Miracle 525-Aug 14, 2020

Volume 20 Issue 525- Zul Hijja 24,1441H, August 14, 2020

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5 20 21

When is Muharram .2020 How to Master Working From Home What happens if you catch the new

7 City of Surrey to host

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15 MLA Bruce Ralston,

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virtual Surrey

MLA Garry Begg 15 MLA Rachna Singh acknowledged Fiji Cnt

Saudi Arabia ends loan and oil supply to Pak Radical or moderate?

Trump’s struggle to def Assault charge expected for woman in Mash.

1442 August *20, 2020 At Pg 5

At Pg 9-14

Independence n a t s i k a P f o y Da At Pg 6, 12

Killed more than 170 people and wounded some 6,000 others in Beirut

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Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

PAKISTAN

At last, BRT buses to hit the road tomorrow

PESHAWAR: The ruling PTI’s Achilles heel, the Bus Rapid Transit, known by its acronym BRT, will finally be launched Thursday.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the third generation mass transit system at around 3pm on Thursday,” a seemingly relieved Chief Minister Mahmood Khan announced here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the Chief Minister’s House, Mr Mahmood said the initial deadline set by his predecessor, Pervez Khattak, was a mistake.

He said Mr Khattak launched the project for the benefit of the people of the provincial capital. The chief minister said his two years at the helm were tough as there was so much criticism of the project.

CM says project deadline set by his predecessor was a mistake “For me, it was a situation like caught between a rock and a hard place,” he said.

Mr Mahmood said the government would gradually meet all those things, which the project lacked. He praised the BRT managers over efforts for the project’s launch.

“All of them worked very hard to make the project’s timely inauguration a reality,” he said. Fayyaz Khan, the chief executive officer of the government-owned TransPeshawar company, which has been set up to operate the project, highlighted the features of the initiative. He said BRT was a third genera-

tion project, which had a 27 kilometers long main corridor from Chamkani to Karakhano crossing, and five off-corridor routes connecting different parts of the city to the main corridor.

“The Kohat Adda-Shah Alam on Charsadda road off the corridor link will be 18 kilometers long, while the length of the ChamkaniPishtakha Chowk section is 19 kilometers.

The three other routes will connect different parts of Hayatabad and Karkhano crossing with each other,” he said.

Mr Fayyaz said 30 BRT stations had been set up along 27 kilometers long BRT corridor at a distance of 900 meters.

He said three depots and staging facility were under construction.

The TransPeshawar CEO said the company had a fleet of 200 diesel hybrid air-conditioned buses, which would cover 59 kilometers of the main and off-corridor routes.

He said the project also had a bicycle sharing system and 360 buses had been purchased for the purpose.

Mr Fayyaz said the BRT would also have an express service, which would make stops at only seven stations of the main corridor, while the regular bus service would be available at all stations. He said the commuters would have to pay Rs10 per five kilometers, while the fare would go up by Rs5 for every five kilometers. Source: dawn.com

FIR registered against Maryam, PML-N workers for clash outside NAB Lahore office A first information report (FIR) was registered on Wednesday against PML-N vicepresident Maryam Nawaz Sharif and party workers over Tuesday’s clash outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) office in Lahore.A day earlier, after Maryam arrived for a hearing in a case pertaining to “illegal” acquisition of land, violence erupted outside the anti-graft watchdog’s office as heavy police contingents and workers of the PML-N clashed. Many people, including some officials, were injured and around 50 men were rounded up after police fired tear gas besides hurling back stones at the activists, with each side blaming the other for triggering the clash.

Mariam claimed the government had planned to “cause harm” to her through police action, while posting a video of her bulletproof car’s broken windshield on her Twitter account. The FIR, which was filed by NAB’s Director of Security and Intelligence Mohammad Asghar at the Chung police station, stated that Maryam had been called to the bureau’s Lahore office in a “personal capacity”. But instead of merely appearing for the hearing, the FIR alleged she “incited PML-N workers at the behest of her husband Safdar Awan”.

“The workers then started displaying thuggery — pelting stones and creating disorder.”

Besides Maryam and her husband, the FIR also named multiple PML-N leaders including Rana Sanaullah, Mirza Javed, Javed Latif, Mian Abdul Raouf and 184 other supporters. It also pointed to the involvement of another 300 unnamed workers who the security team “would be able to identify from the

pictures and video footage”.

The FIR also identified different vehicles that came to the NAB office as part of Maryam’s caravan.

“This is the first time in NAB’s 20-year history that this level of horrendous attitude has been shown in which the day to day office operations of the organisation have been destroyed and the state’s work has been interfered with,” it said.

“This evil act was done by Mariam Safdar and her husband Safdar Awan after proper planning and coordination with the PML-N workers. They also brought stones in their cars from Jati Umra,” the FIR stated, adding that MPA Mirza Javed and his son had also come to the NAB office with bags of stones in their car.

The FIR also alleged that the workers had organised an “unlawful assembly on Maryam’s instigation” and were told to disperse by the police. “The PML-N workers under their leadership’s guidance also pelted stones at the police officials.” .Source: dawn.com

Saudi Arabia terminates loan and oil supply to Pakistan over criticism of OIC on Kashmir

Saudi Arabia has ended a loan and oil supply to Pakistan due to the latter’s criticism that the Saudi-led Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is not doing enough to pressure India on the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan was last week forced to repay a Saudi loan of $1 billion that the kingdom called in after Pakistan insisted it be allowed to lead the OIC’s support for Kashmir, a region largely under Indian occupation and which was annexed by India last year.

The loan was part of a $6.2 billion package announced by Saudi Arabia in November 2018, which included a total of $3 billion in loans and an oil credit facility amounting to $3.2 billion. Those deals were then signed when Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman paid a visit to Pakistan in February last year.

Relations between the two countries then started to break down, however, when Riyadh turned down Islamabad’s request to convene a special meeting of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers. Pakistan continued to demand the OIC use its role to help Kashmir, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi stating in an interview with the Pakistani news channel ARY last week that “I am once again respectfully telling OIC that a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers is our expectation.”

He went further by warning that Pakistan would be forced to take it into its own hands, saying that “If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on

the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris.”

Qureshi insisted that the OIC, dominated largely by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Arab states, must “show leadership on the issue.”

He added that “We have our own sensitivities. You have to realize this. Gulf countries should understand this.”

The foreign minister made the comments despite risking his country’s ties with the kingdom, acknowledging that “It’s right, I’m taking a position despite our good ties with Saudi Arabia…We cannot stay silent anymore on the sufferings of the Kashmiris.”

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have historically had strong bilateral relations in the financial, trade and military sectors, making the increased tensions between the two countries a concern for many and particularly for Pakistan, which has been undergoing a financial crisis over the past few years and which saw the kingdom as a primary ally to help bail it out.

This is not the first time such tension was witnessed, though, as Pakistan was pressured by Saudi Arabia to skip the attendance of a major summit on the issues facing the Muslim world in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in December last year due to the presence of the kingdom’s rivals, Iran and Turkey. Pakistan’s lack of attendance, seen as a challenge to Saudi Arabia’s influence in the Muslim world, caused many to see Islamabad as being subservient to Riyadh. Source: .middleeastobserver.org

NAB team grills Buzdar in liquor licence bribe case LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar is in hot water as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is planning to open more investigations against him regarding acquiring property mostly in south Punjab in the names of his relatives and others after finding an approver against him in a case involving issuance of a liquor licence, according to sources.

On Wednesday, Mr Buzdar appeared before a combined investigation team of NAB at its Thokhar Niaz Baig office that grilled him for allegedly receiving Rs50 million in bribe to force the Excise and Taxation Department to issue a liquor licence to a hotel in violation of the law. “Mr Buzdar was quizzed for 100 minutes in which 60 questions were put to him. He could hardly offer any answer to the questions,” a source told Dawn.

“He kept insisting that he should be given every question in writing and he would submit the reply later. He said he was the chief minister and every word of his had importance; therefore, he needed to reply in writing. ” Asks Punjab CM to submit replies by Aug 18 The source said Mr Buzdar was asked why he forced the former Excise and Taxation Department head, Ashraf Gondal, to issue a liquor licence to an under-construction hotel in violation of rules.

He was also asked about his association with former chief secretary Raheel Siddiqui and reasons behind his appointment (as chief secretary), a ‘fight’ between Mr Gondal and Mr Siddiqui over the licence issue, a special CM’s meeting on this matter, the role of his

uncle for allegedly receiving bribe at his behest, and his relations with the owner of the hotel in question, etc.

“When he was reminded that he had declared during a recent media talk he was fully prepared to reply to NAB queries, Mr Buzdar insisted he would reply in writing,” the source said.

Showing their dissatisfaction over his ‘noncooperation’, the investigators entertained his request and handed over some 12 pages containing the questions relating to the liquor case and the record of his and his relatives’ properties.

The NAB team asked him to submit a reply

by Aug 18. Mr Buzdar sought more time but his request was declined.

According to the source, Mr Buzdar, who was chosen for the post of Punjab chief minister by Prime Minister Imran Khan himself, seems to be in real trouble following the statement by Mr Gondal to NAB that he was forced by the CM’s office “verbally” to issue the liquor licence in violation of the rules. .Source: dawn.com

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Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

o pini o n

The pandemic depression

N the midst of a crisis, whether it’s battle or crime or, in the case of most of the world, a pandemic, there is no time to stop and assess the damage. People and institutions and governments do what they can; there is an emphasis on taking extreme measures for life preservation, the pulling out of all the stops.

It is only later, after the storms have passed, that there is time to assess the cost of the cataclysm. It is then that the losses are tabulated and inventories made; the enumeration of what has been lost is essential if plans are to be made for the continuation of life and the realisation of the future.

The world is in the middle of a crisis now. The disease that has stumped the world, for which no scientist has yet been able to discover a cure, rages on more than five months since it first emerged on the world stage.

The shutdowns and the lockdowns, the too-fast reopening, the return to lockdowns, are still pausing and playing the world like a sordid game of musical chairs.

The assessment of damage will come only once this dark moment has passed. Only then will be seen what the impact of so much death and so much loss has been. The economic costs alone will be staggering.

According to economists Carmen and Vincent Reinhart, the global economy will never be the same. Unlike past financial crises, the truly global nature of this one means the damage will be far reaching, involving each and every country.

According to the World Bank, nearly 60m people will be pushed into poverty and the global economy will shrink by 5pc this year.

According to the World Bank, nearly 60 million people will be pushed into poverty. Already, the alarms are being sounded: the World Bank has forecast that the world’s economy will shrink by five per cent this year, the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics has forecast the worst unemployment figures in 72 years, and the Bank of England has announced the most dire forecast that the country has faced since 1706.

Some of the world’s richest consumers are likely to be flailing, and, as they do, so too will they spread the cost to those whose goods and services they were in the habit of purchasing.

The manner in which the domino effects of economic crises elsewhere impact people everywhere and the persistence of these issues for longer than ever before is what qualifies what’s coming as a ‘depression’, as opposed to a mere crisis.

Pakistan has not been impacted by Covid-19 as have some of the worst-hit countries. Recently, the credit rating agency Moody’s changed Pakistan’s credit rating to ‘stable’ (it had been under probation for a downgrade). That may be welcome but it unfortunately does little to cushion the impact of what is on its way. The policies being used by developed and industrialised nations to stabilise their economies are the culprit. Even as the virus abates, the restrictions on borders, for-

eign workers and students are likely to persist amid fears of some new pandemic.

Even more troubling is the shrinking of global trade. Between 2008 and 2018, global trade growth had already fallen by half. According to the World Trade Organisation, trade is supposed to fall further, by 30pc or more in 2020.

As many have pointed out, Pakistan largely had no plan to deal with the pandemic. The government, it appeared, just shrugged and said whatever will be will be. While demographic factors like a young population and lower degree of urbanisation may have helped prevent the virus spread in Pakistan, skirting the economic consequences of the virus will be far trickier. The low price of oil means that Pakistan’s ability to export labour and hence collect remittances will be impacted. The reduction in worldwide demand for raw materials will likely deal another blow.

The border controls imposed for Covid-19 will not just magically disappear when the pandemic abates or when a vaccine is discovered. They will be part of the longer-term legacy of this dark time.

Rich countries will protect their citizens through any number of social welfare programmes. A country like Pakistan has no such safety net, leaving most people to rely on family members to survive catastrophes.

These familial networks will not be a successful source of support, given the widespread nature of the economic pain caused by the pandemic.

After all, when people are suffering themselves, they are un-

likely to have the ability to help others. More people will be thrown into dire economic circumstances without recourse.

Instead of revelling in the glory of improved credit ratings, the Pakistani government should use the rest of the time during this ongoing crisis to develop a comprehensive plan to deal with the economic aftermath of the pandemic and the ‘pandemic depression’ that is likely to follow. Poor countries cannot eliminate the adverse economic consequences that are foisted on their citizens, but they can, with better planning, mitigate those effects.

The government could, for instance, create alternative employment schemes for labourers and other workers who cannot return to their jobs in the Gulf states and in Saudi Arabia.

An expansion of public healthrelated government schemes such as the Lady Health Workers programme could be expanded not just to deal with the vaccination needs of the population but also to provide employment to families who may be struggling.

People in Pakistan know not to rely on the government for anything. It is time that Pakistani governments begin to be ashamed of this fact rather than revel in it while refusing to take responsibility for the people.

At the outset, the prime minister instructed the population that they “shouldn’t panic”; it is now time for the government to panic and prepare a plan for the future.

The writer is an attorney teaching constitutional law and political philosophy.

Courtest By: Rafia Zakaria

Waan laysa lil insaniilla ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

‘Miraculous Month of Muharram’.

By: Gulshan Aalani Muharram, one of the blessed months, known as the month of Allah, the month of Light, marks the Islamic New Year for Muslims. The month of great significance for a number of reasons that is marked by fasting and regular prayers, which are the symbols of devotion to GOD-Creator of the Universe.

Muharram is the beginning of the Muslim era, the month of Hijraahmigration of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Mecca to YathribMadinah accompanied by his faithful followers the newly converted Muslims consisting of some Jewish tribes, Christians, some of the 12 tribes of Bani Israel-Prophet IsraelJacob (AS), Quraish, Arabs, Assyrians, Aryans, (Arya Samaji) etc.

The reason of migration was to escape the extreme ill treatment of torture and cruelty by the Pagan authority opposing their declaration of Monotheistic religion and acceptance of worship of One Creator

GOD, and HIS final closing Revelation of warning and Guidance.

The other miraculous event of Exodus-day of Salvation, the rescue of Bani Israel slaves by Prophet Moses (AS) happened in this auspicious month on the day of ‘Ashura’, initially celebrated by our Jewish brethren.

Evidently, on this day Allah-Creator granted victory to Messenger Moses (AS) over the notorious King Pharaoh.

Allah delivered Prophet Moses (AS) and his people Bani Israel/Jacob (AS) their salvation from evil oppressor King, and his evil Army supporters who earned GOD’s wrath for their cruelty, unjust system, and the major sin of ignoring and rebelling against the GOD’s Prophet Moses (AS) and so were drowned before reaching Moses (AS) and his people to kill them.

Miraculously, by the dividing of the Sea into the crossing path, they were all saved by none other than the Super Power-Supreme Being AllahCreator of the Universe.

Quran 20:80-”O ye children of Israel! WE delivered you from your enemy, and WE made a covenant with you on the right side of Mount

Sinai...”And remember WE delivered you from the people of Pharaoh they set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women folk live: there in was a tremendous trial from your Lord:and remember WE divided the Sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people within your very sight”.

Q. 2:49, 50: “And remember WE delivered you from the people of Pharaoh…”

Consequently, in pre-Islamic period it was celebrated as an Eid day, and so to continue that tradition Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) recommended to Muslims to thank Allah in gratitude for the deliverance of the Bani Israel/Jacob (AS) and said: “We too are closer to Prophet Moses (AS), so honor this day of his victory”, and recommended to observe the 2 days fasting, either on the 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th.

Of Muharram, voluntarily as it is not obligatory, but it is the best fast of the month of Allah after the fast of Ramadaan.

Sadly, decades after these happy events the death of Caliph Umar

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ibn Khattab, and the Grandson of Prophet (SAWS) H. Hussain (RA) occurred in Muharram. Both considered martyrs and so cannot be described as dead but alive in Heaven. (Q. 3:169).

May Allah bless their souls.

Kashmir Local Politics Health Women Sports Letters Pakistan Corona Urdu

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Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

f ait h “The year is of twelve months, out of which four months are sacred: Three are in succession Dhul-Qadah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and (the fourth is) Rajab.” (Sahih Bukhari: 3197)

When is Muharram 2020 Its importance?

