Markazul’s FCRA licence was taken after following a due inquiry process, with a questionnaire sent to the NGO on 05.04.2018. The official said the reply to the questionnaire confirmed that the association had violated Section 12(4)(a)(vi), Section 18 and Section 19 of the FCRA.
Markazul, which also operates under the brand ‘Relief and Charitable Foundation of India (RCFI)’ and receives funds mostly by gulf-based charities, can challenge the suspension order, after which the Home Ministry could review the suspension or persist with permanent cancellation of its FCRA registration after a period of 180 days, which could be extended for another 180 days.
As per the report, the association received a foreign funding of Rs 50 lakhs for the purchase of a piece of land. However, on 13.01.2015, the NGO received back the amount upon cancellation of the land deal. This amount was not allocated to the foreign contribution-designated bank account, but was retained in cash in the NGO’s office. Markazul said the cash was distributed for its orphan care programme. However, enquiry and NGO records showed that they were transferred between July 2014 to December 2014, six months before receiving the amount on January 13, 2015.
“Hence the amount of Rs 50 lakh received on account of cancelled land deed is not accounted for and appears to have been diverted/misutilized,” said the MHA order, adding it was a violation of Section 12(4)(a)(vi), 18 and 19 of the FCRA, 2010.
The association is also accused of using funds procured by the group for personal requirements. It highlighted to the purchase of a vehicle in the name of an individual and not the association, stating it to be another violation of Section 12(4)(a)(vi) of FCRA. The order also said that the NGO had utilised funds received from abroad for the construction of a building on land taken on lease by the Islamic Education Board of India from the Waqf Board of India. The MHA said utilisation of foreign contribution for the creation of assets on land on which the association has no claim, as a “violation of Section 12(4)(a)(vi) of the Act”.
Besides, Markazul also did not file its annual returns for the year 2019-20, a violation of Section 18 of FCRA. According to a Markazul official, they failed to file the returns because the “online window” to file returns was closed just before they could upload the returns.
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmed alias Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar is a prominent figure among politicians in Kerala and is referred to as ‘Grand Mufti of India’ by his followers. He is credited for establishing Markazul in 2000 and is involved in works related to fields like education, cultural restoration, disaster management, health and sanitation, etc. He is also the Chancellor of the Jamia Markaz, Chairman of the Siraj Daily and General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. Markazul, which has Abubakr’s son as its general secretary, claims it has presence in 24 states and operates 233 schools.
What we found about the Kerala-based NGO whose FCRA license MHA has suspended
We accessed the FC-4 form submitted by the Markazul Ighasathil Kairiyathil Hindiyya for the fiscal year 2018-19 from the FCRA online website. We learned that the organisation received Rs 70,15,29,185.06 directly from a foreign source during the financial year.
Of the 35 listed foreign contributions, as many as 28 were from the UAE. The others were from Oman, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The UAE Red Crescent Society and the Dubai Charity Association has donated large sums of money to the group.
Source: The NGO’s FC-4 form
The previous financial year, 2017-18, the group received Rs. 33,61,18,095.60 as foreign contribution. UAE again featured prominently in the same.
As the Taliban takes firm control of Afghanistan and intends to form a government following the departure of the US forces, the Pakistan establishment seems to be worried about the emerging security situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.
According to a Reuters report, the Pakistan security establishment is concerned about the possibility of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, an Islamic terror group that is made of Pashtun tribesmen just as the Afghan Taliban, carrying out terror attacks in Pakistan by crossing over from Afghanistan. Over the last few years, TTP has killed several Pakistan security officials, civilians in terror attacks.
“We are the custodians of Taliban leaders. We have taken care of them for long. They got shelter, education and a home in Pakistan. We have done everything for them,” Pakistani Minister Sheikh Rashid had said earlier.
The Pakistani security establishment fears that there may be a rise in terror attacks along the Afghan-Pakistan border, as the Taliban tries to fill the vacuum left by the collapse of Afghan forces and the US forces. “The next two to three months are critical,” a senior Pakistani official told Reuters.
