Miracle 563-Jan 28, 2022

Volume 21 Issue 563-January 28, 2022 - Jamadi ul II 25,1443 H, $1

www.miraclenews.com BC, CANADA First Muslim

Biweekly & Bilingual

THE

Abu Bakr Siddquie 03 Hzt. Biography

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10 What is Encephalitis?

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Pakistan slides 16 spots

16 on corruption

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Transparency 05 Pakistan’s ranking worse off under

Surrey, B.C Mayor’s court proceddings 4 dead after shooting at Richmond, Duaa for M.Naumani and Mr. Liaqat Bajwa

WHO head says ‘dan-

05 gerous’ to assume C-19

4 dead after shooting at

06 Richmond, B.C.duplex

Canada extends military operation in Ukraine for three years

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rime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday the extension of Operation UNIFIER for three years, and the deployment of 60 more troops to Ukraine in the coming days. Trudeau made the announcement following a cabinet meeting, alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, and Defence Minister Anita Anand. The operation, which trains Ukrainian armed forces and the national guard, was set to expire in March. A group of 200 Canadian Armed Forces members are sent to the country every six months.

On top of the additional 60 personnel,

Trudeau said the government has the capacity to increase the number of boots on the ground to up to 400.

“The biggest contribution that Canada can make to Ukraine right now is people. We have trained, our soldiers have trained over 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

We should not underestimate the importance of this training mission,” said Anand.

The government also announcement a shipment of non-lethal weapons to Ukraine, intelligence sharing, and support to combat cyberattacks amid threats of a potential Russian incursion as 100,000 troops sit stationed at various

To be Continued at page 4

Hot mic: Biden swears at Fox News reporter for inflation question Hit with a shouted question on a politically sensitive point, the president responds with sarcasm, then name-calling. t is a part of any United States president’s job to smile blithely while reporters loudly shout questions as they are ushered out of the room at the end of a press availability. But on Monday, President Joe Biden tripped up when he responded with a profane insult to a pointed query from a Fox News reporter. The president was in the East Room of the White House for a meeting of his Competition Council, an economic group tasked with helping American consumers deal with high prices by

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changing regulations and enforcing competition laws.After Biden’s remarks, reporters in the room shouted questions as they were being ushered out.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy, whose network has been relentlessly critical of Biden, asked Biden about US inflation, which is at a nearly 40-year high and has hurt the president’s public approval rating.

Doocy called out, “Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?”

“It’s a great asset — more inflation,” Biden said in a low tone, appearing to speak to himself. Then added, “What a stupid son of a b***h” with a slight shake of his head. Indeed, surging US inflation is a To be Continued at page 4

Imran Khan admits Pakistan facing massive inflation, attempts to link it to global phenomenon

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akistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted that the people in the country are facing massive inflation as prices of commodities and fuel have surged in the nation and stated that the inflation issue keeps him awake at night, a media report said.

Answering a question about skyrocketing inflation during a general public live on-air program on Saturday, Imran Khan said that it was the only problem that “kept [him] awake at night”, reported Dawn.But Imran Khan also said that the current inflation was a “global phenome-

lhamdulillah, the Miracle is BC’s first Muslim bilingual and biweekly newspaper, and is now completing its 21 years in publication. We have undoubtedly record numbers of regular local Writers and have continued publishing for the past 21 years despite personal and community challenges.

To make this occasion memorable, a Special

non”. The Prime Minister also noted that when the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf led government came into power, they had to deal with a massive account deficit which led to a surge in the price of imports. Imran Khan also noted that multiple countries are currently facing a supply shortage issue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stating that the US has spent USD 6,000 billion for the welfare of the people during the pandemic, Imran said that Pakistan spent USD 8bn. “We must compare the situation of both To be Continued at page 4

edition will be published on Friday, eb 25, 2022.

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f a i t h

The Prophet (SAW) is reported to have said:

“..Allah does not accept any deed, except that which is purely for Him, and seeking His Pleasure.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i 3140])

Who Was Hazrat Abu Bakr (Ra)? His Life and Contributions To Islam

differentiate between his face and the back of his head. His tribe came to his defense and intervened to save his life. Despite all the suffering and pain, so much was Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s love for Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) that on gaining consciousness, the first question he asked was about the Holy Prophet (PBUH)’s well-being [1].

