Miracle 550-July 30, 2021

Volume 21 Issue 550 -Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 H, July 30, 2021 $1

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07 Parents Of Hazrat Ibra-

07 Mayor Doug McCa-

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him (A.S) Were Mu’min Kandahar residents fear Taliban advance Why is the IMF so unpopular?

llum to face off.

B.C. municipalities prepare for another week Oath taking ceremony of newly elected

Panama Papers case: PM submits reply to Trudeau mum on launch of vaccine passport Israeli army kills Palestinian boy in

Upward trend continues as B.C. records 185 Canada-U.S. border reopening threatened new cases of COVID-19 and 3 more deaths by ‘dramatic’ disruption after strike vote

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he B.C. government announced 185 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths on Wednesday, the highest number of new daily cases since June 5. In a written statement, the province said there are currently 909 active cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus in B.C., the most active cases since June 28. A total of 47 people are in hospital, with 20 in intensive care, up from 16 last Wednesday.

Overall hospitalizations are about the same as a week ago.

B.C. looks to improve lower COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Interior as potential 4th wave looms The provincial death toll from the disease is now 1,771 lives lost.

There have been 149,444 confirmed cases to date.

As of Wednesday, 80.9 per cent

(3,747,391) of eligible residents 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 63.2 per cent (2,931,128) have received a second dose.

Cases on the rise The number of daily new COVID-19 cases in British Columbia has tripled during the past three weeks, at the same time as the delta variant has grown to become the most dominant strain in the province.

The majority of new cases are concentrated in the Interior, which has more than half the daily cases and active cases, despite accounting for 15 per cent of all residents. nions representing thousands On Wednesday, the province deof staffers with the Canada clared a COVID-19 outbreak in the Border Services Agency have Central Okanagan after a rapid rise voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of in cases in the region. It is reimposstrike actions. OTTAWA — An ining a local mask mandate and To be Continued at page 7 tensifying labor dispute is threatening to snarl Justin Trudeau’s plans to reopen the Canadian border to vaccinated Americans.

Unions representing 8,500 staffers with the Canada Border Services Agency have voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of strike actions that could begin as soon as next week, their leaders announced Tuesday.

“They’re clearly fed up with the disrespect they’re being shown by the CBSA and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government — and they’re ready to do what it takes to

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get a fair contract,” Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, told a press conference. “If we’re forced to call a strike because of the government’s inaction, CBSA employees could potentially take strike action as early as Aug. 6.”

Risk of border slowdown: The timing of the potential strike could complicate Canada’s reopening plan before it’s due to get going three days later.

The Trudeau government announced last week that Canada will begin allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter the country for discretionary travel on Aug. 9. to returning to the bargaining table at any ............Source:politico.com

‘US really messed it up’: PM Imran on Afghanistan situation

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rime Minister Imran Khan has said that the United States “really messed it up in Afghanistan” as he questioned the American motive of Afghan invasion in the first place and then their subsequent attempts of seeking a political solution with the Taliban from a position of weakness.The prime minister’s remarks come as the US military and Nato are in the final stages of winding up involvement in Afghanistan, which has seen a Taliban resurgence across Afghanistan. “I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan,” the premier said during an appearance on PBS NewsHour, an American news programme, aired on Tuesday night. PM

there’s no military solution, who know the history of Afghanistan, we were called — people like me were called antiAmerican. I was called Taliban Khan.”He lamented that by the time the US realised that there was no military solution in Afghanistan, “unfortunately, the bargaining power of the Americans or the Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces) had gone”.

The prime minister said the US should have opted for a political settlement Khan criticised the US for trying to “look for a much earlier, when there were as many military solution in Afghanistan, when there as 150,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan. never was one”.

“But once they had reduced the troops to To be Continued at page 4 “And people like me who kept saying that

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

PAKISTAN

AJK elections: Final results show clear majority of PTI with 25 assembly seats

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he Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf clinched 25 general seats of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, followed by 11 seats won by the PPP, six by PML-N and one each by two regional political parties in Sunday’s polls, it was officially announced on Monday.

The result of one constituency, LA16 Bagh-III, was however withheld as polling in four of its stations could not be held due to rioting and other reasons, Chief Election Commissioner Abdul Rashid Sulehria said at a press conference in the central control room in Muzaffarabad, adding that re-polling at these stations was most likely to be held before July 29.Sulehria said Sunday’s polling was “by and large peaceful” except for one tragic incident in Kotli which claimed two lives.

“The arrangements we made for the polls and the way we conducted them …

I can say we have fulfilled our responsibility by holding free, fair and impartial

elections,” he asserted.

He expressed his gratitude to the Pakistan Army, civil armed forces, AJK’s judiciary, executive and the Election Commission of Pakistan for their cooperation in maintaining law and order and holding free, fair and impartial elections, respectively. Responding to a question, the CEC said he had not received even a single written complaint from any party about rigging. He also dismissed reports that results

Source: dawn.com

Pakistan rejects US report criticising country’s judicial system

ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the comments made against its judicial system in a latest US report, Pakistan on Tuesday made it clear that its courts were independently performing their functions in accordance with the Constitution.“We take strong exception to the gratuitous and unwarranted comments made in the report on Pakistan’s judicial system,” Foreign Office Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said while responding to media queries regarding the Investment Climate Statements for 2021 released by the US Department of State, He said the judiciary in Pakistan was independent and the courts were functioning in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the country.“The allegations to the contrary are firmly denied as factually incorrect and misleading,” he remarked.

Mr Chaudhri said Pakistan being a vibrant democracy, the government firmly believed in the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the state. FO says courts perform their functions in accordance with Constitution “There is no question of any coercion or pressure on Pakistan’s judiciary. The baseless assertions made in the report are contradicted by innumerable decisions by Pakistani courts at all levels that meet the highest standards of judicial independence,” he stressed.

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan has told a court that one of his friends had told him that someone known to him and also the Sharif family had approached him with an offer to pay billions of rupees if he could convince him (Khan) to stop pursuing the Panama Papers case before the Supreme Court.

In a written reply submitted in response to a defamation suit filed in 2017 by Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, Mr Khan said he disclosed the incident for the consumption of the public at large and in the interest of the public good which does not constitute any defamation.

“The narration of the incident is neither baseless nor unfounded as it is based on the occurrence of an incident, i.e. the visit of Mr Omar Farooq and his relaying of the offer,” states the reply of the prime minister filed by his legal team on Tuesday before a sessions court.The reply further states that Mr Khan did not specifically attribute any statement to the plaintiff (Shehbaz) while narrating the incident. It says the plaintiff and the defendant are political rivals and have been facing each other in the political arena for more than two decades. Shehbaz himself made numerous defaming and malicious statements against Mr Khan, leaders of PTI and other political parties in the past.

The prime minister in his reply reiterated that the narration of the incident had been relayed in the public interest, in a fair manner and is in no way an assertion which was factually wrong or malicious.

Mr Khan asks the court to dismiss the suit as Shehbaz is not entitled to any damages.

In his reply, the prime minster also challenges the territorial jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit. Previously, the legal team of Mr

Khan had also questioned the territorial jurisdiction of the court, however, withdrew the same. Additional District and Sessions Judge Mudassir Farid adjourned further hearing of the suit till Aug 4. The legal counsel for Shehbaz requested the court to issue frames on the next hearing.

The defamation suit states that Khan uttered false and malicious statements against Shehbaz that the latter offered Rs10 billion to the former through a common friend in exchange of withdrawing the case of Panama Papers pending before the Supreme Court.

It says the plaintiff served a legal notice on the defendant asking him to tender a proper apology within 14 days through print and electronic media. However, the defendant failed to make an apology and the plaintiff was left with no option but to approach the court for recovery of damages.

The suit pleads that the baseless and defamatory statements by the defendant widely circulated by media lowered the integrity of the plaintiff and caused him extreme mental torture, agony and anxiety. The court has been requested to issue a decree for recovery of Rs10 billion as compensation for the publication of defamatory content in favour of the plaintiff. Source: dawn.com

The bodies of climbers Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Iceland’s John Snorri and Chile’s Juan Pablo Mohr were found on K2 on Monday, over five months after they went missing, Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haideri said in a statement.

He said that it was “very difficult” to bring the bodies down from the mountain because of the high altitude, adding that the Army Aviation was helping in this regard.

Haideri said Snorri’s body would be shifted to Iceland at the request of his wife, Lina.

Mohr’s sister and mother had also decided previously that his body would be brought back to Chile, the ACP secretary said.

Talking to Dawn.com, Mushtaq Mett, the base camp manager of Mashabrum Expeditions, Treks and Tours Pakistan and the Madison Mountaineering K2 Expedition 2021, said that around 11am today, the METT Nepalese Sherpa rope-fixing team found the first body 400 metres above Camp 4 which was Mohr’s.

“The team found the second body when they were 300m away from the Bottleneck. They were able to identify it as Sadpara’s. Another 100m away, they found Snorri’s body.”

He further said that Ali Sadpara’s son, Sajid Sadpara, is currently at Camp 4 and will be guided by the rope-fixing team to his father’s body tomorrow morning. Sajid had earlier launched an expedition to retrieve the bodies of the three climbers. He was accompanied by Canadian filmmaker Elia Saikaly and Pasang Kaji Sherpa. Ali Sadpara had gone missing along with his two climbing partners — Snorri and Mohr — while attempting to climb K2, the world’s secondhighest peak at 8,611 metres.

They were last seen on Feb 5 near the bottleneck on K2 as they attempted to reach the

summit of the Savage Mountain. Sajid Sadpara, who was accompanying the three, had to abandon his summit bid after his oxygen regulator malfunctioned and he returned to camp 3.After days of search efforts that included the use of Pakistan Army helicopters, satellite imagery and SAR technology, the three climbers were officially declared dead on February 18. Until 2021, K2 was the only peak above 8,000 metres that had never been summited in winter and was on the radar of many mountaineers.

Ali Sadpara was the only Pakistani mountaineer to have summited eight of the 14 highest peaks in the world above 8,000 metres and made the first-ever winter ascent on Nanga Parbat. Apart from Sadpara, Snorri and Mohr, mountaineers Atanas Skatov and Sergi Mingote Moreno were also attempting the K2 winter summit this year and lost their lives on the mountain.

Following Sadpara’s death, the Gilgit-Baltistan government had announced Rs3 million for his family and a suitable job for his son. It also approved the establishment of Muhammad Ali Sadpara Institute of Adventure Sports Mountaineering and Rock Climbing in recognition of his services.

The government also decided to nominate Ali Sadpara for the highest national civil award. Source: dawn.com

Bodies of Muhammad Ali Sadpara, Snorri and Mohr found on K2 He said while the statement acknowledged the progress made and reforms undertaken

by Pakistan in improving its business and investment climate, despite extremely difficult circumstances due to the pandemic, it speculated on alleged shortcomings in Pakistan’s regulatory framework and bases its conclusions on unverifiable sources.

“Mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of economy, trade and investment with the international community, including the US, is one of the key priorities of the government of Pakistan. We will continue to take steps to optimally realise Pakistan’s geo-economic potential,” he said. In slanderous comments in its report the US state department claimed that theoretically the country’s judicial system operated independently of the executive branch but the reality was quite different........

Source: dawn.com

Maryam Nawaz tests positive for Covid-19: PML-N spokesperson

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has tested positive for the coronavirus, the party’s Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday. She has quarantined herself after the test result, Aurangzeb said. The information secretary also asked people to pray for the early recovery of Covid-19 patients, including Maryam. Meanwhile, Maryam, while responding to a tweet, said that she had flu, cough and fever and was being treated at home.

“Overwhelmed by outpouring of prayers & good wishes,” she said. Maryam had recently led the party’s election campaign for the July 25 polls in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

PML-N President and Maryam’s uncle, Shehbaz Sharif, said he was saddened to hear about her testing positive. He prayed for her recovery from the virus, as well as the recovery of other people who had tested positive.

Panama Papers case: PM submits reply to defamation suit after four years

The fourth wave of Covid-19 is intensifying in the country as Pakistan reported 4,119 coronavirus infections during the last 24 hours — the first time the daily caseload went above 4,000 since May 21.The more transmissible Delta variant is believed to be responsible for the country’s fourth wave.The variant, scientists say, has features that allow it to evade some of the body’s immune system defences. Plus, it has the highest transmissibility of any variant so far.

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

DID not know Noor Mukaddam personally, but I am related to her family and thus to their suffering. But one does not have to know Noor or be related to her to be utterly gutted and devastated by her death. The circumstances of the case are well-known by now and it would be accurate to say that they have devastated an entire country.

Moments of such deep and soul-crushing tragedy are rare; they stun and surprise not simply as a consequence of individual facts but also in their capacity to reveal the face of the nation that may at other times be obscured by the bows and baubles society affixes to pretty itself up.

It is also a moment when we are all shaken by moral whiplash, slapped awake and forced to confront the absolute brutality of the society we have created, one that permitted a killing whose horror must never leave us. Noor has left us — truly light has left us — sitting with this record of our astonishing failure in the darkness of grief.

Noor’s death came in the wake of a lurid melee of cases of Pakistani men slaughtering Pakistani women. Just days before her death, Pakistan, or rather those Pakistanis who mourn such crimes and killings, had witnessed another act of bloodthirsty femicide.

Quratulain, whose picture as a beautiful glowing bride was put side by side with the photo of her bruised and battered corpse, was killed allegedly by her husband.

O P I N I O N

Noor of our nation

ing whose goal is to create derabad, will be quietly bailed Concerned Pakistanis who a Pakistan that does not out of prison and roam free. want this to be a turning point In Pakistan in 2021, monsters must put their heads together just belong to men.

If her bloated and beaten face were not devastating enough, there was the testimony of her young daughter narrating, in the lilting, sing-song voice of a child, the moment-bymoment narrative of how her mother was beaten to death.

She said, he put on songs — to drown out the noise of the torture — but she, along with her three younger siblings, heard everything. She saw it, too, her mother being doused in water and shivering in the air conditioning, the punches and the beating her father dealt out, a dying mother whose cries for help were unheard or ignored.

When it was all over, her father reportedly went to sit in the car and drink, leaving the children, the youngest only two years old, in the house with their mother’s corpse. Society’s truth falls off the lips of children, pure and untouched as they are by the filth of ulterior motives and the dictates of ego that taint the rest of us.

Pakistan’s truth is that we kill women and leave children to watch over their bodies.

Quratulain’s murderer is behind bars for the moment, but he need not worry. If you can count on one thing in Pakistan, it is the unceasing march of murders of women; one happened today, another yesterday and several more will occur before the week is out.

Sitting in his jail cell, her alleged killer can feel confident, even smug, that the attention given to Noor will perhaps Perhaps the new tools of turn public attention away virtual connection can from him, and he, the son of bring together the griev- a locally powerful man in Hy-

roam loose but women are restrained, constrained, maimed and killed. No one has even thought about what he might do to the little girl, his daughter, who told everyone the truth about how her mother was murdered in cold blood.

As if on cue, to illustrate just how rich men walk free, Shah Hussain, the monster who brutally stabbed law student Khadija Siddiqui 23 times, walked out of prison on July 24 without completing his sentence, which was a paltry five years in the first place.

We forgive the killers, we forget the crimes and we bury the women. Shah Hussain is roaming around as if nothing had happened, as if the life of a woman he stabbed has not been ruined.

Somewhere in our midst are those Pakistanis who are truly anguished and ashamed of how this country failed Noor Mukaddam and all those who have come before her. For them, the challenge of the coming days will be to translate grief into action and into attention. Public scrutiny plays a role in pushing prosecutorial action, in ensuring that the government and authorities do not drop the ball, that the parents of a killer do not pretend to empathise with the victim in one moment and refuse to turn over evidence in the other.

There is no doubt that it is the continuity of public attention that will ensure that a killer caught red-handed with the victim’s blood all over him be made to pay for his crimes.

to see how they can create Facebook groups, news update alerts, and newsletters so that factual information about the cases (rather than all the anonymous hearsay circulating on social media) can be shared.

Change has evaded Pakistan until now, but perhaps the new tools of virtual connection can bring together an army of the grieving whose goal is not to vanquish any foreign nation but rather to do what generations before them have failed to do, to create a Pakistan that does not just belong to men.

The death of Noor Mukaddam, the deaths of so many women who have died at the hands of bloodthirsty men, is what weighs on us now. It is as if the sheer horror of Noor’s case has suddenly made us all feel the burden of the bodies of dead women killed by our inability to punish men. The rage, the helplessness, the recurrent thoughts of what was done for her, have left us all grief-stricken and gasping. We grieve for Noor but we also gasp at the truth that Pakistan is a femicidal nation where we silence all women who disobey, anger or even irritate a man.

The only deliverance from our collective tragedy is through a collective reckoning unlike anything before, a piece-bypiece dissection of just how we became the sort of society where darkness kills the light.

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

By: Rafia Zakaria

‘US really messed it up’: PM Imran on Afghanistan situation News Cont from Pg 1

barely 10,000, and then, when they gave an exit date, the Taliban thought they had won.

And so, therefore, it was very difficult for now to get them to compromise,” he told programme host Judy Woodruff . When the interviewer asked whether he thought the Taliban resurgence was a positive development for Afghanistan, the prime minister reiterated that the only good outcome would be a political settlement, “which is inclusive”.

“Obviously, Taliban [will be] part of that government,” he added. ‘Last thing we want is a civil war in Afghanistan’ The premier described the “worst-case scenario” as being one where Afghanistan descends into a civil war. “From Pakistan’s point of view, that is the worst-case scenario, because we then … we face two scenarios, one [of them being] a refugee problem,” he said.

“Already, Pakistan is hosting over three million Afghan refugees. And what we fear is that a protracted civil war would [bring] more refugees. And our economic situation is not such that we can have another influx.”

Elaborating on the second problem, he expressed concerns that the fallout of a potential civil war across the border could “flow into Pakistan”. The prime minister explained that the Taliban were ethnic Pashtuns and “if this [civil war and violence in Afghanistan] goes

on, the Pashtuns on our side will be drawn into it.” “That … is the last thing we want,” he said. ‘Extremely unfair’ to allege Pakistan supported Taliban When asked about Pakistan’s alleged military, intelligence and financial support to Afghanistan, he replied: “I find this extremely unfair”.

The premier reminded Woodruff that 70,000 Pakistanis had died in the aftermath of the US war in Afghanistan, even when “Pakistan had nothing to do with what happened [in New York on September 11, 2001].”

At the time, Al Qaeda was based in Afghanistan and “there were no militant Taliban in Pakistan,” he said, maintaining that no Pakistan was involved in the attack on World Trade Centre. “We had nothing to do with,” he repeated, regretting that the war in Afghanistan had resulted in a loss of $150 billion to Pakistan’s economy.

‘Comments on rape taken out of context deliberately’ Woodruff questioned the premier about his controversial remarks on rape, which had drawn widespread criticism and earned him rebuke from civil society, political circles and on social media.

In a June 19 interview with HBO, he had said: ““If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men unless they are robots. I mean it’s common sense. If you have a society where people haven’t seen that sort of thing it will have an impact on them.”

As Woodruff revisited those remarks, PM Imran clarified his stance, saying that “anyone who commits rape, solely and solely, that person is responsible.”“No matter whatever, how much ever a woman is provocative or whatever she wears, the person who commits rape, he is fully responsible. Never is the victim responsible,” he added.

The premier maintained that his comments in the HBO interview in June were taken out of context, saying that he was “simply talking about Pakistani society, where we are having a rise, a sharp rise in sex crimes.”

So my comments were in that context,” he said.The prime minister further said that he had specifically used the word “purdah”, referring to his earlier remarks on rape during a telethon in April.““We have to promote a culture of veil (purdah) to avoid temptation.

Delhi is called a rape capital; similarly, obscenity in Europe has shattered their family system. Therefore, the people in Pakistan should help government overcome obscenity,” he had said on the occasion. Clarifying his position on the matter, he told Woodruff, “I used the word purdah. In Islam, purdah does not mean just clothes. And purdah is not restricted to women only, but that is for men as well.

It means bringing the temptation down in a society.”.......Source: dawn.com

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

f ait h Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Allah Almighty said: Spend in charity, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5352, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

Parents Of Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S) Were Mu’min

Aazar was Not The Father Of Hzt Ibrahim(AS)

By: Syed Imroz Dean Naqshbandi

Imam and Khatib Masjid AnwaarE-Madina, Surrey Urdu speech Translated in English by Talib e Ilm Afzal Khan Saifi or the guidance of mankind in all the past, present and future generations, Allah Tabarak Wa Ta’ala has sent more or less one hundred and twenty four thousand Prophets in this world. All Nabi preached that Allah(SWT) is “Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu” ‘He is one and He has no partner with Him’ All the Prophets propagated that sovereignty belongs to Allah and all praise is due to Him, and He is potent over everything. There is none worthy of worship except Allah. The manner in which the message of Allah was preached by Hazrat Ibrahim(alaihis salaam) is also mentioned in The Holy Quran. Like all other Prophets, Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) also preached to his people the ‘oneness and the supremacy of Allah. It is stated in the Holy Quran and in Hadith, that at the time of the birth of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S), idolatry was prevalent. The ‘oneness and the sovereignty’ of Allah was rejected by most people. Other than the parents of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S), all his relatives were idol worshippers. Aazar, an uncle (fathers brother) of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S), not only worshipped idols, but he also made the idols and sold them to the people. When Hzt Ibrahim(A.S)started spreading the message of Allah, he preached his uncle Aazar first. In The Holy Quran, Allah converses with his beloved Nabi .“And remember, when Ibrahim said to his father, Aazar” (Surah Al-An’aam. v 74) A point to note: The demise of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) was twenty-one hundred years before the blessed birth of Nabi.