“We (the international community) have to assist the Taliban in reorganising their army in order for them to control their territory,” said the officer, adding that they may face threats not just by TTP but also the Islamic State.
Pakistanis to help Afghanistan organise their army, to send ISI chief
A top-level Pakistan official, who has access to the country’s security decisions, has revealed that the Pakistanis have decided to send security and intelligence officials, including the head of the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, to Afghanistan to help the Taliban reorganise their military.
Pakistan intends to help the radical Islamic outfit to re-organise its army and may also provide necessary training to the Taliban, which is largely made up of Pashtun fighters trained in Pakistan madrasas.
It is being said that Pakistan’s worry has aggravated after the recent suicide bombing carried out by the Islamic State outside Kabul airport killed more than 100 people, including 13 US troops. Besides terror attacks, there have been gunfights across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border since last week, killing at least two Pakistani soldiers.
Amidst this, the US officials have accused Pakistan of sponsoring and supporting the Afghan Taliban, which has been fighting a Jihad against the foreign forces for over two decades now. In fact, Pakistan was one of the few countries that recognised the Taliban government that was toppled in 2001, denies the charge.
However, the country claims that its influence over the Taliban has decreased, especially after the Taliban’s victory against the US-led coalition and the US troops subsequent withdrawal from the war-torn country.
Pakistan yet to recognise Taliban govt
Interestingly, Pakistan, the chief backer of the Taliban, is yet to recognise the new Taliban government. “Whether we recognise the Taliban government or not, stability in Afghanistan is very important,” said an official, adding that recognition of the Taliban government was not immediately on the table.
The official said that the world should not abandon Afghanistan and added that Pakistanis would not intervene directly in Afghanistan’s crisis. The Pakistani officials claimed that the Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP), which has claimed responsibility for the Kabul Airport attack, is looking to launch more attacks and recruit more for their outfit.
Meanwhile, the Taliban has reportedly assured their neighbour that Afghan territory to be permitted to be used by anyone planning attacks on Pakistan or any other country. However, Islamabad expects that the Afghan Taliban hand over those planning attacks against Pakistan, the official added, or at least force them from their mutual border.
The ‘Murghi Paal’ scheme launched by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has failed to make any impact, according to an internal report. Pakistani news media City 41 reported the matter on the 2nd of September.
According to the report, instead of selling eggs laid by the hens in the market, citizens who took the chicken cut them up and ate them instead. Some of the hens did not even lay eggs. The internal report says that three percent of the hens have died.
According to the report, 90% of the people did not sell any eggs in the market and consumed it themselves. 10% of the hens did not even lay eggs. However, 80% of the citizens want the scheme to continue.
The ‘Murghi Paal’ scheme was launched in the Pakistani province of Punjab this year where it was targeted that 500,000 hens will be distributed by the end of 2021. The hens were to be distributed at a subsidized rate of Pakistani rupees 1050 while the actual rate is 1500.
The previous year, 324,000 poultry was distributed among 50,000 families. This year, the scheme is expected to benefit 72,000 families.
Assistant Director and Project Supervisor Dr Athar Mehmood, said, “All chickens that are to be distributed in Punjab are raised at our poultry farm. He said that there are 10 major government poultry farms in Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Attock, Dina, Sargodha, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Gujrat, Mianwali and Dera Ghazi Khan. The layer hens here lay 240 million eggs annually.”
It is a poverty alleviation programme directed at the rural population, supplement family incomes and provide nourishment. The opposition parties in the country had mocked the ‘Murghi Paal’ scheme but Imran Khan had strongly defended it, saying, “For the colonised minds when desis talk about chickens combating poverty they get mocked, but when “walaitis” talk about desi chicken and poverty it’s brilliance!”
Khan had shared a news report where Bill Gates was advocating chickens as a solution to poverty.