Furthermore, he took an oath that he won’t drink or eat until he has confirmed the safety of RasoolAllah (PBUH).Despite all the

By Yousaf Manzoor Lasani azrat Abu Bakr Siddique (Radi Al- hardships, he spent 10 years with Prophet lahu Anhu – May Allah be pleased Muhammad (PBUH) in Mecca before they with him) was the first caliph of both decided on migrating to Medina.

Islam after passing away of Hazrat Muham- Emigration to Medina mad (Peace Be Upon Him). He had the After Rasool Allah (PBUH) was offered to privilege of having multi-dimensional re- come to Medina (called Yathrib then), many lationship with Holy Prophet (PBUH). He Muslims started migrating from Mecca to was one of the earliest converts of Islam, Medina to escape the atrocities of Meccans. a close friend, an advisor, a kind neighbor However, Abu Bakr (RA) stayed behind (for some time in Mecca), and a relative (fa- with Rasool Allah (PBUH) and accompather in law) of the Prophet (PBUH). He was nied him on the way to Medina at the very born in Mecca in 573 CE, lived for 62 years, end when Meccans plotted to assassinate and passed away to the eternal abode of life Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). On their way, in 634 CE.He was the son of Uthman Abu Rasool Allah (PBUH) and Abu Bakr (RA) Quhafa (540 – 635 CE) of Banu Taym clan stopped over at a cave on Mount Thaur (aka of Quresh. Not many people know this, but Jabal Thaur) while being chased by MecHazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s actual name was cans. They stayed in the cave for 3 days and Abdullah (servant of Allah). He received nights. Allah (God) has described the parhonorific of Abu Bakr later in life because ticular scene in detail in Holy Quran (Surah of his love for camels (Abu means father in Taubah) when Quraysh had almost gotten Arabic and Bakr means camel’s calf). He hold of them while searching the cave,: belonged to a family of merchants and was “If ye help not (your leader), (it is no matter): for Allah did indeed help him, when himself a cloth merchant Another rarely known skill of Abu Bakr (RA) the Unbelievers drove him out: he had no is his familiarity with genealogy. Because of more than one companion; they two were this, he was intimately familiar with who is in the cave, and he said to his companion, who of Makkah, a lineage of different peo- “Have no fear, for Allah is with us”: then ple, and characteristics of different tribes. Allah sent down His peace upon him, and This skill presumably proved very useful strengthened him with forces which ye saw when in the position of leadership since he not, and humbled to the depths the word was very insightful about the strengths and of the Unbelievers. But the word of Allah is weaknesses of his deputies and proved him- exalted to the heights: for Allah is Exalted in might, Wise.“ [9:40] self to be a brilliant strategist.

Most importantly, he stood by Rasool-Allah It is worth noting here that in addition to (PBUH) through thick and thin (especially the above mentioned incident, Hazrat Abu during the time in Makkah). His life can be Bakr (RA)’s spiritual station can be deduced broadly divided into 3 phases: Meccan life, by the fact that Holy Quran makes multiple Medina Life (with Prophet (PBUH), and indirect references to Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) Caliphate life (after passing away of Mu- when exemplifying pious Muslims..

Life with Prophet Muhammad hammad (PBUH))

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Meccan Life and Contributions to Islam (PBUH) in Medina After Muhammad (PBUH)’s declaration of prophethood, Abu Bakr (RA) had the honor of being the first Adult Muslim male to have accepted Islam (just like Hazrat Ali (RA) was the first child to accept Islam).

After acceptance of Islam, all companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) faced trials and tribulations. However, the worst form of persecution was faced by slaves at the hands of their masters. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s kindness can be discerned from the fact that he paid 40,000 Dinars out of his own pocket to help free 8 slaves (4 males and 4 females), most famous amongst them being Hazrat Bilal (RA), who had the honor of being the Mu’azzin (responsible for calling people to prayer in the mosque) of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). History tells us that Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) delivered the first public speech in Islam in Kaaba, an event that reflects his tenacity, forbearance, and faithfulness to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It has been narrated that after he made the speech, polytheists in Kaaba got so furious that one of them named Utbah ibn Rab’iah started beating Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) with his shoes. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) was beaten so badly that because of extensive bleeding, it became difficult to

After moving to Medina, Abu Bakr (RA) continued to strive for furtherance of Islam under the guidance of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). It is worth mentioning here that Muslims owe it to Abu Bakr (RA) for having paid the original price of the land on which the second most popular mosque of Islam namely Masjid al-Nabawi has been constructed. In addition to his financial contributions, he also actively participated in all the initial wars of Islam (aka Ghazwat) that were necessary for defending the nascent Muslim community. In the famous battle of Badr, he took the responsibility of guarding Rasool Allah (PBUH). For this, he was later called out as the bravest of men by Hazrat Ali (RA) .