And Allah is inspiring his beloved to ‘remember’. However, one can recall only those things that one has heard or seen earlier. Hence, our Nabi has the knowledge of events that took place twenty-one hundred years prior to his declaration of his Prophet hood. Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) started the propagation of ‘oneness of Allah’ from his own family. He preached his uncle Aazar first. This is the reason Allah addressed His beloved: “And O beloved, warn your nearest kinsmen” (Surah AshSho’ra. v 214) “And remember, when Ibrahim said to his father, Aazar” (Surah Al-An’aam. v 74) “Do you take the idols for gods?” (Surah Al-An’aam. v 74) Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) warns his uncle against worshipping idols: “Undoubtedly, I find you and your people in open error” (Surah Al-An’aam. v74) In this verse of The Holy Quran, Allah mentions Aazar as the father of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S). But, in this verse, ‘father’ is used to denote uncle (fathers brother). If for instance, Aazar is recognized as the father of Ibrahim(A.S),

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then it would also have to be accepted that Aazar is the grandfather of Nabi Because, Nabi is a descendant of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S). But Nabi has said that ‘none of his ancestors, from Adam(A.S) to his father were idolaters. Nor any of his mothers were idolaters’. And Aazar was an idolater. It is for this reason, The Ahle Sunnah Wa Jama’ah has formulated the aqeeda that Aazar is not the father of Ibrahim(A.S), but is his uncle. Now! The question arises as to why The Holy Quran mentions Aazar as the father of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S).

It was a tradition in Arab to denote grandfather, uncle and father as ‘Aba’.

Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) had two sons, Is’haaq(A.S) and Ismail(A.S). Is’haaq (A.S) had one son, Yakub(A.S). And Hzt Yakub(A.S) had twelve sons, one of whom was Yusuf(A.S). At the time of his demise, Hzt Yakub(A.S) sent for all his sons and asked: Allah states in The Holy Quran: “Well, were you present when death came to Yakub, when he asked his sons: ‘Whom will you worship after me?’ They said: ‘We will worship only Him who is worthy of your worship and worthy of worship of your Aba; Ibrahim, Ismail and Is’haaq.

The only one god and to him we submit’.” (Surah Al-Baqaraa. v 133) The point to note: The sons replied that they will worship ‘who is worthy of your (Yakub (A.S) worship, and the worthy of your Aba’s (Ibrahim(A.S), Ismail(A.S),and Is’haaq(A.S) worship.

So, who is Aba?- Hzt Yakub(A.S)-the father is included; Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) is included; Hzt Is’haaq(A.S)-the grandfather is included; Hzt Ismail(A.S)-the uncle is included. Hence, Aba is a common term for uncle, grandfather and father. When Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) preached his uncle Aazar the ‘oneness of Allah’, and that idols are not worthy of worship, Aazar replied that he would never forgive Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) for being disrespectful and offensive to his idol gods. But Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) told his uncle Aazar that he would continue to give him the true message of Allah and supplicate for him. At the time of his death, Aazar had not accepted the ‘oneness of Allah and was still worshipping idols. He died as an idolater- in the state of infidelity. After the death of Aazar, Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) went to his grave and raised his hands to make dua for his uncle. Allah immediately addressed Hzt Ibrahim(A.S), and reminded him that ‘all of his life Aazar worshipped idols, was offensive and abusive to

you, and he was offensive to me- (Allah Ta’ala), and never accepted me as Allah. You are my friend (Khalil) and I will accept your supplication. But I have made the jannat for the believers; not for your opponents and enemies. I will accept your dua and this non-believer will enter jannat’. Allah states in The Holy Quran: “And Ibrahim asking for forgiveness for his father was not but an account of a promise, he had made to him. But when it was made clear to him that he is an enemy of Allah, he disassociates himself from him.

No doubt Ibrahim was most tender hearted, clement” (Surah At-Tauba. v 114) Hence, Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) did not supplicate for his idolater uncle Aazar.

When Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) reached the age of one-hundred years, Allah blessed him with a handsome son. Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) dropped off his wife Bibi

Haajra(Radi Allaahu Anha) and his son in the valley of Mecca. There was no food, and no water present there. He came away from there and made supplication in the court of Allah. Allah states in The Holy Quran: “O my Lord, keep me as an establisher of prayer and my children too. O our Lord, accept our prayer” “O our Lord, forgive me, and my parents, and all Muslims on the day when reckoning shall take place” (Surah Ibrahim. v 40, 41) Now! In this verse, Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) is making dua for his parents. If Aazar was the father of Hzt Ibrahim(A.S), then Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) would not make dua for Aazar; for the reason, Allah had forbidden him to make dua for Aazar earlier when Aazar died. Hzt Ibrahim(A.S) deserted his wife and son in the valley of Mecca for the sake of Allah. Allah accepted his dua and granted jannat to his mother and father both. If Aazar was the father of Ibrahim(A.S), Allah would have stopped him again for making dua for Aazar, as Allah did before. Thus, Aazar was the uncle of Ibrahim(A.S) and not the father. And for those people whom Allah has not granted Imaan, they would recite and listen to The Holy Quran, but would refuse to believe it.

Another Ref: WWW.aalequtub.com/ hazrat-ibrahim-alaihissalam/

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver July 30-Aug 13, 2021, Zul Qa’dah 20 - Muharram 4, 1443H Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 *1 2 3 4

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

Shafi / Hanfi Sunr Dhur ZawalAsarDhuhr Asar

Maghrib

Isha

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

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

I nt & N a T I O N A L N E W S

Trudeau mum on launch of vaccine passport US, India agree to expand multilateral security partnership but vows system will be ‘simple and efficient’

The top diplomats of India and the United States pledged on Wednesday to expand their multilateral security partnership, underscoring the deepening of ties between the two countries concerned over China’s growing influence in the region.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in New Delhi and sought to strengthen a re-

gional front against Beijing’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and their cooperation in Afghanistan. They also lauded each country’s help in fighting the coronavirus and said their vaccine partnership is an effort to end the pandemic. “There are few relationships in the world that are more vital than [the] one between the US and India. We are the world’s two leading democracies and our diversity fuels our national strength,” Blinken said at a joint news conference.

Washington has made no secret of the US desire for India’s help in isolating China.

The two countries have steadily ramped up their military relationship and signed a string of defence deals.

The US and India are part of the Quad regional alliance that also includes Japan and Australia and focuses on China’s growing economic and military strength. China has called the Quad an attempt to contain its ambitions. Source:..aljazeera.com

Chinese officials and Taliban meet, in sign of warming ties Meeting in Chinese city of Tianjin comes as US-led foreign forces continue pulling out of Afghanistan. China’s foreign minister has met a Taliban delegation, signalling warming ties as the United States-led foreign forces continue their withdrawal from Afghanistan. Wang Yi on Wednesday told the nine visiting Taliban representatives, which included the group’s co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, that Beijing expected it to “play an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan”, according to a readout of the meeting from the foreign ministry.

He also said he hoped the Taliban would crack down on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as it was a “direct threat to China’s national security”, according to the readout, referring to a group China says is active in the Xinjiang region in China’s far west. Beijing has said it fears neighbouring Afghanistan could be used as a staging ground for separatists.

The visit comes as the Taliban has made sweeping gains across Afghanistan since May, when the US-led foreign forces began the last stage of their withdrawal, which is set to be completed by the end of August.

of a certificate.

Trudeau wouldn’t say whether one would be developed before the end of the year, only that “the conversations are active and ongoing.” “It gives me a great opportunity to remind Canadians that you want to get fully vaccinated. The ability to travel around the world, indeed the ability to do more things and mostly the ability to avoid spikes that are going to come with the potential next arrival of variants and the spikes we’re seeing around the Delta variant in unvaccinated Canadians is something that we can prevent,” he said.

Since July 5, Canadians who are fully vaccinated are able to forgo quarantine when they return to the country from international travel. ..........Source:.ctvnews.ca

VANCOUVER -- A rising number of COVID-19 infections has led health officials to declare an outbreak in B.C.’s Central Okanagan and impose sweeping new measures to curb the spread of the disease.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Sue Pollock, chief medical health officer for the Interior Health Authority, made the announcement during a last-minute news conference Wednesday.

The announcement comes after Interior Health, which covers the Okanagan, Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap and the Kootenays, saw a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. In the last six pandemic reports from the provincial health ministry, Interior Health recorded the highest number of positive tests, more than any other authority. Pollock told CTV News 323 cases have been identified in the Central Okanagan since July 1, and that 97 per cent of those infected were either partially vaccinated or not vaccinated. More than two thirds of them were in their 20s or 30s.The new rules are in place for Central Okanagan specifically, which includes Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country.

Starting at midnight, a public health order will make masks mandatory for indoor public spaces in the region.

People will also be encouraged to wear masks outdoors if they can’t distance and if they aren’t immunized. The mask rule does

not apply to children under the age of 12.

“Alongside masking we’ll be reinforcing the importance of physical distancing, staying home if sick and seeking testing if symptomatic,” Pollock said.

Non-essential travel is discouraged into the Central Okanagan region for those who aren’t fully vaccinated and while the outbreak is ongoing. Asked what that means for families planning trips to the region or who are there already, Pollock suggested they make decisions in the best interests of their loved ones. She said the virus is circulating in the community, and many cases do not have a clear origin point.

“We do know from interviews of all of our cases that about a third of them have an unknown exposure, which means we don’t know where they actually acquired COVID-19,” Pollock said.

Officials noted the Delta variant - thought to be highly transmissible - is driving much of the spread. Source:.bc.ctvnews.ca/

TORONTO -- As Canada slowly transitions into more relaxed COVID-19 protocols and with summer well underway, all eyes are on the continued national vaccine rollout efforts.Anticipating a return to in-class learning in September, parents are waiting to hear when children under 12 will get their turn to be vaccinated – but that may not be an option until next year.

In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca Monday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) acknowledged that “all manufacturers of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Canada are conducting or planning studies in adolescents and younger children,” and that the organization expected data “in the coming months.” “At this time, no submission has been received for the ap-

proval of any COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12 years of age,” the statement reads.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have begun clinical trials of their COVID-19 vaccines in children as young as six months old, with Pfizer expecting first results in July and full results in September. Source: ctvnews.ca

Masks mandatory again in indoor public spaces for parts of B.C.’s Interior as region sees spike in cases

The fighting with Afghan government forces has led to a surge in civilian casualties and displacements.At the same time, Taliban leaders have stepped up their international diplomacy in recent months, seeking global recognition for when they hope to return to power. Wednesday’s meeting in the Chinese city of Tianjin, which Taliban spokesman Mohammed Naeem said was at the invitation from Chinese authorities, was widely seen as a gift from Beijing towards that legitimacy. Naeem wrote on Twitter that “politics, economy and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan and the peace process were discussed in the meetings”...