Muharram 2020 will mark the start of New Islamic Year 1442 Hijri. The expected Gregorian Date of 1st Muharram 2020 is Thursday, August 20, 2020 or Friday August 21, 2020 depending on your location and sighting of Moon of Muharram 1442.

that have managed to find their way into the minds of some Muslims. Some very common misconceptions and superstitions are:

About the month of Muharram

Significance of Muslims used ‘Am Al-Fil’ (the year in Muharram’s fasts can be achieved only by which the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) fasting the whole month. On the contrary, Muharram

Muharram is not only the 1st month of Islamic Calendar which marks the New Islamic Year but also one of the four sanctified months of the year. As Allah Says in Quran: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.”(Surah At-Taubah 9:36) The four months mentioned in the Ayah are Dhul-Qadah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. This is evident from the words of Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) on the occasion of his last Hajj Sermon: The specific mention of these four months does not mean that other Islamic months have no sanctity; in fact, each Islamic month has its own sacredness and we all know that Ramadan is admittedly the most sanctified month in the year. But Allah Almighty has chosen a particular time for His special blessings and these four months are among those particular time in which a Muslim can get maximum of Allah’s blessings.

The word ‘Muharram’ in its literal sense means forbidden. Similar to the other sacred months, waging war or indulging in any kind of violence during this month is forbidden. (Ref: Surah At-Taubah 9:5)

was born), to demarcate date and time. But second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab (R.A.) established new calendar and, after many suggestions from Companions (R.A.), he announced that the year in which the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) migrated would mark the beginning of the Hijri calendar. The calendar would begin with the month of Muharram and end with the month of Dhul Hijjah. Consequently, 622 AD [the year of the Prophet’s (S.A.W.) migration] became the first year in the Hijri Calendar.

Fasting during Muharram

Muharram holds great significance long before the Prophet Mohammad’s (S.A.W.) time. Earlier on, it was obligatory to fast on the 10th of Muharram. However later, fasting was made obligatory in Ramadan only and fasting on 10th Muharram was made optional. As narrated by Ayesha (R.A.) that Prophet (S.A.W.) said: “Whoever wishes to fast (on the day of ‘Ashura’) may do so; and whoever wishes to leave it can do so.”(Sahih Bukhari: 1592) But remember one thing that fasts during the month of Muharram are the most rewardable ones among the optional (Nafil) fasts in the light of following Hadith: ‘The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said: “The best fasting after the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah, Al-Muharram.”’

(An-Nasai: 1613) History of Hijri Calendar Before the Hijri calendar came into use, The hadith does not mean that the award of

each fast during this month has its own merits. Therefore, one should avail this opportunity and fast as much as one can during this blessed month.

10 Muharram (Ashura)

Ashura is the 10th day of Muharram and is the most sacred day among all its days.

When the Prophet (S.A.W.) came to Madinah, he fasted on the day of Ashura and directed the Muslims to keep fast on this day. But when the fasts of Ramadan were made obligatory, the fasting on this day was made optional. However, according to many authentic Hadiths, fasting on the day of Ashura is a confirmed Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.).

The Companions (R.A.) observed that Jews also consider 10th Muharram as special day and they keep fast on this day. So Prophet (S.A.W.) announced that from next year, they will fast on the 9th of Muharram as well so as to distinguish themselves from the Jews. Unfortunately, Prophet (S.A.W.) did not live to see the next year. Therefore, Muslims consider the 9th and 10th of Muharram as significant days in the Islamic calendar and observe fast on these days.

[Sahih Muslim: 1134 (a)]

Superstition & Misconceptions about Muharram

Although many Muslims are aware about the innovations in Islam, there are some superstitions and misconceptions about the month of Muharram and the day of Ashura

1- Unfortunately, many Muslims still believe Muharram is an evil or unlucky month due to the incident of Karbala. We know that it was an unfortunate event but remember one thing that according to Sahih Muslim: 1163 (a) and Tirmidhi: 438, this is Allah’s month. How Allah’s own month can be evil and unlucky for His servants. On the contrary, it is one of the merits of Husain (R.A.) that his martyrdom took place on the day of Ahsura.

2- Similarly, due to the same fact, many Muslims don’t get married (Nikkah) during this month which is, again, totally wrong and misguiding.

Conclusion

Muharram is an important and holy month for every Muslim and with all of its complexity, it will always be a month of deep reflection for Muslims across the world.

Similar to the regular New Year, one should make resolutions at the start of the Islamic New Year to improve oneself as a better Muslim. You can set small goals for yourself to become a better person and moreover a better Muslim. These goals can be both spiritual and social. You can strengthen your relationship with Allah through regular Dhikr and Duas and helping others fellow Muslims. And Allah rewards every good deed.

May Allah shower His blessings on all Muslims Ummah throughout the year and also Allah help us in strengthening our Imaan.

AMEEN Source:www.islamicfinder.org

Tales Of The Sahaba – Hazrat Usman Ghani Abu Bakr(RA) who then took the opportunity and began preaching to him the message of Islam. He said that if he wanted, he could meet with the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Without any hesitation, Haz- Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar rat Usman accepted Islam and performed Bai‘at at the 24 Fri hand of the Holy Prophetsa.

25 Sat He thus became one of the earliest followers to accept 26 Sun Islam.

27 Mon

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver Aug 14-28, 2020 - Zul Hijjah 24-Muharum 8, 1442 H

By: Hafsa Adil Chughtai May 21, 2020

Hazrat Usman bin Affan (RA) was born seven years after the Holy Prophet(PBUH) and belonged to one of the wealthiest tribes of Mecca.

Hazrat Usman was among the few people who learnt to read and write at a young age. Even before he accepted Islam he was known for his truthfulness and integrity.

He is critically important in Islamic history because his death marked the beginning of open religious and political conflicts within the Islamic community

Service to Islam

Hazrat Usman committed his entire life in the service of Islam. Though his family was in command of the Quraish, he accepted Islam as he knew it to be right. His service to Islam is remembered even today all throughout history.

When the Muslims migrated to Medina, the first difficulty they faced was the scarcity of water.

There was only one well in Medina which belonged to a Jew who would sell the water Acceptance of Islam to the poor inhabitants of Medina at a high Hazrat Usman (RA) was around 34 years price. Hazrat Usman (RA) decided to purof age when he had first heard of Islam. chase the well and open it for the people of He related this to his good friend Hazrat To be Continued at page 7

28 29 30 1* 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Tue Wed Thus Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thus Fri

Sunr

Zawal Dhuhr Dhur Asar Shafi / Asar Hanfi Maghrib

Isha

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

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Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

N ati o na l

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I nt

Radical or moderate? Trump’s struggle to Lebanon judiciary can handle define Democrat VP pick Kamala Harris Beirut explosion probe: Minister

An overzealous prosecutor trying to hide her crime-fighting past — who is also weak on crime. The most radical pick for vicepresident ever — but too moderate to energize progressive Democrats.

President Donald Trump’s campaign is struggling to define California Sen. Kamala Harris, the newly announced running mate for Democratic rival Joe Biden.

And without a clear message, Trump has reverted to his usual playbook, resorting to sexist and racist attacks. He has repeatedly called Harris “nasty” and has leaned into appeals that appear stuck in a fictionalized version of the 1950s. “The `suburban housewife’ will be voting for me. They want

safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighbourhood.

Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!” he tweeted Wednesday, incorrectly spelling the name of the Democratic senator and former mayor of Newark, New Jersey, who is also Black.

Like Biden, Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on issues such as health care and law enforcement. That’s complicating the Trump campaign’s crude efforts to depict the Democratic ticket as out of step with the country.

With Trump lagging in the polls less than 90 days before the election, his team faces a pivotal choice. Do they attempt to fire up their own base and scare off moderates by painting Biden and Harris as radical socialists? Or do they aim to depress enthusiasm among the Democratic base by arguing Biden and Harris are opportunistic and insufficiently liberal? Biden and Harris can’t be both. But that hasn’t stopped Trump and his allies from trying to make the incongruous portrayals stick. ............. more Source: globalnews.ca/news

Police body-camera footage shows struggle before George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis

Minneapolis police body-camera videos of George Floyd‘s fatal arrest showed him begging for an officer to remove a knee from his neck in the moments before his death.

A Minnesota judge on Friday ordered the public release of the footage nearly three months after Floyd‘s death, which sparked nationwide protests against police violence and racism. Floyd was Black and the officer charged with murder is white.

The videos, roughly an hour in length, came from the body cameras of former officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, who were the first to respond to a store where Floyd was accused of passing a fake $20 bill.

The footage began at 8:09 p.m. on May 25 as Lane and Kueng approached Floyd‘s vehicle and quickly escalated after Lane drew his gun. Lane, Kueng and a third officer have been charged with aiding and abetting murder. Derek Chauvin, a fourth officer who knelt on Floyd‘s neck, has been charged with murder.

Without explaining the reason for the stop,

Lane pulled Floyd from the car and Floyd and passenger Shawanda Hill told police he was previously shot in a similar situation.

Hill told them he has “a thing going on” about the police. Floyd begged the officers not to put him in a police car, saying he was claustrophobic and has coronavirus before they push him into the back seat.

Floyd then got out, at which point the officers put him face down on the ground and Chauvin put his knee on Floyd‘s neck for around 9-1/2 minutes.

Around 16 minutes into the footage, Floyd uttered his final words: “Man, I can’t breathe.”

Source: aljazeera.com/news

EU to discuss sanctions against Belarus after disputed election

EU foreign ministers to discuss targeted sanctions against Belarus following Sunday’s contested election. EU foreign ministers are set to meet on Friday to discuss targeted sanctions against Belarus following Sunday’s contested election and subsequent violent crackdown down on protesters, according to Sweden’s top diplomat.

Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed victory with about 80 percent of the vote, triggering three nights of violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters in which one protester was killed.“I absolutely think we need to consider broadening targeted sanctions against those responsible for the violence against the protesters (and) for the election fraud those involved in the electoral process not having turned out free and fair,” Linde told

Swedish radio on Wednesday.

“This morning there has been a summons to an extraordinary EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Friday where we will discuss precisely this (sanctions),” she told the public broadcaster.

Lithuania had also said it would consider such steps.

Any decision on sanctions requires agreement by all 27 EU member states, meaning no imminent move is expected.

As seen in the cases of Russia or Ukraine, such decisions can take weeks or months. Foreign ministers are due to next meet at the end of August in Berlin. Source: aljazeera.com/news

Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanon’s caretaker Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najem says there is ample reason to distrust Lebanon’s judiciary, but last week’s Beirut explosion is a “chance” for this vital institution to earn public trust by holding those responsible accountable.

Many have cast doubt on the ability of the country’s weak judicial authorities to carry out a full and transparent investigation into the devastating explosion that killed more than 170 people and wounded some 6,000 others. Dozens are still missing.

“Much of the criticism is warranted due to the slow pace of work and some politicisation, but this case is a chance for the Lebanese judiciary to prove they can do their jobs and win back the confidence of the people,” Najem told Al Jazeera.

Public pressure and the international coverage of the explosion would also likely push matters in the right direction, she said.

“It’s going to be hard for them to do things like they were done in the past.” The 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that blew up on August 4 were kept at Beirut’s port for nearly seven years with the eventual knowledge of many top political and security officials - yet nothing was done to prevent such a disaster from happening.

Those who have called for an international investigation include French President Emmanuel Macron and prominent rights groups, as well as many survivors and rela-

tives of the victims.

“We’re not in a position today that allows us to give a chance to the judiciary,” Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International’s Middle East director of research, told Al Jazeera.

“When you look at the judiciary’s track record in the past with regards to justice in general and all the grave violations the Lebanese people have endured, there’s just no trust with something of this magnitude.”

Najem countered: “My starting point is always the Lebanese judiciary because I don’t want to create a system where every time there is an important issue I go to the international. We can use international experts but my role is to try to improve the judiciary here.”

Investigation ‘already internationalised’

Najem said the investigation had already brought in international experts, notably French police officers and forensic specialists, to investigate the site of the explosion.

The involvement of the French public prosecution was due to the existence of French casualties, she said, giving the investigation an international angle. French Ambassador Bruno Foucher, in a tweet, went as far as calling the French involvement “a guarantee of impartiality in the investigations and of speed”. Investigations initially proceeded under the military court, and 19 people were arrested including the current and former customs chiefs and the head of the Beirut port authority. Source: aljazeera.com/news

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris assail Trump in first campaign event Democratic tandem delivers one-two punch on the performance President Trump amid pandemic and economic downturn.

United States Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his recently chosen vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris appeared together in their first in-person campaign event on Wednesday, delivering a one-two punch on the character and performance of President Donald Trump.

Biden, a 77-year-old white man, embraced the significance of naming the first Black woman to a major party’s presidential ticket, but he also focused on other attributes Harris brings to the ticket.

Biden hailed the California senator, the 55-year-old former prosecutor who a year ago excoriated Biden on a primary debate stage, as the right woman to help him defeat Trump and then lead a nation facing crises in triplicate: a pandemic, wounded economy and long-simmering reckoning with racism.

Harris, Biden declared at a high school gymnasium in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, is “smart, she’s tough, she’s experienced, she’s a proven fighter for the backbone of this country.”

“Kamala knows how to govern. She knows how to make the hard calls. She’s ready to do this job on day one,” he said. Taking the stage after Biden, Harris flicked at some of the gender critiques she had faced throughout the Democratic primary, saying she was “mindful of all the ambitious women before me, whose sacrifice, determination and re-

silience makes my presence here today even possible.”

She then launched into an attack on Trump, lambasting him for a lack of leadership on the coronavirus pandemic.

“This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about - our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in - it’s all on the line,” she said.

The understated campaign kick-off is particularly unique given Harris’s historic significance.

The Biden campaign had said it hoped to create a first public appearance that blends the momentous nature of Harris’ selection with the realities of the 2020 campaign and the gravity of the nation’s circumstances.

After speaking, Biden and Harris hosted an online fundraiser designed to let small donors get a fresh glimpse of what the Democratic presidential ticket will look like in the lead-up to election day on November 3.

Source: aljazeera.com

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LO C A L & i N T N E W S

Orientation week ensures a safe, ready and welcome return to school

To ensure schools are ready to welcome students into classrooms for the week of Sept.

8-11, 2020, there will be a gradual restart to allow extra time to orient students and staff on the new health and safety measures in place.

“Schools are going to look different in September,” said Rob Fleming, Minister of Education. “Staff, students and parents need time to get familiar with all the new health and safety procedures that are designed to keep them safe and confident in their school settings.”

Starting Sept. 8, all staff will meet with their school’s joint health and safety committee

to receive instructions about how the updated guidelines, co-developed with the BC Centre for Disease Control and provincial health officer, will work in their school. This will also allow time for educators and staff to adjust to their new routines, finalize plans for learning groups, review health and safety protocols, and confirm lesson plans that align with the new normal in schools.

Students will be welcomed back to class for orientation by Sept. 10 and will use their orientation time to get familiar with classrooms that will look different than they did before the pandemic. Students will be assigned to their class, find out who is in their learning group, practise their new routines and familiarize themselves with how to safely move from the class to outdoor and common areas of the school.

On Aug. 10, School districts were provided with readiness checklists to ensure they are updating their health and safety plans and considering, communicating and consulting with their unions, Indigenous rightsholders, staff and families in their local communities.

They will also need to ensure their plans address equity and inclusion of children who require additional support in school.

Health and safety of teachers, staff and students is leading the work being done by the K-12 education restart steering committee and working groups with membership from all education partners and health experts.

These groups are also working to create detailed operational guidelines, which will be available by Aug. 17 to support school districts with their restart plans, including guidance on: implementing the updated health and safety protocols; ensuring kids who require extra support are prioritized and have the services they need; supporting the mental health and wellness of students who may be experiencing additional challenges because of the pandemic;ensuring fewer contacts and a safe workplace for those who interact with more than one learning group – such as specialists, teachers on call, educational assistants, cafeteria staff or bus drivers; supporting hybrid instruction with a blend

Surrey, B.C. – In participation with Culture Days, Surrey Fusion Festival will host a 90-minute livestream followed by a fourweek interactive cultural video series on social media. Presented by Coast Capital Savings, the livestream will take place on September 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. broadcasted on Facebook and YouTube Live.

The interactive video series will be hosted on the City of Surrey’s event social media accounts from September 25 to October 25, 2020.

“While we all do our part to limit the spread of COVID-19, the City will be celebrating Surrey’s diversity with a one-of-a-kind virtual multicultural event,” said Mayor Doug

McCallum. “Surrey Fusion Fest will go virtual this year, so join us to discover traditional food, art and music from cultures across the globe from the comfort of your home.”

This year’s family-friendly livestream will feature a series of segments including cultural performances, musical entertainment, art lessons, Surrey history, Indigenous education, dance lessons, cooking segments and kids’ activities. The interactive video series will feature up to 30 educational videos including “how-to” cooking, dance, arts and crafts activities from participating cultural pavilions from previous years. Additionally, the video series will see participation from the City of Surrey’s Museum, Heritage and

Performing Arts Centres.

“We are thrilled to welcome back Coast Capital Savings as the Presenting Sponsor of Surrey Fusion Festival’s virtual celebrations,” said Councillor Laurie Guerra, Chair of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Committee.

“We are thankful for their continuous support over the years; without their contributions this event would not be possible.”