Moreover, he continued to serve as a supporter and advisor of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In 631 AD, after the conquest of Makka, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) was deputed as the leader of Muslims to perform 1st Hajj in the history of Islam after Allah ordained it in Holy Quran. He was also accompanied

by Hazrat Ali (RA) on the pilgrimage . The next year, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) led the pilgrimage himself and delivered the popular sermon that serves as a blueprint for the social philosophy of Islam.

Passing Away of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Soon after, the most difficult moment of the life of the Prophet (PBUH)’s companions (May Allah be pleased with them) struck, which was passing away of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). About 5 Days before passing away, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave his last speech where he said: ‘There is a slave amongst the slaves of Allah unto whom Allah has offered the choice between this world and that which is with Him; and the slave has chosen that which is with Allah.’ Because of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s supreme spiritual insight, he was the first companion to read between the lines that Rasool Allah (PBUH) is referring to his departure to the eternal abode with Allah [1]. Abu Bakr (RA) started crying. Seeing that, Rasool Allah (PBUH) expressed the following words while consoling Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA): ‘O People, the person who has favored me the most with his companionship and wealth is Abu Bakr (RA), and if I were to take from all of mankind a bosom friend, he would be Abu Bakr(RA), but the Islamic brotherhood and love is sufficient. Close all the gates in the mosque except that of Abu Bakr (RA)’. It is worth highlighting here that in addition to the above, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s eminence in the life of Holy Prophet (PBUH) can be illustrated by the fact that a Hadith scholar like Imam Muslim has dedicated an entire chapter to Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s virtues [7] in Sahih Muslim (deemed as one of the most authentic books on Prophetic sayings) In the last few days prior to his departure, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) delegated the task of leading prayers in Masjid-e-Nabawi to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA). Rasool Allah (PBUH) was so content with the decision that on one day, Rasool Allah (PBUH) himself joined the morning prayers midway but he still didn’t allow Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) to step back and therefore Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) led the prayer as Muqabbir (a person lending his voice to followers while the following Imam) behind Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)] After passing away of the Prophet, the companions were in a state of shock. It was Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) who consoled and guided them through healing words to strengthen their morale.

Afterward, he was elected as the first caliph (vicegerent of Prophet (by a combination of Muhajirun (the emigrants from Mecca) and Ansar (the helpers from Madina).

Life As a Caliph

After taking on the mantle of first caliph

of Muslims, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) experienced a barrage of issues arising from different areas of the state; most prominent amongst them being tax rebellions and insurgencies from new claimants of Prophet-hood with their own armies. Despite these challenges, he took it upon himself to resume the expedition against Byzantine Empire that had been initiated by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in his life, but was put on hold during his last days.

It is a testament to Abu Bakr (RA)’s leadership in the nascent Muslim state that in just a matter of 2 years of his caliphate, he was not only able to quell all insurrections (aka Ridda wars) and consolidate control over Arabian Peninsula but also set the course for the conquest of Byzantine and Sassanid Empires that continued into the era of subsequent rightly guided caliphs.

Timeline for the conquest of Muslims over centuries

Something to note for war historians is that Abu Bakr (RA) is also credited with formally codifying Islamic ethics of war [12] (which was unprecedented in that time and age) Other than his endeavors towards stabilization of the state, one of his most significant contributions to Islam is the initiation of compilation process of Quran in its current form on the advice of Hazrat Umar (RA), since before then, verses of Quran were spread across leather parchments, shoulder blades of camels and sheep, Palm branches, surfaces of flat stones, and hearts of companions (many of whom passed away in the battle of Yamama). It is to be noted that as many as 65 companions (May Allah be pleased with them) acted as scribes in the service of Holy Prophet (PBUH) to jot down verses of Quran [1]

Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) passed away in 634 AD after the sickness of 15 days.

Believe it or not, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)’s last wish was to donate his property (a garden) for the welfare of Muslims in return for the limited salary he had drawn from the Muslim treasury for his living expenses (after giving up his business to run affairs of the caliphate). He nominated Hazrat Umar (RA) as the second caliph to follow him after consulting with many prominent companions (May Allah be pleased with them).