‘Art historian’ Rajeev Sethi made Neeraj Chopra extremely uncomfortable during an Indian Express event by asking the Olympic Gold Medalist about his sex life. Chopra was visibly disgusted and sarcastically responded that his heart was overwhelmed by the question.
There is significant outrage against Rajeev Sethi on social media, with abuses flying over his unorthodox line of questioning.
Athlete wins Olympic medal.
Normal people : can you tell us about your preparation and struggle ?
Rajeev Sethi : HoW dO YoU bAlAnCe YoUr SeX lifE & tRaInInG ?
The attempts by likes of @rajeevsethi_ are deliberate to pull him into a controversy for cashing on his popularity, this people are pathetic individuals who cares nothing for the comfort of an icon and a humble simple man like @Neeraj_chopra1 , bloody leech !
According to his website, Rajeev Sethi is “South Asia’s leading designer and is noted internationally for his innovative contribution to preserving and celebrating the subcontinent’s rich cultural heritage.”
It adds, “For more than 35 years, through his work in design and architecture, performances and festivals, exhibitions and publication, policy and program, he has identified ways to bring contemporary relevance to traditional skills of vulnerable artisan communities and creative professionals. With innovative positioning and proactive interventions he has created a basis for the maintenance of time honored legacy industries in an era of industrial mass production and globalization.”
The designer spent his formative years at Paris in France and “was mentored by designers like Ray and Charles Eames and eminent Gandhians like Mrs Chottapadhya and Pupul Jayakar who encouraged him to direct his talents to India.”
He is the founder of The Asian Heritage Foundation and the Rajeev Sethi Scenographers. He is also the man behind the transformation of the Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 2.
According to transfuze, “In 2002, he was the scenographer and production partner for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Silk Road: Connecting Cultures, Creating Trust. He designed participatory installations for the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona (2004) and the Basic Needs Pavilion at the Hanover World EXPO (2000). His film and theater credits include art directing Joan Littlewood’s Bijou, art advising Peter Brook’s Mahabharata, and directing Ariane Mnouchkine’s L’Inde de père en fils, de mere en fille. He was the curator for installations at the Jaya He! GVK New Museum in the Mumbai International Airport, and conceived JIYO, a World Bank program to improve the livelihoods of rural Indian artisans.”
In addition to that, Sethi has worked at three exhibitions of the Smithsonian Institute, namely “India: Mela!,” “Aditi: A Celebration of Life,” and “The Golden Eye: An International Tribute to the Artisans of India.” Also, he is the first recipient of the INTACH Indira Gandhi Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation of Cultural Heritage (2010), the Order of Merit from Germany (2001), and the Padma Bhushan under the Congress Government in 1985.
The Neeraj Chopra controversy
Rajeev Sethi exclaimed before Neeraj Chopra, “What a handsome young man you are!” Then he went on to ask, “How do you maintain a balance between your sex life and athletic training? I know this is a weird question.”
Rajeev Sethi did not stop there and proceeded to elaborate his question in further detail, expressing a great desire to know more about the Gold Medalist’s sex life.
Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh has confirmed that he is still in Panjshir valley after reports emerged that he has fled to Tajikistan with Panjshir commanders amidst the Taliban’s onslaught against the Panjshir resistance forces.
In a video message, Saleh rejected claims by certain sections of the media that he has already fled to Tajikistan. He said that he was still in Panjshir valley discussing their future actions against the Taliban. The Afghan caretaker President also said that it is true that the situation is difficult as the battle between the Taliban and Afghan Resistance Forces has intensified lately.
“There are some media reports being circulated around that I have fled my country. This is absolutely baseless. This is my voice, I am calling you from the Panjshir valley, from my base. I am with our commanders and our political leaders,” said Saleh.
Speaking from Panjshir with TOLOnews, Amrullah Saleh, one of the resistance leaders, says he’s still there and reports of intensified fighting there.#TOLOnewspic.twitter.com/CE4kkSnfE3
Saleh added, “We are managing the situation. Of course, it’s a difficult situation, We are under the invasion of the Taliban and Pakistanis and Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. We have held the ground, we have not lost territory.”
