Miracle 534-Dec 18, 2020

Volume 20 Issue 534-Jamadi ul I, 3, 1442 H, December 18, 2020 $1 www.miraclenews.com BC, CANADA First Muslim

Biweekly & Bilingual

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5 Hazrat ‘Isa Jesus ( a.s.)

07 B.C. university investi-

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11 Quaid’s 144th birthday

07 B.C. modifies COV-

15 Be Careful What You

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6 8

Nation

gating more allegations

celebrates

Wish For

ID-19 testing strategy to Family in mourning after runaway

President approves anti-rape ordinance US Navy to be ‘more assertive’ in countering Fighting systemic racism, extremism will be

PM says feds being cautious with estimates, but vaccine timeline could accelerate

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TTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that “it’s possible” that Canada will be able to accelerate its timeline for vaccinating all Canadians who want to be against COVID-19.

The federal government has given the target that sometime between September and December of 2021, all Canadians who want to be vaccinated will be, with one of the seven vaccines Canada has signed deals to secure.

Now, the prime minister has said that’s a conservative estimate. Asked if the timeline could speed up as was this month—seeing first vaccines in arms in December rather than January—Trudeau said it could happen, but warned that there’s also potential for delays. “Certainly it’s possible. I mean, that’s one of the reasons why we set out to

set up the best range of vaccines we possibly could, and secure way more doses than Canada would technically need because we knew that some vaccines would be faster, some vaccines might be more effective or less effective than others,” Trudeau said in a year-end interview with CTV News’ Evan Solomon, airing in full on CTV’s Question Period this Sunday at 11 a.m. EST. “Things could happen quicker, things could also happen slower if there are less efficient vaccines, or production challenges in the companies that are delivering them,” he said.

Canada has signed contracts guaranteeing access to 214 million doses of potential COVID-19 vaccines with the option to purTo be Continued at page 7

Modi sent condolence letter to 64-year-old residential care aide is 1st person Nawaz after mother’s demise (Fiji Muslim)in B.C. to receive COVID-19 vaccine

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I

ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote a letter to former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to extend condolences on the demise of the latter’s mother last month, it emerged on Thursday.

The letter was forwarded to PMLN Vice President Maryam Nawaz by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad last week with a request to be conveyed to her father Nawaz, who has been residing in London since last year. Begum Shamim Akhtar, mother of Nawaz and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, had passed away in Britain on November 22. Her body was later flown to Pakistan and she was laid to rest at the family’s Jati Umra estate in Lahore.

In the letter dated Nov 27, a copy of which was obtained by DawnNewsTV and confirmed by Indian

High Commission sources, Modi conveyed “heartfelt condolences” to the former premier over his mother’s death.

“Dear Mian Sahib, I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of your mother Begum Shamim Akhtar,” the Indian prime minister wrote. “My heartfelt condolences are with you in this hour of intense grief.”

Modi recalled his interaction with Nawaz’s mother during his brief visit to Lahore in 2015, saying: “Her simplicity and warmth was indeed very touching.”

“In this moment of profound grief, I pray to the Almighty to bestow strength upon you and your family to bear this irreparable loss,” he added.

In a separate letter sent to Maryam on Dec 11 at her Lahore residence, Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav To be Continued at page 11

‘It feels like a dream came true,’ says isha Yunus, who received the shot Tuesday afternoon It was a ninemonth wait for a moment that unfolded in seconds.

With a swab of an arm and the prick of a needle, a health-care worker on Tuesday became the first person in British Columbia to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, kicking off the provincial leg of a nationwide vaccination campaign that promises an end to the pandemic.

Nisha Yunus, a 64-year-old (Fiji Muslim) residential care aide, received the shot shortly after 1 p.m. PT at an undisclosed vaccination site in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. Before receiving the shot, Yunus was met with applause by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Dr. Ross Brown, who is leading the province’s vaccine rollout.

A nurse swabbed the worker’s arm and asked her to take a deep breath. Seconds later, the needle went in. The nurse then

applied a bandage and applause broke out.

Henry gave Yunus an elbow bump as cameras fired. Yunus has worked for 41 years as a residential care aide at Vancouver’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital. For that entire period, she has worked on the same unit and floor.

She initially agreed to an interview on site, but later changed her mind and declined. In a statement issued later Tuesday, Yunus said it was an honour and privilege to receive the province’s first vaccine. “I am so grateful. It feels like a dream came true,” she said. ”I have seen first-hand what COVID-19 does to families, and I am hopeful we are getting closer to finally reaching the end of this pandemic, so people can reunite safely with their loved ones and put this behind us.”

Henry described B.C.’s first vaccination as monumental. “It brings a spark of light and joy,” she said. “It’s so exciting to know that we’re starting to make difference and turning the tide on this pandemic.

Source: cbc-ca.

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Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

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Jamadi ul I,3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

PAKISTAN

Blame game mars issuance of licences for President approves anti-rape ordinance new LNG companies to ensure speedy trial, strict punishments President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday approved the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020 that will ensure speedy trial of rape cases with women and children as victims and will also allow for chemical castration of those convicted of such offences.

A statement issued by the President House said that under the ordinance, special courts would be established throughout the country for speedy trials of sexual assault suspects. The courts would have to wrap up the cases within four months, the statement added.Under the ordinance, Prime Minister’s Anti-Rape Crisis Cells would also be set up which would be responsible for conducting medico-legal examination within six hours of the incident.A countrywide registry of sexual offenders would also be established with the help of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra). Under the ordinance, disclosing identities of victims would be prohibited and declared a punishable offence, the statement said. Police and government officials who show negligence in investigating the cases would be jailed for three years along with the imposition of fines. Additionally, police and government officials who provide false information would also be punished.

Repeat offenders would be chemically castrated under the guidance of a notified board, the statement read.

It further said that a fund would be set up by the prime minister, money from which would be used to establish special courts while federal and provincial governments would also allocate grants to the fund. Help would also be taken from local, national and international agencies along with non-governmental organisations and individuals.

The ordinance comes months after the motorway gang-rape incident that caused an outpouring of anger across the country and brought sexual violence against women into national focus.

After an incident involving the alleged rape of a woman and her minor daughter in Sindh’s Kashmore district, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced in November that the government would bring a “stringent and holistic anti-rape ordinance closing all loopholes”. Source: dawn.com

show of hands. Why are you making the Supreme Court controversial and dragging it in politics?” She said the government could not bring ordinance to change the schedule and method of the Senate elections.

PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman also declared that the government could not change the Senate election method through presidential ordinance. “Only parliament can bring about an amendment in this respect and the Supreme Court can have its interpretation,” Maryam Nawaz said.Similarly, she said the Election Commission of Pakistan had its own constitutional head, but the ‘fake’ premier was undermining his authority. “After becoming the head of FIA, NAB and agencies, now Imran Khan has become the head of ECP by himself. Source: dawn.com

BAHAWALPUR: Pakistan Democratic Movement chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has claimed that the Senate election through show of hands will not be possible.

Speaking to the media here on Wednesday, Maulana Fazl alleged that with the announcement of the prime minister that the Senate election would be conducted through show of hands meant that the whole of the cabinet was illiterate.

He claimed that if the PDM’s component parties’ lawmakers would not submit resignations, why the government was nervous.

He said only the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had the powers to announce Senate elections in the country asking who had vested these constitutional powers to the government.

He called upon the ECP to take serious notice of this decision of the government as it could be

held only through secret ballot.

He said if the government was not upset about PDM’s rallies and current drive against it, why Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced election of Senate in February instead of scheduled date of March. The PTI government, he said, had lost its senses. He said the general election in the country was inevitable.

He said the PDM’s component parties were on the same page and they had decided to tender en masse resignations from the assemblies.

Answering a question about benami properties and his assets and the government plan to move NAB against him, Maulana Fazl said the government had in fact moved the NAB against itself.

He urged the armed forces of Pakistan not to provide protection to what he said an “illegitimate” government. Source: dawn.com

The observation came during the hearing of an appeal against their arrest filed by Dinshaw Hoshang Anklesaria and Jamil Ahmed Baloch, who are facing corruption charges in the Bahria Icon Towers case.

The Supreme Court bench that had taken up the appeal comprised Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi.

Anklesaria has been involved in construction and real estate business since the 1980s and has never been convicted in the past.

Court resents detention of only four out of 25 accused in Karachi land case The SC bench warned that if NAB failed to come up with a justification to clarify the ambiguity, its chairman would be asked to appear before the court in person. The court asked NAB to proceed against the accused in

a transparent manner without showing any discrimination.

“It is the basic responsibility of the Supreme Court to safeguard and ensure the civil rights as well as the fundamental rights of the citizens of the country,” the bench observed.

The court regretted that despite earlier directives, NAB failed to justify the arrest of four out of 25 accused.

At the last hearing on Dec 9, the court wondered why NAB had distinguished the cases of the petitioners when the principal beneficiaries of the alleged wrongdoing were at liberty.

NAB Prosecutor General Syed Asghar Haider had sought time to explain the reasons for the arrest of the four accused and not the remaining ones. The court had also asked the prosecutor to provide the criteria and procedure by which NAB, under Section 24(a) of the

National Account­ability Ordinance 1999, exercised power to decide the need for the arrest of an accused person.

Anklesaria is facing the allegations that he as the director of Galaxy Construction (Pvt) Ltd and in his capacity as a shareholder of 50 per cent shares of the company took over the possession of the amenity land of Bagh Ibn-iQasim in Clifton, Karachi, for construction of Bahria Icon Towers on the plot.

According to the petitioners, Galaxy Construction owns the project of Bahria Icon’s two towers of 62 and 42 floors, which were being raised on the plot.

It was alleged that the area of the plot originally was 9,436 square yards but through an illegal manner it was enhanced to 17,336 square yards by giving ancillary allotment to Galaxy Construction. Source: dawn.com

ISLAMABAD: The new private sector companies seeking entry into liquefied natural gas (LNG) business without government guarantees appeared to be moving in circles as the public sector stakeholders blamed each other for uncertainties relating to enabling environment and infrastructure.

This was the overriding sense of a public hearing conducted by the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on the request of Tabeer Energy and Energas for marketing licences for the sale of LNG. Both applicants said they had their own customers in the private sector and would arrange LNG imports without any liability to the government by utilising pipeline network of gas utilities.

Ogra Member Gas Muhammad Arif asked Tabeer if it had the capacity allocation for LNG terminal and gas pipeline network so it could supply gas to its customers and when it could start imports.

Tabeer’s Ansar Khan said his company had secured the licence, land allocation and related regulatory approvals for setting up of LNG terminal of its own in 2022. Initially it could import 200-250 million cubic feet per day of LNG by April 2021 using governmentowned Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) terminal capacity, he added. Khan said it would help the PLL to share a part of its surplus terminal capacity and help provide cheaper LNG to customers of group companies since

it would not involve any middleman.

These included Lucky Group, Younas Brothers, Sapphire Group and Halmore and so on who did not get gas supply and had to rely on furnace oil to meet export orders and domestic production.

He said the company participated in PLL’s bidding for terminal capacity a few months back but were not allowed in the absence of a marketing licence. He said the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) had recently completed a 17-km pipeline from Port Qasim to Pakland Cement and the government had given an assurance that this pipeline would de-bottleneck about 600mmcfd of additional capacity.

PLL’s Yousuf Inam said the involvement of private sector would bring efficiency by utilising unutilised capacity and create competitive market. He said Energas was not allowed to participate in bidding for terminal capacity for an import slot in November as the company lacked marketing licence.

