ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has denounced and rejected the provocative and irresponsible statements of Chief of India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Mohan Bhagwat saying Hindutva ideology and Akhand Bharat (expansionist foreign policy) is in fact nexus between RSS and BJP.

“ we reject RSS chief provocative statement”, this was said by Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Asim Iftikhar in a statement issued here Saturday.

He held that BJP and RSS should accept the facts and learn to pursue principles of peaceful co-existence.

He further stated Pakistan has identified the threats facing the peace and stability of the region due to Hindutva ideology and Akhand Bharat mindset

. The motive behind such nefarious designs of India is to keep the minorities in India backward, he remarked.

He underscored that the world bears testimony to usurpation of the rights of minorities particularly Muslims in organized manner by India and persistent atrocities against the Kashmiris in Occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan has always opposed to expansionist designs of India, he held.

Staying committed for peace, people and armed forces of Pakistan have full capability to defend sovereignty and integrity of the country, he asserted.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan completely rejected and strongly condemned the highly provocative and irresponsible remarks made by Mohan Bhagwat, chief of India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling for “undoing” of the partition. This is not the first time that the RSS chief has publicly indulged in such delusional thinking and historical revisionism.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a statement issued on Saturday said that Pakistan has repeatedly highlighted the threat posed to regional peace and stability by the toxic mix of the extremist ‘Hindutva’ ideology (Hindu Rashtra) and expansionist foreign policy (Akhand Bharat) being pursued by the ruling RSS-BJP dispensation in India.

He said that in the internal context, this dangerous mindset aims to completely marginalize and dispossess the minorities in India. In the external dimension, it poses an existential threat to all of India’s neighbours in South Asia.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that the world is witness to the systematic usurpation of the rights of minorities, especially Muslims, in India and the unabated repression of Kashmiris in IIOJK. The reckless misadventures of India, including in February 2019, that seriously imperiled regional peace and stability are also in front of the world.

He said that Pakistan has consistently opposed India’s hegemonic impulses and demonstrated a firm resolve to thwart any aggressive designs. While committed to peace, the people and armed forces of Pakistan are fully capable of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that those belonging to the BJP and its ideological fountainhead RSS would be well- advised to refrain from making such provocative and irresponsible statements, accept the established realities, and learn to follow the imperatives of peaceful coexistence.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has restored the license of former judge Islamabad high court justice (retd) Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Acting Secretary Pakistan Bar Council Gulzar Ahmed has written a letter to Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui informing him about the restoration of his license to practice as an Advocate of Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The content of the letter says:

Dear Sir,

I am communicating to your goodself that the Enrolment Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council met on Wednesday, 24 November 2021, at 3.30 p.m. at Islamabad. Justice Qazi Feaz Isa, Chairman, Syed Qalib-i-Hassan and Mr Azam Nazeer Tarar, Members attended with regard to your application and the following decision was taken:

“Mr. Shaukat Aziz Siddique was enrolled as an Advocate Supreme Court on 31 March 2001 and upon his elevation as a Judge of the Islamabad High Court, on 20 November 2011, his license was suspended. The applicant made requisite disclosure of his removal from the office of a Judge by the President of Pakistan vide Notification dated 10 November 2018 issued on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial council. The applicant also states that his removal from the office of a Judge has been challenged by him through Constitution Petition No. 78 of 2018 in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which is pending adjudication. Meanwhile, the applicant has reached the age of superannuation of a Judge of the High Court- 62 years – on 30 June 2021 and as such is entitled to have his license restored.

The Committee considered the applicable rules, including Rules 106, 107, 108 and 108-O of the Pakistan Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Rules, 1976 to ascertain if any disqualification to have the applicant’s license restored is attracted. It was also noted that applicant had not removed by the Supreme Judicial Council on account of corruption or an account of an offence involving moral turpitude, which may have disentitled him from the restoration of his license. Article 18 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan also guarantees that every citizen shall have the right to enter any lawful profession or occupation. The Committee satisfied itself that the applicant was entitled to have his license restored,. Therefore, the license of Advocate Supreme Court of Mr. Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui is restored with immediate effect.”

In above of the aforesaid decision of the Enrolment Committee your license to practice as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan has been restored.

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Athar Minallah directed the information and law ministries on Saturday to submit a report on steps taken to ensure the protection of journalists across Pakistan.

In a brief order by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, the high court asked the information secretary as well as the law secretary to submit their response pertaining to the problems faced by journalists within two weeks.

In the order, the high court said there was no effective legislation to ensure the security of media workers. The order said that the petitioner invoked articles 9, 14, and 19-A of the constitution to raise these questions of public interest in the plea.

“The court was informed that ensuring the security of media workers and fundamental rights were interlinked,” the order added.