Culture Days is an annual Canadian national celebration of arts and culture. At the end of each September, millions of people attend thousands of participatory arts and culture events across the country. Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the impor-

Continued from page 5

for Hazrat Usman. On one occasion, the Holy Prophetsa was lying down in a room when suddenly Hazrat Uthmanra entered.

The Holy Prophetsa instantly sat up and began adjusting his clothes. Later when Hazrat Aishara asked the Holy Prophetsa about this, he replied, “Should I not show modesty to one whom even the Angels show modesty.”

of in-person learning and remote learning for dense urban secondary schools with large student populations;minimizing physical contact within learning groups; and ensuring before- and after-school child care on school grounds allows kids to stay within their learning groups as much as possible.

“By working collaboratively with leaders in our education system, we are making sure students and staff are safe, ready and welcome when they return to school in September,” Fleming said.

To help guide the transition back to school in the safest way possible, Fleming has also been meeting regularly with the presidents of the BC Teachers’ Federation, CUPE, B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the B.C. School Trustees Association, the First Nations Education Steering Committee, Métis Nation BC, the B.C. Principals and Vice Principals Association, BC Association of School Business Officials, BC School Superintendents Association and the Federation of Independent School Associations in British Columbia.

City of Surrey to host virtual Surrey Fusion Festival livestream and interactive cultural video series

tance of arts and culture in our communities. This year the celebrations run from September 25 to October 25, 2020. information, visit surreyfusionfestival.ca.

Tales Of The Sahaba – Hazrat Usman Ghani

Medina. This was a means of easing the first difficulty that the Muslims faced.

On one occasion, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that Usman had served Islam to such an extent that now he could have whatsoever he wished and that God would not question him. This shows that he possessed so many good qualities that it was impossible for his actions to be against the teachings of Islam.

The status of Hazrat Usman (RA)

The Holy Prophetsa had immense respect

chant and used his wealth in the service of Islam. He was chosen as the third Khalifa of the Prophet (PBUH).

During the Khilafat of Hazrat Usman (RA), Islam had expanded a great deal with such efficiency that it spread all over the world into China. One of the major accomplishments was of the Holy Quran we see today which was compiled during his Khilafat and under his direct supervision. To date, the Khilafat Even before accepting Islam, Hazrat Usman entire Muslim Umma benefits from this serwas known among the people as trustwor- vice. thy, kind and generous. He was a rich mer- Shahadat

The sad demise of Hazrat Usman (RA) was a sad day for the Muslim Umma. He was brutally murdered by the munafiqin. Even during that period where members of his household were under threat due to the invasion of his house, immediately prior to his martyrdom, he bore all those afflictions with great patience and loyalty to the cause of Islam. He was, indeed, a true servant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Source: scaryammi.com

Coronavirus infections around 21million worldwide Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

13,722,940

20,826,517

747,568

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

Coronavirus Cases:

Deaths:

Recovered:

120,844 4,196

9,006 196

107,148 3,469

Last updated:

August 13, 2020, 08:32 GMT www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/?

CANADA Last updated:

August 13, 2020, 08:32 GMT

BC;CANADA Last updated:

August 13, 2020, 08:32 GMT

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news

Employers can soon apply for Assault charge expected for woman in reworked, sliding-scale wage subsidy Masham, Que., face covering dispute

OTTAWA -- The first application period for the recently-broadened Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program opens in a week, and the Canada Revenue Agency is encouraging employers to use their reworked online calculator to determine how much financial aid they’ll be eligible for going forward.

The program started as a 75 per cent employee wage subsidy for businesses that could demonstrate a 30 per cent drop in revenues due to the pandemic, though on July 17 Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the eligibility criteria was being expanded to cover portions of workers’ wages on a sliding scale that is proportional to the revenue hit at the business they work for.

For example, if an employer’s average revenue drop is 35 per cent, they could claim a 75 per cent wage subsidy, whereas if the revenue drop is just 10 per cent, the subsidy would be a 12 per cent wage top-up. The hardest-hit businesses could be eligible for up to 85 per cent, if they can demonstrate that severe of an income loss over the last few months. The federal government is optimistic these changes will result in more businesses applying for the COVID-19 aid program.

The legislation to change the eligibility parameters passed July 27, and the upcoming application period will be the first time the broadened qualifications will be applicable.

After applications open on Aug. 17, employers can expect to receive their payment within three to five business days, according to the Canada Revenue Agency.

The online calculation tool allows business owners to plug in their information and receive an estimate of the subsidy level they’ll be eligible for, and is meant to help inform

staffing decisions. The CRA is also holding information sessions with eligible employers and stakeholder groups, officials said during a technical briefing with reporters on Tuesday.

The $82.3-billion wage subsidy program is the heart of the Liberals’ promise to help Canadians get back to work, even if has to be at a slower pace, as the pandemic continues. In the weeks ahead, the amounts some businesses will be eligible will decrease, in relation to their revenue levels.

The objective of the program is to keep employees on the payroll and allow businesses to rehire people as the economy continues to gradually reopen. The subsidy program initially had a slow uptake, but has increased in popularity as more Canadians have transitioned off of the soon-expiring Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The program was first announced on March 27 and has been extended twice since. It is now set to be in place until December 19.

To date, 285,940 employers have accessed the federal aid program, seeing the government pay out $26.6 billion.

The majority of applicants have sought less than $100,000, though 1,870 employers have accessed between $1 million and $5 million in federal help, and another 210 companies have received more than $5 million.

The federal Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic and Green parties are also accessing the wage subsidy program to top-off their employees’ salaries as the pandemic has prompted a drop in political donations and cut off the typical fundraising avenues, such as in-person events.

Source: .i24news.tv/en/news

Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar easily wins against well-funded challenger

Somali-American legislator expected to return to Congress in November representing a heavily Democratic district. Ilhan Omar, the first Somali-American member of the US Congress, survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge from a well-funded opponent, who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity, the latest in a string of victories by a new generation of progressive legislators.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, easily defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, a lawyer and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money, and a third candidate.

She expanded her base by winning 57 percent of the vote against her two challengers during the election cycle, compared with her 48 percent victory in the 2018 primary.

“In Minnesota, we know that organised people will always beat organised money,” she wrote on social media following her win.

“Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.”Omar’s district is predominantly Democratic, and she is expected to win in November.

One of the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress in 2018, Omar, 37, is well-known as a member of the “Squad” of four freshman liberal congresswomen.

Omar built on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2016. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on US President Donald Trump, made her even more prominent. Omar and her allies gained confidence in her re-election chances after primary victories last week by fellow progressive members of Congress Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who removed a longtime St Louis-area congressman.

They also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after George Floyd’s death in the city of Minneapolis. Source: aljazeera.com/news

A Quebec police department says they’re expecting to lay an assault charge for a woman who allegedly shoved another woman over a face covering dispute.

According to Andre Levesque, an inspector with the Police MRC des Collines-del’Outaouais, officers were called to a gas station in Masham, Que., a small village northwest of Gatineau, on Saturday around 7 p.m. to respond to an altercation between two women.

Police say a woman was pushed by another woman after being accused of not wearing a face covering appropriately.

The alleged victim filed a complaint with police and Levesque says they are in the process of laying an assault charge.

On Monday, a Twitter account simply named “MH” recounted a similar story, but said she was accosted by both the gas station’s staff and another woman because she chose to wear her hijab as a face covering.

MH says she believes the incident was an act of racism and discrimination, since she and her friend both visibly Muslim and Black women. The Twitter account goes into detail about the gas station attendee calling police despite the alleged victim explaining

it’s legally acceptable to use a hijab as a face covering.

MH then says a second woman involved herself in the argument, following her, berating her and her friend, and then eventually shoving her into her car. MH also claims that local police treated her and her friend harshly, including shouting at them to get in their car and to get off their phones.

MH said their treatment by police was “traumatizing and completely out of hand.”

Levesque said his officers acted appropriately, and that they were treating the incident very seriously. He did not comment any further on any allegations put forward by MH. Source: globalnews.ca/news

August 12, 2020 SFU’s Cities, Health and Active Transportation Research (CHATR) Lab suggests education and supports will ensure smooth integration A study by SFU’s Cities, Health and Active Transportation Research (CHATR) Lab, in partnership with HUB Cycling, finds people are generally positive about shared micromobility options for Metro Vancouver.

Shared micromobility is a phrase used to describe a variety of shared, publicly available, human and electric powered vehicles including bike share (dockless and station-based), electric bicycles and electric scooters.

The study’s findings are laid out in “Readiness for Shared Micromobility: Public Perceptions in Metro Vancouver”, a project funded by TransLink’s New Mobility Research Grant Program, and Mitacs.

“There has been a lot of hype about shared micromobility, like e-scooters, as transport options that can alleviate some pressure on our crowded transit systems,” says associate professor Meghan Winters, who leads the CHATR lab in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

“We don’t have first-hand experience here with shared e-scooters, but we can learn a lot from what has happened in cities such as Calgary, Seattle, Washington D.C. and Portland. We are also asking Metro Vancouverites what they think about these devices, so as to understand the context here.”

Drawing on case studies in jurisdictions across North America and on focus groups with residents across Metro Vancouver, the researchers sought to compile locally relevant data on shared micromobility programs. These programs have been booming in cities around the world, but in Metro Vancouver municipalities have been slower to pick up on this trend.

Winters says this stems in part from legislation—the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act does not allow devices like e-scooters to operate on roads—as well as apprehension arising from negative experiences elsewhere.

The research brings important insights for stakeholders in the region as the province introduces shared micromobility pilot projects for B.C. municipalities this fall.

The findings also reveal specific areas to focus on to support smooth implementation in the region.

“If we are going to welcome a shared micromobility pilot to this region, protecting pedestrian safety is paramount,” said Gavin Davidson, HUB Cycling’s project lead.

“Shared e-scooters may have a role to play in serving short trips to and from rapid transit stations, but to welcome them, we must create dedicated infrastructure and sustainable funding from a wide range of sources.”

Says Winters, “While there is uncertainty about what shared micromobility means for Metro Vancouver, e-scooters could benefit many people, especially with our present reality of COVID-19. Our research highlights the need to carefully plan out pilot projects to understand what works—and where.”

Despite the impact of COVID-19 on transportation patterns, early evidence suggests that public transit has not been a source of COVID-19 outbreaks or clusters. Still, the province continues to cite the public health benefits of being outdoors, and micromobility offers open-air, physically distanced travel.

CHATR Lab is interested in how community design impacts the way people get around and connect with each other. Learn more at chatrlab.ca.

HUB Cycling is a not-for-profit charity that promotes active transportation through education, action, events and research. Learn more at bikehub.ca.

AVAILABLE SFU EXPERT MEGHAN WINTERS, associate professor, Faculty of Health Sciences meghan_winters@sfu.ca

Study Finds Support For Shared E-Scooters And Other Micromobility Options In Metro Vancouver

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time l ine o f pakistan

Journey of Pakistan 1947-Aug 2020 (Importnant events)

Edited bY: M.nASEER pIRZADA

1947

J

une 3: British Government decides to separate British India, into two sovereign Dominions of India and Pakistan.

July 8: Constituent Assembly of Pakistan approves the design of Pakistan.

14 August Pakistan came into existence.

Sept 30: Pakistan becomes a member of the UN by a unanimous vote of the Sec Counc.

1948: January 1: UNO cease-fire orders to operate in Kashmir. War stops accordingly.

May 1: Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Pakistan enters war on behalf of Kashmir against India.

1 July: Quaid-e-Azam inaugurated the State Bank of Pakistan.

July 9: Pakistan’s first postage stamp is issued.

September 11: Founding father of nation Quaid-e-Azam dies in Karachi due to stroke.

September 14: Khwaja Nazimuddin becomes Governor-General of Pakistan.

1949: January 1: United Nations Cease-fire Line established between Pakistani Kashmir and Indian-held Kashmir.

March 12: Objectives Resolution passed by Liaquat Ali khan 1950: January 4: Pakistan recognises the People’s Republic of China September 6: General Mohammad Ayub Khan, the first Pakistani, is appointed C-inC of Pakistan Army.

1951October 16: Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan is assassinated at Rawalpindi.

October 17: Malik Ghulam Muhammad becomes Governor-General, Khwaja Nazimuddin assumes charge of Prime Minister.

1953: April 17: Muhammad Ali Bogra is sworn is as Prime Minister.

1954: April : Urdu made National language July 31: K2, the world’s second highest mountain, is conquered by an Italian expedition led by Professor session Aug 7: Govt. of Pakistan approves the National Anthem, written by Hafeez Jalandhari and composed by Ahmed G. Chagla.

Aug 17: Pakistan defeats England by 24 runs at Oval during its maiden tour of England.

October 24: Ghulam Muhammad dissolved first constitutional assembly.

1955: January 1: Pakistan International Airlines(PIA) comes into being.

Aug 7: PM Mohammad Ali Bogra resigns after the election of Chaudhri Mohammad Ali. Oct 6: Govern-General Ghulam Mohammad’s resignation is succeeded by Iskander Mirza.

1956: February 21: Constituent Assembly decides the country shall be a Federal Republic known as Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

May 14: PM Abiha Abdul Majeed presents the first five-year plan.

March 23: 1956 Constitution is promulgates on Pakistan Day. Major-General Iskander Mirza sworn in as first President of Pakistan.

Sep 12: Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy assumes office of appointed Prime Minister.

1957: Feb 2: President Iskandar Mirza laid down the foundation-stone of Guddu Barrage.

March 8: President Iskandar Mirza lays the foundation-stone of the State Bank of Pakistan building in Karachi.

July 11: Spiritual leader of Shia imami Ismaili Muslims and one of the founders of Muslim League and first president of All India Muslim League, Aga Khan, dies.

Governor-Raj is lifted in W. Pakistan after 4 months.

July 24: Maulana Bhashani forms NAP Dec 16: Malik Firoz Khan Noon is sworn in as seventh Prime Minister of Pakistan.

1958: Feb 14: Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar, veteran leader of Pakistan Movement dies in Karachi.

October 7: Martial Law is declared throughout the country. General Ayub Khan is chief Martial Law Administrator.

October 27: Ayub forces Iskander Mirza to step down, General Ayub khan himself becomes President

November 2: Iskander Mirza is exiled.

1959: Oct 26: Basic Democracies by Ayub Khan October 27: President General Ayub Khan becomes Field Marshal.

1960: Feb 24: Presidential Cabinet decides to name the new Capital as Islamabad.

Mar 23: Foundation of Minar-e-Pakistan is laid.

July 31: Foundation stone of Mazar-i-Quaid (Mausoleum of M.A. Jinnah) is laid.

September 9: Pakistan achieved its first Gold Medal in 1960 Olympics, defeating India in hockey by 1–0 at Rome.

1961: Jan 1: Decimal coinage introduced in Pakistan.

July 15: Jasmine is chosen as the national flower of Pakistan.

1962:June 8: 1962 Constitution is promulgated.

June 8: National Assembly elected and begins its first session. Ayub Khan takes oath of first President of Pakistan under new constitution.

1964:July 31: Pakistan, Iran and Turkey agree to establish Regional Cooperation for Development.

November 26: President Ayub Khan inaugurates Pakistan Television Lahore Station.

1965: March 21: National Assembly elections held. Out of 150, Pakistan Muslim League wins 120 seats.

June 30: Pakistan and India sign accord on Rann of Kutch.

September 6: Second war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

September 23: A cease-fire between India and Pakistan comes into force.

1966: January 10: Tashkent Declaration signed between India and Pakistan.

February 12: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, chief of Awami League, announces his six points in Karachi.

Sep 17: General Yahya Khan becomes C-inC of Pakistan Army. General Musa Khan appointed Governor General of West Pakistan.

1967: July 9: Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah dies in Karachi.

November 26: Malik Amir Muhammad, Nawab of Kalabagh is shot dead.

December 1: Pakistan Peoples Party comes into being.

1968: Oct 26: Pakistan becomes Olympic hockey champion, winning over Australia 2–1.

1969: Mar 25: East Pakistan uprising forces

Ayub Khan to resign and hand over power to Army Chief General Yahya Khan. Martial law is proclaimed and assemblies are dissolved.

Dec 1: 300 Class I gazetted officers, allegedly involved in corruption, are suspended.

1970:March 1: Air Marshal Asghar Khan forms new political party, Tehrik-i-Istaqlal.

April 6: First ordinance factory is inaugurated at Ghazipur.

July 1: One-unit of West Pakistan abolished, provinces restored.

Dec 7: First General elections held. Awami League and Pakistan People Party emerge as leading parties in East and West Pakistan.

December 19: Pakistan wins gold medal in 1971: January 30: An Indian Airlines aeroplane, hijacked by two Kashmiri separatists, lands at Lahore airport.

October 24: Pakistan wins World Hockey Cup defeating Spain 1–0 at Barcelona.

November 22: India launches full-scale attack on East Pakistan.

December 16: Dhaka falls and Bangladesh comes into being.