Source:..aljazeera.com

US Senate reaches $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending deal

After weeks of negotiations, it appears the Senate is ready to move forward to debate one of Joe Biden’s key priorities.

Republicans in the United States Senate have reached a deal with Democrats over major outstanding issues in a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that plays a key part in President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Senator Rob Portman, the two lead negotiators in the congressional chamber, told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday that the agreement had been reached.

“We do expect to move forward this evening.

We’re excited to have a deal,” Sinema said.

“We’ve got most of the text done, so we’ll be releasing it and then we’ll update it as we get those last pieces finalised.”

Details on transit and broadband were still being finalised but lawmakers said the legislative text would be completed soon. A test vote on the measure could potentially be held on Wednesday evening, they also said.

“This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, welcoming the news.

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau skirted around questions about when Canadians can expect to be equipped with formal proof of their COVID-19 vaccine status for travel abroad but vowed that the system will be both “simple and efficient.”

Speaking to reporters in Charlottetown, P.E.I., Trudeau said Ottawa will be responsible for a documentation framework for international travel specifically but that it’s up to provinces to come up with a plan domestically. “The federal government will be involved in the international level of certification, so we have a role to play to make sure that the credentials that Canadians have are going to be able to be accepted around the world but there are lots of active conversations with the provinces on what exact form that will take,” he said. The government is facing mounting pressure to develop a national system as other countries move quick to establish their own.

The U.K.’s NHS COVID Pass has been used domestically for some time for admittance to indoor gathering events, but is also accepted in certain countries including Greece and Spain. The EU Digital COVID Certificate, which launched on July 1, is accepted in all EU member states. Australia and New Zealand are also inching closer to the creation

When will children under 12 be vaccinated against COVID-19?

“This bipartisan deal is the most important investment in public transit in American history and the most important investment in rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago,” he said, referring to the US passenger rail network. Senators in a bipartisan group of 10 have been huddling privately for weeks and in recent days legislators and the White House have worked to salvage the bipartisan deal, a key part of Biden’s agenda. Addressing a concern about funding among Republican lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Portman said the package is “more than paid for”. Portman said McConnell “all along has been encouraging our efforts”. Source:dawn.com

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

L O C A L

Mayor Doug McCallum to face off against Coun. Brenda Locke in Surrey’s 2022 election Locke, who was elected with McCallum’s party, wants to stop transition to an independent police force.

It may be 15 months away, but the next municipal election in B.C.’s second largest city is beginning to take shape.Mayor Doug McCallum has confirmed he will seek re-election next October, after Coun. Brenda Locke said she will run for mayor with a new party, Surrey Connect.

McCallum, who was previously mayor from 1996 to 2005, returned to the top job in 2018, with his Safe Surrey Coalition party winning seven of eight seats on council.

But three of those seven councillors left McCallum’s party within a year, including Locke, alleging McCallum did not listen to others and was not providing enough information about the promised transition to an independent police force.

“Just about every council meeting, this mayor cuts people off when they don’t say what he wants them to say. We see people getting ignored when they do their public consultation,” said Locke.

“Backroom deals and backroom barbecues are no way to run a city.”

She said that if elected, Surrey would stay

under RCMP jurisdiction — reversing a transition expected to conclude by 2024 — lobby for transit improvements beyond the SkyTrain extension to Langley City, and focus on fiscal responsibility.

“We have seen significant increases in taxes this year, and the public has been really concerned,” she said.

Linda Annis, the only member of Surrey council not to be elected under the Safe Surrey Coalition banner last election, has also

said she is contemplating a run for mayor.

In Vancouver, multiple candidates have been campaigning for months, but no other municipality in B.C. has an active race to date.

Source: cbc.ca

Officials also urge anyone under evacuation orders to quickly heed warnings At the halfway point of B.C.’s fire season, the province is “significantly higher” than the 10-year average both in terms of the number of fires and the area burned, says an official with B.C. Wildfire Service.

There are currently 253 active wildfires burning in British Columbia, of which 38 are wildfires of note. Since April 1, 2021, the B.C. Wildfire Service has responded 1,231 wildfires, resulting in 4,250 square

kilometres burned.

“The 10-year average for this time of the year is about 642 fires, or [1,050 square kilometres] burned. So obviously, we’re significantly ahead of the 10-year average,” said Rob Schweitzer, the B.C. Wildfire Service’s director of fire centre operations.

Schweitzer said there is plenty of wildfire season left, pointing out that this marked the halfway point.

“This will be a long season,” he said.

Wildfires in Canada are creating their own

weather systems, experts say. Thousands under evacuation orders.There are currently 61 evacuation orders in effect in the province, covering 3,700 properties, that require people to leave the homes immediately. A further 85 evacuation alerts, representing 18,000 properties, are in effect. Those residents must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice if an order is issued.

There are currently 21 reception centres supporting evacuees, and 5,000 evacuees are currently registered. Source: cbc-ca

Changes to heat-wave response focus on more cooling centres open for more hours, if necessary. Some B.C. municipalities are changing their heat-wave management plans, including potentially keeping cooling centres open overnight, as unseasonably high temperatures hit Metro Vancouver once again this week. Environment Canada has issued heat warnings for Metro Vancouver, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley and eastern Vancouver Island.

It also issued a special weather statement for a large swath of the province beyond that. Temperatures are expected to peak at around 30 C Wednesday to Saturday on the South Coast.

It comes a month after an unprecedented heat dome hit B.C. and a subsequent spike in sudden deaths in the province, with the record-breaking heat cited as a “significant contributing factor” for as many as 815 deaths.Municipalities in the region including Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby are updating their plans for future extreme heat events after some criticism that responses last month had significant gaps.

“I don’t think there was a complete plan in place prior to that heat dome that we had. …

The city did the best they could under short notice,” said Carol-Ann Flanagan of the Society to End Homelessness in Burnaby.

Vancouver city council approves motion to

plan for future heat waves after criticism To prepare for future heat waves, classify air conditioners as medical devices, UBC expert saysFlanagan was part of a committee that had been working on an extreme weather heat plan since March and presented it to Burnaby’s council on Monday.

Her presentation emphasized the importance of pop-up cooling centres during heat waves and she’s hopeful that plans will be in place “very soon” to allow for more.

“Had there not been any kind of cooling space, I know that there would have been more death for our homeless population [during the heat wave],” she said.

Surrey, B.C. – The City of Surrey is advising the community many of its civic facilities, including Surrey City Hall, community centres, arenas and Surrey Libraries locations, are available to people seeking relief from extreme heat and wildfire smoke during the summer months. The full list of facilities can be found here. There are also 59 water fountains available in Surrey Parks for public use.

The full list can be found here.

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat or smoke can trigger various symptoms and illnesses such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion,

burning eyes, and coughing or shortness of breath—especially in vulnerable populations, including: • Seniors and children younger than five years old • People with pre-existing medical conditions • People who are isolated or experiencing homelessness • Outdoor workers • Anyone who isn’t acclimatized to the weather • Anyone exposed to direct sun for a long period of time

The City is working with local homeless service providers and the Homeless Services Association of BC on a call for donations to help unsheltered populations against the potential harmful effects of extreme heat.

Follow @_HSABC on twitter for more information. Through targeted communications, Surrey seniors will also be receiving information about heat safety, ahead of this week’s anticipated rising temperatures.

From:Amber Stowe Communications & Media Relations Lead Office of the Mayor

B.C. responds to double the average annual number of wildfires, halfway into fire season

B.C. municipalities prepare for another week of high temperatures a month after deadly heat dome

Cooling centres may run overnight

Vancouver and the three North Shore municipalities are considering keeping cooling centres open overnight to deal with a potential emergency........Source: cbc-ca

City Facilities offer Vulnerable Populations Relief from Heat and Smoke During Summer Months

Protest against anti-Asian racism leads to confrontations at Richmond court VANCOUVER -- Anti-racism protesters rallying outside Richmond provincial court on Wednesday ended up in tense confrontations with two different people, both of which were caught on camera.

In one incident, protesters can be seen shouting at a woman entering the building. The woman then came back out, and videos of the altercation show her shouting and swinging her bag at the protesters and camera operators. In the other incident, a man seen leaving the building gets into a lengthy argument with protesters while

television cameras are recording. The man tells the protesters that Chinese people brought COVID-19 to Canada, and goes on to express opposition to immigration from China.“Do you like French food?” He asks the demonstrators. “Do you like Vietnamese food? You like all foods? You have no preferences? I have preferences. I prefer to have English or French or German than Chinese in this country.”

The protesters identified themselves as members of Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes advocacy group, which has organized ral-

lies against anti-Asian racism around Richmond in recent months.

Wednesday’s gathering was the second the group has held outside the city’s courthouse during court appearances by people charged with mischief in an incident at a coffee shop in the city in March.

Police were called to Rocanini Coffee Roasters in the city’s Steveston neighbourhood after the manager reported an alleged assault on March 29, according to Richmond RCMP.......

Source: .bc.ctvnews.ca

Upward trend continues as B.C. records 185 new cases of COVID-19........ the COVID-19 vaccine to 28 days. Dr. Silvina Mema, the fully vaccinated.She says that is why the health authority is medical health officer for Interior Health, says more than trying to make getting the vaccine as easy as possible with reducing the interval between first and second doses of 90 per cent of those cases are among people who are not mobile and pop-up clinics. Source: .cbc.ca Continued from Page 1

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bc plan / M I D D L E E A S T

Surrey-Langley SkyTrain Extension Will Israeli army kills Palestinian boy in Bring Freedom to Residents West Bank: Ministry

VICTORIA - Our government has heard the concerns of both families and professionals wanting to be further connected with the job hubs of downtown Vancouver and Langley while still spending time with their loved ones. Collaboration between our Province and the Federal government has brought forward a momentous announcement of $1.3Bn in federal funding dedicated to the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension that will profoundly benefit the lives of people across Surrey and solidify the New Democrat commitment to building the transportation networks our growing communities need. This is an opportunity for us to shape growth in our city and not chase it.

During the 16 years of BC Liberal reign, they neglected to build the transportation infrastructure our cities so clearly needed.

The New Democrats recognized the pressing needs of Surrey residents and are taking action by bringing the first investment in rapid transit south of the Fraser in 30 years.

The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension will connect King George Station to Langley City Centre with 16km of track and 8 brand-new stations to provide fast, frequent, reliable, and convenient transit for people across the region.This new rapid transit line will be elevated and run along Fraser Highway. It is expected to reduce the average commute to 22 minutes, down from the current 47 minutes.

This will free up those precious hours otherwise spent commuting to be used on more important responsibilities at home with the family. Not only will this extension integrate downtown Vancouver with important suburbs like Surrey and Langley, it will help improve internal public transit accessibility for residents and businesses south of the Fraser River while reducing our environmental im-

pact.