His funeral was led by Hazrat Umar (RA) and he was buried next to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s grave with his head placed parallel to the shoulders of Rasool Allah (PBUH) Source: zillnoorain.com

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver Jan 28-Feb 11, 2022, Jamadi ul II 25-Rajab 10,1443H Isl. Dt. Day Date Fajar

25 26 27 28 29 *1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

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

Sunr

Zawal Dhuhr Dhur Asar Shafi / Asar Hanfi Maghrib

Isha

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

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Jamadi ul II 25,1443 January 28, 2021

o p i n i o n

PM on the warpath

HE outburst may not have been the first time that Prime Minister Imran Khan lost his cool but his tenor during a live TV session the other day was not one expected from a leader who is in control of the situation. A threatening tone betrayed his deep frustration and vulnerability.

He not only vented his anger against the opposition but also targeted the judiciary and media. They were blamed for everything that has gone wrong with his government.

He seemed to be fighting a losing battle but is not prepared to give up. His fall may not be inevitable but the unfolding events raise questions about his government’s survival.

The prime minister also delivered a warning that he could be more dangerous when out of power. One is not sure at whom the threat was directed.

It reminds one of the words attributed to Louis XV of France: “Après moi, le deluge”. It may not be the endgame but the prime minister’s words have certainly reinforced the widespread impression about his government’s increasingly untenable situation. Unfortunately, there seems to be little willingness on his part to see where the government has gone wrong. There are always others to be blamed for the problems. It is either the misrule of previous regimes or the mafias that are held responsible for the country’s predicament.

The prime minister’s frustration seems to have arisen with the collapse of the PTI government’s ‘anti-corruption’ drive that had mainly targeted the opposition leaders. He blamed the judiciary and media for the

failure.

It is evident that he is under a lot of pressure as public discontent grows over the rising cost of living and the government fails to deliver on its promises to bring about change. The argument about inflation being entirely driven by external factors is not convincing. There is no denial of global linkages but misgovernance and flawed economic policies have also been the reason for spiralling commodity prices in the country. Blaming mafias and cartels for the problem cannot satisfy the people who are directly affected by the galloping food prices.

The prime minister appears to be fighting a losing battle.

It has cost the ruling party hugely in terms of political support. The upset in the KP local bodies’ elections is indicative of the party’s shrinking political base. It has brought to the surface the widening rift within party ranks. The move to reorganise the party in the midst of the crisis has added to the confusion at a time when the opposition has stepped up its campaign to bring down the government.

Speculations about a deal between the security establishment and the opposition groups seem to have increased the government’s worries. The widespread rumours about a possible deal seem to have triggered the PM’s angst. His reference to the speculations indicated his unease. For a government which has been largely dependent on the security establishment for its survival such a possibility would obviously be disturbing. In Pakistani politics, such back room deals

are not unusual. The growing confidence in the ranks of the opposition and the latter’s plan to march on Islamabad has given currency to the rumours that the security establishment has distanced itself from the government.

That could also mark the weakening of the hybrid power arrangement. Not surprisingly, the prime minister’s remarks that he could be more dangerous if ousted from power is seen by many as a threat to the opposition as well as a message to the establishment. But such a stance could also be seen as sign of weakness. That may lead to the unravelling of the fragile coalition. Such messaging could have a demoralising effect on the PTI. An authoritarian and irrational approach can harm his government more than the opposition’s campaign.

A refusal to interact with the opposition on even critical national issues has weakened the democratic process in the country. There is little realisation on the prime minister’s part that a weakened system has made his government more vulnerable.

The prime minister might call himself a democratically elected leader, but a demonstration of respect for parliament is still lacking, while contempt for elected representatives was more strongly evident in his remarks.

It has been asked why the prime minister is not ready to interact with the leader of the opposition whom he calls a criminal, but is willing to talk with terrorist groups like the TTP, who have now called off the ceasefire and stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces. Of late, the group has carried out

terrorist attacks in Islamabad and other places. Confronting the opposition and having a policy of appeasement towards outlawed militant groups has created a very dangerous situation for the democratic process in the country. Self-righteousness and the politics of religiosity have compounded the government’s problems, with worsening political and governance crises. Recently, some local papers carried an article by the prime minister ‘Spirit of Riyasat-i-Madina: transforming Pakistan’ that describes his vision of an Islamic welfare society, with the main emphasis being the establishment of rule of law in the country. According to the article, the country is suffering “from elite capture, where powerful and crooked politicians, cartels and mafias have become accustomed to being above the law in order to protect their privileges gained through a corrupt system”.