Dec 20: Gen. Yahya Khan hands over power to Z. A. Bhutto, who takes over as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator.

East Pakistan become an independent country named Bangladesh 1972: Jan 30: Pakistan snaps ties with Commonwealth on recognizing Bangladesh.

April 14: First session of National Assembly.

Bhutto elected President.

April 21: Martial Law lifted; constitutional rule is restored in the country.

July 2: Simla Agreement is signed between President Bhutto and PM Indira Gandhi.

October 28: President Bhutto inaugurates Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP).

1973: April 10: 1973 Constitution of Pakistan enacted by the National Assembly.

August 11: Chaudhry Fazal Ilahi is elected as President.

August 14: Constitution of Pakistan 1973 promulgated August 28: Return of Pakistan POWs (prisoners of war) accord signed in New Delhi.

1974: Feb 21: Pakistan recognizes Bangladesh.

Feb 22: Islamic Summit Conference starts in Lahore; 22 heads of state participate.

September 7: Resolution passed about that Ahmadis and all groups of Ahmadis are Non-Muslim. Resolution made by Allama Shah Ahmed Noorani Siddiqui Ahle Sunnat Barelvi and leader.

1975: July 27: Council of Islamic Ideology recommends to abolish Riba and introduce Zakat.

1976: March 1: General Muhammad Ziaul-Haq becomes Chief of Army Staff.

July 24: Lahore-Amritsar train service, Samjhota Express starts.

July 31: A.Q. Khan research laboratories established.

1977: January 10: Nine opposition parties form joint election forum, Pakistan National Alliance (PNA).

March 7: General elections are held in the country. PPP wins 155, PNA 35 seats out of 200.

July 1: Friday is announced weekly holiday, replacing Sunday.

July 5: General Zia-ul-Haq enforces Martial Law. Constitution suspended; political activities banned.

September 17: Z. A. Bhutto arrested under Martial Law orders.

1978: February 1: Allama Iqbal’s Lahore house is declared national monument.

March 18: Lahore High Court awards death sentence to Bhutto along with four others.

June 11: Altaf Hussain forms All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organization (APMSO).

September 16: General Zia-ul-Haq is sworn in as President.

1979: April 4: Z. A. Bhutto hanged in Rawalpindi jail.

Oct 15: Dr. Abdus Salam, eminent Pakistani scientist, is awarded Physics Nobel Prize.

1980: May 26: Establishment of Federal Shariat Court is announced.

June21: Government starts collecting Zakat.

1981:Jan 1: Interest-free banking introduced.

January 3: International Islamic University starts functioning.

March 2: A PIA Boeing 720 with 148 passengers hijacked to Kabul.

Aug 31: Pakistan Steel Mills starts functioning.

1982: January 3: Pakistan defeats Germany 3–1 in World Cup Hockey in Bombay.

January 11: General Zia-ul-Haq inaugurates first session of Federal Council (Shoora) in Islamabad.

December 21: Writer of Pakistan’s national anthem, Hafeez Jalandhari dies.

1983: Jan 15: First three F-16 jets reach Pakistan.

March 11: Nuclear tests: Kirana-I is carried out. The tests are not announced until 2000.

1984:March 18: Altaf Hussain forms MQM. April 27: Ban imposed on use of Islamic nomenclature by Ahmadis.

December 19: General Zia-ul-Haq holds presidential referendum.

1985:Feb 25: Partyless national elections held.

March 23: Muhammad Khan Junejo sworn in as Prime Minister and General Zia as President.

December 31: Martial Law is lifted, amended 1973 Constitution revived.

1986: April 10: Benazir Bhutto returns to homeland.

1987: February 21: President Zia makes a surprise to India, met Premier Rajiv Gandhi.

October 15: Qazi Hussain Ahmed becomes Amir of Jamat-i-Islami.

Dec 18: Benezir Bhutto marries Asif Ali Zardari.

1988: April 10: Army ammunition blown up in Ojheri camp, Rawalpindi; more than 100 people died.

Dr. Arif Alvi May 29: President General Zia dissolves National Assembly and Junejo cabinet.

August 17: General Zia-ulHaq is killed in a plane crash near Bahawalpur.

2018--current To be ontinued at page 11

10

Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

P OL I T I C S

Resignation calls revived over WE affair, as PM skips special House sitting

OTTAWA -- Questions around the ongoing WE Charity student grant controversy and concerns about the Liberals’ handling of other pandemic response efforts dominated Wednesday’s special summer House of Commons sitting, as the Bloc Quebecois continued to push for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and two of his top officials to resign, threatening attempts to force a snap election if they don’t.

While Trudeau wasn’t in the House to take any of the opposition questions, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and others in cabinet fielded a volley of inquiries about their ethical concerns with the Liberal’s approach to various COVID-19 aid programs.

Trudeau’s absence at the third of four of the pre-arranged special summer sitting days was noted repeatedly during question period, with some MPs noting they managed to make it into the Commons or onto the virtual video conference to participate in the sitting. “Mr. Speaker, I’m happy to speak on behalf the prime minister and say that he continues to view his role, and our role as a government is

to support Canadians. We continue to be in emergency time,” Morneau said, as the opposition sought new information about the WE Charity controversy and the ongoing conflict of interest investigations that the ethics commissioner is pursuing, as well as new concerns about the Liberals’ handling of the federal rent relief program.

Both Morneau and Trudeau have appeared before the House of Commons Finance Committee to testify on the WE matter, which is one of several committees now either studying or looking to study the controversial student grant deal. The House Ethics Committee has asked to hear more from Trudeau on the affair and there’s also a pending trove of documents set to be presented to MPs in the days ahead, detailing more cabinet correspondence about the grant program.

Select other cabinet ministers have also testified, sometimes more than once, about this summer’s main federal political controversy.

Telford has also appeared, where she doubled down on Trudeau’s testimony that he did noth-

ing to influence the decision, rather he sought extra scrutiny because the PMO was aware early on of the perceived conflict Trudeau had in granting the now-likely cancelled $912-million student volunteer grant program.

Further, as The Canadian Press has reported, the government handed responsibility for the program to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, but the Crown corporation decided to contract it out to MCAP, a mortgage lender that employs Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford’s husband. The Prime Minister’s Office has said that CMHC independently chose to outsource the $84-million program and that Telford set up an ethics screen as to not be involved with agreements that MCAP stood to benefit from.

In what will be his last day in the House of Commons as the Official Opposition Leader, Andrew Scheer called out Trudeau’s absence and referenced a series of past Liberal scandals over his three years as Conservative leader.

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has had enough. He’s tired of accountability and facing

tough questions. He doesn’t want to explain why he paid off his friends at WE with taxpayers money. He won’t tell us about the contract that he gave to the company that employs his top staffer’s husband,” Scheer said. “So can the person auditioning for the role of prime minister today please tell us why the prime minister picked today, if he wasn’t going to show up?”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also questioned the government’s handling of these aid programs.

“What we’re seeing is Liberals, helping themselves instead of helping people,” he said.

Source: ctvnews.ca

OTTAWA -- Outgoing Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says his replacement must quickly put together a strong team in the Commons and for the next campaign, and he’s happy to offer whatever advice needed on that score.

But there are two other pieces of advice he

hopes whomever is elected later this month will also find a way to heed: the need for a leader to communicate authentically and to break through into the cities and suburbs whose voters are essential if the Tories are to win a majority government.

“That is the critical ingredient,” he said Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview with The Canadian Press on what was his last day in the House of Commons as Opposition leader. His failure to win that majority sparked both an internal and external debate in the aftermath of the 2019 federal election that eventually led Scheer to resign, pending the result of the Conservative leadership race.

The vote is finally coming to an end Aug. 21, after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and four candidates are in the running: current MPs Erin O’Toole and Derek

Sloan, former cabinet minister Peter MacKay and Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis.

Sloan and Lewis both come from the social conservative wing of the party. Both have promised that if they do win, they would include legislation curtailing access to abortion on their agenda.

Though Scheer promised he’d never allow a Conservative government to bring forward legislation on abortion, his own social conservative views on the subject were a flashpoint during the campaign.

MacKay once infamously called them an “albatross” hanging around the party’s neck.

Scheer dodged a question Wednesday on whether, if an avowed social conservative is elected as the next leader, the party would just find itself stuck dealing with the subject anew.

He said he still believes a prime minister can

be a social conservative, and it’s only under the current Liberals that people who hold those views have come to be demonized in the public square.

Scheer is only the second permanent leader the Conservative Party of Canada has had since it was formed in a merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives.

Stephen Harper became the leader of the new party in 2004, and would go on to lead the Tories through a succession of minority governments before winning a majority in 2011.

In the majority years, Scheer -- who had first been elected an MP from Regina in 2004 -served as Speaker of the House of Commons, but when the Tories lost power in 2015 and Harper resigned, he decided to try for leadership.won in a squeaker of a vote in 2017. ...more ....

Source: ctvnews.ca

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet says he will try to trigger a fall election if the prime minister, his chief of staff and his finance minister don’t resign.

Blanchet said the government is not “worthy” of the public’s trust in the wake of the WE Charity controversy, which was sparked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau failing to recuse themselves from cabinet talks involving the organization despite family ties to it.

While his preference is to see the trio step

down, Blanchet said he’s prepared to table a motion of non-confidence in the government if they remain in their jobs.

If that motion passed with the support of other parties, it would lead to an election campaign in the midst of a pandemic.

“Which is more dangerous — the mismanagement of a crisis, or taking the time to change the people who are managing the crisis?” Blanchet said during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The BQ leader said he has not had any formal discussions with the NDP or the Conservatives on his plan. He said Elections Canada is preparing to hold a safe election in the event it is held during the pandemic.

Elections Canada preparing Elections Canada has created an internal working group to do “readiness planning” in the event of an election during the pandemic. The group is looking at issues such as Possible physical distancing measures for polling

stations and Elections Canada offices.

The capacity of the existing vote-by-mail system.

How to recruit, train and keep election workers safe.

Identifying alternative options for polling station locations that may become unavailable due to COVID-19.

“The working group will consider potential legal, administrative and operational changes in order to deliver an accessible and safe election,” according to Elections Canada’s website.

Normally, a fixed election date means an election is held every four years, but with a minority government, an election could occur at any time the House loses confidence in the government.

Blanchet’s remarks come as the House of Commons holds a rare summer sitting to debate the government’s response to COVID-19.

Later today, the finance committee will

continue its probe into the government’s decision to select WE Charity to manage a $900-million student volunteer grant program. Trudeau and others have maintained the public service had deemed the organization the only one qualified to run the largescale initiative.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough and Small Business Minister Mary Ng are both set to appear at the committee.

Yesterday, Qualtrough testified at the House ethics committee, which is also studying the WE Charity issue, and conceded the government had “dropped the ball.” She said she offered “no excuse or justification” for Trudeau and Morneau’s roles in the resulting controversy.

Trudeau on Tuesday issued a statement saying he has full confidence in Morneau, saying any reports to the contrary are false. The statement was released amid speculation that the finance minister could depart the post.

Source: msn.com

OTTAWA -- The NDP found support from parliamentarians across the aisle on Wednesday to call on the government to allocate more funding to provinces and territories to help with child-care needs as society reopens. Edmonton MP Heather McPherson put forward the unanimous consent motion during a special House of Commons summer sitting, a time for opposition to question the Liberals on their pandemic response, asking that they increase the transfer by an additional $2 billion.

She called on the House to recognize “that reopening businesses and the economy en-

tails taking far more action to support parents, especially women who are worried about going back to work without knowing that their kids will be safely cared for in child care and school.” The additional funding, she said, would go to ensure a safe return to these facilities.In late July, amid mounting calls from parents and child-care activists for Ottawa to better support families transitioning back to work, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen announced $625 million for child care in provinces and territories as part of the $19-billion Safe Restart Agreement.

New Tory leader must build a strong team in Commons and for the campaign: Scheer

Blanchet will push for election if Trudeau, Morneau, Telford won’t resign

House adopts NDP-backed motion calling on feds to

invest more in child care

“This investment is in addition to the $1.2 billion over three years was distributed to the provinces and territories, starting in 201718, to support early learning and child care and create up to 40,000 more affordable child care spaces,” the ministry’s press release read.

Opposition parties at the time argued it wasn’t enough to cover the additional costs of personal protective equipment, staffing requirements, and spacing adjustments.

Responding to Wednesday’s motion, Jessica Eritou, a spokesperson from Hussen’s office, underscored the government’s announcement.

11

Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

time l ine o f pakistan

Journey of Pakistan 1947-Aug 2020 (Importnant events)

Continued from page 9

November 16: General elections held. PPP wins 92, IJI secures 54.

December 2: Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan.

1989: May 26: ISI Chief Lt. Gen. Hameed Gul is replaced by Shamsur Rahman Kallu.

Oct 1: Pakistan rejoins Commonwealth.

1990: Feb 5: Kashmir Solidarity Day observed for the first time August 6: President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolves National Assembly and dismisses Benazir Government. Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi becomes care-taker prime minister.

October 24: General elections held. IJI gets 104 and PDA wins 45 seats.

November 6: Nawaz Sharif elected Prime Minister, securing 153 votes.

1991: April 25: Jahangir Khan creates history by winning British Open Squash title for the record tenth consecutive time.

May 16: National Assembly adopts Shariat Bill.

August 14: Nawaz Sharif lays foundationstone of Bab-i-Pakistan at Walton Lahore.

1992: January 12: Lahore-Islamabad Motorway project launched.

February 22: Nawaz Sharif introduces yellow-cab taxi scheme.

March 25: Pakistan wins Cricket World Cup, defeating England by 22 runs in Melbourne, Australia.

April 26: Pakistan’s Alam Channa enters Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest man in the world.

1993:April 18: President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolves National Assembly, dismisses Nawaz Sharif government. Balkh Sher Mazari becomes care-take prime minister.

May 26: Supreme Court restores National Assembly and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

July 18: President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif quit their offices.

October 6: General elections held. PPP wins 86; PML (N) secures 72 seats.

October 19: Benazir Bhutto is elected Prime Minister by 121 votes.

November 13: Farooq Laghari elected eighth President of Pakistan.

1996: April 25: Imran Khan launches new political party, Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI).

November 5: Farooq Ahmed Leghari dissolves National Assembly sacking Premier Benazir Bhutto. Malik Mairaj Khalid becomes care-taker prime minister.

1997: Jan 29: Supreme Court upholds President’s proclamation dissolving the National Assembly and dismissing Benazir Government.

February 3: Nation goes to the polls.

PML secures 135 seats.

February 17: Nawaz Sharif sworn in as 19th Prime Minister.

Feb 23: Nawaz Sharif launches “Qarz utaro Mulk sanwaro”. He declared Sunday as a public holiday and convert Friday into half day.

May 21: Saeed Anwar slams world record score of 194 runs against India.

August 16: Noted Pakistani singer, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died at the age of 49.

1998: January 1: Rafiq Tarrar is sworn in as President of Pakistan May 28: Pakistan conducts nuclear tests in Chagai hills in Balochistan.

1999: February 21: Lahore Declaration is signed by Nawaz Sharif and A. B. Vajpayee.

April 15: Pakistan conducts test of a nuclear-capable short-range ballistic missile, Shaheen.

16 April: Pakistan won Coca-Cola Cup final at Sharjah crushing India by 8 wickets July 26: Kargil War ends between Pakistan and India.

Oct 12: Nawaz Sharif is ousted from power and placed under house arrest after attempting to sack General Pervez Musharraf.

2000: April 6: Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of hijacking and terrorism.

May 12: Supreme Court validated the Octo-

ber 1999 coup and granted General Pervez Musharraf executive and legislative authority for three years.

December 10: Nawaz Sharif along with family, sent into exile in Saudi Arabia.

December 22: Famous singer, Noor Jahan dies in Karachi.

2001: June 21: General Pervez Musharraf assumes office of president while remaining Chief of Army Staff.

July 15: Agra Summit starts. President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee holds talks over long-standing issues.

November 10: US President Bush meets President Musharraf in New York and assures additional aid of one billion dollar.

2002: April 30: Musharraf wins in a referendum.

Oct 10: General election held in the country.

November 23: Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali sworn in as Prime Minister.

2003: Feb 24: Senate elections: Ruling party wins most seats in voting to the upper house.

June 24: President Pervez Musharraf meets G.W. Bush in Camp David. US announces $3-billion five-year economic assistance package for Pakistan.

July 11: Lahore-Delhi bus service resumed after suspension of 18 months.

2004: January 1: General Musharraf won a vote of confidence in the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies.

January 5: Musharraf meets Vajpayee in Islamabad, discusses Kashmir dispute.

June 26: Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali steps down and nominates Ch. Shujaat Hussain as his interim successor.

Aug 28: Shaukat Aziz becomes Prime Minister.

2005: July 13: 136 people killed and about 170 injured in a collision of three passenger trains near Ghotki.

Oct 8: A devastating earthquake in Kashmir and NWFP kills over 80 thousands people.

2006: May 14: Charter of democracy (CoD) is signed by two former prime ministers of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto in London.