Source: dawn.com

LAHORE: A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan announced going to the apex court to hold the Senate elections ahead of schedule through show of hands, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on Thursday declared that the opposition would not let this wish of the ‘selected’ fulfilled and requested the institutions not to accept his ‘unconstitutional’ demands. The opposition says since Imran Khan has lost control over his party lawmakers, he rushes to seek a ‘show of hands’ process in the Senate polls to ensure that none of them could defect.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 opposition parties, has also announced seeking legal remedies to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government from going ahead with its proposed plan with regard to the Senate elections.

Addressing PM Khan at a presser at her Jati Umra residence here on Thursday, Maryam Nawaz said: “You had used [intelligence] agencies to manipulate the election [no-confidence motion by the opposition] against the Senate chairman [Sadiq Sanjrani]. Now when your government has been weakened…you realised the importance of

Maryam says govt has lost control over PTI lawmakers

Senate polls not possible thru’ show of hands: Fazl

SC may summon NAB chief over ‘discriminatory’ arrests

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday hinted at summoning the National Accountability Bureau chairman to explain why NAB had discriminated by arresting only four accused out of a total of 25 in a corruption reference when the principal beneficiaries were still at liberty.

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Jamadi ul I 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

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eligious scholars hold a revered place in Islam.

As God-fearing keepers of knowledge, they are amongst those who are especially blessed

by Allah. They are mentioned in the Quran and even referred to as “inheritors of the Prophets” in Hadith.

However, this reverence and status come with an immense responsibility. Scholars are expected to truly practice what they preach – fulfill the rights of Allah (SWT) AND other human beings, be an example of piety, abide by the law, offer refuge and solace to people during life calamities, and have arguably one of the most difficult attributes of all, be in control of their Nafs. Indeed, it is not an easy task which is why not everyone is a religious scholar.

In North America and other places where Muslims are a minority, the role of scholars becomes even more crucial as they often serve as representatives of Islam in the entire society. Therefore, when a scholar is found to be of a poor or criminal character, whether within the boundaries of the masjid or in the law courts, it shakes the community to the core. Recent events involving the Imam of a local mosque now convicted of sexual assault and serving prison time have led to a tsunami of emotions within the Muslim

E D I T O R I A L

Is Change Coming?

community.

There is shock and disbelief that someone who gave sermons at the pulpit in a masjid and taught the words of Quran and hadith to people, including minors, was capable of such a heinous act; grief for the survivor whose life was forever changed; fear about what we do not know and perhaps the loudest emotion of them all: rage and anger over the lack of empathy and support for the victim when she came forward to community leaders, over the lack of transparency by community leaders about the events and over the insufficient checks and balances for religious leaders like Imams in our religious organizations.

There are also the less-talkedabout effects of this horrible incident. This was a trigger for some of us who have survived sexual harassment or sexual assault within our houses, our workplaces or organizations where we volunteered. Many of us made the painful choice of staying quiet for reasons known only to us, some of us confided in someone and told them to keep it a secret, and very few of us sought justice. Regardless of the choice, the journey has been painful, and hearing about a fellow survivor just rips the bandage and exposes the wound again.

Open Letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry from the Surrey Teachers Dear Doctor Henry, We are the 6,000 teachers in BC’s largest school district. We teach 75,000 K-12 kids in 130 schools.

Some are so severely overcrowded that there are as many as 20 portables on the fields or parking lots.

Every small prep room, cupboard, and alcove is being used as a teaching space or workspace. In normal times, overcrowding is the source of almost every problem and tension in our school district, and in the pandemic the overcrowding is hazardous. We are not safe. We teach in the Fraser Health region, and Surrey schools are impacted daily by COVID-19. We are all doing our best to meet the guidelines, but we implore you to change the requirement for all students to be attending at the same time. We urge you to reconsider mandating masks in all indoor spaces, including schools, and to implement 50% density in classrooms. Cohorts have been established but there is intermixing that can’t be controlled in hallways, playgrounds, and at lunch hour.

We simply don’t have the space to ensure physical distancing in our schools, and we require a reduction in density to make that possible.

We have heard you say that there are layers of protection to ensure our safety, but these measures have holes in them for teachers in Surrey. In the Public Health measures

layer, the hole is that the virus is at the highest level in Fraser Health.

In the Environmental measures layer, plexiglass has been installed in offices but there are no barriers in classrooms. We have changed many routines, but outdoor education, for example, becomes more limited as the weather worsens. Administrative measures can only do so much if we are still teaching 100% of the kids face to face. In elementary classrooms teaching involves a lot of close personal contact with students who need their noses wiped or help putting on shoes or may need to be comforted. In intermediate and secondary classrooms, it’s impossible to support a student who is struggling to learn a concept or skill without being close to them.

Personal measures such as hand washing, using sanitizer, and physical distancing are limited in effectiveness, mostly because we have many people in our classrooms for long periods of time. We also can’t control whether kids are sent to school sick, especially if COVID-19 victims are infectious before they are symptomatic. Finally, although PPE is the last and least important measure to control the virus, masks are also visible, symbolic, and enforceable. Teachers know that the vast majority of children and youth

It is important to acknowledge all these feelings and emotions, as raw as they might be, pouring over telephone calls, social media posts and within the family rooms of the household. As a community and as individuals, we clearly know that we can’t stop what we can’t talk about.

Through these various conversations, the community is communicating its needs loud and clear. Community organizations, regardless of their scale, ought to or have started to recognize the dire need to give full attention to these needs, assess them and put together a wellinformed plan to address them and follow-through with full transparency.

one is demanding change while serving as bystanders. There are many individuals in the community who are willing to come forward and help community organizations. It is time to seriously consider these offers of help and be cognizant that to make meaningful changes, we have to embrace our fears of losing control and authority.

The community needs to heal and recover and this recovery will not be possible until concrete changes are made, clearly communicated, and reinforced on an ongoing basis. The process will require increased patience, humility, and understanding from all of us but we absolutely owe it to ourselves

There are many avenues to consider, including: - Review of hiring practices in local masjids - Review of employment contracts and need for criminal checks - A renewed commitment to transparency and accountability at all levels - Inclusion and better representation of women, youth, newcomers, and other underrepresented members of the community - Improved awareness about social programs This is not easy for anyone, let alone volunteering board members who may not have the tools or experience to approach a multi-faceted problem of this magnitude. However, no

and our future generations to honestly give it all we have got.

Laisa lil insana illa ma sa’a” There is nothing for man except what he strives for.

(Surah Najm verse 39) the Ministry of Children and Family Development and the Ministry of State for Child Care in processes that involve schools in a continuum of care for BC children. We are also pleased that Minister Whiteside has also been tasked to work with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions because of the key role that schools can play in supporting students’ mental health. We are asking that the Ministry of Health join the other ministries in helping teachers take care of students by ensuring that the safety measures in place in all indoor public spaces in BC also apply to schools. We need to have a mask mandate. We need to be able to physically distance students by reducing classroom density to 50%.

In any other indoor public setting, there would be fines to have 30 people sitting close together in one 75 square meter space without masks.

In jurisdictions across the world, students wear masks inside classrooms. It’s one of the most important layers of protection against the transmission of the virus. We are asking that the Ministry of Health listen to us about the reality of our experiences. It is vital for educators to be consulted about what we are facing in schools. Every day, we continue to put ourselves, our loved ones, and communities at risk. It is dangerous and unfair to be expected to continue in this way without appropriate measures to ensure our safety.

Yours sincerely,

can learn to wear masks effectively and consistently. We wear masks to protect our colleagues and our students but without a mask mandate we cannot insist that everyone wears one everywhere. This would afford the greatest protection for all of us.

We are not safe. Teachers have contracted COVID-19 at school. One (that we know of) has been in the ICU. Two schools have closed with outbreaks. Other schools have had cohorts required to self-isolate.

There are daily staff meetings to address exposure notifications, and there have been hundreds of those.

There is a lack of TTOCs, which is a symptom of the teacher shortage, but mostly because so many are retired teachers who are afraid of getting COVID-19 at school. We have chronic failures to fill, along with exhortations to not attend work while sick, even with mild symptoms. Failures to fill mean teachers lose their precious prep time, or students lose vital services when their counsellors and special education teachers have to cover classes. Our levels of daily stress are almost unbearable. The new Minister of Education’s mandate letter reinforces the relationship of care that teachers Julia MacRae, have with their students. Minister 1st Vice President, Whiteside is expected to work with Surrey Teachers’ Association

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Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

The Messiah, The Messenger, and Servant of Allah

f ait h

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (saw), who said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.

It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim). Hadith 11

Hazrat ‘Isa Jesus ( a.s.)

Maryam, the mother of Isa

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he wife of Imran was a barren and sterile woman, but she heard from her husband that God had promised him a boy who would be able to bring people to life and to cure the sick as well through the power and command of God. She believed that Almighty God could do this, and prayed to Him to give her the child.

God granted her prayer and she became pregnant. As a sign of thankfulness for this great blessing and gift, she vowed that she would give her child to the service of the House of God (in Jerusalem).

The child who was born was a girl, and when her mother saw her she said, “This is a girl, but I will be faithful to my vow; I will call her Maryam She and her children, I commend to Your protection from the mischief of Satan.”

The wife of Imran took Maryam to the House of God. She entrusted her to the custodians of that place. Since the infant was the daughter of their leader, Imran everyone wanted to pay for her upbringing and guardianship so that the honour of having looked after the daughter of Imran would fall on him. In the end a dispute arose between them, and to resolve their differences they drew lots.

Among the custodians of the House of God the draw came out in favor of Hazrat Zakariyya. So Maryam came under the tutelage and supervision of Hazrat Zakariyya and she gradually grew up engaged in nothing but worship and serving the House of God.4 Her purity and devotion reached such a stage that whenever Hazrat Zakariyya (a.s.) went into Maryam’s sanctuary; he found heavenly food beside her. He would ask in surprise, “Where does this food come from?”Maryam would reply, “From Allah; truly Allah gives to everyone who He wants without reckoning.” (3:37)

Zakariyya and Yahya

The wife of Zakaryya (a.s.) was also, like the mother of Maryam barren, and for this reason Zakaryya had been without children till his old age. At that time when Zakaryya (as) was looking after the spiritual advancement of Maryam in her sanctuary and saw the infinite mercy of God towards her, he was taken with the desire to have a pious child like Maryam. So he raised his hands in supplication towards God and said, “O God, I wish you to grant me a pure and pious child a child who will be a source of satisfaction to me, the inheritor of me and the House Of Ya’qub.” (3:38, 19:1-6) Hazrat Zakaryya (a.s.) was engaged in prayer in the sanctuary when angels said to him, “God gives you glad tidings of a child called Yahya who is of the righteous and devout prophets.”

Hazrat Zakaryya (a.s.) who was himself old and weary and saw the barrenness and sterility of his wife (and to become pregnant in such conditions was a gift which could not be expected). He said with delight and surprise, “O God, in the state I and my wife are in, how can you grant me the favour of a child?”

In answer to this it was said, “This work is easy for God. Did God the Almighty not bring you forth from non-existence into being? “ Thus Hazrat Zakaryya (a.s.) became one of the Divine prophets and throughout the whole of his life he called people to faith and salvation. In the end he was martyred by

one of the kings of Bani Isra’il who wanted to marry the daughter of his own brother against the law of God, and to whom Hazrat Yahya had forbidden this.5

‘Isa, Jesus, the Messiah

One day, Maryam the girl who had grown up from infancy in the House of God and whose upbringing a prophet of the stature of Zakaryya had undertaken was engaged in worship when an angel appeared to her in the form of a man.

Maryam thought that he was a man, and in fear sought protection from God, but the angel gave her glad tidings, “I have come from your God to give you a pure and perfect son. “ Maryam said, “How, since no man has had contact with me and I am not a fornicatress.’’ “Your God,” said the angel, says that this work is easy for Him; that it may be appointed as a sign and an indication of His Mercy.”