There may not be any dispute over the elite capture of the state, but the PTI’s entire politics has been geared towards strengthening the same system. The people around the prime minister belong to the same elite class whom he claims to be fighting.

The prime minister’s concept of ‘Riyasat-i-Madina’ remains as ambiguous as his politics. Clichés don’t address the serious challenges that the country is facing on the political and economic fronts. His latest outburst on television raises questions about his ability to lead the country at this critical moment of its history.

Courtesy By: Zahid Hussain Laysa Lil Insana illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

When will Canada’s Omicron wave peak? What we know so far?

response to a direct ask from Trudeau said his team is continu- on helping Ukraine defend itself.

Ukrainian officials. ing to monitor the situation at Source:ctvnews.com points along the border.

Asked why Canada is choosing the border but noted the governThe U.S. and the U.K. have beto send non-lethal equipment, ment’s priority is focused squarely gun sending lethal weapons in

News Cont from Pg 1

Imran Khan admits Pakistan facing massive inflation, attempts to link it to global phenomenon European countries face record approach” while discussing infla- affected Pakistanis a lot, Imran Cont. from Pg 1

countries,” he added. The Paki- inflation. With regard to infla- tion and to inform citizens of the said that the salaried class was the most affected due to inflation. stan Prime Minister also noted tion, Imran Khan also asked the situation across the world. media to keep a “balanced Admitting that inflation has Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com that currently, the UK and some

Hot mic: Biden swears at Fox News reporter for inflation question Cont. from Pg 1

growing political risk for Biden and his Democratic Party which could lose its majority in the US Congress in the upcoming November elections. Persistent inflation has the effect of reducing people’s purchasing power and raising food, fuel and housing costs for households.

The president’s comments were captured on video and by the microphone in front of him.Doocy laughed it off in a subsequent appearance on his network, joking,

“Nobody has fact-checked him yet and said it’s not true.”He said he did not hear the president’s remarks at the time as he was being ushered out of the room.

Doocy told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Biden called him about an hour after the incident to apologise. Doocy said Biden told him, “It’s nothing personal, pal.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment.

White House officials have insisted

repeatedly that they are focused on curbing inflation, with Biden reorienting his economic agenda to address the issue. But the president has shown a willingness to challenge a media that he deems to be too critical, especially Fox News and Doocy.

At his news conference last week, Biden said to Doocy with sarcasm: “You always ask me the nicest questions.” “I have a whole binder full,” the reporter answered. “I know you do,” Biden said. “None of them make

a lot of sense to me. Fire away.”

Indeed, surging US inflation is a growing political risk for Biden and his Democratic Party which could lose its majority in the US Congress in the upcoming November elections. Persistent inflation has the effect of reducing people’s purchasing power and raising food, fuel and housing costs for households.

The president’s comments were captured on video and by the microphone in front of him.

Source: aljazeera.com

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c a n a d a / P A K I S TAN

Conservative MPs cheer on trucker convoy, Cabinet okays Rs5bn for census, draft voice opposition to vaccine mandates changes to criminal procedure law

OTTAWA -- Conservative MPs are publicly cheering on the trucker convoy that’s making its way across the country with the intent of converging onto Parliament Hill this weekend, voicing opposition to the federal government’s mandatory vaccination policies.The so-called “freedom convoy” was sparked by outrage over a vaccine mandate recently imposed on cross-border truckers, though the convoy has garnered support from anti-vaccine mandate groups who feel requirements to be vaccinated against COVID-19 curb their freedoms, and among those who dislike Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

While organizers say they are running a peaceful and law-abiding demonstration, experts have raised concerns over the online discourse related to the trucker convoy. From social media posts expressing anti-government and violent sentiments to a suggestion that the event could be like a Canadian version of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, experts CTVNews.ca spoke with said that the messaging and rhetoric is veering into dangerous territory. The convoy

plans to arrive in Ottawa on Jan. 29 with the intention of taking its “fight to the doorsteps of our federal government,” to demand the vaccine mandates end.