During the case, the high court was apprised that at least 40,000 cases were currently pending in the Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE). The IHC order directed the ITNE to submit a report on the cases pending with it.

“These questions are related to the freedom of the press,” the high court said, adding, “Article 19-A also gives citizens the right to access information in the public interest.”

The high court said the freedom of editors, reporters and columnists was of utmost importance, adding that this “important” question must be considered in the context of international practices and the United Nations Human Rights Commission reports.

The IHC appointed presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Islamabad High Court Journalist Association as amici curiae in the light of the public importance of the issue. Senior journalists Hamid Mir and Mazhar Abbas were also asked by the court to provide judicial assistance to the court on the matter. The case should be fixed for hearing in three weeks, the IHC added.

ISLAMABAD: PPP has expressed concern over persistently falling price of rupee saying the government has broken one more record of its incompetence.

PPP leader Sherry Rehman said the rupee weakened by Rs 6.2 during the last 20 days. Rupee has lost its value by Rs 50 since 2018.

It is not strange that country’s loans and payables volume has reached the level of 0.5 trillion. The economy is on ventilator. But you have not worry.

She went on to say that lack of confidence in the market and unstable situation of rupee is disastrous for the economy. Such uncertain situation of national economy has never ever been witnessed in the history of the country.

The economy has been handed over to International Monetary Fund (IMF), she said adding the economy has bankrupted but you have not to worry.

Islamabad: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Sindh Affairs, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Saturday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was fully committed to root out corruption from the country by bringing corrupt persons into the court of law.

Arbab Ghulam Rahim was talking to a delegation of Hyderabad Union of Journalists and media persons in Hyderabad.

The Special Assistant said corruption is a cancer and all out efforts are required to eliminate this menace from the society so that national exchequer could be utilized for the welfare of the masses.

Islamabad:The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry’s Businessmen Panel has called for early implementation of Barter Trade Mechanism signed between Pakistan and Iran during the 9th Joint Trade Committee meeting held in Tehran to jack up bilateral trade to $5 billion annually.

FPCCI’s Businessmen Panel (BMP) Chairman Mian Anjum Nisar said that Pakistan and Iran have inked an agreement early this month during the visit of PM’s Advisor to Teheran and the two countries had deiced to initiate barter trade within a month. “The all concerned departments, particularly the central bank, instead of creating obstacles, should start working on implementation of the barter trade through approved crossing points without any further delay, removing all bottlenecks for the smooth trade.”

The FPCCI former president appreciated Islamabad as well as Tehran to take serious initiatives to remove hurdles to bilateral trade, asking Iran to also take benefits of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. In order to meet the objective of barter trade mechanism both parties must finalize international mechanism to remove difficulties in barter trade. He said that barter trade was in fact a right decision, which could boost Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves through escalation in exports.

Mian Anjum Nisar said due to lack of banking channels with Iran, some issues were existing in trading with Tehran. The barter trade issue with Iran has now been resolved, which is a welcome step for both Muslim neighboring nations.

The BMP Chairman said that the government of Pakistan and government of Iran had decided that a barter trade mechanism will be established between Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry or any other counterpart chambers, identifying over 50 items for bilateral trade with rice and petroleum products at the top of the list.

According to the agreement, Pakistani importers will pay Pakistani exporters in lieu of goods and services exported by them in Pak Rupees and the same mechanism will apply on the Iranian side. While on imports and exports of goods by either side, the party will submit documentary evidence such as Good Declaration to the focal persons in Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and counterpart Chambers like Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

BMP Presidential candidate of FPCCI elections Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that Pakistan can import liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Iran in exchange for rice under a barter arrangement endorsed by the two countries. “We will export rice to Iran and import LPG from there, as it is purely a barter deal. It is pertinent to mention that Iran faces sanctions imposed by the United States, making it difficult for global and regional countries to broaden and deepen their trade ties with the administration in Tehran.

Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said that efforts should also be initiated to sign a free trade agreement between Iran and Pakistan, as both countries wanted to boost bilateral trade and economic relations to strengthen regional economy.

He lauded the efforts of PM Advisor, saying he played vital role in increasing trade volume between the two countries. He asked the businessmen to cement trade relations to take benefits from each other’s experience and boost trade activities between the countries.

He said businessmen of Pakistan wanted to further strengthen bilateral trade between the two countries by signing a free trade agreement, installation of an effective banking channel, establishment of markets at border region, elimination of illegal trade, exchange of business delegation and organising joint trade exhibitions. He invited the Iranian businessmen to invest in Pakistan in hydel power generation, marble, mining, match, furniture, honey, gems and other sectors, saying that promotion of regional trade was need of the hour. There’s huge potential to further boost trade between Pakistan and Iran, which currently stands at $359 million, he said.