So Maryam became pregnant, and, since she had no husband some gossipers began to make obscene comments about her, and she became grieved so as to be free from these afflictions she took herself far from people, and had to go to a remote place. There she counted the days until the birth of her child.

At last, when the time of delivery arrived, she took refuge from her pain under a dry date palm in the desert, and in that very place she delivered her baby into the world without any mid-wife or nurse.

Loneliness fear of disgrace and the thought of how she would prove her chastity to people filled Maryam with so much anxiety that she said to herself, “Would that I had died before this and had been lost from people’s memories.”

Then she heard a voice, which consoled her, “Do not grieve, your God has set under your feet a stream, refreshing to the soul. And shake the trunk of the withered date palm that fresh dates may tumble down for you.

Eat, drink and calm your mind, and if you see any man point and say, “I have vowed a silent fast, and today I will not speak to any man.”

Miracles and unseen help, one after the other made Maryam courageous. So, because of this tranquility, she took her child back with her to the place where she had been living. When the people saw Maryam with the child clutched to her bosom, they began to chide her, and said, “Your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother unchaste.”

Without speaking, Maryam pointed to her child. That meant: ask from him what has happened, and you will get your answer.

“How shall we speak to a child of that age!” they said in amazement.

But Maryam’s child spoke through the power of God, and in clear distinct speech said, “I am God’s servant. He has given me the Book and has appointed me to be a prophet.

And wherever I may be He has put me as the bearer of good news and with His bless-

ing; and He has commanded me that as long as I live I should pray and give zakat and he has made me loving towards my mother Maryam.”

The clear mind of this child dumbfounded them and this great sign dispelled their incrimination of and suspicion toward Hazrat Maryam (As) and they knew that this infant was brought into existence by the Will of God without a father. And that in the future he would have great rank and responsibility.

Description of the Condition of People.......

Perhaps this weakness of faith was a present for Roman colonisation from the people.

Colonialism always has and always will use this gift, because in this kind of struggle the enemy has no need of arms. People who neglect and give up their faith, without their knowing, will be gradually annihilated.

Under these circumstances, in that time full of disturbance and agitation, the need was thoroughly felt for Divine leader to come and save the deviated people from their misfortunes and aberrations.

And thus it was that, with the expediency of the love and mercy of Allah, the Compassionate, Hazrat Isa (a.s.) came into this world. The birth of this beloved one was accompanied by wonders, all witnessed to his exalted and magnificent rank. These were Divine signs that he was God’s leader and that the strong hand of God had brought him into existence to establish the great revolution.

The Message of the Messiah (a.s.)

The Injil descended to the person of Hazrat Isa (a.s.) to be a plan for the liberation of those who were lost. The revealed Injil (gospel) has disappeared and the Gospel which are now in the possession of the (Christians are not revealed books.

Hazrat Isa (a.s.) announced his prophetic message and started his activities on a large scale. He took great pains and sacrificed himself to save the Jews and to exterminate the roots of their deviations.

But the leaders of the Jews, who clung to their position and rank, and who thought that these would be destroyed by the coming of Hazrat ‘Isa and feared his prophetic mission, plotted together to find ways to create a disturbance to check his progress.

Hazrat Isa (a.s.) was aware of their designs, but he was as steady as a rock, and thus dispensed his guidance and leadership, and informed the people of the superstitions and

distortions that had crept into the religion of Hazrat Musa (a.s.).

Sometimes, while he was doing this, he would cure a sick person by the leave of God, or, similarly by His leave, bring to life a dead person, so that they would understand that he had come from God and had been sent by the Unique and Incomparable God. The End of the Mission of the Messiah (a.s.)

Day by day, Hazrat Isa’s friends and followers increased, and the more they increased the more the opposition of the leaders of the Jews increased, to such an extent that they decided to do away with him.

But God concealed him from their eyes, and they crucified another by mistake who resembled Hazrat ‘Isa (a.s.), and thus they believed in their error that they had crucified Hazrat ‘Isa (a.s.). This fact has been explicitly stated in the Holy Qur’an: But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them; and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no certain knowledge but only conjecture to follow. For a surety they killed him not Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power and Wise. (4:157-158) Therefore, the matters of the cross and the illogical embellishment, which were added to this matter are all without any foundation. For example, the Christians today say that every man is, in his essence, a sinner, although he may not have committed any sin during the whole of his life. That is why Hazrat ‘Isa (a.s.) was crucified in the place of these men so that they might be spared the torment of Hell and its Fire. And that is why the Marcion and the Gnostics did not believe in the killing or crucifixion of the Messiah.

Hazrat Isa Messiah, or the Slave of God

What is clear from the Holy Qur’an and even from some of the New Testament which is at present in the possession of the Christians is that the Messiah always considered himself as God’s slave, worshipped God, and called people to the worship of the One God. (The Gospel according to St. Mark ch. 12, v. 29.)

Hazrat Isa (a.s.) said:“It is Allah, Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a way that is straight.” (3:51) Hazrat Isa (a.s.) never claimed to be a god, and if Christians know him and consider him as God, then it is their own imagining.

To be continued at page 16

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver Dec18- Jan 1, 2021 Jamadi ul I 3-17,1442 H

Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thus Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thus Fri

Sunr Dhur ZawalAsar Dhuhr Asar Shafi / Hanfi

Maghrib

Isha

For such Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times: Quran ,n 4:103 Source: BCMA

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McConnell says the Electoral College ‘has spoken,’ US Navy to be ‘more assertive’ in congratulates Joe Biden as president-elect countering China in Pacific

WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell congratulated Democrat Joe Biden as president-elect on Tuesday, saying the Electoral College “has spoken.”

The Republican leader’s statement, delivered in a speech on the Senate floor, ends weeks of silence over President Donald Trump’s defeat.

It came a day after electors met and officially affirmed Biden’s election win.

“I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said. ”Many of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result,” he said. “But our system of government has the processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20. The Electoral College has spoken.”

McConnell called Biden someone “who has devoted himself to public service for many years.” He also congratulated Vice-Presidentelect Kamala Harris, saying “all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vicepresident-elect for the very first time.”

Biden told reporters that he called McConnell on Tuesday to thank him for the remarks. As Biden departed Wilmington, Del., to campaign for Democrats in the Georgia runoff elections for Senate, he said they had a “good conversation.” “We agreed to get together sooner than later,” Biden said.

The Senate leader’s speech followed a groundswell of leading Republicans who have now said that Biden is the winner of the presiden-

tial election, essentially abandoning Trump’s assault on the outcome after the Electoral College on Monday confirmed Biden’s victory.

McConnell prefaced his remarks with sweeping praise for what he characterized as Trump’s “endless” accomplishments during four years in office. He said Trump delivered on a promise to “shake up Washington,” and cited the president’s nomination and Senate confirmation of three Supreme Court justices, among other accomplishments. The leader said Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence “deserve our thanks.” For his part, Trump continued to push his baseless claims of “voter fraud” in a new tweet on Tuesday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said now that McConnell has spoken, “enough is enough.”

Trump should “end his term with a modicum of grace and dignity,” Schumer said.............

Source: ctvnews.ca

China has continued to build artificial islands and installed naval and air facilities in disputed areas claimed by other Southeast Asian nations.

The US military has warned that its warships would be “more assertive” in responding to violations of international law, citing in particular Beijing, which it accused of having expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea. In a document setting objectives for the US Navy, Marines and Coast Guard for the coming years, the Pentagon said on Thursday that several countries, notably Russia and China “are contesting the balance of power in key regions and seeking to undermine the existing world order”.

“Our globally deployed naval forces interact with Chinese and Russian warships and

aircraft daily,” the document said, noting their “growing aggressiveness” and calling China “the most pressing, long-term strategic threat”. The latest incident between the US and China naval forces took place in late August when Beijing said it had driven an American warship from the disputed Paracel archipelago.

China claims almost all of the islands of the South China Sea, territorial claims disputed by other countries in the region including Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

China’s claim has also been rejected by the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague, but it has continued to build artificial islands and installed naval and air facilities.

Source: dawn.com

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday congratulated Joe Biden on winning the U.S. presidential election after weeks of holding out.

Putin’s message to Biden came a day after the Electoral College confirmed Biden as the nation’s next president, ratifying his November victory in an authoritative state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede that he had lost.

The Kremlin had said earlier that the Russian president would hold off on congratulating Biden until the winner was officially confirmed. “We are just waiting for the end of the internal political confrontation,” Putin said last month, referring to numerous Republican challenges to the vote count.

In his message, Putin wished Biden “every success,” according to a Kremlin statement Tuesday, and expressed confidence that “Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can, despite the differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing.”

The Russian president noted that “the Russian-American co-operation based on the principles of equality and mutual respect would meet the interests of the people in both countries and the entire international community.”

“For my part, I am ready for interaction and contact with you,” Putin was quoted by the Kremlin as saying. Source: ctvnews.ca

President’s comments come as report suggests the EU will toughen sanctions over Turkish drilling at a summit on Thursday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the European Union of never acting honestly towards his country and said Ankara was not concerned by any economic sanctions the bloc might impose on it.

His comments on Wednesday came on the eve of an EU summit in which sanctions against Ankara will be considered.

EU foreign ministers said on Monday that Turkey had failed to help end a row with Greece and Cyprus over potential gas resources in the eastern Mediterranean, but they left a decision on sanctions for their Thursday meeting.

NATO member Turkey has been at odds with EU members Greece and Cyprus over the extent of their continental shelves in the east Mediterranean.

Tensions flared in August when Turkey sent its Oruc Reis survey vessel to waters claimed

by Greece.

“The EU has never acted honestly, it has never kept its promises [towards Turkey]. But … we have always been patient. We are still being patient,” Erdogan told reporters ahead of a visit to Azerbaijan.

“Any sanctions decision that can be taken against Turkey do not concern us much,” Erdogan said, adding that Greece had “run” from negotiations with Turkey despite agreeing to resume talks over their conflicting maritime claims. Source: ctvnews.ca

Israel sends the Palestinians more than Russia banned from using its name, a billion dollars in withheld funds flag at next two Olympics Russia was banned Thursday from using its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling also blocked Russia from bidding to host major sporting events for two years.

Russian athletes and teams will still be allowed to compete at next year’s Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, as well as world championships including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, if they are not implicated in doping or covering up positive tests.The punishments are less than the four-year ban the World AntiDoping Agency (WADA) had proposed.

The case centred on accusations that Russian state authorities tampered with a database from the Moscow testing laboratory before handing it over to WADA investigators last year. Source: dawn.com

India’s top court proposes mediation panel to end 3-week protest by farmers India’s Supreme Court offered on Wednesday to set up a mediation panel to end a threeweek protest by tens of thousands of farmers who are demanding the repeal of new agricultural reform laws that they say will drive down crop prices and devastate their earnings. The court sent notices to the government and the farmers’ representatives across the country seeking their views on the proposal and set Thursday for a possible decision.

The farmers have been blocking half a dozen major highways on the outskirts of New Delhi for three weeks and say they won’t leave until the government quashes what they call the “black laws” passed by Parliament in September.

Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian made the offer to set up the panel after five rounds of talks between the government and farmers failed to end the impasse.

“Your negotiations with protesting farmers have not worked apparently until now,” the Press Trust of India news agency cited the judges as telling government Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta. Apart from blocking the movement of people, the massive protest has dealt a blow to manufacturing and business

Erdogan: Threats of EU sanctions on Turkey ‘do not concern us’

in northern India. Punjabi Canadians ‘worried’ for families in India’s farmers’ protests Punjabi Canadians ‘worried’ for families in India’s farmers’ protests – Dec 3, 2020 The farmers say the laws will lead to the cartelization and commercialization of agriculture and make farmers vulnerable to corporate greed.