This pandemic has been exceptionally tough on all of us and we have definitely felt the economic effects here at home in Surrey. The project will provide not only sustainable transportation choices for people south of the Fraser, but also opportunities for transit-oriented development and affordable housing. We know the climate crisis is real and we are committed to tackling it from all sides.

Building transportation networks helps take cars of the road, reducing congestion, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. This is in line with our targets set out in our CleanBC plan, North American’s most ambitious climate change strategy.

The New Democrats are here to support you and your family and make life more affordable. At rates not even conceived of by the BC Liberals, we are shortening commutes, creating well-paying jobs, supercharging our economic recovery, and helping make life easier for everyone across Surrey. The Surrey-Langley SkyTrain extension will be bringing you the freedom to spend more time with your loved ones.

Mohammed al-Alami, 12, shot in the chest while travelling in a car with his father in Beit Omar in occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say. A Palestinian boy wounded

by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank has died from his injuries, the Palestinian health ministry has said.

Mohammed al-Alami, 12, died in the town of Beit Omar, to the northwest of Hebron, after he was shot in the chest while travelling in a car with his father, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

He is the second young Palestinian to die of wounds sustained by Israeli fire in days.

Nasri Sabarneh, mayor of the town, said the father was driving with his son and daughter when Mohammed asked him to stop at a shop to buy something.

The father made a U-turn, the mayor said, and Israeli troops nearby began shouting at him to stop. A soldier then opened fire at the vehicle, fatally shooting the boy in the chest.Sabarneh said he knows the family, who lives in town, and had spoken to the father. The father and daughter were not hurt, he said.The Israeli military is investigating the incident and had no immediate comment.On Saturday a 17-year-old Palestin-

The Department of the Treasury said the sanctions promote accountability for abuses committed against the Syrian people. The United States Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that it had imposed sanctions on eight Syrian prisons Jagrup Brar is the MLA run by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence apparatus and five senior offor Surrey Fleetwood. ficials who control the sites, where human Source: bc.ctvnews.ca rights abuses have taken place. The Treasury Department also put sanctions on Syrian armed group Ahrar al-Sharqiya, which operates in northern Syria, for abuses against civilians, as well as on two of the ment’s intentions group’s leaders, it said in a statement. “Toand it was unforday’s designations promote accountability tunate the Opposifor abuses committed against the Syrian tion “grabbed the people and deny rogue actors access to the Bill and gave it an international financial system,” said Office ethnic twist”.“It is of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea an administrative Gacki. “This action demonstrates the Unitmatter. ed States’ strong commitment to targeting “In an economic human rights abuses in Syria, regardless of shock as significant the perpetrator.” as COVID-19, the Government has to be innovative and creative The prisons “have been sites of human to ensure we attract investment, internally and externally, by ensuring you improve the ease of doing business...........Source:.fijitimes.com

Somalia to hold indirect presidential election October 10

Political leaders agree to hold long-delayed vote, potentially easing a political crisis that turned violent at times. After months of deadlock, political leaders in Somalia have agreed that the country’s long-delayed presidential election will be held on October 10.

The office of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble unveiled the timetable for indirect parliamentary and presidential elections in a statement on Twitter, saying stakeholders had agreed to a road map for a vote following two days of talks in the capital, Mogadishu. “I commend the leaders of the council and hope the election will be a peaceful and transparent one, based on the agreed-upon schedule and processes,” the prime minister said.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, commonly known as Farmaajo and the leaders of Somalia’s five states had been un-

able to agree on the terms of a vote before his term lapsed in February, triggering an u np r e c e d e nt e d constitutional crisis.The political impasse exploded into violence in April when negotiations collapsed and the lower house of parliament extended the president’s mandate by two years, sparking gun battles on the streets of Mogadishu.

Under pressure, the president reversed the mandate extension and ordered his prime minister to reconvene with the state leaders to chart a fresh road map towards elections. ”Source:.aljazeera.com

international community.Source: aljazeera.com

US sanctions Syrian prisons, officials for human rights abuses

Saiyed-Khaiyum: Bill 17 designed to attract investment IN Fiji

Saiyed-Khaiyum: Bill 17 designed to attract investment. Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum while delivering the 2021-2022 National Budget last night. . Bill No. 17 is designed to attract investment by improving the ease of doing business, says Attorney-General and Economy Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. “Suffice to say Bill 17 does not take away the right of any landowner or landowning unit to authorise the giving of lease, it does not reduce the amount of lease money the landowners expect to collect,” he said of the proposed amendment to the iTaukei Land Trust Amendment Bill that is before Parliament.

The A-G said Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama wanted Fijians to understand the Govern-

ian died from wounds he received the day before. Mohammed Munir al-Tamimi, who suffered gunshot wounds, died in hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said, a day after violence in the flashpoint Palestinian village of Beita.Hundreds of Palestinians had gathered on Friday afternoon in Beita, a hot spot in recent months, to protest the wildcat settlement of Eviatar, located nearby.The clashes pitted Palestinians against Israeli soldiers and resulted in 320 Palestinians being wounded, according to the Red Crescent.Late Tuesday, a 41-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead near Beita, the Palestinian health ministry said.

All Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank are regarded as illegal by most of the

rights abuses against political prisoners and other detainees”, the statement said.

It accused Ahrar al-Sharqiya of numerous crimes against civilians, especially Syrian Kurds, “including unlawful killings, abductions, torture, and seizures of private property”.In a separate statement, the Treasury said it had imposed sanctions on one Turkey-based al-Qaeda financial facilitator for materially assisting the armed group as well as one Syria-based fundraiser and recruiter for providing material support to Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham, an armed group previously sanctioned by US authorities. aljazeera.com

Fresh refugee arrivals in Turkey renew anti-migrant sentiments

A growing number of Afghans are arriving in Turkey, putting pressure on Brussels-Ankara deal on migrants.

Istanbul, Turkey – When a mayor in Turkey’s northwest this week announced plans to charge “foreigners” 10 times more for water and waste services, his words were applauded by many across the country.

Tanju Ozcan, mayor of Bolu from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), later made clear which foreigners he was referring to – refugees whose presence has made Turkey home to the world’s largest refugee population.

Doubling down on his remarks, Ozcan tweeted footage of his comments under the phrase “This hospitality has gone on too long.” He added that Turkey had “become a dump for migrants”.

The CHP later distanced itself from his remarks and prosecutors launched an investigation.While Turkey’s commitment to refugees has drawn praise from the West, particularly European countries protected by a 2016 refugee deal with Ankara, hostility towards migrants in Turkey often surfaces,

sometimes violently.

In recent weeks, Turkish media has shown images of hundreds of mostly young men following mountain paths across the Iranian border into eastern Turkey.

Many said their exodus was spurred by the Taliban’s advance as the United States withdraws its forces from Afghanistan after 20 years.These fresh arrivals seem to have prompted renewed anti-migrant feelings, as evidenced by Ozcan’s remarks and popular social media hashtags such as “I don’t want refugees in my country.”

Source:..aljazeera.com

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local / C - P O L I T I C S

Oath taking ceremony of newly elected PTI BC chapter

The Oath taking ceremony of the newlyelected Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) BC chapter was held on 17th July in Taste of Lahore Restaurant, Surrey Mr. Rai Aziz Ullah, a member of CEC PTI Pakistan (a personal friend of PTI chairman Imran Khan) was the chief guest of the event and took the oath from new office bearers. Saif Mahmood Pannu president of PTI Canada also graced The event started with the recitation of a sura of the Holy Quran by Dawood Rai. Nayyar Sohail General secretary of PTI explained the process of the intraparty elections world over.

He explained Canada is divided into 10 chapters. Alberta, BC, Ottawa, Quebec, Hamilton, Peel, York Region, Halton Ontario, London. Pakistani living in Canada were able to join PTI with a payment of $60/- each. 3500 total members selected their representatives in March 2021 through an online election. Saif Mahmood Pannu a senior PTI leader from BC was leading the Insaf panel. Under his leadership, the Insaf panel won the election in all 10 regions.

After the election of 10 chapters, the federal PTI Canada election was held and Saif Pannu was unanimously elected president of PTI Canada.

In BC, PTI was united under the leadership of past president Akmal Gundhra. Following office bearers were elected.

President - Akmal Gundhra , Vice President - Sajjad Hameed, General Secretary Nayyar Sohail, Additional General Secretary- Akhtar Tanooli , Information Secretary - Irshad Ul Haq, Women Secretary Rehana Nazli

During this oath-taking ceremony, President Akmal Gundhra also appointed 3 coordinators to assist him in the wider BC Region.

1-Javed Khan , (PTI Coordinator for Vancouver Island) 2-Yaqoob Shah ,(PTI Coordinator for Fraser Valley) 3- Ayyaz Bajwa, (PTI Coordinator for Vancouver / Richmond) Very active community leader Bushra Ahsen was appointed BC Women representative in PTI Canada.

Akmal Gundhra also announced the executive committee of PTI BC as below.

Dawood Rai, Khurram Rai, Imran Arain, Zahid Rafique , Huma Faisal , Haris Leghari , Rehan Awan Shammas Cheema , Aamer Bajwa , Tariq Mahboob, after these announcements, Rai Aziz Ullah took the oath from Office bearers.

During his speech, Saif Pannu announced the program And agenda of PTI Canada.

He said, how to drive and educate the Pakistani community to open digital Roshan Pakistan accounts In Pakistani banks online.

He also announced that Akmal Gundhra has offered to open a PTI office adjacent to Diamond Carpet where PTI volunteers will assist to get or renew NICOP. In his speech chief guest, Rai Aziz Ullah asked participants to stand united behind Imran Khan who is the only leader who can lead the nation on the right path of economic recovery.

A large number of local community members and Muslim Media attended the event.

By: Nayyar Sohail

Afghan interpreters who helped Canadian soldiers were warned they have just 3 days to apply for resettlement

Interpreters and others who assisted Canada have been targeted by the resurgent Taliban Afghan interpreters and others who assisted the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan have been told they have only three days to apply for a new government program to resettle in Canada. The federal government announced last week a temporary new program to help interpreters and their families flee what Ottawa describes as a rapidly deteriorating situation in the war-ravaged country. Those workers are believed to face a growing risk of being targeted by the Taliban, which is making significant gains as the United States withdraws its combat forces from the country.

“If they happen to be in an area that’s controlled by the Taliban or influenced by the Taliban, then their lives are in immediate danger,” said retired major-general Denis Thompson, who commanded a security task force in 2008 and 2009. “And not just their

lives but the lives of their families.”

Prospective applicants for the resettlement program were informed in an email today that they have just three days to submit their applications, which require the completion of multiple online forms and the scanning of documents. “If you do not provide a completed application package within the next three days, we will conclude that you are not interested in participating in this Public Policy,” reads a section of the email sent to prospective applicants.

Thousands of Afghan contractors, family members could be eligible to resettle in Canada, says minister Former generals join fight to bring endangered Afghan interpreters to Canada Late Wednesday, however, a government spokesperson insisted the 72-deadline is not set in stone. One former interpreter for the Canadian military said the three-day timeline fails to take into account where most

prospective applicants live.