April 26: Pervez Musharraf lays foundationstone of Diamir-Bhasha dam.

2007: March 9: President Musharraf dismissed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar.

July 20: Iftikhar restored as Chief Justice October 18: Bhutto, Benazir returned to Pakistan, after exile of about 8 years.

November 3: Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency, most of the senior judges of Supreme Court ousted.

November 25: Nawaz Sharif returned Pakistan after 7 years of forced exile.

December 27: Bhutto, Benazir assassinated

in a blast/bullet attack in Rawalpindi.

2008: Feb 18: Elections are held amidst tight security. PPP, PML-N, PML-Q and ANP win 124, 91, 54 and 13 seats respectively.

March 24: Yusuf Raza Gilani is elected as the new Prime Minister.

August 18: Pervaiz Musharraf steps down as President of Pakistan. Mohammadmian Soomro takes over as President.

September 6: Asif Zardari wins presidential election with 481 votes.

2009: 21 June: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Final. Pakistan won the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup in Lord’s London England. Pakistan won by 8 wickets.

2010: April 10: Pakistan adopts the 18th amendment to the Constitution, stripping President Asif Ali Zardari of key powers.

July 28: Crash of Airblue Flight 202, killed all 152 people on board.

October 1: Pervez Musharraf launches his new political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, at a club in London.

2011: Jan 4: Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab, is shot by one of his bodyguards near his home for opposing Blasphemy law in Pakistan.

May 2: The US Navy Seals killed Osama bin Laden in the city of Abbotabad.

2012: 22 June: Raja Pervaiz Ashraf is elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan, following the disqualification of Yousaf Raza Gillani September 11: Over 314 people die in factory fires in Karachi and Lahore.

2013: January 10: A series of terrorist attacks killed more than 100 people in Quetta.

March 25: Mir Hazar Khan Khoso is appointed as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, following the completion of the PPPled government’s term in office.

May 11: General Elections 2013 held across Pakistan.

June 5: Nawaz Sharif is elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, following the Pakistan Muslim League (N)’s victory in the 2013 general elections for the 3rd time.

July 30: Mamnoon Hussain is elected as the 12th President of Pakistan September 24: A 7.7 magnitude earthquake hits BalOchistan, at least 825 people are killed and hundreds injured.

November 29: Pakistan Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani retires. General Raheel Sharif becomes the next COAS. March 31: A Pakistani court charges former President Pervez Musharraf with high treason in relation to the imposition of the emergency rule in 2007.

May 21: Pakistan Air Force fighter jets bomb

suspected militant hideouts in North Waziristan, killing approximately 60 militants and injuring another 30.

October 10: Activist Malala Yousafzai becomes the first Pakistani to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle to voice girls’ right to education.

December 16: Taliban gunmen storm a military-run Army Public Schools massacre in Peshawar, killing at least 141, including 132 children and nine employees, with most of five hundred students evacuated. The shooting ends with all seven gunmen dead.

2016: Feb 4: First season Pakistan Super League June 22: Musician Amjad Sabri is killed in a targeted shooting.

December 6: PIA plane PK-661 crashed during flight killing 47 people including acclaimed former singer and religious scholar Junaid Jumshed and his wife.

2017: February 9: The second season of the Pakistan Super League began.

Feb 16: A suicide bombing at the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander in Sehwan, Pakistan resulted in the deaths of over 90 people.

June 18: Pakistan wins 2017 ICC Champions Trophy defeating India in the finals.

July 28: A unanimous verdict by the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualifies PM Nawaz Sharif from office, over the controversy of him and some of his family members names being in the Panama Papers, thus leading to his disqualification for lifetime.

August 1: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is sworn in as Prime Minister, succeeding Nawaz Sharif.

2018: March 3: - The 2018 elections to the Senate of Pakistan were held.

July 6:Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Safdar Awan were given prison sentences of 10, 7 and 1 years respectfully on controversial corruption charges.

July 25: The 2018 Pakistani general elections were held.

August 17 -PTI leader Imran Khan took oath as (22nd)(without ignoring care takers) Prime Minister of Islamic republic of Pakistan.

September 4 - The 2018 Pakistani presidential election were held.

December 24: Former Minister Nawaz Sherief is sentenced to seven years 2019: Feb 27, Pakistan ‘captures Indian pilot after shooting down two jets in dogfight over Kashmir’Pakistan has claimed to have shot down two Indian jets and captured a pilot after a dogfight over Kashmir, igniting fears of an all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

May 7, Nawaz Sharif to go back to jail as bail expires Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will return to jail later on Tuesday following the expiry of his six-week bail in a corruption case.

June 10:, Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari arrested in fake bank accounts case. Pakistan’s most powerful opposition leader arrested after bail rejection in bogus accounts July 2: MNA Rana Sanaullah sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand July 3: The IMF Takeover of Pakistan , the International Monetary Fund approved a $6 billion bailout package to help “return sustainable growth” to Pakistan’s economy.

July 17: ICJ rejects India’s plea for Jadhav’s return, grants consular access “Delhi defeated. ICJ knocks out India’s major demands about Kulbhushan Jadhav on his release and annulment of sentence.”

Jul 18: Former Pakistani PM Abbasi arrested on corruption charges July 25:Was Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s visit to the US a success? Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan returned from a three-day visit to the United States to the Pakistani

Continued from page 9

12 MIDDLE EAST & FIJI Beirut port resumes partial operations a week after explosion Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

Port operating to unload vessels for merchants a day after vigil held to remember victims of devastating explosion.

Beirut’s port has resumed partial operations to secure goods for local markets, just over a week after a catastrophic explosion that has fuelled popular anger and upended politics in crisis-hit Lebanon.

The powerful explosion on August 4 shook the Lebanese capital and its environs after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port caught fire.

The shockwave flattened nearby buildings and caused extensive material damage in Beirut, killing at least 171 people, wounding some 6,000 others leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Dozens of people are still missing.

According to Lebanon’s caretaker economy minister, the port is now operating to unload vessels for merchants.

“There are 12 cranes out of 16 operating at Beirut port,” Raoul Nehme said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

“The flour stocks of the mills in Lebanon are 32,000 tonnes, in addition to 110,000 tonnes that will arrive within two weeks,” Nehme said, adding that the amount was sufficient for four months. The explosion came at a time when Lebanon was dealing with a severe financial crisis, along with the coronavirus pandemic. It has led to angry, violent protests in which 728 people were wounded and one police officer killed on Saturday amid a heavy crackdown by security forces.

The government stepped down on Mon-

day but will remain in a caretaker position until a new cabinet is formed.

In his resignation speech, Prime Minister Hassan Diab blamed the explosion on endemic corruption that is “bigger than the state”.

Protesters have been calling for the wholesale removal of what they see as a corrupt ruling class they brand as responsible for the country’s woes, including an economic meltdown that has ravaged the currency, paralysed banks and sent prices soaring.

Officials have said the explosion could have caused losses of $15bn, a bill Lebanon cannot pay, given the depths of the financial crisis that has seen people frozen out of their savings accounts since October amid dollar scarcity. Source: aljazeera.com

US declares Fiji ‘low risk’ for travel Fiji has been declared a low risk country for travel by the United States government.

The country’s global health COVID-19 travel advisory urges citizens to avoid all international travel because of the pandemic but says countries such as Fiji, New Zealand and Thailand had been categorised at low risk level by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). “CDC recommends that people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 talk to

their healthcare providers before travelling to Fiji,” the advisory stated.

“COVID-19 risk in Fiji is low. Over the last 28 days, new cases of COVID-19 in Fiji decreased or stabilised.”

The CDC states policies in Fiji may require “you to be tested for COVID-19 before you are allowed to enter the country”.

“If you test positive on arrival, you may be required to isolate for a period of time.

“You may even be prevented from

returning to the United States, as scheduled. You might consider getting tested before your trip.”

Meanwhile, Ministry of Health media liaison officer Sunil Chandra said the remaining six COVID-19 positive cases were still in isolation and recovering at the Lautoka Hospital, Fiji recorded its first COVID-19 death on July 31 when a 66-year-old man who recently returned from India died at the Lautoka Hospital.

Source: fijitimes.com

Syria: Assad interrupts speech after brief drop in blood pressure

President of war-torn Syria exits parliament hall to ‘sit down for a minute’ before returning to continue speech.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has halted a speech in parliament, telling legislators he needed to “sit down for a minute” after suffering a drop in blood pressure.

The 54-year-old was half an hour through his speech on Wednesday when he began appearing tired, interrupting it twice to take a sip of water from a glass in front of him.

He was speaking about US sanctions on Syria and the war-torn country’s economic cri-

sis when he told the room: “My blood pressure has dropped and I need to drink water.”

Shortly afterwards, he said: “I need to sit for a minute if you don’t mind,” before exiting the huge hall. It was not clear how long he was absent but when he returned, al-Assad, a trained eye doctor who is not known to have any specific health condition, joked that “doctors are the worst patients”.

“I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon. I have no sugar or salt and this happens,” he added. The presidency’s Facebook page said in a post that the speech would be aired later

on Wednesday. It did not provide further details.Al-Assad spoke from a podium to the mask-wearing members of parliament.

Syria has seen a rising number of coronavirus infections recently, although the overall reported numbers remain low with 1,327 confirmed cases and 53 deaths. Limited testing facilities and Syrian government control over pandemic statistics have led to concerns that the real number of cases is much higher than that reported. held last month. The vote was the third to take Al-Assad gave the speech on the occasion of place in Syria since the country’s devastating the first parliament session after elections were war began in 2011. Source: aljazeera.com

When a massive explosion shook Beirut on Tuesday afternoon, shattering glass, toppling buildings and burying countless people under rubble, Ahmed Yassine was in his car, heading home from work.

At the moment of the explosion, which followed a smaller blast, Yassine, a senior producer at Alaraby TV, said he saw “a cloud of smoke” cover everything.

“My car jumped, I saw people flying,” he told CTV News Channel. “Stores, apartments, houses, everything fell down. People were screaming, running.” Video footage posted to social media shows the shocking moment that the second explosion hit, mere minutes after the first.

Towering plumes of smoke were already climbing into the sky from the port when a second, red cloud shot up — immediately surrounded by a dome of white as the shockwave of the explosion thrust outwards into the city, blowing out windows for kilometres.

The exact toll of the explosion is not yet known, but officials say more than 70 people were killed and more than 3,000 were injured. Hours after the explosion, ambulances were still carrying away the wounded.

The blast could be heard and felt in Cyprus, more than 200 kilometres away.

Yassine said he was around 4 kilometres from the radius of the explosion when it occurred, but luckily, escaped harm.

What he could not escape was the horror of the situation.

“Glass, stone, buildings cracking. It was really terrifying,” he said.

Nada Hamza, another resident of the city, was even closer to the blast when it reverberated through the city.

“I was in the street just behind the port of Beirut,” she told CTV News Channel over the phone, estimating that she was within one kilometre of the explosion.

Like Yassine, she had been in her car when she heard the first warning sounds of the devastation that was to come.

At first, she thought she heard “bombs,” she said. She rolled down her window to ask others in the street what was happening, thinking at first that it might be protesters having a “fight or clash with the government.”

Then the sound shifted. It sounded like airplanes, she said -- making those around her fear it could be an attack from Israel. There have been rising tensions recently between Lebanon and Israel.

“And then we saw the smoke, we saw the fire, we heard the explosion,” she said.

Unsure if the city was under attack or not, Hamza initially abandoned her vehicle.

“I left my car in the middle of the street. I ran away to hide in a building,” she said. “I was totally confused and scared.

“The street was almost destroyed.”

The scene of chaos reminded Yassine, he said, of watching Chernobyl, a television show that dramatized the infamous 1986 disaster at a nuclear plant with the same name in then-Soviet republic of Ukraine.

The comparison isn’t far off, as early reports indicate that the second, larger explosion, was a chemical explosion.

The first explosion, which occurred at 6:05 p.m. local time, Yassine said, was at a fireworks warehouse at the port. Three minutes later, the second explosion ripped through the area, potentially triggered by the first fire.

The chief of Lebanese General Security, Abbas Ibrahim, has said that the explosion may have been caused by highly explosive materials that had been confiscated by a ship and had been stored at the port for some time.

Local television channel LBC said the material was sodium nitrate.

Yassine said that although the city has weathered many crises, this explosion feels different.“We faced wars … we survived many explosions. But this one is totally new.

It’s another kind of explosion.”

The official death toll has risen continuously in the hours since the explosion, and is expected to continue rising as more victims are found and more of the wounded are treated.

It’s a huge blow to a city and country ravaged by a financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.“Our hospitals are not that ready to hold too much people,” Hamza pointed out. “Because of COVID-19, our medical institutions in Lebanon and establishments are not well equipped.” Already, she’s seen numerous acts of kindness among survivors, but acknowledged that the true toll of this tragedy is something they aren’t able to wrap their heads around yet.

“Lebanese people now are trying to help each other,” she said. “We’re trying to open doors for people who lost their places, our houses. We try as much as we can to help

‘I Saw People Flying’: Eyewitnesses Describes Horror Of Beirut Explosion

each other, but we’re still under the shock.

We don’t know what’s going on.”

As the city moves forward and attempts to recover from this tragedy, Yassine said he wants accountability for how this could have occurred.“[The sodium nitrate] was stored for more than a year without taking any precaution,” he said. “The authorities didn’t destroy these materials, in fact they kept it, they kept it stored without even warning anyone. Today, it exploded in the port.”

He hopes there will be justice.

“Someone must pay for that,” he said. “Especially the people who are responsible for storing such materials in a place where there is many people around.

“It’s a place where poor people live.”

Yassine pointed out that the explosion destroyed many resources stored at or near the port that the city needed in this “economical crisis,” such as a large supply of wheat.

Without the city’s port, “how are we able to survive?”

Source: /www.iheartradio.ca

13

Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

time l ine o f pakistan

Journey of Pakistan 1947-Aug 2020 (Importnant events)

Continued from page 11

capital early on Thursday, August 8: Maryam Nawaz: Pakistan’s leader of the opposition arrested, Maryam Nawaz arrested while visiting her father, the jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

August 11: Worst shelling in over a decade, claim Locals at LoC. Locals claim that it was a war-like situation and they had not seen this kind of escalation and heavy artillery firing for over a decade.

August 11: Kashmir tensions spill over to Britain’s Pakistani and Indian communities Ever since thousands of troops placed Indian-administered Kashmir in lockdown, Sohail Nasti has been sitting in the living room of his north London home frantically trying

to communicate with his family.

October 28-Nov: The 2019 Azadi march is an ongoing protest march led by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) in Islamabad, Pakistan from 28 October 2019. The march opposes Prime Minister Imran Khan, demanding his resignation,and new elections.No women were part of the protests. The protest involved tens of thousands of protesters.

October 31: Pakistan Railways’ Tezgam passenger train caught fire while traveling from Karachi to Rawalpindi, resulting in at least 75 passenger deaths. The train accident was the deadliest in Pakistan since 2005, when the Ghotki rail crash killed more than 100 people December 11: Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), located in Lahore, Pakistan, is a 347bed tertiary care hospital providing nationwide comprehensive cardiac care services.

Dec 17: Musharraf high treason case The Supreme Court of Pakistan , a special court declared him a traitor and sentenced him in absentia to

death for abrogating and suspending the constitution in November 2007.

The threem e m b e r panel of the special court which issued the order was spearheaded

by Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court Waqar Ahmed Seth 2020: February 1 Pakistan locust infestation - the government declared a national emergency to protect crops and help farmers February 26: The first two cases of COVID-19 are reported in Pakistan.

March 8: The Aurat (Women) March is an annual political demonstration organized in various cities of Pakistan.

May 22: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashed in Karachi killing 97 of the 99 people on board as well as one on the ground.

June 19:The Supreme Court of Pakistan has quashed a presidential reference filed against Justice Qazi Faiz Esa.

June 30: Nigar Johar becomes Pakistan Army’s first female lieutenant general.

July 06: PM Imran Khan inaugurates country’s first ever indigenously made ventilators at National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) in Haripur.

July 15: ‘Will build biggest dam in Pakistan’s history’: PM Imran kicks off construction work at Diamer-Bhasha Dam. July 26: Pakistan Army downs this year’s 10th Indianspying quadcopter: ISPR Aug 7: NAB summons Buzdar over liquor licence ‘bribe’.

Aug 7: In light of reducing Covid-19 cases, govt announces reopening of restaurants, gyms and cinemas Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

Why midnight of 15 August 1947 for Indian Independence?

W

hy was the midnight of 15th August 1947 chosen as the date & time for Indian Independence? We can divide the above question into 3 sub-questions:

Why 1947?

Why 15th Aug? Why Midnight?

Let us pick each of the above and find out the answers

Why 1947?

The awakening of masses by Gandhi and the activities of Bose behind the scenes (of strengthening Indian National Army) which had intensified during 1940s were already a cause of concern for the British.