The confirmation had come after the Taliban had claimed that they had captured Panjshir valley held by resistance forces. The Taliban had shared a video online saying their forces had advanced in the Shutul district. Amidst this, there were rumours that both Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud – the leaders of the Afghan Resistance Forces have fled to Tajikistan.
In response, Saleh had tweeted, “The Resistance is continuing and will continue. I am here with my soil, for my soil and defending its dignity,” Saleh said in a tweet, defying claims made by Taliban that he had fled the country.
“Resistance is the nom de guerre of everyone here. RESISTANCE,” he tweeted.
Resistance is the nom de guerre of everyone here. RESISTANCE. اینجا اسم مستعار همه ی ما مقاومت است. مقاومت .
Earlier, Afghanistan’s caretaker President Amrullah Saleh had lashed out at the Taliban for blocking humanitarian access to Panjshir.
Taliban using old men as mine clearance tools, blocking humanitarian assistance
Taking to Twitter, Saleh had accused the Taliban of committing war crimes and having no regard for International Humanitarian Law.
Saleh had revealed that the Taliban is doing racial profiling and forcing the ‘military age men’ of Panjshir to be their “mine clearance tools”. They are forcing them to walk on minefields, besides cutting off phone lines, electricity and access to medicines. He called on the United Nations and other world leaders to take note of the “criminal and terrorist behaviour of Talibs.”
Over the past 23 years since start of the Emergency Hospital we never blocked Talib access to it. Talibs are committing war crimes & have zero respect for IHL. We call on UN & world leaders to take notice of this clear criminal & terrorist behavior of the Talibs.
The Panjshir Valley is one of the last remaining territories controlled by anti-Taliban resistance forces in Afghanistan. Amrullah Saleh, accompanied by Ahmad Massoud, the son of former Afghanistan Defence Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud, has been defending against the Taliban onslaught and had urged people to unite to oust the Taliban from Afghanistan.
There are grave concerns regarding human trafficking after the United States Government under Joe Biden imported ‘child brides’ from Afghanistan. The Associated Press reported that there have been numerous incidents where Afghan girls have been presented to authorities in US as the “child brides” of Afghan men who are much older.
Consequently, the US State Department has sought “urgent guidance” regarding the matter from other agencies. According to one other internal documented seen by the AP, Afghan girls at a transit site in Abu Dhabi have claimed that they were forced to marry older men to escape Afghanistan who in turn raped them.
“Intake staff at Fort McCoy reported multiple cases of minor females who presented as ‘married’ to adult Afghan men, as well as polygamous families. Department of State has requested urgent guidance,” says the document seen by AP.
As per the report, the State Department has refused to confirm the veracity of the internal documents and their content. Officials, however, spoke under the condition of anonymity who said that numerous girls have been sexually assaulted by the older men who are their “husbands” and have sough appropriate guidance on how to proceed regarding the matter.
Fort McCoy is in the state of Wisconsin. The report has sparked an outrage on social media. Accusing the Joe Biden administration of importing an “acute human rights crisis” into the USA, Senator Ted Cruz said, “There have been multiple cases of child brides and polygamous families from Afghanistan arriving at military bases here in America as part of their botched evacuation.”
Today we learned that President Biden has imported an acute human rights crisis into the United States.
There have been multiple cases of child brides and polygamous families from Afghanistan arriving at military bases here in America as part of their botched evacuation.
Ted Cruz also said, “How is this not literally child trafficking, conducted by the United States government?” Former Trump advisor Steve Cortes said that the US had imported “elderly Afghan creeps and their child brides”.
Wow.
As part of the mass migration, we’re bringing in elderly Afghan creeps and their child brides.
Joe Biden has come under severe criticism over the botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Chaotic scenes were observed in Kabul as US forces ran helter-skelter to complete the withdrawal. Numerous Americans have been stranded in Afghanistan and the US forces failed to evacuate contract working dogs as well.