“It is not enough ... because almost all of the interpreters, some of them they live in a remote area,” said Abdul. CBC News has agreed not to publish his last name due to his safety concerns. Abdul said he has the paperwork and internet access he needs to complete the application for himself and his

family, but he fears that others like him may not meet the deadline.

“The problem is lack of electricity, a lack of transportation,” he said. “And after that, they have to apply for the passport. So they have to prepare other documents for their children, for the members of their families. These are all the problems for this program ...”..

Source: .cbc.ca

Stephen Harper says Canada’s pandemic spending has been ‘overkill’ in podcast appearanceSocial Sharing

The Canadian government has spent irresponsibly in its attempt to fend off the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to former prime minister Stephen Harper.

“It’s not a good reaction, it’s been overkill,” Harper said on an episode of the podcast American Optimist, which was released on

Tuesday.“This is bad macroeconomic policy on an enormous scale.”

The podcast, which launched about a month ago, bills itself as “an alternative to the fear, cynicism and zero-sum thinking in mainstream media.” Harper appeared on the podcast with host Joe Lonsdale in Texas. The description of the podcast says the interview was recorded before the current COVID-19 resurgence in the United States but does not say exactly when.

Lonsdale is the founder of the venture capital firm 8VC, which Harper joined as an adviser in 2017.

Harper, who served as Conservative prime minister from 2006 to 2015, touched on a wide range of topics during the nearly 40-minute interview, including Canada’s response to the pandemic, the rise of “woke” culture and the dangers of an emboldened

China on the world stage.

Harper described Canada’s spending strategies as short-sighted and said the massive levels of borrowing could spur dangerous levels of inflation.

Stephen Harper joined ex-spymasters in company investing in Israeli security tech In addition to questioning the Trudeau government’s spending policies, Harper also suggested the country’s vaccine rollout was slowed due to lacklustre execution and the government’s poor relationships with drug companies. “When we were in government, we never had any trouble or problem making sure we had vaccinations and vaccines well in advance of getting them distributed,” Harper said. “So it’s just a matter of competent execution.”

Harper sounds alarm over growing ‘woke’ movement

Harper also took aim at what he called the “woke university crowd” for its attempts to tear down American and Western values.

“I’m just fascinated by this notion that is just everywhere now, the so-called woke notion that America is a fundamentally racist country,” he said. “And yet what I see is all of these supposedly repressed races trying desperately to become Americans and to join the United States. Stephen Harper spotted leaving the White House’s West Wing “It’s not that there aren’t problems, historical and present, that are real, but the core of our countries are great, they have great futures and there is no alternative.”

Harper said the modern political left has become “entirely nihilist” and appears more interested in tearing down existing systems than in upholding and improving upon traditional democratic... Source: .cbc.ca

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

C urrent

crisis

Kandahar residents fear Taliban advance on Afghan city

Thousands of Afghans displaced and ‘It’s chaos’ Like Sama, Amini says each many forced to flee to safer places as the Taliban advance in the surrounding districts exacerbates the fear among the people.

Taliban surrounds Kandahar city.

By Ali M Latifi and Abdul Matin Amiri 28 Jul 2021 andahar, Afghanistan – Last week, Kawsar Sama and her family packed up their belongings and got on a flight to the capital city of Kabul. For the 21-year-old and her family, life in the southern city of Kandahar had become dangerous as the Taliban has pushed into the districts surrounding Afghanistan’s secondlargest city in recent weeks.

“It’s too risky for people to send their children to school. You’d only go to the market if you absolutely had to, and even then, so many of the stores would be shut. Life had stopped,” Sama said from her family’s temporary home in Kabul.

Though she says the Taliban is yet to enter the city centre itself, the fighting has come to the districts. Residents Al Jazeera spoke to said this has left them feeling trapped, in constant fear that the Taliban could arrive any day.

For the Taliban, taking full control of a city home to hundreds of thousands of people a month before the final withdrawal of US-led foreign forces would be a big victory, but to the Kandahari people that all-consuming thought is a nightmare.

Navid Amini, 23, has spent his entire life in the city of Kandahar, but he says he has never seen anything like what has been going on in the province in recent weeks.

K

“There is war all around the city,” Amini said by phone from Kandahar. On Wednesday, residents told Al Jazeera that there was fighting in four different districts, and that the Taliban had captured a key commercial building. Last week, Human Rights Watch released a report accusing the Taliban of summarily rounding up and executing people believed to work for the government and members of the Afghan National Security Forces.

The HRW report came just after the United Nations issued a warning to all parties to the conflict that they are “tracking the many allegations of harm to civilians” in the province. The Taliban says it “categorically rejects” the accusations, which it called “propaganda”.

The group went on to say: “We invite all humanitarian and international organisations along with the media to visit Spin Boldak district. We will facilitate their travel and let them prove where and when anyone was killed?” Dur Mohammad, 42, does not buy the Taliban’s words. He says his nephew, Ahmadullah, who had been part of the police, was taken in the night more than a week ago. He has not been heard from since.

Mohammad says the family was lied to by the group when they first took over Spin Boldak district earlier this month.

He says they sent letters assuring anyone who had worked with the government or foreign forces that no harm would come to them so long as they reported to the leadership and admitted to their “crime”.

“So, we told him to come back.

For four days he was fine, then one night they just took him and we haven’t heard from him since.”

Just tell us where the roof is’ However, as the war between the two sides grows more vio-

lent, the possibility of travelling to the districts is proving more difficult.

Earlier this month, Danish Siddiqui, an award-winning Reuters photojournalist, was killed in crossfire while embedded with the Afghan National Security Forces in Spin Boldak. The government blamed the Taliban for his July 16 killing.

But the government too has taken worrying action towards journalists trying to report from embattled areas.

On Tuesday, there were reports that the Afghan government had detained four journalists for trying to enter Spin Boldak district, bordering Pakistan.

The Ministry of Interior has accused the reporters, working for local radio and TV outlets, of spreading “propaganda” for “the enemy”.

Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of the journalists. “These journalists were returning from Spin Boldak district after investigating about civilian casualties. We call for their release,” the rights group tweeted.

Sama says one does not have to go far to hear of the Taliban’s cruelty, though.

“Even in the outskirts of the city, they come to people’s houses, take what they want and kick entire families out of their homes.”

Zainab, 21, says that her family home, only 20 minutes from the city, was recently raided by the Taliban.

“It was all us women at home when they came storming in, they said, ‘Don’t worry, we won’t do anything to you. Just tell us where the roof is.’”

Zainab said the fighters went straight to the roof, where they started firing on buildings belonging to police with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and rockets. Their home, she said, had become the target of crossfire between the warring sides.

An Afghan security person stands guard along a road in Kandahar [Javed Tanveer/AFP] ‘This is a dark place for everyone’ Amini says that in Mirwais Mina, a community 15 minutes from the city, residents have noticed a change in the Taliban’s demeanour.

“They’re not the same Taliban as even two weeks ago,” Amini’s friends relayed to him, saying that even in the last several days the nature of the Taliban has changed.

Most worrying is the fact that the fighters have been seen digging and placing wires into the ground surrounding the main

roads and civilian areas.

“They have dug bombs into the ground. It’s obvious the civilians cannot even cross a metre to somewhere safer,” Amini said.

Afghan internally displaced families are pictured upon their arrival at a refugee camp in Kandahar, who fled from the outskirts of the city due to the ongoing battle between Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces [Javed Tanveer/AFP] A recent United Nations report found a threefold increase in the number of civilian casualties from the use of IEDs. According to the UN, the first six months of 2021 saw 501 civilians killed by IEDs and a further 1,457 injured.

In recent weeks, crossfire has also become a prime cause of casualties in the province.

“Both the Taliban and the government have killed people, whether it’s by mistake or on purpose, they have killed people,” Amini said of what is causing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

One camp in the city is now home to more than 22,000 internally displaced people who come from the neighbouring districts and provinces. Overall up to 150,000 people have been displaced due to the war raging in rural areas of Kandahar.

Nasir Ahmad, 24, said his brother, sister-inlaw and mother were shot by what he believes to be Taliban fighters.

“They were on a motorcycle on the street with my brother when they were shot during a cross-firing,” Ahmad told Al Jazeera.

“My mother was hit in the stomach. My brother has bullet injuries in his back while his wife sustained chest injury.”

Amini, the 23-year-old, says the current situation has changed the way he sees the city he has called home his entire life.

“I see children scream, old women crying.

Everything a young man should not see.

This is a dark place for everyone. This is not the place you want to live.”

Abdul Matin Amiri reported from Kandahar.

Ali M Latifi contributed from Kabul.

Source:.aljazeera.com

Pakistan Army grants refuge, safe passage to 46 Afghan soldiers at Chitral border: ISPR

F

orty-six soldiers of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Border Police were granted “refuge and safe passage” by the Pakistan Army on Sunday, according to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement.

The statement said that a local ANA commander opposite Arundu, Chitral, had requested help for the 46 soldiers — including five officers — as “they were unable to hold their military posts along [the] Pak-Afghan International Border due to [the] evolving security situation in Afghanistan.”

The Pakistan Army contacted Afghan authorities for the relevant information and necessary formalities, the statement added.

“These Afghan soldiers arrived at Arundu sector, Chitral late last night. After contact with Afghan authorities and necessary military procedures, 46 soldiers including five officers have been given refuge [and] safe passage into Pakistan. “Afghan soldiers have been provided food, shelter and neces-

sary medical care as per established military norms,” the ISPR statement said.

It added that the soldiers and officers would be returned to the Afghan government in a “dignified manner after due process”.

Mentioning a similar incident, the ISPR statement said 35 Afghan soldiers who had asked for refuge on July 1 had also been “given safe passage into Pakistan and handed over to Afghan govt authorities after due procedure”.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had previously told Dawn that Pakistan has

moved the Frontier Constabulary, Levies Force and other militias from the front line positions along the Pak-Afghan border as the army has started to man those positions.

“Now regular army troops are manning the border after replacing the paramilitary forces,” the minister said, adding the decision had been made in wake of the volatile situation across the border. “The current volatile situation (in Afghanistan) demands that regular military troops be deployed along the border,” he had said. Earlier in July, more than 1,000 Afghan security personnel fled

across the border into Tajikistan following Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan.

The Taliban had taken over six key districts in the northern province of Badakshan, which borders both Tajikistan and China, following which 1,037 Afghan servicemen fled across the border with Tajikistan’s permission.

Insecurity has been growing in Afghanistan in recent weeks as US-led foreign troops complete their withdrawal and the Taliban launch major offensives, taking districts and border crossings. The Taliban and Afghan government officials met for talks in Qatari capital Doha on July 17. The meeting ended with promises of more talks, as well as greater attention to the protection of civilians and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, fighting between government forces and the Taliban rages on, with the militant group claiming to have taken control of a large majority of the country.

