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Munir Akram clarifies remarks on Pakhtun culture

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Munir Akram clarifies remarks on Pakhtun culture

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram on Saturday clarified his controversial remarks regarding Pakhtun culture after heavy backlash from Pakhtuns and human rights activists in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

After the statements made by Ambassador Akram received hefty criticism, he clarified that the intentions were not to target anyone and his remarks were misunderstood.

In response to the queries of a media outlet, Mr Akram said he “regrets if his remarks were misunderstood or hurt anyone’s feelings. There was no disrespect meant to Pashtun culture which is highly progressive and deserves full respect across the world”.

Mr Akram made the controversial comments during a briefing at the UN in New York on Wednesday, in which the ambassador linked the Taliban government’s restrictions on women with the Pakhtun culture. 

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He stated that, “The restrictions that have been put by the Afghan interim government, flow not so much from a religious perspective as from a peculiar cultural perspective of the Pashtun culture, which requires women to be kept at home. And this is a peculiar, distinctive cultural reality of Afghanistan which has not changed for hundreds of years.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Islamabad had sought details of the ambassador’s statement and the context in which it might have been made.

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Election date will alleviate uncertainty: Kaira

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Election date will alleviate uncertainty: Kaira

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira emphasised that providing a specific date by the Election Commission for general elections would help alleviate the prevailing uncertainty.

Kaira reiterated that the PPP firmly upholds its constitutional mandate to hold elections and believes it is essential for stability.

Furthermore, he clarified that the issue of a level playing field is distinct from this matter and should be addressed separately. 

It is to be recalled that PPP co-chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had earlier requested the Election Commission (ECP) to announce a date for polls in the country.

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Solangi for eliminating extremism, prejudices from society

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Solangi for eliminating extremism, prejudices from society

Federal Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said Thursday that the elimination of extremism and all types of prejudices was not only part of Islamic religious norms and Islamic history, but it was also a cornerstone of the Pakistan ideology.

In his speech at a peace festival here, the minister said that the National Counter-Terrorism Authority had taken important steps to eliminate extremism and terrorism from society.

Solangi said that extremism was one of the elements that destroyed peace and violence which bred terrorism.

The minister said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had highlighted the rights of minorities in his speech of August 11, 1947. He said that Islam also taught kindness to humanity, irrespective of caste and creed.

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Solangi said that anti-peace forces wanted to weaken the power of Pakistan by targeting minorities as diversity was Pakistan’s strength. “All the people of the state of Pakistan enjoyed equal rights.”

The minister said the promotion and protection of minorities’ rights on the principle of equality was a major weapon against extremism. He said that time had come to eliminate all types of prejudices from society, as it was one aspect of the ideology of the creation of Pakistan.

The minister also recalled that 22 years ago in 2001, the United Nations had announced to celebrate the International Day of Peace on September 21 every year. In 2023, he added, 75 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would also be marked which was an important milestone in itself.

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Captain Safdar acquitted of sedition, MPO violation charges

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Captain Safdar acquitted of sedition, MPO violation charges

A district court on Thursday acquitted Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar, the son-in-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in two cases involving charges of sedition, criminal intimidation and violation of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO).

Judicial Magistrate Bilal Muneer Warraich pronounced the judgment which had been reserved on the previous hearing.

Advocates Farhad Ali Shah and Haroon Bhutta appeared before the court on behalf of their client Captain (r) Safdar.

Two FIRs had been registered with the Islampura police station against Safdar under different charges, including the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and 124-A & 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

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