Protest leaders have rejected the government’s offer to amend some contentious provisions of the laws. The farmers fear the government will stop buying grain at minimum guaranteed prices and corporations will then push prices down. The government says it is willing to pledge that guaranteed prices will continue. Source: globalnews.ca

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PM says feds being cautious with estimates, but vaccine timeline Vaccinations on the general public would begin in April. Between then and June, 15 and 19 million Canadians will be immunized, which equates to between 40 and 50 per cent of the population. Lastly, likely the lowest-risk demographics as well as anyone else who opted to wait, would be able to receive their shots, meaning that between September and December all 38 million Canadians will be able to be vaccinated, if they wish to be. The government has stated that it

won’t be mandatory to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Already this month, up to 249,000 PfizerBioNTech doses are being delivered, and potentially up to 168,000 Moderna doses could arrive if that vaccine candidate is deemed safe by Health Canada.

Trudeau said his government is being cautious in its estimates, but noted that six months ago not many people thought a vaccine would be discovered, produced, and ap-

VANCOUVER -- Officials at a B.C. university say they’re aware of allegations of cheating in a first-year chemistry class, which recently had its final exam online.

In a screenshot posted to Reddit, an instructor at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus says she’s investigating how her final exam appeared on an academic website, adding that sharing the exam is strictly forbidden.

“It has become clear that some of your classmates did not take their commitment to exam integrity seriously,” the post says. “After a term in which I have offered leniency in exam deadlines and ‘rules,’ I feel that I have

been taken advantage of and have had my trust broken.” The director of university affairs says the school is aware of the allegations of academic misconduct.

“Any and all allegations of this type are treated very seriously by the university,” Matthew Ramsey said. “The dean’s office has a number of routes they can taking, including giving zero on the exam, or recommending further disciplinary action and that can include a zero in the course itself, suspension or expulsion.”

Ramsey explained those decisions are made by the president’s committee on academic misconduct and that they often take time.

Just over three weeks ago, UBC said it was investigating allegations of widespread cheating on a first-year math exam. More than 100 cases of possible cheating were suspected in that instance.

Ramsey said he couldn’t say whether more cheating was happening with many courses operating online during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The process will be followed in this instance as it was in the previous instance and as it will be in other instances,” he said.

“Academic misconduct may seem like the easy way, but if you are caught it does have long term consequences, and we would remind those students that the consequences

VANCOUVER -- British Columbia has changed its guidelines around who should get a COVID-19 test and when they should get it. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the changes to the provincial testing strategy at her briefing on the pandemic Thursday, saying that they are a result of health officials learning more about the coronavirus as well as the tests that detect it. “We have recently updated our approach to testing to ensure that those people who most need to ensure that those people who most need to get a test right away realize that and do that,” Henry said. Under B.C.’s new testing guidelines, there are two

groups of people who need to be tested immediately. The first group is those who have been exposed to a known case of COVID-19 and have any symptoms at all.

The other group is people who have not been exposed to a known case of the disease but have any of the four symptoms mostcommonly associated with COVID-19.

Those symptoms are fever or chills, cough, loss of sense of smell or taste, and difficulty breathing.

“Even if you’ve not been around anybody with COVID, you need to get tested right away,” Henry said of people with those symptoms.

Other symptoms, including sore throat, loss of appetite, fatigue, body aches, nausea and diarrhea, can be treated with a wait-and-see approach, the provincial health officer said.

“On their own, they don’t necessarily mean you have the virus,” she said.

If those symptoms persist or worsen after 24 hours, then testing is advised.

“What we want to do is focus where people know they need to get tested immediately,” Henry said. “If you’ve not been around anybody that has COVID, we’re updating the Anyone who is unsure if they should be guidance to make it clearer for people. It’s not tested for COVID-19 should contact their that you can’t get a test, but there are certain health-care provider or call 811. people that we want to get a test right away.” Source: /bc.ctvnews.ca

Canada’s national COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, the top military general in charge of Canada’s distribution, said that dry runs are underway under the assumption that Moderna shots will be administered before the end of the month.

“We’re taking deliberate steps to ensure the safe and efficient distribution of the Moderna vaccine candidate across the country,” Fortin said. “We’ll deliver the Moderna vaccine to the locations specified by provinces and territories, so that they can commence immunization as quickly as possible once it’s approved and available.”On Tuesday, the federal government announced it had updated

its contract with Moderna to access up to 168,000 doses of its vaccine in December, arriving between 24 and 48 hours after regulatory approval. It was also announced that, by next week, another 56 distribution sites will be set up to administer doses to prioritized groups of Canadians across the country.

“We’re continuing our planning with sort of the planning assumption that the Moderna vaccine will be available,” said Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo.

Health Canada is still evaluating the Moderna vaccine submission for safety and efficacy, after beginning that process on Oct. 12.

Continued from Page 1

als pan out, we’d have access to 414 million

doses.

The nation-wide immunization plan as it stands, focuses on vaccinating priority groups like seniors and health-care workers between December and March 2021. This would result in having three million Canadians—or eight per cent of the population— immunized.

proved as quickly as COVID-19 vaccine candidates have been.

“What scientists and researchers have been able to do to give us not just hope, but the knowledge that this pandemic will be over, that yes we’ve still got a tough winter to go through, but the end is in sight and we just have to hold on and we’ll get through it, is a huge thing,” said the prime minister.

Source: ctvnews.ca

B.C. university investigating more allegations of cheating in online exam

can be severe, they can radically affect their studies at the university.”

Ramsey said it’s unclear how many people are involved in the most recent incident.

Source: /bc.ctvnews.ca

B.C. modifies COVID-19 testing strategy to focus on exposures, 4 key symptoms

Canada gearing up to distribute Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, pending approval

OTTAWA -- The federal government is making plans to ship doses of Moderna’s vaccine candidate across the country — including to the North — on the assumption that Health Canada will soon be authorizing it the second COVID-19 shot safe for use in this country.

At the latest briefing on the status of

Health Canada Director of Medical Sciences Dr. Marc Berthiaume said Wednesday that the agency is still awaiting quality control information from the pharmaceutical giant, but expects the assessment to be completed “in the coming weeks.” A key difference with the Moderna distribution plan from how things have been rolling with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine so far, is that Canada will be in charge of picking up, bringing home, and getting the shipments across the country. In the case of the Pfizer vaccine, the manufacturer contracted UPS to handle the delivery given the extreme cold temperature requirements of that vaccine......................Source: ctvnews.ca

Coronavirus infections over 75 million worldwide Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

52,853,158

75,283,201

1,668,359

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

602,404 44,776

10,036 692

522,649 32,963

Last updated:

December 18, 2020, 05:29 GMT www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?

CANADA Last updated:

December 18, 2020, 05:29 GMT

BC;CANADA Last updated: December 18, 2020, 05:29 GMT

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Fighting systemic racism, extremism will be Canada locks in thousands more early COVID-19 vaccine doses priority for next military chief: Trudeau OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says one of the top priorities for the next commander of the Canadian Armed Forces will be tackling systemic racism and rooting extremism from the ranks.

The comments are the first from the prime minister since Gen. Jonathan Vance announced in July that he was preparing to step down after more than five years as Canada’s chief of the defence staff.

While multiple sources have told The Canadian Press that other senior commanders were interviewed for the job in September, the Liberal government has yet to name Vance’s successor. Some have suggested that the government may be taking its time in appointing a replacement in part because of the military’s involvement in distributing COVID-19 vaccines across the country.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Trudeau indicated without providing details that a new defence chief will be named soon, and the prime minister laid out what he is looking for in the next commander of the Canadian Armed Forces.

“Someone who brings obviously significant operational and strategic skills, but someone who will be very much focused on the institutional transformations that are necessary,” Trudeau said.

That includes fighting systemic racism and creating what Trudeau described as a more

inclusive military “where there is less of the concerning, troubling reports of extremism that continue to bounce up every now and then.”Such reports have included a number of high-profile cases in recent years, including one former Canadian Army reservist who was an alleged recruiter for a neo-Nazi group and is now in custody on firearms charges in the U.S. The military is also investigating the 4th Canadian Ranger Group over concerns some members are associated with right-wing groups. One member was arrested in July after allegedly driving a truck through the gates of Rideau Hall with a loaded weapon and uttering threats against Trudeau.

Military intelligence has previously identified dozens of other active service members as belonging to hate groups or having made racist or discriminatory statements. .............

Source: .ctvnews.ca

OTTAWA -- Canada will be receiving up to 200,000 more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine next week and potentially up to 168,000 Moderna vaccine doses by the end of December. This means thousands more Canadians will be vaccinated before the end of the year.“Canada has secured our second agreement for early doses of COVID-19 vaccines,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, announcing that a second vaccine could be available for use in this country within days.

The federal government has updated its contract with Moderna, to secure delivery of an initial tranche of doses of its vaccine candidate within 48 hours of Health Canada approval. The first 168,000 doses are expected to arrive in a series of shipments, and would be the first of what was expected to be two million Moderna doses contracted to arrive in Canada by the end of March 2021. Overall, Canada has secured access to 20 million Pfizer doses—four million of which are set to land by the end of March— and 40 million Moderna doses, with options to buy thousands more from each manufacturer if needed.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, with Pfizer’s shots to be given 21 days apart, and Moderna’s to be given 28 days apart.

This news comes on the second day of the

largest mass vaccination effort in Canadian history, as more health-care workers and seniors begin receiving their immunizations with the Pfizer shot, which arrived in this country on Sunday and was in the first arms by midday Monday.

Canada made a deal to receive 249,000 Pfizer doses this month, and by next week 230,000 of those doses will have landed.

There are currently 14 sites across the provinces that are up and running, receiving the initial doses. Trudeau said Tuesday that by next week the number of places able to handle and administer Pfizer shots will grow to 70, meaning an additional 56 will be added across the country.

“As with the early shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, this moves us even further forward on getting Canadians protected as quickly as possible,” Trudeau said. ............

“All Canadians who want one, will get a free vaccine in the coming months of 2021,” Trudeau said. Source: ctvnews.ca

Ontario homeowner slapped with $880 fine after hosting Hospitals-in-a-box to be deployed in B.C -- Three “alternate care birthday party that’s now linked to COVID-19 outbreak .VANCOUVER sites” prepared in the spring are being sent TORONTO -- An Ontario homeowner who hosted a birthday party that nearly two dozen people attended is now facing an $880 fine after it was revealed that 11 COVID-19 cases have been connected to it, authorities said. According to York Region Public Health, the birthday party was held at a private residence on Dec. 6 in the City of Vaughan. Officials said a total of 22 people attended the party.

When the party was held, York Region was placed in the red zone, where indoor gatherings were limited to five people. To date, there have been 11 COVID-19 cases in people between the ages of three and 54 associated with the party. Nine of the cases are from York Region while two are from Toronto. “Of the 22 attendees, seven were identified as high-risk contacts and four are considered low-risk contacts with the remaining 11 attendees confirmed cases,” York Region Public Health said in a statement. Individuals were considered low risk if they dropped presents at the door and stayed outside.

Attendees who went inside have been deemed high risk and have been advised to isolate and self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 until Dec. 21.

The health unit said the homeowner is now facing a $750 fine with an additional $130 surcharge. “This serves as a reminder how social gatherings, including birthday parties and holiday celebrations, may seem harmless but they have the potential to spread COVID-19 to children and vulnerable adults,” York Region Public Health said.

Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

VANCOUVER -- The last thing Paramjit Masutta did before she died was push her twin daughters to safety. The 48-year-old mother was walking with her girls in Surrey, B.C. on Tuesday when a runaway delivery van suddenly veered in their direction.