Source: dawn.com

11

Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

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13

Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

Ayyaz

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PREC

604 518 - 3782

604 - (Realtor) 839 - 7863

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

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15

Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

A

women / y out h

What is family caregiving?

By: Asma Shums, s life expectancies increase, medical treatments advance, and increasing numbers of people live with chronic illness and disabilities, more and more of us find ourselves caring for a loved one at home. Whether you’re taking care of an aging parent, a handicapped spouse, or looking after a child with a physical or mental illness, providing care for a family member in need is an act of kindness, love, and loyalty. Day after day, you gift your loved one your care and attention, improving their quality of life, even if they’re unable to express their gratitude.

Regardless of your particular circumstances, being a family caregiver is a challenging role and likely one that you haven’t been trained to undertake. And like many family caregivers, you probably never anticipated this situation. However, you don’t have to be a nurs-

ing expert, a superhero, or a saint in order to be a good family caregiver. With the right help and support, you can provide loving, effective care without having to sacrifice yourself in the process. And that can make family caregiving a more rewarding experience—for both you and your loved one.

New to family caregiving?

Learn as much as you can about your family member’s illness or disability and how to care for it. The more you know, the less anxiety you’ll feel about your new role and the more effective you’ll be.

Seek out other caregivers. It helps to know you’re not alone. It’s comforting to give and receive support from others who understand exactly what you’re going through.v Know your limits. Be realistic about how much of your time and yourself you can give. Set clear limits, and communicate those limits to doctors, family members, and other people involved.

Take time to relax daily, and learn how to regulate yourself and de-stress when you

start to feel overwhelmed. As explained above, one way to achieve this is to really connect with the person you’re caring for.

If that isn’t possible, employ your senses to effectively relieve stress in the moment, and return to a balanced state.

Talk with someone to make sense of your situation and your feelings about it. There’s no better way of relieving stress than spending time face-to-face with someone who cares about you.

Keep a journal. Some people find it helpful to write down their thoughts and feelings to help them see things more clearly.

Feed your spirit. Pray, meditate, or do another activity that makes you feel part of something greater. Try to find meaning in both your life and in your role as a caregiver.

Watch out for signs of depression, anxiety, or burnout and seek professional help if needed. Email info at: asmashums@gmail.com

1) One father was teaching English to his son . The word was assassination. The father made it easy like this to remember.

One ass behind it another ass and behind it everybody whole nation 2) One man posted on what’s app group “ I got married” Coment came…. Please do not cry over personal problems in the group here.

What does self-confidence mean to you?

demands. At its most basic level, self-confidence is simply believing in yourself.

There are many good reasons to build your self-confidence:

July 7, 2021

S

elf-confidence is simply believing in yourself – but it isn’t always easy! Here are some practical tips that might help.

Many of us aspire to be self-confident. It’s attractive when we see confidence in others, and it inspires us in our personal and professional lives. Self-confidence refers to your own trust in your abilities, capacities and judgments, or the belief that you can successfully face day-to-day challenges and

you can improve your physical and mental health which can lead to improved self-confidence. Bonus: incorporating healthy habits in your daily routine reinforces a sense of achievement as well! · Reduce stress levels · Improve happiness and life enjoyment Face your fears. Challenging yourself to · More positive and interactive relationships do things that you are afraid of is one of the · Increase motivation to take action in your best ways to build confidence. Facing adverpersonal and professional life sity can build resilience. Courage is the willMore open to taking risks and trying new ingness to take risks in life. It can sometimes things result in failure but it is in failure that pro· Strengthened resiliency vides the opportunity to grow and become more self-aware. (Brown, 2015)*.

How to build self-confidence Building self-confidence isn’t always easy. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Here are some practical tips you can use to Comparison leaves us open to envy and jealhelp build your self-confidence: ousy of others. It attacks our self-esteem.

Limit the use of social media. Instead, focus Take care of your body and mind.

Eating well, exercising often, spending time on gratitude as a way of grounding yourself outdoors and meditating are just a few ways in the good that you can find in your own life.

15 fun activities for when you visit your grandparents

M

emories with Grandma and Grandpa are something your child will cherish for the rest of their lives. Often times, it can be difficult to find something fun to do. To help find a cure for the lack of things both parties might enjoy, we have put together a list of fun activities your children can do when they visit their grandparents.

Grandpa! Who knows, you may find out something new yourself.

Draw a family tree, and discuss its branches.

Most families are a lot bigger than we tend to perceive. Have your child sit with their grandparents and go over a little family history.

Solve crosswords, puzzles or riddles.

Puzzles are great because they challenge the mind and involve teamwork from both parties.

Interview each other! Take notes or record it with your smartphone.

Give your child something to look back on by having them interview Grandma or

our own worst critic. When we focus on negative self-talk and emotions, our mood deteriorates and we damage our self-worth.

Self-compassion is about being kind to ourselves in the same way we would be kind to others. Try it out and see how you can better cope with negative emotions.

Surround yourself with positive people.

Stop spending time with people who don’t respect you. Take a look at your core values and use them to guide who you let into your inner circle.

Acknowledge achievements. Accept compliments with grace. Keep a journal of daily successes. Last but certainly not least, set small and achievable goals that remind you that you’re successful and accomplished.

Source: Telus.com

favorite book reading is a great way to instill the importance of reading.

Draw pictures of one another.

Who knew Grandma or Grandpa was an artist? Drawings are a great keepsake for both the grandchild and grandparent.

Watch a movie together.

Share old photos and talk about the Movies are a great way to pass time and restories behind them. lax! Pick a favorite movie to share and enjoy

15 fun activities for any child to do Each photo is worth a thousand words, but with their grandparents: often times we don’t know the real story behind the photos we see.

Play cards.

Who doesn’t like a good game of cards? Go on a walk.

Card games like UNO, Old Maid or Go Fish are great for any age!

Have self-compassion. Too often, we’re

a healthy snack.

Have breakfast or dinner together.

Getting out of the house and going to dinner Color or paint picture frames. is a great way for any grandparent to show Create something that will always have a Depending on the location you may be able to off their most prized possession. special place in your child’s heart by having send your child on a quick walk with Grand- Bake cookies. them decorate a picture frame with Grandma or Grandpa to do a little sightseeing.

Sharing the secret cookie recipe is a great ma and Grandpa.

Have a tea party. way to bond and have a little fun in the Play a game on a smartphone or tablet.

Putting on a big fancy hat and doing a lit- kitchen.

Having your child show Grandma or Grandtle acting is a great way to escape reality and Sing karaoke pa how to play their favorite game on their have a little fun.

Want to see Grandma? Ask them their fa- smartphone or tablet will be right up your Take turns reading a book. vorite song growing up and throw it on for a child’s alley.

Whether it’s a bedtime story or a chapter of a little fun party.

Source: friendshealthcare.org

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

h ealt h

Setting boundaries for a healthier you

etting healthy boundaries can be beneficial to mental health and well-being.

Boundaries can be physical (we are all familiar with social distancing), psychological, or emotional. They are a reflection of an individual’s identity and are an act of selfcompassion. These sets of limits or rules that are established in relationships can be loose or rigid, with the healthiest ones usually falling somewhere in the middle. It is about being able to say “no” and still be open to connection and intimacy with others. But not everyone is familiar with how to start setting these emotional boundaries. Counsellors can help provide guidance as you learn the most comfortable way for you to establish rules and limits with others. TELUS Health MyCare™ offers virtual counselling sessions to help support you on this journey.*

What are boundaries?

Boundaries establish and protect individuality. They indicate what an individual will and will not be responsible for. Identifying one’s limits comes from personal values. A good way to look at values is to ask oneself, “who is the human that I want to be in this world?” If the behaviours and interactions with others are not aligning with values then a boundary needs to be set.

Sometimes, boundaries are avoided because of fear, lack of clarity about personal limits, or not having the skills to communicate.

The family system that a person grows up

in and lived experiences can affect the comfort an individual has with boundaries and self-awareness. Avoiding taking ownership and responsibility over one’s life can lead to a number of consequences, including: low self-worth, stress, burnout, poor relationships, anger, and resentment.

The following are some examples of situations where boundaries might be needed: On social media: Social media invites people to see into our personal lives. Privacy is important and part of respecting different relationships in life, especially private and professional lives.

At home: Resentment in relationships typically happens from a build up of the small things such as loading or unloading the dishwasher, dealing with kids, time away from each other, laundry, and friends, to name a few.

With friends: Friendship offers love and support in life. Boundaries with the information that is shared between friends (ie. secrets) helps to maintain trust and safety. Setting limits around the amount of time spent together contributes to healthy balance.

At work: Be cautious about saying yes to everything. Overextending creates stress, harbors resentment, and sometimes compromises the ability to do things well.

ways that “no” can be expressed beyond just the word. For example: “I am not comfortable with this” “Not at this time but maybe later” “Please don’t do that” “This is not acceptable” “I am not able to do that…”

“I will not…”

“Let’s discuss timing/priorities…”

The following is an example of how to say “no” at work.

“I appreciate you asking me to join this committee. I have three projects on the go right now and I cannot help at this time. I would be happy to support you in the future and require at least one week advance notice in my calendar.”

“No” is stated respectfully and the expectation is clear for the future.

Assertive communication: Assertive communication is premised on the understanding that both parties are entitled to their perspectives and feelings. The approach is curious, respectful, and does not entail a “winner” in the outcome. It does not accuse another person of wrongdoing and instead focuses on the personal response to a behaviour or situation that may require a request for change.

The following formula outlines assertive communication: How to set boundaries?

Say “no”: Saying “no” is surprisingly difficult “I really care about you and….” for many people. There are many different “When you” (describe the behaviour, the situation, or a quote)

Why meditation helps you stay calm?

June 8, 2021

Deep breathing is a type of meditation you re you looking for a way to can easily try at home. It is good for reducdestress? Meditation may be the ing stress and grounding the body. Follow answer. Learn how meditation these simple steps for a calmer you: Find a spot that is quiet and comcan help you stay calm.

Have you ever wondered how some people fortable. are able to stay calm in the most stressful Choose a time of day that fits best. Some situations? Or maybe you’re looking for people like the morning and use meditaways to destress and tackle your anxious tion as an opportunity to get grounded thoughts? Meditation may be the answer. and set the mood for the day. Other people like to do the evening and use meditaWhat is meditation?

Meditation is about learning to observe tion to calm down and mentally unwind our thoughts and sensations in the body from the day. without judgement. It is founded in hun- Close your eyes and take a deep inhale dreds of different traditions that encom- through your nose for a count of 4. pass spiritual practices, self-awareness, Hold your breath for 7 seconds. and mindfulness. The goal is to be fully Exhale through your mouth for a count of engaged in a moment in time that contrib- 8. utes to a better understanding of ourselves Repeat 3-4 times. and our relationship to the world around Meditation can feel foreign when first getting started. Most of us are not familiar us. or skilled at being quiet with ourselves. A Why should I meditate?