By the time the World War II had come to an end in 1945, the British were financially weak (sources indicate they were in the verge of bankruptcy) and were struggling to rule their own country, let alone their colonies. The victory of Labour party in the Britain elections of 1945 was received very well by our freedom fighters because the Labour party had prom-

W

ised to work on granting independence to English colonies including India.

Lord Wavell initiated talks with Indian leaders for Indian Independence and inspite of several disagreements and disruptions, it was gaining momentum and in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the last viceroy of India to oversee the transfer of power.

The plan initially was to transfer power from Britain to India by June 1948. Immediately after assuming power in Feb 1947, Lord Mountbatten had begun a series of talks with Indian leaders for a consensus. But things were not so simple especially due to conflicts between Jinnah & Nehru on the matter of partition.

Jinnah’s demand for a separate nation had instigated large scale communal disturbances across India and upon passing of each day, situation was going out of control. This was certainly not something expected by Mountbatten and hence such circumstances forced him to prepone the date of independence by almost an year, from 1948 to 1947. It was de-

cided in the meeting (related to independence work around, the astrologers suggested the & partition) on June 3, 1947 which was aptly midnight hour between Aug 14 and 15 due to the simple reason that the day according titled “June 3 Mountbatten plan”.

Why 15th August? to English starts at 12 AM, but according to It was Lord Mountbatten who had personally Hindu calendar, starts at sunrise. Detailed readecided the date of Aug 15 because he had sons can be found in this astrological analysis: considered that date to be “very lucky” for The astrologers had insisted that the speech of his career. During the World War II, it was on acknowledgement of transfer of power be done Aug 15, 1945 (Japan timezone) that the Japa- within the 48 minutes window (referred to as nese Army had surrendered before him (Lord “Abhijeet Muhurta”) which lasted between 24 Mountbatten was the commander of the allied minutes before and after 12:15am i.e between forces).

11:51pm & 12:39am. Nehru had to deliver a Why Midnight? speech only within that timeframe and an adWhen the date of independence was decided ditional constraint was that the speech had to in “June 3 plan” and announced to public, end by 12 AM, so that the holy conch (Shanka) there was an outrage among astrologers across be blown to herald the birth of a new nation the country because 15-Aug-1947 was an “un- at the stroke of midnight hour, and the rest is fortunate & unholy” date according to astro- history. logical calculations. Alternative dates were http://guruprasad.net/posts/why-midnightsuggested but Lord Mountbatten was adamant of-15-August-1947-for-indian-independence. on Aug 15 (since it was his lucky date). As a

Happy 74th Independence Day

ith continuous support and encouragement from both within and outside of Canada, The Miracle team feels proud to launch another edition on the occasion of 74th Independence Day of Pakistan and India. I would take the opportunity to thank the supporters and well wishers of ‘The Miracle’ for providing continuous support through advertisements of their businesses, sharing their thoughts in writing with our readers, especially Mr. Shams Jilani, Mr. Aslam Hayat, Ms. Shamim Karim, Ms. Aalam Ara, Ms. Ms. Asma Ayyaz, Mrs. Nafisa Sidqui, and many others. I am also grateful to Khadija, Misbah and and Sabeeh.

Keep up the good work not only for the

Miracle, but for all. We are proudly continuing our twelve years old tradition of Azadi editions.

This time we have shortage of pages, due to Coronavirus effected on all businesses, so we are publishing only the Timeline (1947- update) after the independence day of Pakistan Pakistan as a nation has been going through many serious crises since past few years, after new Govt. elected in 2018, i.e Kashmir issue, Coronavirus, Inflation, NAB Cases, Commodity Prices etc As Pakistani Canadians, we not only have to the responsibility of being faithful and loyal to Canada but also represent our distinct cultural identity in a positive manner.

Be part of upcoming Canadian Provincial & Federal Elections. I am very proud that I am a Muslim and Pakistani Canadian, and it is my duty to promote not only the Canadian values but also our Pakistani businessmen community, that is serving Canadians day and night. I have high respect for these people who contribute to the economic prosperity of Canada and are also equipping their future generations with high education and skills to serve this country and making it stronger and more prosperous.

At the end, I once again request to all Pakistani Canadians that be proud of your Pakistani origin, and live here with peace and dignity as Ambassadors.

Promote Pakistani businesses and their prod-

ucts and make your contribution in benefiting both Canadian and Pakistani economies.

Feel free to comment on this issue as your concerns and suggestions are highly Appreciated for improving our quality in future. United we stand, divided we fall.

Long Live Pakistan and Long Live Canada.

Jazakum Allah khair M. Naseer Pirzada (Editor in Chief Miracle Media)

14

Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

pakistan ’ s specia l

F

rom the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the South, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Trekking, mountaineering, white water rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep safaris, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching, are a few activities, which entice the adventure and nature lovers to Pakistan.

Pakistan is endowed with a rich and varied flora and fauna. High Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush ranges with their

A

t its simplest, Pakistani cooking today consists of staple foods which are cheap and abundant. Wheat and other flour products is the mainstay of the diet, one familiar form being CHAPATI, unleavened bread akin to a Mexican tortilla. This is made with dough prepared from whole wheat flour.

Another basic food is LASSI, milk from which curds and butterfat have been removed. Vegetables, usually seasonal, len-

S

Tourism in Pakistan

alpine meadows and permanent snow line, coniferous forests down the sub-mountain scrub, the vast Indus plain merging into the great desert, the coast line and wetlands, all offer a remarkably rich variety of vegetation and associated wildlife including avifauna, both endemic and migratory. Ten of 18 mammalian orders are represented in Pakistan with species ranging from the world’s smallest surviving mammals, the Mediterranean Pigmy Shrew, to the largest mammal ever known; the blue whale.

Animal & Animal Products

Live Animals, Meat and Edible Meat Offal , Fish and Crustaceans Chemicals & Allied Industries Tobacco & Manuf, Tobacco Substitutes, Inorganic Chemicals, Precious Metals, Organic Chemicals Foodstuffs Edible Prep. of Meat and Fish, Sugars, Sugar Confectionery, Cocoa & Cocoa Machinery / Electrical Machinery & Mechanical Appliances, Electrical Machinery Metals, Iron & Steel, Articles of Iron or Steel, Copper & Articles Mineral Products Salt, Sulphur, Lime & Cement, etc, ores Slag & Ash, Mineral Fuels, Oils, Waxes Miscellaneous Optical, Surgical Instruments, Clocks & Watches & Parts Musical Instruments Preparations, Footwear / Headgear , Footwear, Gaiters, etc, Headgear & Other Parts,

Umbrellas, Walking-Sticks, Plastics / Rubbers Plastics & Articles ;Rubbers & Articles; Raw Hides, Skins, Leather, & Furs, Raw Hides, Skins & Leather, Articles of Leather, Fur skins & Artificial Fur Services Engineering Services, Business Services, Stone / Glass, Articles of Stone, Plaster, Cement, Ceramic Products, Glass & Glassware Textiles Silk, Yarns & Woven Fabrics, Wool, Yarns & Woven Fabrics, Cotton, Yarns & Woven Fabrics Transportation Railway, Fixtures & Fittings, Vehicles Vegetable Products Live Trees & Other Plants, Edible Vegetables, Fruits & Nuts Wood and Wood Products Wood and Articles of wood, cork and articles, plating materials,basket ware

tils are commonly used. Families with larger incomes eat more meat eggs, and fruits. And the more affluent cook with GHEE, which is clarified butter, instead of with vegetable oil.

From the earliest times, the imaginative - and sometimes heavy - use of spices, herbs, seeds, and flavorings and seasonings have helped cooks transform rather ordinary staple foods into an exotic cuisine.

Consider some of the most common of these in wide use in Pakistan today: chilli powder, turmeric, garlic, paprika, black pepper, red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saf-

fron, mace, nutmeg, poppy seeds, aniseed, almonds, pistachios, and yogurt.

Their use in a wide range of pickles, chutneys, preserves, and sauces, together with curries of all descriptions and special treatment for meats, sea, food, vegetables and lentils, gives Pakistani cooking much of its distinctive character.

Cultural influences, whether religious precepts, practices, and ceremonies or local traditions, or even esthetic preferences, have made their contribution toward the evolution of Pakistani cuisine.

Food and The Moghul Emperors A style of cookery called Moghlai’ evolved at the Moghul court and even today it remains centered in Lahore. Some latter-day and widely known survivors of court cookery are, for example, chicken tandoori, a dish in which chicken is cooked at low tempera-

tures in special ovens called TANDOORS, and murgh musallum’ in which the whole chickens are roasted with special spices and ingredients. SHAHI TUKRA, a dessert of sliced bread, milk, cream, sugar and saffron, is another left-over from the days of the Moghuls. Fruit drinks, squeezed from pomegranates, apples, melons, and mangoes, and called SHARBAT, are an important part of the Moghlai cuisine and, indeed, the inspiration for American “sherberts.”

Ceremonial occasions such as weddings have inspired a number of fancy dishes. A traditional dish at marriage feasts, for example, is chicken curry with either PILAU or Biryani. Firini, made from cream of rice and milk, is an equally traditional wedding dessert. It is served in clay saucers topped by silver foil.

America. Smaller percentages went to Africa (6.3%), Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean (1.5%) then Oceania led by Australia (1.3%).

Given Pakistan’s population of 216.6 million people, its total $20.8 billion in 2019 exports translates to an estimated $100 for every resident in the densely-populated South Asian nation.

The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in Pakistani global shipments during 2019. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Pakistan.

Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: US$4.2 billion (20% of total exports) Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $3.5 billion (16.7%) Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: $3.3 billion (16.1%)

Cotton: $1.8 billion (8.4%) Cereals: $1.2 billion (5.9%) Leather/animal gut articles: $716.7 million (3.5%) Copper: $596.7 million (2.9%) Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $421 million (2%) Mineral fuels including oil: $393.8 million (1.9%) Fish: $372.5 million (1.8%) Pakistan’s top 10 exports accounted for 79.3% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Copper was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 182.6% from 2018 to 2019. In second place for improving export sales were unknitted and non-cro-

Pakistani’s Cuisines

Pakistan’s Top 10 Exports

haring land borders with economic powerhouses China and India, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shipped an estimated US$20.8 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. That dollar amount reflects a -6.1% decrease since 2015 and a -12.8% slowdown from 2018 to 2019.

The latest available country-specific data from 2018 shows that 68.3% of products exported from Pakistan were bought by importers in: Canada (18% of the global total), Mexico (15.9%), China (7.2%), Japan (4.5%), United Kingdom (4%), Germany (3.5%), South Korea (3.4%), Netherlands (2.9%), Brazil (2.4%), France (2.3%), Hong Kong (2.2%) and India (2%).

From a continental perspective, 38% of Pakistan’s exports by value were delivered to fellow Asia countries while 35.2% were sold to importers in Europe. Pakistan shipped another 17.7% worth of goods to North

cheted clothing or accessories via a 33.7% gain. Pakistan’s shipments of knitted or crocheted clothing and accessories posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 15.9%.

The leading decliner among Pakistan’s top 10 export categories was cotton thanks to a -50.2% drop year over year.

Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, see the section Searchable List of Pakistan’s Most Valuable Export Products further down near the bottom of this article.

Source: worldstopexports.com

Pakistan’s top builders ready for projects of Rs1.3 trillion

P

akistan’s National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development has turned out to be a morale booster for the builders and developers who are completely satisfied with the support being provided by the present government towards resolving their issues and providing them a conducive environment for undertak-

ing greater activity in the construction sector.

With enhanced satisfaction level, 13 leading builders of the country assure the prime minister of launching various projects during next 4-5 months that will generate an economic activity up to Rs1.3 trillion and addition of 100,000 housing units.

For the first time, not only the processes of seeking No Objection Certificates (NOCs) are being streamlined and duration is reduced but also the private banks are also encouraging builders and developers to avail credit portfolio reserved for construction, house building and development activities, stated the representatives of Associa-

tion of Builders And Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) during the meeting.

The assurance was made during weekly meeting of National Coordination Committee on Housing, Construction and Development with Prime Minister Imran Khan in chair.

Besides all Chief Secretaries of the provinces in attendance, leading builders and developers from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore were also present during the meeting representing Association of Builders and Developers of the country. ABAD is a national level representative organisation of builders and developers to unify and streamline the construction activities of private sector.

The Prime Minister appreciated Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for his proactive role in encouraging private banks to extend much-needed support to the construction sector.

The builders and developers present during the meeting assured the Prime Minister that the present system will help expeditious resolution of their issues and pending approvals enabling them to undertake projects worth billions of rupees. In addition to the pledges made by the 13 builders who were present during the meeting, other commitments by builders and developers of ABAD will also follow soon. Source: gulftoday.ae

15

Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

MLA Bruce Ralston, MLA Garry Begg and MLA Jinny Sims visited the Muslim Food Bank

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Zul Hijja 24,1441H August 14, 2020

KASHMIR

Canada should not ignore erosion of human rights in Kashmir

By Raza Bashir Tarar

T

August 6,

Pakistani High Commissioner to Canada.

his slow-moving, relentless tsunami of cruelty should not be ignored by Canada and all defenders of human

rights.

Pakistani high commissioner to Canada, Raza Bashir Tarar, says India’s claims of being a secular country and the world’s largest democracy have been blown to shreds by its revocation of Article 35(a) of the Indian constitution, which grants special status to Kashmir.

Imagine being an inmate in the largest concentration camp in the world, where you are being held without any means of communication and under a constant fear of death.

And imagine having no internet access and not being able to get emergency medical assistance. For anyone living and thriving in Canada, this would be the stuff of horror films, but for millions of Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, this is an everyday reality.

India, which is vying for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, is demonstrating to the world that multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes are for the faint of heart. The occupying state should be like a juggernaut that’s free to prey upon its captives if it feels that it is too populous or too commercially important to be taken to task.

But history tells us that braggadocio and delusions of grandeur have played havoc with world peace. If India’s repression of Kashmi-

ri, aggression against Pakistan, and its nonchalance towards Pakistan’s longstanding calls for negotiation leads to a conflagration between two nuclear-armed countries, one does not need to be Einstein to understand the ramifications.

Despite scrapping the special status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir; allegations of forced disappearances of thousands of young men; the alleged use of rape as an instrument of war; and accusations of arbitrary detentions, India has embarked upon a cynical campaign to re-engineer the demography of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by making it possible for any non-Kashmiri to take up residence and buy property in the occupied territory.

The revocation of Article 35 (a) of the Indian constitution, which grants special status to Indian-administered Kashmir, more than a year ago is a clear violation of Article 49 of the fourth Geneva Convention. India’s claims of being a secular country and the world’s largest democracy have been blown to shreds by these actions. The possibility of a “false flag” operation by Indian against Pakistan cannot be ruled out.

India’s claim that IOJ&K is “an internal affair” is incorrect since Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory.

UN Secretary General António Guterres affirmed in an Aug. 8 statement the “the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

The recently released reports by the Jammu

and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Association of Parents of Displaced Persons (APDP) in their six-month review of the human Rights situation in Kashmir for the first half of this year indicated that 229 people are believed to have been killed in this period; 450 people remained in detention in various jails under the new laws. The head of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik, was already under detention, and has been charged with trumped-up charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act. The human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir are being violated. In January, India tried to hoodwink the international community by arranging a two-day visit of a select group of 15 envoys to IOJK, the first such visit since the region lost its semi-autonomous status, according to Toronto Star.

This was an attempt to portray normalcy in IOJK. The visit was stage-managed with very limited access.

The latest incident in Sopore, which involved the alleged killing by the police of Bashir Ahmed Khan, a civilian whose death was witnessed by his three-year-old grandson, speaks volumes of the impunity that government authorities enjoy. (The Central Reserve Police Force, which has been accused of killing Mr. Ahmed Khan, has refuted the allegations, blaming it on militants.)

Kashmiris and Canadians of Pakistani origin organised a car rally

Since 1989, more than 70,000 Kashmiris have been killed. There are about 10,000 unmarked graves in Kashmir. Thousands of Kashmiris have disappeared. Tens of thousands have been subject to torture. Kashmiri teenagers have been blinded with pellet guns. Thousands of young boys have been arbitrarily detained. Protests have been violently suppressed. Women have been subjected to sexual harassment, humiliation, and intimidation.

This slow-moving, relentless tsunami of cruelty should not be ignored by Canada and all defenders of human rights. Hapless Kashmiris call on the world to put an end to this bloodshed and intolerance. Pakistan hopes and strives for an amicable resolution. Let us empower rationality and humanity, and not strengthen the narration of those who espouse and advocate violence as a means of settling disputes.

Source: CG.of Pakistan office

Kashmiris and Canadians of Pakistani origin organised a car rally to express solidarity with besieged Kashmiris on the first anniversary of illegal revocation of the status of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir( IIOJK). Inspite of COVID-19 situation, a huge number of protestors joined the car rally to condemn Indian atrocities in IIOJK and to highlight grave human rights violations. The rally concluded in front of Indian High Commission in Ottawa where speakers expressed their support for the right of self determination for Kashmiris.