At the last moment, Masutta, who had been holding her daughters’ hands, managed to push the girls out of the way. By all accounts, she saved their lives ”I would expect that,” said Masutta’s brother-in-law, Daljit Banga.

“Paramjit was a beautiful mother, she was always very protective of the children.”

Grieving relatives returned to the scene on Wednesday, including the victim’s eightyear-old daughters. The family said the girls are struggling to accept what happened, still wanting to believe their mom will be coming home.“They still have that thought, but one

of the girls just saw the flowers and it really broke her down,” Banga said.

Firefighters and paramedics tried to resuscitate Masutta, but were unable to save her life.

She would have turned 49 on Christmas Eve. Surrey RCMP are still investigating how the delivery van ended up rolling down the hill

Family in mourning after runaway delivery van kills mother of two.

to different areas of the province where the portable units will be ready to transform empty spaces into makeshift hospitals, CTV News Vancouver has learned.

The three units are essentially hospitals in a box. They’re shipping containers packed with 40 beds, various hospital equipment and the supplies to treat people needing basic medical attention to those with urgent, life-threatening conditions. The units were special paramedic team tasked with helping equipped and set up at the same time the transport a surge of new patients.

Vancouver Convention Centre was con- On Thursday afternoon, the Minister of verted into a makeshift hospital with the Health gave the latest numbers on provinceinstallation of 271 beds and related equip- wide hospital usage rates, which vary greatly. ment in three exhibition halls in early April. “In terms of our regular bed capacity, that B.C.’s health ministry says the first unit is occupancy is 88.8 per cent in regular beds being “pre-positioned” on Vancouver Island and 78 per cent in ICU beds,” said Adrian on Friday, Dec. 18 while planning is under- Dix. “Obviously, in some regions and in way for the other two units “with Northern some places it’s more of a challenge and I want to shout out to the extraordinary work Health and Fraser identified as priority.”

The boxes essentially allow the province to done by health-care workers at the Universet up pop-up hospital services where there sity Hospital in northern British Columbia.” may not be enough capacity at the moment Dix also emphasized there’s plenty of capacity in emergency rooms, which has con— or where there’s none at all.

“Those supplies are then used to set up a cerned doctors since spring. Doctors believe care space in a building of opportunity, such people needing medical attention may be as surge space within a hospital, a commu- avoiding it out of the misplaced belief hospinity centre, gymnasium,” said a ministry tals are too busy with COVID-19 patients or spokesperson. “Patients are not cared for in that there’s a risk of contracting the virus if they go; they warn there could be “collateral the container.”

Newly-available data pinpointing COV- damage” if the trend continues.

ID-19 hotspots in the province show what “We had 4,992 emergency room visits yesterhealth authority-based data has roughly day, that’s less than normal,” Dix said. “Our approximated for weeks: the Nechako and acute-care facilities, their occupancy when Central Okanagan are seeing a spike in cas- you count surge beds, is 69.9 per cent of es. As well, pockets in communities like Fort overall beds and 53.6 per cent of ICU beds.”

St. James have prompted a response from a Source: bc.ctvnews.ca on 144 Street without anyone behind the wheel. It’s unclear whether the vehicle was left in neutral. “Certainly they will be looking to see exactly what the driver’s actions were and what they were doing immediately before and during the incident,” Cpl. Joanie Sidhu said.

The vehicle struck at least one other car before jumping the sidewalk near 61A Avenue.

The driver, a contractor hired by Amazon, has been co-operating with the RCMP’s investigation. Police said he is devastated by what happened. Amazon released an emailed statement to CTV News late on Tuesday saying the company is also “working with law enforcement and the delivery service partner as they investigate.” “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and loved ones during this difficult time,” said spokesperson Owen Torres. Surrey RCMP are appealing for witnesses, particularly any drivers who may have dash cam video from the area around the time of the crash, as they try to piece together the events that led to Masutta’s tragic death. Source:bc.ctvnews.ca

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What could a new ambassador mean for Turkey-Israel relations?

Reports indicate Turkey is to appoint an ambassador to Israel, suggesting a thaw after years of mutual antagonism.

Ankara, Turkey – Turkey’s fraught relationship with Israel could be on the mend, according to reports suggesting Ankara is to appoint the first ambassador to its Mediterranean counterpart in more than

two and a half years.

News of the selection of a Jerusalem-educated appointee would mark the thawing of ties between the countries after years of antagonism and fiery rhetoric between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to a report last

week by Al-Monitor quoting “well-placed sources”, Ankara has picked Ufuk Ulutas to lead efforts to build bridges with Israel. Ulutas currently heads the foreign ministry’s research centre but is not a career diplomat, having previously led a pro-government think-tank.

He studied Hebrew and Middle East politics at the Hebrew

University of Jerusalem, according to biographical details on the think-tank’s website.

Described as “very polished” and “very pro-Palestine” by sources quoted in the Al-Monitor report, Ulutas would face a tough task in repairing relations that have gone from bad to worse in recent years.

Source: aljazeera.com

FM discusses welfare of Pakistanis in UAE with Dubai ruler ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday discussed issues pertaining to welfare of Pakistani diaspora in the United Arab Emirates with the ruler of Dubai.“Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi called on His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin

Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, in Dubai today,” FO said in a statement, adding he “discussed matters pertaining to the welfare of Pakistani Diaspora in the UAE” in the meeting.

Mr Qureshi is on a two-

day visit to UAE. The visit is taking place weeks after the UAE included Pakistan among the 12 countries for whose nationals it had suspended visit visas.

The foreign minister urged Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to encourage UAE’s business community to avail investment opportunities

in Pakistan. Mr Qureshi, the FO said, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening and augmenting existing strong bilateral relations with the UAE. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid warmly reciprocated the sentiments.

Source: aljazeera.com

Iran’s Rouhani: No conditions or negotiations on nuclear deal The US tried to include Iran’s missile programme and regional issues in the original nuclear deal but it is non-negotiable, president says.

Tehran, Iran – President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will not accept any preconditions in returning to the nuclear deal it signed with world powers and will not negotiate its missiles programme or regional activities.

The United States and European powers have said in recent weeks they remain com-

mitted to revitalising the nuclear deal – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – which outgoing US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018. However, they said they expect Iran to negotiate on its contentious missiles programme and its support of proxies in the region – which the US and Europe maintain is destabilising the Middle East.

In his first news conference in Tehran since February when the first COVID-19 cases

eastern al-Jadida district, according to a medic, a security source and the Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM), a collection of activists who reported on the protests and their aftermath. All three sources confirmed to the AFP news agency that al-Iraqi died on his arrival at the nearby Sheikh Zayed hospital.

Rudaw Media Network also reported the killing, citing a source who said al-Iraqi was shot by two attackers six times.

Al-Jadida is a few kilometres from Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the protests from where al-Iraqi would broadcast live footage.

INSM said he had already been targeted

twice before Tuesday’s shooting.

In his last post on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon, al-Iraqi had written: “The innocent die while the cowards rule.”

Nearly 600 people have lost their lives in protest-related violence since rallies began in October 2019, including young organisers who were shot dead. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who came to power in May after street pressure forced the previous prime minister to resign, has pledged to protect rallies and arrest those responsible for past violence.

Source: aljazeera.com

in Iran were identified, the president defied calls by the incoming Biden administration in the US and European powers.

“We will not accept any pre-conditions from anybody. Neither is the JCPOA negotiable, nor can we set it out on the negotiation table and discuss it part by part,” he said in the televised event.“Either everyone will implement the JCPOA as it is or they don’t. If they do, we will too.”

Source: aljazeera.com

Prominent Iraqi activist shot dead in Baghdad: Reports Salah al-Iraqi died after being shot several times by unidentified gunmen in the capital’s eastern al-Jadida district, reports citing several sources say.

Unknown assailants have shot dead a prominent Iraqi protester and activist in Baghdad, according to reports citing security, medical and other sources. Salah al-Iraqi was wellknown for his active role in the anti-government protests that erupted in Iraq’s capital and the Shia-majority south last year, slamming the government as corrupt, inefficient and beholden to neighbouring Iran.

Al-Iraqi was killed on Tuesday in Baghdad’s

GCC summit to be held on January 5: Saudi Arabia’s economy shrinks for fifth consecutive quarter Kuwait minister

An annual Gulf Arab summit, usually held in December, will be hosted by Saudi Arabia on January 5, Kuwait’s foreign minister said.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Sabah made the announcement on Thursday in remarks published on the ministry’s website. Sources familiar with the matter had told the Reuters news agency the gathering would be pushed to next month while parties locked in a long-running dispute that led to a boycott of Qatar work on announcing a tangible deal towards resolving the row. Three of the sources said they expected all heads of state to attend the summit, which has not brought Qatar’s emir together with leaders of boycotting states since 2017. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates severed all travel, trade and diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017. A foreign diplomat in the region, who also expected

full participation at the gathering, said a preliminary deal, however, may be followed by a renewed impasse, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The Saudis appeared more eagre than their allies, the diplomat said, and Doha was willing to hold out for a comprehensive deal, especially given United States Presidentelect Joe Biden has pledged to take a firmer stance with Saudi Arabia.

“The Saudis are keen to demonstrate to Biden that they are peacemakers and open to dialogue,” the diplomat said, adding that the Gulf powerhouse is likely to convince reluctant allies to fall into line.

Source:aljazeera.com

Oil production cuts hit Saudi Arabia’s economy hard again, but the non-oil sector on which the kingdom is pinning its hopes for job growth is showing signs of improvement.. Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted for a fifth straight quarter as the kingdom curtailed crude production to fulfill its commitments to OPEC, though the non-oil sector – the engine of job creation – showed signs of improvement.

Gross domestic product shrunk 4.6% in the third quarter compared to the same period of last year, according to the statistics authority.

In line with most other nations, that was an improvement from a 7% contraction between April and June as the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic wore off.

The oil economy fell 8.2% – the biggest drop since at least the start of 2011, when Bloomberg began compiling such data – as OPEC curbed output to prop up prices. Brent crude has risen to about $51 a barrel since the cuts started, but the global benchmark is still down 22% this year. The non-oil sector lost less steam. It declined by 2.1%, compared to 8.2% in the second quarter, as the government eased virus restrictions and businesses gradually re-

opened. The overall figure was slightly worse than an estimated contraction of 4.2% released by the statistics body last month, which didn’t include a breakdown by sector.

The world’s largest oil exporter is facing a dual crisis this year as the pandemic and lower energy prices strain its finances and the private sector.The kingdom pumped an average of 8.8 million barrels a day between July and September, down from 9.3 million in the previous quarter and 9.4 million a year earlier. While OPEC+ – an alliance between the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and others such as Russia – started its cuts in May, Saudi Arabia’s second-quarter production numbers were skewed by its record output in April during a brief price war.Source: aljazeera.com

10 politics O’Toole eyes post-pandemic election, vows to keep pushing feds on COVID-19 in meantime Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

OTTAWA -- Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says that while he sees many problems with the Liberal government’s handling of pandemic, he won’t be pushing for an election until the COVID-19 health and economic crisis is under control. When the time comes for Canadians to cast their ballots, he says his party will be ready.

“We have to get through the health and economic crisis of COVID-19 before we go to the polls,” said O’Toole in an interview on CTV’s Question Period with host Evan Solomon.

“I think we will be a clear voice for Canadians that deserve an ethical government with a plan for the future of building Canada, but I don’t think we should have an election, until we’ve rounded that corner in this, the biggest crisis of all our lives,” he said, though the Conservatives have voted against the government on several recent confidence votes that saw the Liberals propped up by other opposition parties. “I’ve been putting

structures in place in our party to make sure we’re ready, we’re united, we’re a government waiting.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also indicated he has no desire to call a snap general election anytime soon, but this week, the minority Liberals took a step towards setting up the logistical parameters to do so.