With Parliament not back in session until Jan. 31 and the hybrid virtual format still in place it’s unlikely many federal officials will be in the parliamentary precinct when the convoy rolls in, though one Conservative MP has said he’s already in town ready for its arrival.“I want to meet those truckers when they come here this week,” said Alberta MP Martin Shields in a video posted on his Twitter account.Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

The Canadian government has ordered family members of diplomatic staff in Ukraine to leave the country, though embassy staff will remain in place. In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said that the government has decided to “temporarily withdraw” the children of embassy staff if they are under the age of 18, as well as family members accompanying them. “Officials at Global Affairs Canada and at the Embassy of Canada to Ukraine in Kyiv will continue to closely monitor the situation,” reads the statement.

“The safety and security of Canadians, our

personnel and their families at our missions abroad is our top priority.” The decision to extricate diplomats’ families is due to “the ongoing Russian military buildup and destabilizing activities in and around Ukraine.”

Late Monday night Canada updated its travel advisory suggesting any non-essential Canadians should leave Ukraine.

“If you are in Ukraine, you should evaluate if your presence is essential,” reads the updated guidance to avoid non-essential travel to the region.“You just have to look at the pictures to know that this is a situation in which you don’t want Canadians to be going there, and Canadians that are there should think about getting out,” said Colin Robertson, former Canadian diplomat and vice president of Canadian Global Affairs Institute in an interview on CTV News Channel. “You only leave the most vital people because if things go badly, then you’ve got that many more people to worry about.”

This comes after the U.S. and the U.K. began withdrawing some of their embassy and diplomatic staff and their families from Ukraine over the weekend, amid heightened concerns of a Russian invasion.

Source:ctvnews.ca

The Bank of Canada kept its trendsetting interest rate at rock-bottom levels on Wednesday, holding off on planned increases aimed at controlling surging inflation but signalling rate hikes are not far off.

The central bank’s overnight rate remains at 0.25 per cent, a rate it adopted in a drastic drop in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.Governor Tiff Macklem acknowledged in comments Wednesday morning that inflation, which hit a 30-year high at 4.8 per cent in December, is “uncomfortably high.” He said interest rates will need to rise to keep escalating prices under control.

The bank removed its previous commitment

to keep interest rates at the floor, with Macklem signalling to Canadians and markets that interest rates are now on a “rising path.”

He said the central bank held off on increasing rates immediately in January in part because Omicron is a “wild card” that’s expected to drive spending lower in the first quarter of the year. The bank expects the impact of Omicron on the Canadian economy to be milder than previous waves, however, owing to both the country’s relatively high vaccination rate and consumers’ and businesses’ ability to adapt to the new variant nearly two years into the pandemic.

CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld said he expects the Bank of Canada to raise rates in March if the country gets better news about the Omicron variant.

The U.S. Federal Reserve also signalled Wednesday that it plans to begin raising its benchmark interest rate as soon as March.

Macklem noted that “emergency policy settings” tied to the COVID-19 pandemic are now over, and the Canadian economy had strong momentum heading into 2022.

Source:ctvnews.ca

Canada orders diplomats’ families to leave Ukraine

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved the allocation of Rs5 billion for conducting of seventh national population census in the country, which is expected to be completed by December this year.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan also approved a draft of legal reforms, making it mandatory for courts to wrap up criminal cases within nine months. “The cabinet endorsed the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision for utilising Rs 5 billion to carry out fresh census in the current year,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told a post-cabinet press conference. “The whole census process is likely to be completed by December, with the result of its pilot project

being finalised by April or May. After that, Election Commission of Pakistan would be able to start working on new delimitations

by January of next year,” he said.

The minister also expressed confidence that the 2023 general elections would be held under fresh delimitations and the census was being expedited for this purpose. Under the proposed legal reforms, Mr Chaudhry said that in case a criminal matter was not wrapped up in nine months, the presiding judges and prosecutors would be bound to give reasons to the chief justices of the high courts concerned.Under the draft reforms, a plea bargain clause had been suggested for accused in criminal cases, he said adding that a station house officer would have to be a graduate and an officer of the rank of sub-inspector. He claimed that under the proposed law, an independent prosecution service would be launched, forensic laboratories would be upgraded and state-ofthe-art equipment and devices would be procured for the investigation of cases. The minister said the cabinet had also proposed an extension in the time of submission of challan by the police in the court to 45 days, instead of 14 days.... Source: dawn.com

financial corruption, behind poor ranking • Opposition leaders say TI report belies PM’s claims; accuse him of patronising the corrupt • Denmark, Finland, New Zealand top index; Somalia, Syria and South Sudan bring up rear The perception of corruption in Pakistan has seen a rise for the third straight year, with the country sliding 16 places to rank 140th out of 180 countries surveyed by watchdog Transparency International (TI). In 2020, Pakistan’s CPI was 31 and it was ranked 124th out of 180 countries, but this year that score has fallen to 28. In its ‘2021 Corruption Perception Index’, TI noted that corruption levels remained at a standstill worldwide, with 86 per cent of countries making little to no progress in the last ten years.

