Pakistan

Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq expresses support for Islamists

Pakistan’s prominent singer and politician Abrar-ul-Haq has announced his support for Islamists who are protesting against the Government in the city of Narowal. In a video message Haq urged the Government to give in to the demands of the Islamist protestors. The protestors are part of Tehrike-e-Labbaik-Ya-Rasulullah (TLYR) who have shutdown the capital Islamabad for the last few days and have called on the Government among other things to release blasphemy killers, hang blasphemers and limit the activities of Ahmadis, …

میں احمدی نہیں ہوں، پاکستانی وزیر قانون زاہد حامد کا ویڈیو بیان

وفاقی وزیر قانون وانصاف زاہد حامد نے بدھ کے روز ایک ویڈیو بیان میں اپنے مذہبی عقائد کی واضح الفاظ میں وضاحت کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ میں حلفاً بیان کرتا ہوں کہ میں خاتم النبین حضرت محمد کی ختم نبوت پر مکمل اور غیر مشروط طور پرایمان رکھتا ہوں اور یہ کہ میں کسی ایسے شخص کا پیروکار نہیں ہوں جو حضرت محمد کے بعد اس لفظ کی کسی بھی مفہوم یا کسی بھی تشریح کے لحاظ سے پیغمبر …

Rabwah girl gets top position in Pakistan’s spelling bee competition

Girl from Rabwah scored big at the 13th annual Spelling Bee regional competition organized by Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper. The competition was held on October 28th at the Ali Institute of Education in Lahore. Mikail Faisal Ejaz of Aitchison College Middle School, Lahore, Vaneeza Salman Mokal of Bloomfield Hall School, Lahore and Sania Ayala of Maryam Siddiqa Higher Secondary School, Rabwah got top positions in the age 9 to 11 age group. As many as 1,000 schools from across the country …

Pakistani politician who ran ‘Jihadi Camp’ invited to speak at an event in Canada

A Canadian-Pakistani newspaper is set to host a senior Pakistani politician who ran Jihadi camps from his farmhouse. Sheikh Rasheed, President of Awami Muslim League ran a training camp for Kashmiri separatist militants from his farmhouse on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad. Rasheed who is a member of Pakistan’s national parliament is set to speak at Swagat Banquet Hall in Mississauga on October 30th. The event is being hosted by Urdu Times, a weekly Urdu language newspaper which came …

Pakistan, Dr Salam and the Ahmadi Question

On 7 September 1974, the long unfulfilled dream of Pakistan’s religious conservatives finally became a reality with the passing of the second constitutional amendment which declared Ahmadis non-Musim. For the man who spearheaded this movement, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, it was a singular moment of glory and as he left parliament on the day of its enactment he was met by jubilant crowds who hailed him as a hero. A theological dispute sold to the people as a struggle …

Pakistan and Russia launch joint counter-terrorism exercises

Today in the village of Nizhny Arkhyz, Karachay-Cherkess Republic (KChR), a solemn ceremony of opening the joint Russian-Pakistani exercise “Friendship-2017” was held. More than 200 servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan took part in the event. The opening ceremony of the exercises began with the raising of state flags and the playing of the national anthems of Russia and Pakistan. Colonel Sergey Dmitriev, commander of the motorized rifle brigade of the …

In Malaysia, a 17-year-old Pakistani refugee is helping educate fellow refugees

When 14-year-old Geeti Ara moved to Malaysia from Pakistan as a refugee she dreamed of becoming a teacher. But Geeti’s dream was nearly impossible, as she and her parents belonged to the severely persecuted Ahmadiyya community. Now the 17-year-old Pakistani refugee is fulfilling her dreams by helping educate fellow refugees in Malaysia. Geeti started teaching at the Smart Iqra Education refugee school in 2014, while she was still 14. After her inspirational story came to light she was asked to …

Pakistan puts portrait of U.S. designated terrorist on celebratory train

On Wednesday the U.S. State Department designated Hizb-ul-Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organization as Pakistan celebrated the terror organization by placing a portrait of Hizb leader on a celebratory train. As part of Independence Day celebrations, Pakistan ran a special ‘Azadi’ train from Islamabad on August 12 which reached the central city of Lahore on August 16th. The ‘Azadi’ or Freedom train had floats and carriages showcasing culture and traditions of the different provinces of the country. The train also …

Marriage: When culture and religion clash

Somewhere in Islamabad from what I understand, a girl is preparing for her wedding. Maybe she is booking a hairdresser or shopping for new clothes and jewelry. Maybe she is visiting friends and family and receiving their blessings and well wishes. Maybe she is fantasizing about her new life as a new bride and the impending move to the United States. Maybe she wonders what kind of man this cousin of hers is that her relatives and relations have chosen …

Ahmadiyya leader welcomes Indian PM Modi to Israel along with Israeli PM Netanyahu

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel on Tuesday, He was greeted by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with representatives of various communities including the Ahmadiyya. The welcoming party at Tel Aviv airport was made up of various leaders from all over Israel, which included representatives of the Druze, Bahais and the Ahmadiyya. The President of the Israeli chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Muhammad Sharif Odeh greeted the Indian PM alongside Israeli PM Netanyahu and …

Pakistan-origin Lord Ahmad appointed as UK Foreign Office’s Minister of State

A Pakistan-origin British peer has been selected to serve as UK Foreign Office’s Minister of State. His new role was announced on June 13th, 2017 as Prime Minister Theresa May finished reshuffling the cabinet. Before his appointment as Minister of State, Lord Ahmad served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, while from 2015 to 2016 he served as Minister for Countering Extremism. .@tariqahmadbt appointed as Foreign Office Minister of State pic.twitter.com/SLboQl4yPU — Foreign Office ?? (@foreignoffice) June 13, 2017 …

Pakistan: Men sentenced to three years in prison for “Excessive use of Quran”

A Pakistani court on Wednesday sentenced two men to three years in prison for “Excessive use of Quran” The two men, Idris Ahmed and SabaulZafar were charged with”excessive use of Quran and Islamic literature” along with illegal possession of the Islamic Holy book. Both men were given a three-year prison sentence and fined PKR 50,000 (USD 475) by the anti-terrorism court. The men who belong to the minority Ahmadiyya community were arrested by Pakistan’s security forces in December last year during …