Heeding recommendations from Canada’s chief electoral officer, the government has tabled a series of “temporary” Canada Elections Act changes that would allow weekend voting and an expanded mail-in-voting system, among other health and safety accommodations.

With the House of Commons now on hiatus until late January, there won’t be a chance to advance these election changes for over a month, meaning under the timeline in the bill, the earliest these new measures could be in place would be late April or early May. That’s when federal officials say the beginning of Canada’s mass vaccination effort will begin in earnest, eyeing between April and

June for up to 19 million people to be immunized for COVID-19.

By then, it’s likely the federal government will have tabled its 2021 federal budget, which Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has promised will include more details on their plan for a national daycare program, and how the Liberals intend to spend up to $100 billion on economic stimulus.

O’Toole said in this weekend’s interview that he’s anticipating the next election will be fought on which party has the best “plan for the future.”

“We need Canadians working, we need to build things in this country and be proud of getting people back to work. That’s, I think, what the next election will be about,” he said.

“We have to send a signal that jobs and investment are welcome in our country coming out of the pandemic.”

O’Toole said that is where his ongoing opposition to the federal carbon tax is coming from.

With new details unveiled last week that include a decade of increases to the federal carbon tax as part of the plan to reduce emissions and meet Canada’s climate targets, O’Toole said that “taxation in a time of crisis is not a solution.”.........

“The environment matters a lot to me. I worked on these issues in the private sector, as a dad to young kids it’s important,” said O’Toole. Source: dawn.com

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says while he is committed to transparency in the federal government, being too forthcoming can hinder the government’s ability to wrestle with tough decisions.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Trudeau defended the Liberal record on openness, pointing to the publication of

ministerial mandate letters and efforts to make more data available through restoration of the long-form census.

Information commissioner Caroline Maynard has criticized the Trudeau government for failing to provide the resources that departments and agencies need to answer the steeply growing number of requests from

the public under the Access to Information Act. Liberal legislative changes to the decades-old law, a key accountability tool, were widely panned as timid and even a step backwards.The government announced a full-scale review of the law last June, but has yet to tell Canadians how they can make their views known.The prime minister said

his commitment to transparency and openness “goes to the heart” of one of the responsibilities of any government.

He suggested the Liberals are faring better than some other administrations, saying there is “a division between governments that do believe in transparency and those who still do not.” Source: ctvnews.ca

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited strong criticism from members of the UK parliament after he termed the ongoing protests by Indian farmers as a matter between India and Pakistan.

During the question and answer hour in the UK parliament on Wednesday, Johnson was responding to a question by Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi regarding the ongoing protests by farmers in India against laws passed by the Bharatiya Janata Party government. Dhesi had expressed concern over the use of force by the Indian state against peaceful protesters and had asked if Johnson would “convey to the Indian prime minister our heartfelt anxieties, our hopes for a

speedy resolution to the current deadlock”.

“Does he (Johnson) agree that everyone has a fundamental right to peaceful protest?”

Dhesi had questioned. ”Our view is that [...] of course we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are preeminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he (Dhesi) appreciates that point,” responded Johnson as Dhesi watched, taken aback.Dhesi expressed his disappointment in a two-part tweet, saying “it might help if our PM actually knew what he was talking about”.“The world is watching, issue is a huge one with hundreds of thousands protesting globally (including in London, reported on

by BBC) and the usual Boris Johnson bluff

and bluster heaps further embarrassment onto our nation. Absolutely clueless! So disappointed with his response,” the MP added.

The gaffe was also criticised by other MPs including Sharon Hodgson, Afzal Khan and Zarah Sultana. Responding to Dhesi’s tweet, Hodgson said: “This is so embarrassing Tan! Does he really not know what you are referring to?” MP Khan reminded his followers that Johnson was the former British foreign secretary and said: “A new low even for @ BorisJohnson. My friend @tandhesi asked an important question at #PMQs about the peaceful protests by farmers in Delhi. The ible.” MP Sultana said: “Is it too much to ask PM responded with a rehearsed and unrelat- for a PM who knows the difference between ed answer about India and Pakistan. The is- Kashmir & Punjab?” sue has nothing to do with Pakistan. Incred- Source: dawn.com

NEWS WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) — The SkyTrain cars Princess Diana and Prince Charles travelled on during Expo ’86 will soon be replaced with newer models.

Replacing “first generation” Expo Line cars that have been in service since 1985 is part of a $722.6-million upgrade announced by TransLink Thursday.

“The 205 new SkyTrain cars will allow TransLink to retire older vehicles, improve fleet

quality, and keep service reliable for customers. The contract will also support service expansion as the region’s transit network grows with the Broadway Subway Project and Surrey-Langley SkyTrain,” reads a news release. The first of the new cars will hit the tracks in 2023. The purchase is being funded by the feds, the province, and the transit authority.“Almost four decades ago our very first SkyTrain cars entered service, travelling

Liberals striving for ‘balance’ on federal transparency, Trudeau says

British PM takes flak for saying Indian farmers’ protest a matter between Pakistan and India

Metro Vancouver SkyTrain cars set to get $722.6-million upgrade

F

between Vancouver and New Westminster.

Those first-generation trains have served our region efficiently and reliably over many years, but they are now reaching the end of their life cycle,” says Kevin Desmond, TransLink’s outgoing CEO. This new order will replace our oldest trains and allow us to improve the customer experience, support expansion projects, and manage our capacity well into the future.” Source: fcitynews1130.com

The Importance of Family Mealtime

By:Julie Penkalski or many, family mealtime has been lost in our overscheduled lives. For many families, school, work schedules and extracurricular activities can make it difficult to find time to eat together and some go days or weeks without sitting down as a family to share a meal. However, family meals are important and should be considered part of our daily requirements.

Researchers have found that families who share meals together on a regular basis, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner reap many benefits.

• Family meals are more nutritious. A Harvard study found that families who eat together are twice as likely to eat

• •

• •

their five servings of fruits and vegetables as families who don’t eat together.

Kids who eat family meals tend to eat a wider variety of foods and become less picky eaters.

Family meals provide an opportunity for family members to come together, strengthen ties and build better relationships. They build a sense of belonging which leads to better self-esteem.

Family meals offer parents a chance to be role models. They can set an example of healthy eating and polite table manners.

Family meals help prevent obesity. Research shows that people tend to eat less during family meals because they eat more slowly, and talk more.

•

Research shows that kids who eat family meals have a lower chance of engaging in high risk behaviors such as substance use and violence, and fewer psychological problems.

Tips for eating more meals together: •

• • •

Make family meals a priority in your household. Focus on the importance of being together as a family more than on making an elaborate meal.

Start with small steps. Increase the number of family meals by one extra meal a week.

As a family, plan a menu for the week and make a grocery list.

Let the kids be involved. Let them help prepare food or set the table.

• • •

Work as a family to clean up afterwards.

Turn off the TV. It’s worth a try. More family mealtime could mean large rewards for your family.

It’s worth a try. More family mealtime could mean large rewards for your family.

Source: fcconline.org

11

Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

LIFESTYLE

Nation celebrates Quaid’s 144th birthday

self. He decided to start his legal practice in Bombay (now Mumbai), but it took him years of work to establish himself as a lawyer.

It was nearly 10 years later that he turned actively toward politics. A man without hobbies, he divided his interest between law and politics. Nor was he a religious zealot: he was a Muslim in a broad sense and had little to do with sects. His interest in women was also limited, to Rattenbai (Rutti)—the daughter of Sir Dinshaw Petit, a Bombay Parsi millionaire—whom he married in 1918 over tremendous opposition from her parents and others. The couple had one daughter, Dina, but the marriage proved an unhappy one, and Jinnah and Rutti soon separated. It was his sister Fatima who gave him solace and company.

Jinnah first entered politics by participating in the 1906 session of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) held at Calcutta (now Kolkata), in which the party began to split between those calling for dominion status and those advocating independence for India. Four years later he was elected to the Imperial Legislative Council—the beginning of a long and distinguished parliamentary career. In Bombay he came to know, among other important Congress Party personalities, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, the eminent Maratha leader. Greatly influenced by those nationalist politicians, Jinnah aspired during the early part of his political life to become “a Muslim Gokhale.” Admiration for British political institutions and an eagerness to raise the status of India in the international community and to develop a sense of Indian nationhood among the peoples of India were the chief elements of his politics. At that time, he still looked upon Muslim interests in the context of Indian nationalism.

But, by the beginning of the 20th century, the conviction had been growing among the Muslims that their interests demanded the preservation of their separate identity rather than amalgamation in the Indian nation that would for all practical purposes be Hindu. Largely to safeguard Muslim interests, the All-India Muslim League was founded in 1906. But Jinnah remained aloof from it. Only in 1913, when authoritatively assured that the league was as devoted as the Congress Party to the political emancipation of India, did Jinnah join the league. When the Indian Home Rule League was formed, he became its chief organizer in Bombay and was elected president of the Bombay branch.

Political Unity Jinnah’s endeavours to bring about the political union of Hindus and Muslims earned him the title of “the best ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity,” an epithet coined by Gokhale. It was largely through his efforts that the Congress Party and the Muslim League began to hold their annual sessions jointly, to facilitate mu-

tual consultation and participation. In 1915 the two organizations held their meetings in Bombay and in 1916 in Lucknow, where the Lucknow Pact was concluded. Under the terms of the pact, the two organizations put their seal to a scheme of constitutional reform that became their joint demand vis-à-vis the British government. There was a good deal of give and take, but the Muslims obtained one important concession in the shape of separate electorates, already conceded to them by the government in 1909 but hitherto resisted by Congress.

Meanwhile, a new force in Indian politics had appeared in the person of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. Both the Home Rule League and the Congress Party had come under his sway. Opposed to Gandhi’s noncooperation movement and his essentially Hindu approach to politics, Jinnah left both the league and the Congress Party in 1920. For a few years he kept himself aloof from the main political movements. He continued to be a firm believer in Hindu-Muslim unity and constitutional methods for the achievement of political ends. After his withdrawal from Congress, he used the Muslim League platform for the propagation of his views. But during the 1920s the Muslim League, and with it Jinnah, had been overshadowed by Congress and the religiously oriented Muslim Khilafat movement.

When the failure of the noncooperation movement and the emergence of Hindu revivalist movements led to antagonism and riots between Hindus and Muslims, the Muslim League began to lose strength and cohesion, and provincial Muslim leaders formed their own parties to serve their needs. Thus, Jinnah’s problem during the following years was to convert the Muslim League into an enlightened, unified political body prepared to cooperate with other organizations working for the good of India. In addition, he had to convince the Congress Party, as a prerequisite for political progress, of the necessity of settling the HinduMuslim conflict.

To bring about such a rapprochement was Jinnah’s chief purpose during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He worked toward this end within the legislative assembly, at the Round Table Conference in London (1930–32), and through his “14 points,” which included proposals for a federal form of government, greater rights for minorities, one-third representation for Muslims in the central legislature, separation of the predominantly Muslim Sindh region from the rest of the Bombay province, and introduction of reforms in the North-West Frontier Province. His failure to bring about even minor amendments in the Nehru Committee proposals (1928) over the question of separate electorates and reservation of seats for Muslims in the legislatures frustrated him. He found himself in a peculiar position at that time: many Muslims thought that he was too nationalistic in his policy and that Muslim interests were not safe in his hands, while the Congress Party would not even meet the moderate Muslim demands halfway. Indeed, the Muslim League was a house divided against itself. The Punjab

Muslim League repudiated Jinnah’s leadership and organized itself separately. In disgust, Jinnah decided to settle in England. From 1930 to 1935 he remained in London, devoting himself to practice before the Privy Council. But when constitutional changes were in the offing, he was persuaded to return home to head a reconstituted Muslim League.