Looking at scores from previous years, Pakistan’s CPI ranking has been on the decline: in 2020, the country was ranked 124th out of 180 countries, 120th in 2019 and 117th in 2018.According to the report, CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

As per the CPI report, a country’s rank is its position relative to the other countries in the

index. Since ranks can change merely if the number of countries included in the index changes, the rank is therefore not as important as the score in terms of indicating the level of corruption in that country, the report says. The report used eight data sources to calculate the CPI for Pakistan: Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation index, Economist Intelligence Unit country ratings, Global Insights Country Risk ratings, PRS International Country Risk Guide, Varieties of Democracy Project, World Bank CPIA, World Economic Forum EOS and the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.

TI’s annual report has always been a contentious subject in Pakistan, with successive oppositions using it to cast aspersions on the performance of the government of the day, whoever it may be. On their part, governments have always downplayed the veracity of the TI data or questioned the motives of the local TI chapter....Source: dawn.com

The government wasted no time after Shahzad Akbar resigned as the prime minister’s adviser on accountability and interior, announcing former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) director general Brig (retired) Musaddiq Abbasi as his replacement on Wednesday.

A notification by the Cabinet Division, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, stated:“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 93 of the Constitution [...], the president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint Brig (retired) Musaddiq Abbasi as adviser to the prime minister on accountability and interior with immediate effect.”

The appointment comes after Akbar announced his resignation on Monday, saying he would still remain associated with

the PTI. “I sincerely hope the process of accountability continues under the leadership of PM Imran as per the PTI’s manifesto.

I will remain associated with the party and keep contributing as a member of the legal fraternity,” he said.

However, it later emerged that PM Imran may not have been too happy with the performance of the man hand-picked to lead the charge against his main political opponents; the leadership of the PML-N and PPP. Sources privy to the development told Dawn that the premier had lost faith in Akbar, who had — in the prime minister’s view — failed to take the corruption cases against the Sharif family and others to their logical conclusion.“Akbar had assured the prime minister that he would bring back the laundered and looted wealth within the first three years of the government’s term,” said a source close to the prime minister.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle, the source said, had begun to criticise the prime minister for his failure to put corrupt former rulers behind bars or recover the wealth they had allegedly stashed abroad. Source: dawn.com

Pakistan’s Transparency ranking worse off under PTI • Govt claims weak rule of law, not

Bank of Canada holds interest rates for Ex-NAB chief Musaddiq Abbasi appointed PM’s adviser on accountability and interior now, but signals hikes to come

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Ukraine-Russia: What is Nord Stream 2, and why is it contentious?

The Russia-owned pipeline is at the centre of a disagreement between Germany and the US, which sees the project as a way for Moscow to increase leverage in Europe.

As Western powers attempt to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Nord Stream 2, a long-touted energy infrastructure project that has already driven a wedge between Germany and the United States, could become a key bargaining chip.The $11bn gas runs from western Siberia to Germany, pipeline across the Baltic Sea, owned by doubling the capacity of the already-in-use Russia’s state-backed energy giant Gazprom, Nord Stream 1 pipeline.Source: aljazera.com

WHO head says ‘dangerous’ to assume pandemic is nearing end

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday it would be dangerous to assume that the highly transmissable Omicron was the last variant to emerge and that the world was in the ‘end game’ of the pandemic.However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was possible this year to exit the acute phase of the pandemic where COVID-19 constitutes a global health emergency if strategies and tools such as testing and vaccines are used in a comprehensive way. Source: aljazera.com

Qatar’s foreign minister set to visit Iran to meet top officials

The Qatari diplomat is expected to discuss regional issues with Iranian officials in Tehran on Thursday, sources say.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani is expected to travel to Tehran on Thursday to discuss regional issues with top Iranian officials, sources familiar with the matter told Al Jazeera.

The trip comes after Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s deputy prime minister, held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Tuesday over the phone.