There are many mental health benefits to counsellor can help to identify sources of meditation. Individuals who participate in stress and what type of meditation might a regular ritual of meditation can observe be useful. As a person engages in meditadecreased stress, improved focus, clarity, tion and develops self-awareness, a councalm, and peace of mind. Reduced stress sellor can also be there to help process and emotional wellness facilitates more insights and issues that might arise. Conself-compassion and better relationships sider seeing a TELUS Health MyCare™ counsellor who will be happy to guide and with others. support you on your journey in finding How do I meditate? more calm and happiness in your life.* Meditation can be done anywhere and Source: Telus.com anytime. It is not a one size fits all process.

A

“I feel” (describe your feeling in response) “And it makes me…” (describe the impact on you) Request a change (if necessary).

Here is how it works in practice:

“I really care about you and when you don’t unload the dishwasher on your cleaning day I feel frustrated because I am also tired after a work day but do it when I am supposed to.

We agreed to the cleaning schedule and my expectation is that it is followed. Does that work for you? If not, how can it work better so that we both feel satisfied?”

When healthy boundaries are followed, all parties in a household, work, or community environment feel healthier because there is transparency and clear expectations in relationships. If you would like support on learning how best to set boundaries in your life, consider seeing a TELUS Health MyCare counsellor.

Source: Telus.com

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Zul Hijjah 20, 1442 July 30, 2021

pakistan

Why is the IMF so unpopular?

he IMF subjects the people already hurt by the failures of their governments to more hurt by the failures of the markets.

By: Usman Hayat Updated

People have protested against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in country after country that has borrowed from it, be it Argentina, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan or Tunisia. The placards held by the protesters often accuse the IMF, the global lender of last resort, of promoting debt imperialism and worsening economic inequality.

Why is the IMF so unpopular even though one of its key functions is providing its “resources to member countries in need”?

Free markets fundamentalism

Much of the bitterness against the IMF comes from the conditions it attaches to its loans. These conditions stem from free markets extremism: cutting down the role of the government because of an unshakeable belief in the supremacy of markets. “Free markets may not be perfect but they are probably the best way to organise an economy,” reads the tagline of an article on finance and development on the IMF’s website — summarising the problematic mindset criticised by many over the years.

Over the years, the notion of free markets has been the subject of a great deal of critique. For example, Ha-Joon Chang, an economist from Cambridge University, explains that there is no such thing as a free market to begin with and regulations restrict the freedom to contract in all markets, from restricting child labour to requiring banks to hold capital.

The late Mahboobul Haque, a Pakistani economist and finance minister, who earned widespread respect for his work on human development, articulated his practical observation as follows: “Markets are not very friendly to the poor, to the weak, to the vulnerable, either nationally or internationally.

Often we act as if markets are free. They are not. I have seen that in my country. The markets are often the handmaiden of powerful interest groups, and they are greatly affected by the prevailing distribution of income.”

Shock therapy that doesn’t cure

The conditions attached to IMF’s loans, known as structural adjustments, tend to be quite standard, such as cutting government expenditure, liberalising trade, removing restrictions on flow of capital, privatising state-owned enterprises, cutting subsidies, increasing taxes, and so on.

To be fair, the structural adjustments often include things which the borrower country ought to have done on its own, such as broadening the tax base and strengthening its institutions like the central bank. However, even the justifiable adjustments are put together as a shock therapy. Countries are required to somehow complete in a few years what they have been struggling to do over decades. Little wonder then that Pakistan has been reaching borrowing agreements with the IMF since 1958 and commenced multiple programmes without fixing its economic fundamentals.

Empirical studies on results of IMF’s structural adjustments are divided. However, a consistent criticism is that the IMF overestimates growth and underestimates the suffering caused by the adjustments. The IMF’s own 2018 review of programme design and conditionality doesn’t seem to disagree: “Directors shared the assessment that growth assumptions were often too optimistic, driven largely by global forecasting errors and the underestimation of the impact of policy adjustment and overestimation of structural reform payoffs.”

Unfair adjustments

Sovereign debt is replete with spillover costs (or externalities) including inter-generational injustices. Debt is contracted at the hands of the ruling elite but it is paid back by generations of ordinary citizens through the nose. It is because of the injustice in debtfinancing that the IMF is facing protests by the Kenyans for approving $2.34 billion three-year financing for Kenya.

The IMF’s adjustments do not address the economic injustice inherent in the current political economy of the indebted country.

Inevitably, it is what hurts the people at large that gets done — such as a rapid devaluation — rather than what may discomfort the ruling elite, such as bringing the untaxed rich in the tax net.

The people of Pakistan would probably have been thankful if the IMF conditions required the government to take immediate and decisive action against those evading taxes in different sectors such as real-estate, tobacco, and sugar. The IMF’s conditionalities could have drawn loud cheers if they required the government to go after those who have been transferring billions and billions abroad by using fake bank accounts opened in the name of the poor.

A call for help through the Stolen Assets Recovery initiative to its rich member-countries where Pakistan’s ill-gotten wealth finds a home, estimated to be far greater than the IMF’s $6 billion loan, could have seen praises for IMF trending on Pakistan’s social media. But no such luck.

Instead, the IMF has required Pakistan’s government to take steps like raising the energy tariff. The dramatic increase in the price of natural gas shocked users and resulted in a jump in the price of naan across Pakistan in 2018. The statement of the IMF’s executive director included in the latest country report rightly describes food inflation in Pakistan as “a matter of considerable concern at present” (p. 102). However, the report doesn’t explain how it would address this considerable concern when the IMF’s conditions are an underlying cause.

Analyse: Will IMF learn?

According to the 2019-20 survey on social and living standards by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 16.4 per cent of the population reported moderate to severe food insecurity — that’s nearly 35 million people, close to the entire population of Canada. This is many more people than can be covered by cash interventions like BISP or Ehsaas.

The ground reality in Pakistan for some time is that the pre-existing price level of food items, and not just further inflation, has been making people’s life difficult. Had the IMF cared about the vulnerable Pakistanis, to which its report makes several references, it would have come up with a different set of conditions focusing on the tax evaders and the corrupt, whether individuals or entities.

As the poet Habib Jalib would ask, “Charagar dardmandon kae bantae

ho kiyoon?” (Why do you pretend to be the healer of the hurt?)

Neither democracy nor meritocracy

When people say democracy, they tend to mean a one-person one-vote system to elect their leaders. But unlike its parent, the United Nations, where the General Assembly uses one-country one-vote, the IMF is a shareholders’ plutocracy. While there are 190 members of the IMF, the richer countries have most of the voting power that elects its 24-member executive board including its managing director. The US alone has a voting share of more than 16pc, giving it veto power over major decisions at the IMF because they require more than 85pc vote.

The US and Europe have an informal agreement that the head of the IMF will be a European acceptable to the US and the first deputy managing director will be a US national. It goes to show that the IMF is not walking its own talk of good governance, liberalisation and competition. This parochial agreement led to the election of a managing director in 2007 — the consensus European nominee despite a questionable reputation — who earned global notoriety for crass sex scandals. His predecessor was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail in Spain for embezzlement, while his successor was found guilty of negligence by a French court.

Critics have long argued and researchers have substantiated that the political alignment between a country and the US, which may be gauged by the voting pattern at the UN General Assembly, influences IMF’s lending decision.

The one who pays the most to the piper may call or, if he so desires, interrupt some of the tunes. In July 2018, the US secretary of state warned that any potential bailout for Pakistan should not provide funds to pay off Chinese lenders. “Make no mistake. We will be watching what the IMF does,” he said in an ominous message because he could.

Not accountable

Despite its layers of governance, the IMF has particularly weak accountability. Its website mentions that it is accountable to its member countries, but that doesn’t mean much when the power is concentrated in the hands of a few. Its website immediately goes on to say that the IMF is scrutinised by many including civil society and academia. In fact, this is scrutiny that applies to any high-profile institution; it is not accountability.

Curiously, despite public scrutiny and in a world full of economics think tanks, the IMF created its own Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) in 2001. The latest external evaluation of this office found that after nearly

20 years, “there is a lack of traction of the work of the IEO,” which is a roundabout way of expressing that nobody at the IMF cares about what it says.

While the IMF routinely prescribes shock therapy to its borrowers, its own reform of its governance and capital moves at a snail’s pace. Its 2010 reform agenda, which was initiated in 2008, was finally reported as put into place in 2016. The voting share of the US, its dominant member, was maintained at above 16pc. While the IMF labelled the change as historic, independent observers saw the voting reforms as having little to no impact. Despite an unenviable record of internal reform, the IMF, which is nearly as old as Pakistan, demands that Pakistan implement a wide range of substantive adjustments within 39 months.

The IMF is known to make costly mistakes in its prescriptions. In a paper published in 2013, an IMF chief economist stated that “stronger planned fiscal consolidation has been associated with lower growth than expected.” This was an implicit confession that a key assumption underlying the IMF’s fiscal austerity in Europe in the wake of the global financial crisis was wrong. The IMF, however, does talk a fair deal about learning from mistakes. That is, when the IMF conditionalities result in grave consequences for millions of people from a borrowing country, the decision makers at IMF may learn from the experience. Whatever this is, it surely is not accountability.

Culturally alien

The IMF speaks as if it were a bot and those suffering because of its adjustments are statistics. In the context of the rising gas and electricity prices, the FAQ section on IMF’s Pakistan microsite talks about “adjustments in tariffs and subsidies calibrated to attenuate social and sectoral impacts”. Compare this vague jargon to what was summarised in a news report in the same context, “The common man’s daily bread has just gotten more expensive.”

There is no reason to doubt the integrity of the nearly 2,700 employees at IMF who reportedly come from as many as 150 countries. To do so would be both wrong and distasteful. The problem is the free-market indoctrination of IMF’s decision making, which is culturally alien to a poor country like Pakistan, and an organisational design that does not give voice to those suffering from IMF’s conditions.

The IMF has been described by its senior staff as an international credit union. The analogy is ill-fitting. Credit unions are meant to be local, one-member one-vote democractic entities that are benign by design. The IMF’s annual report 2020 has many photos — perhaps too many — of blue collar workers, micro entrepreneurs and poor students in schools as if it were indeed a credit union helping ordinary people. However, unlike the charter of the UN, the IMF’s 136 pages long articles of agreement do not even use the word “people’’ or any of its synonyms — and that’s befitting.

This we-care-but-we-don’t approach shouldn’t come as a surprise because the objective of the IMF conditions, in its own words, is to get its money back: “These policy adjustments are conditions for IMF loans and serve to ensure that the country will be able to repay the IMF.” In sum, the IMF subjects the people already hurt by the failures of their governments to more hurt by the failures of the markets. It is not due to ignorance but because of how the IMF works that people in borrowing countries have no love for the IMF. Source:dawn.com/

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