Soon preparations started for the elections under the Government of India Act of 1935. Jinnah was still thinking in terms of cooperation between the Muslim League and the Hinducontrolled Congress Party and with coalition governments in the provinces. But the elections of 1937 proved to be a turning point in the relations between the two organizations. Congress obtained an absolute majority in six provinces, and the league did not do particularly well.

The Congress Party decided not to include the league in the formation of provincial governments, and exclusive all-Congress governments were the result. Relations between Hindus and Muslims started to deteriorate, and soon Muslim discontent became boundless.

Ahluwalia requested her to convey the condolence message to Nawaz in London.In December 2015, Modi had paid a brief surprise visit to Lahore on his

way back to India from Kabul. He was received by Nawaz and both leaders had flown to Raiwind from Lahore airport in a chopper.Modi then briefly attended Nawaz’s grand daughter’s wedding ceremony at his residence and held a brief

meeting with his Pakistani counterpart at the time before departing for New Delhi. This was the first time an Indian premier visited Pakistan in more than a decade.Dialogue between Pakistan and India has been suspended since 2013.

However, relations nose-dived after India illegally annexed occupied Kashmir on August 5 last year and Islamabad downgraded relations with New Delhi.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a tweet on Friday taunted Nawaz Sharif over his ‘friendship’ with Ind­ian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused the two leaders of creating the law and order

situation in the country or tension at the border to manipulate the situation in favour of the PML-N. “Beginning to wonder why whenever Nawaz Sharif is in trouble, there is increasing tension along Pakistan’s bor-

ders and a rise in terrorist acts? Is it a mere coincidence?” the PTI chief tweeted. He made the comment at 2.30pm on Friday after condemning the attack on JUI-F leader Akram Durrani’s cavalcade in Bannu which left four people dead.

Mr Khan’s tweet was based on a slogan frequently raised by PTI workers and supporters at its public meetings: “Modi Ka Jo Yaar Hai, Ghaddar Hai, Ghaddar Hai (friend of Modi is a traitor)”.

Source: dawn.com

By: Mahmud Husain

M

Vice-Chancellor, University of Karāchi, Pakistan. ohammed Ali Jinnah, also called Qaid-i-Azam (Arabic: “Great Leader”), (born December 25, 1876?, Karachi, India [now in Pakistan]—died September 11, 1948, Karachi), Indian Muslim politician, who was the founder and first governorgeneral (1947–48) of Pakistan.

Early Years

Jinnah was the eldest of seven children of Jinnahbhai Poonja, a prosperous merchant, and his wife, Mithibai. His family was a member of the Khoja caste, Hindus who had converted to Islam centuries earlier and who were followers of the Aga Khan. There is some question about Jinnah’s date of birth: although he maintained that it was December 25, 1876, school records from Karachi (Pakistan) give a date of October 20, 1875.

After being taught at home, Jinnah was sent in 1887 to the Sind Madrasat al-Islam (now Sindh Madressatul Islam University) in Karachi. Later he attended the Christian Missionary Society High School (also in Karachi), where at the age of 16 he passed the matriculation examination of the University of Bombay (now University of Mumbai, in Mumbai, India). On the advice of an English friend, his father decided to send him to England to acquire business experience.

Jinnah, however, had made up his mind to become a barrister. In keeping with the custom of the time, his parents arranged for an early marriage for him before he left for England.

In London he joined Lincoln’s Inn, one of the legal societies that prepared students for the bar. In 1895, at the age of 19, he was called to the bar. While in London Jinnah suffered two severe bereavements—the deaths of his wife and his mother. Nevertheless, he completed his formal studies and also made a study of the British political system, frequently visiting the House of Commons. He was greatly influenced by the liberalism of William E. Gladstone, who had become prime minister for the fourth time in 1892, the year of Jinnah’s arrival in London.

Jinnah also took a keen interest in the affairs of India and in Indian students. When the Parsi leader Dadabhai Naoroji, a leading Indian nationalist, ran for the British Parliament, Jinnah and other Indian students worked day and night for him. Their efforts were crowned with success: Naoroji became the first Indian to sit in the House of Commons.

When Jinnah returned to Karachi in 1896, he found that his father’s business had suffered losses and that he now had to depend on him-

Entry Into Politics

Creator Of Pakistan

Jinnah had originally been dubious about the practicability of Pakistan, an idea that the poet and philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal had propounded to the Muslim League conference of 1930, but before long he became convinced that a Muslim homeland on the Indian subcontinent was the only way of safeguarding Muslim interests and the Muslim way of life. It was not religious persecution that he feared so much as the future exclusion of Muslims from all prospects of advancement within India, as soon as power became vested in the closeknit structure of Hindu social organization.

To guard against that danger, he carried out a nationwide campaign to warn his coreligionists of the perils of their position, and he converted the Muslim League into a powerful instrument for unifying the Muslims into a nation.

At that point, Jinnah emerged as the leader of a renascent Muslim nation. Events began to move fast. On March 22–23, 1940, in Lahore, the league adopted a resolution to form a separate Muslim state, Pakistan. The Pakistan idea was at first ridiculed and then tenaciously opposed by the Congress Party. But it captured the imagination of the Muslims. Pitted against Jinnah were many influential Hindus, including Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. And the British government seemed to be intent on maintaining the political unity of the Indian subcontinent. But Jinnah led his movement with such skill and tenacity that ultimately both the Congress Party and the British government had no option but to agree to the partitioning of India.

Pakistan thus emerged as an independent state in 1947.

Jinnah became the first head of the new state.

Faced with the serious problems of a young country, he tackled Pakistan’s problems with authority. He was not regarded as merely the governor-general. He was revered as the father of the nation. He worked hard until overpowered by age and disease in Karachi, the place of his birth, in 1948. Source:obritannica.com

Modi sent condolence letter to Nawaz after mother’s demise Continued from Page 1

Source: dawn.com

Imran taunts Nawaz over his ‘friendship’ with Modi

12

Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

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Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

By: Asma Shums, have read somewhere that when you get what you wish for might make you happy but if you got what God wished for you would be happier. It’s often when you don’t get what you want is when you find a new path and passion for your life. Until then, most of us are unhappy when we don’t get what we wish for, but we don’t consider the implications of our wishes coming true.

Let’s pretend that God has cleared all the backlog of prayers of his devotees.

1. Kids: I wish we had no school and could play all day - Done 2. Women: I want the undivided attention of my husband - Done

I

women / H E A L T H

Be Careful What You Wish For

3. Husbands: I’m sick of this traffic, I wish I could work from home. - Done 4. Working Moms: I wish I could spend some quality time with my kids and read.

- Done 5. Students: I wish I had no exams? - Done 6. Parents: I wish our kids could spend more time with us rather than being busy everyday - Done 7. Employee: I’m slogging too much, need a looong break. - Done 8. Employers: I have no life of my own, I wish could relax at home sweet home. Done 9. Earth: I can’t breathe, I wish I could get a break from all this pollution and chaos...

- Done Often when we dream about our wishes, it’s a way for us to fantasize and escape our reality. Goals and dreams are important and yet you might never accomplish complete satisfaction at the end of the day. Given there is

Be careful what you wish for because you will get it.

Be even more careful what you work for because you will get it even more quickly.

a global pandemic, most of our wishes are to travel, quit our job to have enough time to explore all our hobbies, spend time with our friend and family. But the needs to be a balance and sometimes not getting what you wish for can be a good thing.

Remember: 1.The past is history, the future is a mystery, and only the present is a gift. Focus on what you have and be grateful for the positives that are present in your life.

2. Don’t stop having fun! It is easy to get caught up in our responsibilities and dream of an alternative reality but if you have fun in reality, you materialize some of your goals.

3. Work a little to make it add up. It’s unrealistic to quit your job and devote all your time into a dream. However, if you devote a little time each day, you actively work to make your dreams into a reality.

4. Appreciate the value you have in life. This means enjoying and appreciating the value

and good you have in your life. Being grateful for the positives in your life is the key to happiness.

Most importantly, you don’t get what you wish for. You get what you work for. It’s fun to wish and fantasize about future possibilities but if it truly is your dream then you have to work towards it. On the other side, you must be careful of what you wish for, you may receive it. We have to hold the belief that we are exactly where we need to be.

If we don’t like it, we have to work towards changing it. Simply wishing for it does not work. info at: asmashums@gmail.com

Be careful about wanting what others have. There is always a price. Perhaps God didn’t give it to you, because He knew you wouldn’t be able to pay for it.

Canadians may face travel restrictions for years if coronavirus vaccine not available for everyone

By Katie Dangerfield

A

sense of normalcy is on the horizon with COVID-19 vaccination rollout underway in Canada.

It’s expected the majority of Canadians could be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus by next September, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

While that’s great news for Canada, experts warn that unless other nations have access to vaccines, Canadians will have to continue to live in a “bubble” — meaning our borders could remain closed.

“It’s the old adage, ‘No one is safe until everyone is safe,’” Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist with the University of Ottawa, said. “We cannot get close to the eradication of coronavirus unless vaccines are made available to everyone.”

But vaccines may not be available to everyone, especially in low-income nations.

Coronavirus: Canada secures 2nd agreement with Moderna for early vaccine doses Coronavirus: Canada secures 2nd agreement with Moderna for early vaccine doses According to a Reuters investigation published Wednesday, COVAX, the global effort to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries, faces a “very high” risk of failure, potentially leaving nations home to billions of people with no access to vaccines until as late as 2024.

That is because the program is struggling from a lack of funds, supply risks and complex contractual arrangements, which could make it impossible to achieve its goals, the investigation found.

He warned that unless other nations have access to vaccines, then Canadians hoping

to travel internationally in the near future will be out of luck.

Canada is one of the largest contributors to the COVAX program, according to the federal government.

In a statement to Global News, the office of the Prime Minister said that Canada had announced a $440 million into COVAX — the second-largest contribution any country has made so far.

Canada’s Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould told Global News Wednesday, the country recognizes how “important it is for us to respond to this issue globally.”

Canadian border could remain closed

The Canada-U.S. border has been closed since March. The border restrictions, which do not cover trade or travel by air, have been rolled over several times and will remain until at least Jan. 21 of next year in an effort to curb rising cases of the novel coronavirus.

The federal government has also warned that non-essential travel outside of Canada must be avoided.

As the vaccines continue to roll out and coronavirus levels potentially start to lower in the country, many Canadians may be itching to hop on a plane for a much-needed vacation, or even cross the border into the United States to see friends or family.

Task force will examine re-opening U.S.Canada border Task force will examine re-opening U.S.Canada border – Nov 29, 2020 But Deonandan said that if other nations can’t innoculate their citizens, then the coronavirus will continue to spread, and travelling may be impossible.

“There’s no such thing as a hermetically sealed nation that no infection seeps into,” he explained. “Even the countries that have isolated themselves, like Australia and New Zealand, they monitor their borders very, very carefully and they’re always finding coronavirus cases.”

As of Thursday, there have been more than 74 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, and the numbers are continuing to grow.

The virus that has killed more than 1.6 million people has exposed vast inequities between countries, as fragile health systems

and smaller economies were often hit harder.

And many low-income nations lack the funds, resources and infrastructure to efficiently roll out a coronavirus vaccine.

Their best chance of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is through the COVAX initiative, led by the World Health Organization. But the initiative has secured only a fraction of the two billion doses it hopes to buy over the next year, has yet to confirm any actual deals to ship out vaccines and is short on cash.

Gould said Canada is pushing for other nations to contribute more to the COVAX initiative, as there is still $4.8 billion to raise in order to make advance purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies.