Youm-e-Istehsal (Exploitation Day)

5

th August 2020 marks one year of the revocation of the autonomy of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the Government of India. The day is being observed as Youm-e-Istehsal or Exploitation

Day. The Government and people of Pakistan and Kashmiris all over the world besides expressing their solidarity with the people of Kashmir are also expressing their deep anguish on the brutalization of people of Kashmir.

Over the past one year, Kashmiris have been subjected to unprecedented atrocities by the Indian occupation forces.

Curfew, media blackouts, Killings, illegal detentions, search operations, rape, torture and destruction of homes and properties is the order of the day in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir. The last one year is one of the darkest chapters

in the long struggle of the people of Kashmir for their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Resolutions. The Government of India exploited the Covid-19 situation and took advantage of the pandemic to put further curbs on the movements of Kashmiris compounding their existing unprecedented miseries.

The Government of India’s unilateral and illegal actions to alter the internationally recognized disputed status and steps to change demographic composition of Kashmir has received worldwide condemnation, including the Human Rights Council, Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the OIC and Human Rights defenders.

This day makes incumbent upon us to con-

tinue to highlight the atrocities being perpetrated on the people of Kashmir and the steps being taken by the Indian Occupation Forces to erode the history, cultural identity of the people of Kashmir and to suppress the freedom struggle of the people of Kashmir through use of brute force. The international community should take cognizance of the grave situation and force India to revoke the illegal action taken a year earlier and to facilitate the conduct of plebiscite as enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir.

Consulate General of Pakistan Vancouver Press Release Source: CG.of Pakistan office

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Importance of Self Respect

By: Shabnam Khan, Family Counsellor

S

w o men / Y O U T H

August 14, 2020

elf-respect is crucial to self-care because it protects you from settling for less when you deserve the best. This is toxic to how you view yourself and how you allow others to treat you, your values and your boundaries. If you allow others to trample over your expectations constantly, you’re debasing your worth and your self-esteem. You might be afraid that if you have high standards for yourself, people might perceive you as a high-maintenance person and even abandon you in the process. In fact, it’s probably a good thing that they do that and reveal that earlier during your important journey. At the end of the day, your opinion of yourself and what you deserve is all that truly matters to you in your life. Having high standards for yourself, your career and relationships protects you in the longrun. Think of some things that fall below your standards as bad experiences. You’re not getting what you need and want out of it, but the person on the other side is. It’s not worth the time and your energy if someone else is benefiting from the positive return.

Life is too short to waste your energy by allocating resources into goals that are not truly your own. Caring for ourselves means remaining au-

thentic and recognizing our true passion.

Don’t be pressured into picking a certain career path just because society says it’s the right one for you, don’t always settle for jobs just because they’ll pay the rent, don’t pursue a major just because of its financial rewards unless it’s something that really interests you. Sometimes, you will have to do what you have to do in order to survive - but be sure you’re still looking for ways to improve yourself and progress to something better and something that represents your true self. Setting aside time to pursue your dreams is important because these are things no one can take away from you. You own the right to all your dreams and the ability to make them come true. At the end, it’s all about you - about your uniqueness - about your dreams!

The key is to still be practical, but also to be passionate. You were not meant to live this life doing just what is required to survive, you were meant to live life valuing your dreams. Don’t be afraid of failure, because failure is a learning experience that will strengthen you and prepare you to do better in the future. Would you rather sit around and live in the regret of not knowing what would’ve happened if you had tried or would you rather lead an exciting life by taking on risks and challenges that will ultimately lead you towards reaching your dreams.

It’s never late to start Living Your Dreams! info: shabnam@skcounselling.ca

Self Care during Covid Crisis

By: Asma Shums,

W

hat is self-care and why does it matter? Self-care includes all the things you do to take care of your well-being in four key dimensions: your emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual health.

Self-care is essential for managing stress, preventing burnout and mitigating compassion fatigue – all common occupational hazards for caring, high-performing individuals. Self-care is also important for a sense of overall integrity, as it ensures we are “walking our talk.”

How should one Self Care? It could be anything that suits you.

Physical self-care involves ensuring an overall healthy lifestyle that includes eating healthy, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of exercise.

Emotional self-care might include setting

Knock, knock Who’s there?

Adore Adore who?

clear boundaries on your time and energy. Engage emotional boundaries within helping relationships, surrounding yourself with positive people and affirmative and inspiring messages.

Psychological self-care activities might include personal and professional development. Give attention to things that are in your control (your sphere of influence).

Take time for personal reflection. Notice your inner experiences, thoughts and feelings.

Spiritual self-care might include prayer or meditation. You may want to visualize, practice gratitude, spend time in nature and be aware of the non-material aspects of your life. Identify what is meaningful to you in your work and life. Practice mindfulness and being present in the moment.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, my 47-year-old son has been washing his hands religiously. In fact, he said, “I’ve been washing my hands so much, I found the answers to an old eighth-grade math quiz. info at: asmashums@gmail.com

Adore is between you and me so please open up!

How to Master Working From Home—While Under Quarantine With Kids?

T

By Brooke Lea Foster he spread of the coronavirus is forcing working parents into telecommute situations across the country.

If you’re struggling to stay productive while working from home, these tips from fulltime work-from-home moms may help.

If the thought of working from home with your child seems frightening, you aren’t alone. Kids demand around-the-clock attention—and parenting while juggling conference calls, never-ending emails, and tight deadlines is no joke.

Unfortunately, the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19)—the respiratory illness that originated in Wuhan, China—will make this situation a reality for many parents nationwide. Employers are encouraging workers to telecommute in high-risk areas across the country. Some school systems have suspended classes indefinitely, and thousands of people with potential coronavirus exposure have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

That means your family might be stuck at home for at least two weeks, with minimal exposure to the outside world, while you’re attempting to keep up with your workload.

But don’t panic just yet! We spoke with moms and experts who have learned the best ways to navigate life at the intersection of working at home and Mom-ing. Here are their tips for staying productive while working from home.

Create a Schedule

It’s important to line up your day carefully, with set “office” hours. How many hours do you hope to work that day? When will you return calls? What can you accomplish while your son or daughter is coloring in the next room? You’ll get more done if you work smarter, not harder, says Christine Durst, a mom of two in Woodstock, Connecticut, and cofounder of ratracerebellion.com, a site that helps people find work-at-home jobs.

That said, one of the best benefits of working at home is flexibility, especially if you are your own boss. If your son or daughter is fussing during your office hours and it’s a beautiful day, it’s okay to push assignments aside and play outside. You can catch up

on work later when your cutie has settled down.

If you have an employer, just be sure to have an agreement for how many hours per day you should log while telecommuting. Given the reason for working at home (the spread of coronavirus), some employers may understand the need for non-traditional schedules.

Capitalize On Naptime

Take advantage of naptime for staying productive while working from home. Whether your kid sleeps for one hour or three, use this time to finish assignments that require your complete focus and concentration, says Erin O’Donnell, a mom of two and freelance writer and editor in Milwaukee, who often schedules work-related phone calls during her 20-month-old Jonas’s naps.

If for some reason he isn’t tired, they have quiet time instead: O’Donnell puts him in his crib with books and closes the door. “I can usually get in 20 minutes of work before he grows restless,” she says. If Jonas wakes up while she’s on a work call and begins crying, O’Donnell has trained herself to resist hanging up and rushing right in to check on him. “It hurts a little bit to listen to him,” she says. “But it won’t kill me —or him.” Plus, she believes it’s important for him to learn how to soothe himself.

Separate Mom and Business Roles

If you don’t learn to keep your roles as mom and businesswoman separate, giving each your full concentration for a set amount of time, you’ll never feel like you’re doing either well. To separate mentally from the rest of the house, set up an office area, recommends Lauren Kohl, an attorney and mom of two in Newton, Massachusetts.

She works out of a converted closet, a kidfree zone that helps her to detach from the rest of her house. If she can’t see the dirty rompers in the hamper, she’s less inclined to leave her desk to launder them, she says.

Plus, it helps you disengage from your job if you have a door to close. If you don’t have an office, try making a list of everything you’re going to do the next day, leave it in your work space, and walk away. “You’re doing something to turn work off,” says Durst, which helps with staying productive

while working from home.

Keep Kids Entertained

Renee Belbeck, a work at home mom (WAHM) from Columbus, Ohio, and C.E.O. and founder of the National Association of W.O.M.E.N. (Women, Owners, Moms, Entrepreneurs, and Networkers), discovered a simple rule when her children were toddlers: “If I gave them a little quality time, I’d get two hours to work.” She says the rule still holds true, even though her children are now 10 and 6.

Her other kid-centric tips: Set aside a few cool toys that your kids can play with, or arrange playdates or special movie viewings only during “Mommy’s work time.”

If your children have something to look forward to, they’ll be less likely to interrupt you. You can also try setting up an activity center in your home office so kids feel as if they have their own designated place to do projects while you catch up on e-mails.

Plan for Interruptions

Every WAHM has a similar horror story: She’s on an important call, her toddler wants to watch Elmo or is suddenly starving, and her boss is left listening to a whining child and Mom’s apologies instead of her bright ideas. Their advice? Hit the mute button during conference calls to avoid any unexpected yells of “Mommmeee!”in the background.

Give your child a nonverbal “Do not disturb” when you need quiet time. Perhaps you could wear a tiara when you’re on the phone to signify that kids are not allowed to make noise or interrupt , unless there’s an emergency. If you have an office door, tie a red ribbon on it when you’re not to be bothered. This tactic is best for older kids; toddlers won’t understand that they can’t always have your undivided attention. If your toddler is fussing while you’re on the phone, end the call and reschedule if you can.

Seek Extra Help If You Need It

You may think working at home means you can skip child care, but you’ll have days when you need help—and that’s okay (as long as you aren’t under self-quarantine). When Jonas was about 6 months old, O’Donnell hired a responsible high-school

student to watch him two or three hours two days a week. The teenager charged half of what an adult sitter or day care would, and it meant O’Donnell could concentrate on answering e-mails and returning phone calls.

Another way to get affordable child care: Pool your resources with several other working moms and hire one babysitter to watch all your children at the same time.

Even without the sitter, you can get together with other WAHMs and let the kids play while you all work. “I found that if a child has a playdate, he or she is often amused long enough to allow you to do work that doesn’t require extreme quiet,” says freelance writer Melissa Dutton, of Columbus, Ohio, who also sometimes swapped child care for her two kids with another working mom a few hours a week. “I knew that she worked from home, too, so I offered to take her kid first, and it grew from there.”

Your partner can also be a great source of support. When Samuelson’s husband, a teacher, arrives home at 3:30 p.m., she relies on him to take over kid duty. He can ferry their two children to the park and get dinner ready, and Samuelson will emerge a few hours later feeling finished with her day’s to-do list. If your partner gets home after dinner, ask him to oversee bedtime— you’ll fit in at least an hour of work before the kids yell “Mom!” And once they do, you’re there for the call, with no rush hour to race through.

Source: parents.com

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h ea l t h

What happens if you catch the new coronavirus?

What we know so far on what COVID-19 does to the human body in cases of infections and deaths. new coronavirus that emerged in China late last year has spread to at least 188 countries on six continents, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak of the pathogen a pandemic.

More than 744,000 people have died from the virus worldwide and the number of reported cases has exceeded 20.4 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Over 12 million people have so far recovered.

As fear has spread, scientists and researchers around the world have ramped up efforts to understand the new virus and how it affects the human body. Currently, there is no vac-

A

cine to prevent coronavirus disease.

Here is what we know about the coronavirus and the highly infectious respiratory disease it causes, COVID-19, and what happens if you are infected.

‘Varying levels of severity’ The new virus belongs to a family of viruses that can cause respiratory illnesses in humans ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Thought to have been transmitted to humans from an as-yet-unidentified animal source, the new virus spreads primarily through respiratory droplets, such as those generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

On average, it takes about five to six days for someone to show symptoms after becoming infected. However, some people who carry the virus remain asymptomatic, meaning they do not show any symptoms.

The virus multiplies in the respiratory tract

and can cause a range of symptoms, according to Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

“You have mild cases, which look like the common cold, which have some respiratory symptoms, sore throat, runny nose, fever, all the way through pneumonia. And there can be varying levels of severity of pneumonia all the way through multi-organ failure and death,” she told reporters in Geneva on February 7. However, in most cases, symptoms have remained mild.“We’ve seen some data on about 17,000 cases and, overall, 82 percent of those are mild, 15 percent of those are severe and 3 percent of those are classified as critical,” said Van Kerkhove.

Fever, cough, pneumonia

A study of 138 patients infected with the new virus in Wuhan, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on February 7, showed the most common symptoms were fever, fatigue and dry cough. A third of the patients also reported muscle pain and difficulty breathing, while about 10 percent had atypical symptoms, including diarrhoea and nausea.

The patients, who ranged in age from 22 to 92, were admitted to the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between January 1 and 28. “The median age of patients is between

49 and 56 years,” JAMA said. “Cases in children have been rare.”

While most cases appeared to be mild, all the patients developed pneumonia, according to JAMA. About a third subsequently developed severe breathing difficulties, requiring treatment in the intensive care unit. The critically ill were older and had other underlying conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

Six of the 138 patients died - a figure amounting to a 4.3-percent death rate, which is higher than estimates from other parts of China. Less than 2 percent of the total number of infected people have died from the virus so far but that figure could change.

Meanwhile, a study published on January 24 in The Lancet medical journal found what it called a “cytokine storm” in infected patients who were severely ill. A cytokine storm is a severe immune reaction in which the body produces immune cells and proteins that can destroy other organs.

Some experts say this could explain deaths in younger patients. Statistics from China show some people in their 30s, 40s and 50s, who were not known to have had prior medical issues, have also died from the disease.

Source: aljazeera.com

Youth Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority for Health Care in Canada By: Ashok Malla

Societal Perspective

‘Y

outh’, the age group 12 to 25 years, encompasses early adolescence and emerging adulthood.7 Adolescence is a period of social and developmental turmoil as youth try to negotiate several challenges, including transition into multiple social roles from the limited and dependent roles of childhood and simultaneous formation of distinct identities. Key in mental health is the concept of transitional youth, the age group starting in adolescence and moving into adulthood.

‘Emerging adulthood’ is a relatively recently recognized phenomenon of delayed social and personal independence observed among young people8 that has some implications when discussing youth mental health.

From this broader perspective, arguments to support attention to youth mental health (YMH) and addictions run to the very core of the social and economic well-being of all societies.9 The contribution to loss of gross domestic product (GDP), resulting from mental health and addictions, is reportedly on par with cardiovascular disorders.4 Unlike physical health problems, most (75%) mental disorders have their first onset before the age of 25.10 Mental disorders surge during the transition between childhood and emerging adulthood10 and have long-lasting health, social, and economic impacts on individuals, their families, and society.11–13 While most noncommunicable medical disorders usually begin later and have their highest prevalence in or after middle age, mental health problems in youth start early and compound the longerterm picture of the former through comorbidity and shared risk factors.14–16 Older generations at times express clichéd concerns about young people’s capacity to manage the future (concerns expressed about Generation X and more recently about the Millennial Generation). There is no real basis for these concerns; every society relies on its youth to maintain continuity of the economic and social order. Millennials, for example, make up a substantial proportion (1 in 6) of the workforce today.17 In high-income countries like Canada, changing social demographics help to focus the challenge. The relatively small proportion of the population (15%-20%) under 25 years of age18 will need

to sustain an increasingly aging population, so the health of the youth, crucially dependent on their mental health, has never been more important. In Indigenous communities in Canada, a higher proportion of the population is under 25 years old (40%-50%),19 and they experience higher rates of mental health problems with even more limited access to care than non-Indigenous youth.20 Attending to the physical, mental, and social development of children and youth is vital to survival of Indigenous communities in Canada. Not doing so is not just a lost opportunity for social and economic development but also a potential societal disaster.

Early onset of mental illness and delay in or lack of access to adequate interventions frequently result in a downward spiral of disadvantage and suffering for young people and their families, leading eventually also to serious leakage from economic and societal or social development. Youth with untreated mental illness are likely to miss opportunities for education and employment, reflected in the claim that mental disorders represent 60% to 70% of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) among young people.21 Given the nature of DALYs, the future impact is probably an underestimate. Investment in prevention and early intervention makes great economic sense.22

Scientific Perspective

The incidence, prevalence, and distributions of mental health problems are not matched by the current availability and efficacy of care.

Formal studies23–25 show that 20% of youth experience symptoms of mental disorders and at least 50% of these warrant intervention.26,27 Depression and anxiety, the 2 most common disorders, most often have their onset in childhood and adolescence, while schizophrenia first appears in the postpubertal period. Anxiety and impulse-control disorders reach their peak incidence relatively early, with 75% of cases appearing prior to the age of 21 and 15 years, respectively.24,28 Major mental disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders that begin early mostly continue through adult life.