Coronavirus: WHO urges countries to join forces in global COVID-19 vaccine plan Coronavirus: WHO urges countries to join forces in global COVID-19 vaccine plan – Aug 24, 2020 She warned that if the vaccines do not reach people around the world, not only will it cause inequity in healthcare in poor nations, but also it could lead to a continued border closure in Canada.

“We can do everything here at home to protect ourselves from COVID-19, but we don’t want to keep our borders closed in the long-term. We want to be connected to the world,” Gould said. “And so that’s why having this international mechanism to try and address these challenges is so important.”

Everyone needs access to a vaccine

According to a recent report, nine out of 10 people in 70 low-income countries are unlikely to be vaccinated for the virus in 2021 because the majority of the most promising vaccines have been bought up by the West.

Rich countries with 14 per cent of the world’s population have secured 53 per cent of the most promising vaccines, according to the People’s Vaccine Alliance, which includes Amnesty International, Frontline AIDS, Global Justice Now and Oxfam.

Canada has secured more doses per head of population than any other – enough to vaccinate each Canadian five times, said the alliance.

“COVAX is all about allowing nations to purchase vaccines, but if a vaccine is not there to purchase, you cannot purchase it,” Deonandan said.

He recommended that nations, like Canada, commit to donating vaccines once the coun-

try reaches a surplus — potentially by the end of 2021.

“Maybe some people aren’t on board with just giving it away,” Deonandan said, adding there could be agreements put in place for surplus supply to be made available to COVAX for purchase.

There are all kinds of strategies to prevent it from sitting in a warehouse going to waste.“

Lessons from eradicating smallpox

The WHO has pointed to the global effort to eradicate smallpox as a way to combat the coronavirus.

Smallpox was eradicated 40 years ago after “unprecedented” co-operation between nations, and a similar global effort could help bring an end to COVID-19, World Health Organization officials said in May. In 1959, the WHO started an initiative to eradicate smallpox. Although the virus had been stamped out in rich nations, it continued to spread in populations in South America, South Asia and Africa.

But the global eradication campaign suffered from a lack of funds and a shortage of vaccine donations.

Coronavirus: Trudeau says Canada contributing close to $500M towards WHO’s COVAX facility Coronavirus: Trudeau says Canada contributing close to $500M towards WHO’s COVAX facility – Sep 29, 2020 In 1967 there was a renewed global effort to eradicate the deadly disease, which included measures such as increased financial aid and vaccine donations. In 1980, the World Health Assembly officially declared the world free of smallpox.

Speaking in May on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “smallpox is the first and to date the only human disease to be eradicated globally.”

“Humanity’s victory over smallpox is a reminder of what’s possible when nations come together to fight a common health threat,” Tedros said. “Many of the basic public health tools that were used successfully then are the same tools that have been used to respond to Ebola and to COVID: disease surveillance, case finding, contact tracing and mass communication campaigns to inform affected populations.”

Source: globalnews.ca

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Jamadi ul I, 3,1442 Dec 18, 2020

C ontinued / P akistan / spt

Continued from page 5 Nehru, in his book Glimpses of World History, wrote that the Messiah was never a claimant to divinity or to being a god, but that people like to turn their heroes into a kind of god.

Hazrat Isa (a.s.) was, like other prophets, a man to whom revelation came from God and who was moved to lead and guide society. If he had a miracle, other prophets also had miracles. If he was born without a father, Hazrat Adam (a.s.) was also created without a father or a mother, but no Christian thinks that he was the Son of God.

The Qur’an says:

The Messiah, son of Maryam, was no more than a messenger many were the messengers who passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their daily food. (5:75).

Like all other human beings, they were in need of the necessities of life.

This truth, which has come in the clear word of Allah - the Qur’an - agrees with both wisdom and the intellect, because a man, who, like other individuals, has no power from himself, and thus like other men and prophets is in need of the necessities of life like food and sleep. By the Judgement of wis-

Hazrat ‘Isa Jesus ( a.s.)

dom, he does not deserve to be worshipped.

So, according to the intellect, and with the confirmation of the Holy Qur’an according to the existing New Testament (Gospel of St. Mark), and on the evidence of great historians, Hazrat Isa (a.s.) was the slave and messenger of God, and never laid claim to divinity.

But after Hazrat Isa (a.s.), his pure religion lost its genuineness and polytheism and idolatry found its way into it, so that Will Durant in his ‘History of Civilization; has written that Christianity did not eradicate polytheism, but has rather adopted it.

Everyone who has studied Christian dogma will confirm that the historian has proved a historical fact. For even now such beliefs as the following are found among the followers of the Messiah.

1) Isa became separated from the essence of God and he is therefore not created, but is called the Son of God; 2) The Messiah was a man, but a man in whom God was incarnate; 3) The Messiah is himself God who showed himself in the form of man.

But we all know that God is not material as a result of which he could exist in space, or

separate from himself parts and call himself the Son of God. And we also understand with our wisdom that God has no dimensions as a result of which he could be contained in something or incarnate himself or come forth in the likeness of man.

Moreover, how can it be possible that a God without any need should become in need of food and clothing?

Therefore, if the Christians ponder carefully, they will confess that the Messiah, like all other prophets, is the slave of Allah and has absolutely no claim to divinity.

Their father said: “My dear sons, you could not break the sticks as long as they remained tied together but you broke each single stick quite easily. They were strong in bundle, but became weak when separated from one another.”

This had a deep effect on the farmer’s sons.

They gave up quarreling and began to live in peace and worked wholeheartedly to produce more grains. The lesson: united we stand divided we fall.

Once Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) went out on a journey along with some of his companions. Birds were singing and chirping lively.

One of the prophet’s companions saw a nest in a bush. It was the nest of sparrows and there were two chicks in it. He picked up the young sparrows. All at once the elder sparrows came crying and began to fly over his head.

The prophet asked his companion why the sparrows were circling over his head. The man replied he had removed their young

ones from the nest. The prophet was greatly moved. He felt sorry for the poor little birds and advised the companion to put back the baby sparrows in the nest at once which he did promptly. The sparrows were happy and cried no more.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was kind and affectionate not only to human beings but also to all living creatures.

God almighty, for this very reason, was pleased to bestow upon him the title of ‘benefactor of all the worlds’.

The prophet is known to have said that “Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people.”

Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani (God be pleased with him) had to undertake a journey when he was yet a young boy. His pious mother stitched up 40 gold coins in his shirt and advised him to speak the truth always.

He joined a caravan and set off on his journey.

A gang of robbers fell on the travelers and

The Qur’an says:

“They are unbelievers who say, “Allah is the Messiah, Maryam’s son.” Say, “Who then shall overrule Allah in any way if He desires to destroy the Messiah, Maryam’s son, and his mother, and all those who are on the earth? For to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, creating what He will. Allah is Powerful over everything.” (5:17)

Sayings of the Messiah

The Prophet of Islam, the great Messenger (S) said: The disciples asked Hazrat Isa (a.s.), “With whom should we associate?” He replied, “With those whose countenance

‘United we stand, divided we fall’

By: Zafar Alam Sarwar Miracle’s Contributor farmer had three grownup sons who always quarreled among themselves.

He asked them to live in peace, but his advice had no effect on them. He was worried about the family’s future.

One day the father fell seriously ill, and sent for his sons. He asked them to collect a handful of sticks which they did at once. He tied the sticks into a bundle and asked them to break the bundle one by one. They tried hard to break it but none could do. At last the farmer untied the bundle and asked each to break a single stick. They broke the single stick quite easily.

A

recalls Allah, and whose speech adds to your knowledge, and whose actions make your eagerness for the concerns of the next world greater.”7 The Prophet (S) also said, “The disciples asked Hazrat Isa (a.s.) for guidance for them and he replied, “Musa, Kalim Allah, said to you, “Do not swear in the name of Allah what is a lie, but I say, “Do not swear in the name of Allah, even what is true.” The disciples asked for greater guidance, and he said, “The prophet of Allah, Musa, said to you, “Do not commit adultery.” But I say to you, “Do not even think of it, because everyone into whose head the thought of adultery enters is like the person who kindles a fire in a painted room, which even if it doesn’t burn the room, at least blackens the paint.”’

Source: al-islam.org

deprived them of their valuables.

One of the dacoits, who happened to pass by the boy, said: “Do you have anything on you?” The young boy replied promptly: “Yes, I have 40 gold coins.” He readily showed the money when asked to. The dacoit took the boy to the leader of the gang.

Like all other robbers the leader was not surprised a little. “Why did you not deny having money?” The boy said his mother had advised him to speak the truth always.

The gang chief was deeply impressed: “Alas!

I don’t obey the commands of God while this little boy so faithfully follows his mother’s advice.” He disbanded the gang and gave up his bad ways of earning livelihood.

Thus the example set by Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Gilani reformed all the robbers and dacoits. The boy grew up to be a great religious leader and a pious saint held in high esteem by millions and popularly known as Ghaus-ul-Azam Gilani. --zasarwar@hotmail.com

‘Mental torture’: Pakistan’s Amir quits international cricket

Fast-bowler says he announced retirement in protest over ‘shabby’ treatment he received from management. Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Amir says he is retiring from international cricket after being treated in a “shabby” manner and “mentally tortured” by his team’s management. The 28-yearold, who had already retired from Tests, was not selected in the 35-member squad for the New Zealand series last month and was also overlooked for the home series against Zimbabwe. “I don’t want to play international cricket any more,” Amir, who has previously been banned for spot-fixing, told AFP news agency.

“I was always available for white-ball cricket but I have had shabby treatment from the team management who have mentally tortured me, and that’s unacceptable.”The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Amir’s decision in a press release. “PCB chief executive Wasim Khan spoke with Amir this afternoon who confirmed that he has no desires or intentions of playing international cricket and, as such, he should not be considered for future international matches,” a PCB release said on Thursday. This is a personal decision of Amir, which the PCB respects.” Source: dawn.com

Heer Ranjha icon Firdous Begum Salman Nasir, renowned Pakistani passes away at 73 Canadian media Host passes away

Known for her extensive acting career from the 1970s to 1980s, veteran industry star Firdous Begum, passed away at 73, family sources revealed.

Begum was admitted to a hospital in Lahore on Tuesday due to a brain hemorrhage, where she breathed her last.

Her film career started with the movie Fa-

noos in 1963, where she was cast in the role of a supporting actor. Following, she acted in over 150 Punjabi, Urdu and Pashto films, receiving her big break through Heer Ranjha, where she shined in the adaptation of the namesake story by Sufi poet, Waris Shah.

However, it was her lead role in Malangi (1965) that strengthened her roots as an icon and legend in Lollywood, and where she met her first husband, lead actor Akmal Khan, who unfortunately passed away in June 1967. Firdous Begum is survived by her three children, two sons and a daughter.

Source: dawn.com

On Dec 14th, Mr. Salman Nasir, senior host at Radio FM 93.1 and well-known member of Pakistani community lost his battle with cancer. Mr. Nasir started his career from Radio Quetta Pakistan. He worked in different media organizations in Pakistan.

In BC, he hosted Radio India and Pakistani Tv Show “Sohni Dharti Pakistan”.

More recently, he regularly hosted “Hamara Pakistan” & “Sunahray Geet “ from Monday to Friday 9 to 11PM. He received many community awards in his life for his contributions to media.

He had a good sense of humor. His eloquent and melodious voice was unique and his delivery of words was precise. He was no doubt an institution for Radio voice learners.

After learning of his passing, a few local

Media community members gathered on Zoom to pay tribute to Mr. Salman Nasir.

Everyone reminisced about the time which he spent with all of the media people and his humble and polite demeanor.

All Media persons prayed for his family to bear this loss.

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December 18, 2020, 05:29 GMT