Given their age at onset of such disorders, delays and missed opportunities for intervention are alarming. Such long delays for first intervention extend from 1 to 2 years for psychoses,

6 to 8 years for mood disorders, and 9 to 23 years for anxiety disorders.24,29 Delays result in poorer outcomes when treatment is eventually provided. Treatment delay in cases of psychosis has a longlasting effect on clinical as well as social outcomes30–32; early intervention services that combine state-of-the-art treatment interventions and reduction of delay in treatment through open and rapid access in psychosis reduce many of these negative consequences, including suicide.33–37 The evidence for effectiveness of early intervention services is well established 37 and is beginning to extend to interventions at presyndromal stages in those regarded as being at clinical high risk for psychosis. 37 Delays in intervention for even milder disorders or subthreshold symptoms may complicate future presentation of mental disorders as often untreated earlier stages progress to more severe and complex problems through increasing functional deficits, comorbidity of substance abuse, or simply progression of underlying pathological phenomena. 38 Delayed treatment can be associated with dire consequences that are difficult to attribute directly to the actual delays—suicide, traffic accidents, missed employment opportunities, crime, and poor physical health.

The Canadian Community Health SurveyMental Health confirms a high incidence and prevalence of mental health problems among youth, as well as poor or late access to care.39 Suicide is the second cause of death among 15to 24-year-olds 40 in Canada; this is the third highest youth suicide rate in the industrialized world. 41 Among Indigenous men and women, suicide rates are respectively 5 and 7 times higher than the Canadian average.42,43 The recent crisis facing the country, with deaths from drug overdoses of fentanyl reaching epidemic proportions, has also largely involved youth under 25 years of age.44,45 Recent work in developmental neuroscience indicates that adolescence is a crucial developmental period. During the first 3 decades of life, brain development and maturation occur through dynamic and highly complex neural remodeling, involving changes in structure and connectivity.46–50 This provides the

backdrop for enhanced vulnerability, during which environmental changes can disrupt behavioural adjustments and result in what we understand as mental disorders. Relatively small deviations in the developmental trajectories of normal brain development may provide the opportunity for increased risk for these disorders during this period.51 Youth mental health has a bearing on the rest of health care. Individuals with mental disorders have a shorter life expectancy than do members of the general population; they have increased risk of later, as well as high comorbidity with concurrent, physical health problems. Youth mental health problems act on physical health through several mechanisms. Mental health problems are associated with higher rates of smoking and substance abuse, nutritional disorders (like obesity), and sexually transmitted diseases. These comorbid risks are themselves associated with risk of health problems like diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory problems, cancer, and dementia.52–58 In addition, most mental disorders and many noncommunicable medical disorders (like diabetes, coronary artery disease) share many environmental risk factors, including childhood and intergenerational trauma,59 social and material deprivation,60 parental substance abuse,61 and parental history of mental disorders.62

Current Services Are Inadequate

for Mental Health Problems of Youth Our overall response to youth mental health has been inadequate and inappropriate.

The challenges continue: high incidence and prevalence, extreme delays in appropriate care even in the face of suicidal behaviour, high rates of disengagement even after accessing services,63 the largely institutional and biomedical nature of care available and high use

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YOUTH

Future Leaders grad helps DIVERSEcity stay connected

F

arqaleet Ali went from DIVERSEcity’s Future Leaders youth employment program to a job with DIVERSEcity as its Computer Technical Support Specialist After just a few months on the job, Farqaleet Ali has quickly become one of the busiest employees at DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society. As the organization’s computer technical support specialist, he’s the go-to person for all things IT — and was instrumental in transitioning DIVERSEcity’s employees to working from home as a result of COVID-19.

“I never imagined that such a time would come when everyone would be working from home,” Farqaleet says.

“When it was decided to close the Commu-

nity Campus and we would all work remotely, it was a critical task to make sure everyone had the technology resources to get up and running.”

Originally from Pakistan, Farqaleet was studying electrical engineering when he, his parents and two siblings immigrated to Canada in 2016. He went back to his homeland to finish his bachelor’s degree, and returned in 2018 to settle down permanently in Canada.

But when he started to look for work, he didn’t have much luck. “Most jobs I saw in the electrical engineering field needed lots of experience, which I didn’t have as a new graduate. It seemed that the industry was saturated with enough workers.”

He contemplated returning to school to do a master’s degree, but wanted to find employment to help his family financially.

He went to WorkBC and other career resources to help in his job search, but it was a post his mother found on Facebook that led him to DIVERSEcity’s Future Leaders program. After calling to get more information, he was told to come to the office for an intake meeting later that same day! “We met andwent through all the requirements, and I signed up for the program,” he says.

A future leader in the making Through this youth employment program, Farqaleet received 12 weeks of training at the Academy of Learning in a related field to his degree – information technology.

In addition, he attended employment and life skills workshops at DIVERSEcity and received job search help from the Future Leaders team.

Vandna Joshi, manager of the Future Leaders program, says, “DIVERSEcity’s Future Leaders program funded by Service Canada has been supporting youth (15-30) for the past 14 years. Farqaleet’s success is a testament to our belief that once youth get the skills they need, there are unlimited opportunities for them to access. We are proud to have one of our own Future Leaders graduates on our team at DIVERSEcity; he has done amazing work in these very challenging times.”

Farqaleet adds: “The Future Leaders program was the base of everything for me in Canada. It gave me the confidence I needed. I also got to meet many other new immigrants in the program going through different experiences. The program gave us the opportunity to learn how to deal in the Canadian work environment.”

Five days after he completed the Future Leaders program on May 8, 2019, he started a job at Vancouver Avigilon, an AI-powered security solutions firm, on May 13. “Even after I started working, I knew the Future Leaders program wasthere for me — I had someone who has my back.”

Farqaleet worked there for eight months, until a merger led to some company layoffs — including his job.

But he wasn’t back to square one; he had the tools and training to quickly re-enter the job market. “That first job was a great stepping stone for me. My colleagues were very good and they knew that I was new to Canada and new to the field, and they helped me out a lot.”

When he heard that DIVERSEcity was hiring a computer technical support specialist, he quickly applied. “I felt so happy to get a call back,” he says. “It felt like home, because when I came to Canada I started my education and career through DIVERSEcity,” he says. “What DIVERSEcity gave me, I’m now giving back.”

be better for communication and can protect particles from entering the eyes, if kids are coughing, the shields won’t contain droplets as well as a face mask.

“Some studies have shown that young children may not transmit as much [COVID-19] because they don’t have the strength to cough up the particles,” she says. “For example, tuberculosis is not really something that children transmit. But COVID-19 is an evolving science so we don’t really know.”

This uncertainty makes it even more critical that we make decisions about how to get kids back into school safely based on what we know — and that’s that distancing and wearing masks slows the spread of the virus.

“If we are asking students to mask and be socially distant, the chance of encountering an infection will be much smaller than the risk of transmitting it,” writes Imgrund in the recommendation letter to SickKids Hospital.

He suggests “bubble bubbies” of three or less for children in younger grades, where physical distancing is difficult, adding that

if a teacher is provided with the proper PPE, this would reduce an individual student’s exposure rate to less than one per cent (in Ottawa).

Using the most recent numbers from Ottawa Public Health, the biostatistician says if students are wearing masks and staying physically distant in a class of 15, there is a 3.8 per cent chance of encountering another student with transmissible COVID-19 infection. Imgrund calculated that that number jumps to 25 per cent if a student were to take four classes with pre-COVID class sizes, and more than three in four chances, if students have a lunch with 500 students.

Besides the proper use of protection, Banerji is also concerned about recommendations that sick children should stay home until they get tested, with a negative result. Ontario guidelines say once someone received a negative test, and have been symptom-free for 24 hours, they can return to school.

“Tests are falsely negative about 30 per cent of the time so I don’t know if we can rely on the test,” she says. “Do we want kids to be coming back to school even though they’re 24-hour symptom-free, but still might have COVID?” Obviously this is a question that calls attention to the larger issue of the systems surrounding testing, perhaps requiring a closer look the policies around how long people wait before reintegrating into society post-virus.

Still, with the start of the school year rushing towards us, discussions around keeping our kids from getting the virus in the first place with masks, physical distancing and other hygiene measures are essential — as is being able to assure them that their school environment is safe. https://www.healthing.ca/

‘We should be teaching kids to wear masks’ Will our kids be safe in school this September?

By: Diana Duong *Younger children can learn how to properly wear a mask *“Bubble buddies” of three students or fewer could reduce a child’s rate exposure rate to one per cent *COVID-19 tests show high rate of false negatives, which calls into question how long kids who recover should stay home from school ome September, schools will reopen with students between grades four and 12 in Alberta and Ontario expected to wear masks. But what about those who are younger?

We should be teaching children to wear masks, says Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious, tropical disease specialist and global health specialist, and Director of Global and Indigenous Health in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

While Banerji says allowing children in grade three or younger to be exempt from mask-wearing seems reasonable, but it is possible for them to learn how to wear masks properly. The only exemptions currently are children under the age of two, according to Canadian guidelines.

“Seven- or eight-year-olds could wear masks,” she says, adding that younger children may find it difficult to understand the importance of proper mask wearing. “If they’re playing with [the mask], they risk contaminating themselves. It depends on the maturity of the child.”

And masks are not the only challenge with ensuring young children follow strategies to protect themselves. “It’s very difficult to physically distance young children, says

C

Banerji. “It’s in their nature to play with others.”

While secondary schools are limiting class sizes to 15 students, there is no indication of restricting class sizes in elementary schools.

Without smaller class sizes in elementary schools and younger children forgetting to physically distance, younger children may be vectors for COVID-19. And while face masks can be irritating for younger children, it’s worth it to teach them how to wear a mask, and have them practise wearing it, in these remaining weeks of summer, says Ryan Imgrund, a Southlake Regional Health Centre biostatistician and science teacher.

In a recommendation letter Imgrund wrote for SickKids hospital, he supports the use of masks in schools, saying the viral load on a mask will be low if every student and teacher is wearing one and washing their hands.

Face shields are another option, he says, for students in grade three and under, if masks are difficult.

Still, face masks are better than face shields, for containing droplets, says Banerji, adding that even though face shields may

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SPORTS

Waqar hopes Pakistan can ‘cash in’ on Stokes’ absence in second Test which also takes place at Hampshire’s headquarters ground.

As well as being a good-enough batsman to feature in the top order, paceman Stokes is capable of match-changing spells with the ball and is an inspirational figure within the England set-up.

He cemented the position last year during England’s World Cup final triumph and in leading the side to a stunning one-wicket win in the third Test against Australia at Headingley with an unbeaten century.

Stokes, however, had a modest match with the bat during England’s campaign last week, where he wasn’t fully fit to bowl because of a quad injury.

But fast-bowling great Waqar, now coaching the current generation of Pakistan quicks, was in no doubt England would be poorer for Stokes’ absence.

“If he’s not around it’s unfortunate for cricket but there is no doubt he is a match-winner,”

Pakistan assistant coach Waqar Younis said on Wednesday he hopes the tourists will be able to “cash in” on England being without Ben Stokes during this week’s second Test.

Star all-rounder Stokes is heading to New Zealand, where his father is convalescing following a serious illness and will miss both the second Test, which starts in Southampton on Thursday, as well as the series finale,

Waqar told a conference call.

“If he’s not around England will probably be a touch light in their middle order, so we’re going to talk about that and try to cash in.

“He’s the kind of batsman who takes the game away from you —single-handedly at times. But the way we bowled at him in the previous game showed we had very clear plans and executed really well.”

Pakistan’s well-balanced pace trio, comprising the accurate Mohammad Abbas, towering left-armer Shaheen Afridi and teenage speedster Naseem Shah, all impressed in Manchester.

‘Talented Naseem’

The performance of 17-year-old Naseem in hitting speeds of some 90 mph has been particularly eye-catching and Waqar, who also played international cricket as a teenager, said there was more to come.

“Naseem is very, very talented and he is still growing, his bones are growing,” he ex-

plained. “What a talent he is.

“I don’t think he really bowled as well as we expected in the previous game, but he can really bowl well and take the opposition on at times. He is young, he is inexperienced and it gets tough at times.

“All he needs to do is probably get stronger and fitter. Pakistan over the years has produced some real quality fast bowlers. In the last two-and-a-half ... three decades, I know.

If he keeps himself fit and strong and keeps bowling I’m sure he has the potential to become a very good bowler.”

A schedule of three back-to-back Tests is particular gruelling for fast bowlers but Waqar was confident fatigue has yet to affect Pakistan’s quicks this series.

“I’m sure these guys are still capable and have plenty of gas left in the tank to tackle this Test match and after that we’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Source: dawn.com/news

Hafeez to self-isolate after breaching bio-security protocol in England The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Wednesday that all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez will self-isolate until he tests negative for Covid-19 after breaching a bio-security protocol by posing for a photograph with a member of the public in England.

The photo posted on Twitter by the 39-yearold all-rounder was taken on a golf course next to the hotel where Pakistan are staying, which is part of a bio-secure bubble.

Hafeez is not part of Pakistan’s 20-man Test squad playing in England but is on the tour

for the three-match Twenty20 international series starting August 28.

“As it was evident from the photograph that Hafeez had breached the two-metre social distancing protocol ... the team management has decided to isolate him until he returns a negative Covid-19 test,” PCB said in a statement.

“The team management believes it was an inadvertent mistake, but a good reminder for everyone on the importance of following the bio-secure protocols, which have

been designed for the health and safety of everyone involved in the series.”

The PCB said Hafeez was tested for the virus on Wednesday afternoon with the results expected on Thursday.

Earlier in June, Hafeez was among the 10 Pakistan players who tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of their England tour but he returned a negative result a day later following a subsequent examination at a private laboratory in Lahore.

Source: dawn.com/news

Woakes leads England to stunning win over Pakistan in first Test

Chris Woakes hit an unbeaten 84 as England came from behind to beat Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford on Saturday.

England were struggling in pursuit of a victory target of 277 after collapsing to 117-5 on the fourth day.

But Woakes, who had helped drag England back into the match with 2-11 in just five overs late Friday, and fellow World Cup winner Jos Buttler turned the tide with a stand of 139.

Nevertheless, with just 21 more runs needed, Buttler was lbw for 75 after trying to reversesweep leg-spinner Yasir Shah.

The batsman reviewed but all to no avail, with England now 256-6.

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By the time Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi took the new ball, England needed just 13 more runs to win at a sundrenched Old Trafford.

But there was still time for England to lose their seventh wicket when, with four more needed, Stuart Broad was plumb lbw on the sweep to Yasir.

Woakes, however, finished the match with an edged boundary off Afridi down to the third man rope as England went 1-0 up in a three-match campaign.

Victory meant England had won an opening Test for the first time in six series.

Defeat was tough on Yasir, who took eight wickets in the match.

Wicketkeeper Buttler had had a poor game

in the field, twice missing Shan Masood on 45 during the Pakistan opener’s 156 that was instrumental in leaving England with a firstinnings deficit of over a hundred runs.

But whether it was cover-driving leg-spinner Shadab Khan or pulling teenage paceman Naseem Shah for another boundary, Buttler put the pressure back on Pakistan.

Buttler’s fifty came off just 55 balls, with seven fours, with Woakes no slouch in a 59-ball fifty he completed by cover-driving Naseem for the eighth boundary of his innings.

It was Woakes’s highest Test score since his hundred against India two years ago.

Although Woakes is known to be vulnerable to the short ball, Pakistan did not pitch short to the all-rounder until he was well set.

Only twice has a team chased more than 200 to win in the fourth innings of a Test at Old Trafford, with England making 294-4 against New Zealand in 2008 and 231-3 against the West Indies in 2004.

Collapse

Earlier, England lost four wickets for 31 runs in slipping to 117-5, with captain Joe Root and Ben Stokes both falling in the collapse.

The slump started when Dom Sibley (36) edged a drive off Yasir to slip.

Root made 42 before he nicked Naseem to Babar Azam in the slips.

Stokes had guided England to an astounding one-wicket win over Australia from a seem-

ingly hopeless position with a brilliant century in the third Ashes Test last year.

But there was no repeat of his Headingley heroics on Saturday when he fell for just nine, with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, impressive behind the stumps throughout this match, holding an excellent catch after Stokes got a thin glove to a Yasir googly that bounced.

Ollie Pope then received a brute of a delivery from Afridi that lept off a length, the ball ballooning to Shadab as he ran forward from gully.

Pakistan had resumed on 137-8, a lead of 244.

Yasir led a tailend rally that saw 32 runs added in just 16 balls before his team were dismissed for 169 in their second innings.

Yasir struck a quickfire 33 off 24 balls but, in the end, it was not enough to compensate for Pakistan losing four wickets late on Friday.

Brief scores: Pakistan 1st Innings: 326 (Shan Masood 156, Babar Azam 69; S Broad 3-54, J Archer 3-59) England 1st Innings: 219 (O Pope 62; Yasir Shah 4-66) Pakistan 2nd Innings: 169 (S Broad 3-37) England 2nd Innings: 277-7 (C Woakes 84 no, J Buttler 75; Yasir Shah 4-99) Source: dawn.com/news

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