According to Qatar’s official news agency QNA, the two diplomats reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways of enhancing them in various fields. They also discussed

the “latest regional developments and issues of mutual concern”, QNA reported.

Earlier this month, Amirabdollahian was in the Qatari capital Doha for high-level talks with the Qatari FM as well as the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

At the time, they discussed the latest developments in Vienna, where negotiations are ongoing to restore the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers through lifting United States sanctions and scaling back Iran’s nuclear programme.

Qatar has always sought to de-escalate tensions in the region and has long advocated for a return to the nuclear deal.

Talks in Vienna to restore the deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), began in late November.

The US, which unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump, is negotiating indirectly.

Iran’s Amirabdollahian has signalled that Iran is willing to engage in direct talks with Washington if discussions reach an advanced stage – despite previously ruling out direct meetings with US officials. .Source: aljazera.com

Western leaders step up plans for Has a dangerous new phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine war in Yemen begun?

US seeks to protect Europe’s energy supplies if Russia invades, while Biden threatens Putin with sanctions.

Western leaders have stepped up preparations for any Russian military action in Ukraine, with the United States focusing on how to protect energy supplies and US President Joe Biden saying he would consider imposing direct sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tensions remained high after NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing Eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets in response to a Russian troop build-up near its border with Ukraine.

Russia, which has denied planning an attack, said it was watching with “great concern”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s line that the crisis is being driven by US and NATO actions, not the Russian troop build-up. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a televised video address on Tuesday evening, urged his compatriots to stay calm and said work was under way to bring about a meeting between him and the leaders of Russia, Germany and

France. “There are no rose-coloured glasses, no childish illusions, everything is not simple … But there is hope,” he said. The US and the European Union have threatened economic sanctions if Russia were to launch an invasion and Western leaders have said unity is paramount, though differences have emerged among European nations about how best to respond.

Biden repeated on Tuesday that there were no plans to send US troops to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, but said he would consider imposing direct sanctions on Putin and that there would be “enormous consequences” if Russia were to invade.......

Source: aljazera.com

Cut to global forecast largely reflects downward revisions to US and China outlooks.

The global economy is entering 2022 “in a weaker position than previously expected,” the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday, as it downgraded its global growth outlook largely due to clouds gathering over the recoveries in the United States and China.The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook calls for the global growth to downshift from 5.9 percent in 2021 to 4.4 percent this year. The 2022 forecast is half a percentage point lower than the Fund’s October outlook and largely reflects forecast markdowns for the world’s two largest economies.

The Fund saw the US economy growing 4.0 percent this year. That was 1.2 percentage points lower than its October call and reflected the failure to pass President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better spending plan, the Federal Reserve’s unwinding of pandemic stimulus

measures, and continuing supply shortages that are driving inflation.

The IMF sees China’s economy growing 4.8 percent this year – 0.8 percentage points lower than its October forecast – thanks to the country’s business-sapping, zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy, and ongoing stress in its heavily indebted property sector.

Inflation, risks, and bright spots Inflation has proven to be more persistent than the IMF bargained for back in October, thanks to continuing supply chain disruptions and high energy prices. The Fund sees those persisting this year, but gradually decreasing if inflation expectations remain anchored, “supply-demand imbalances wane in 2022” and central banks like the US Federal Reserve raise borrowing costs to rein in rising prices. But as always, there are risks to the outlook, said the IMF, such as new COVID-19 variants that could prolong the pandemic and introduce fresh economic disruptions. Supply chain snarls, volatile energy prices, and localised wage pressures could create more uncertainty around inflation, said the Fund, while interest rate increases in advanced economies such as the US could negatively affect emerging and developing economies........Source: dawn.com

Recovery disrupted: IMF cuts global economic growth forecast

Houthi rebels have launched attacks on the United Arab Emirates for the second time in a week. The capital of the United Arab Emirates is 1,200km (746 miles) from the battlefields of Yemen’s civil war.

Despite being separated by the vast territory of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi is now being targeted by the Houthis. The UAE intercepted two missiles aimed at Al Dhafra Air Base near the Emirati capital on Monday.

A week earlier, Houthi drones killed at least three people near Abu Dhabi airport and debe dragged into a dangerous new phase of the stroyed tankers at a fuel depot.

The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition at conflict, now in its seventh year? war in Yemen. So could the entire Gulf region Source: aljazera.com

Israeli president to make first-ever state visit to UAE

Isaac Herzog will travel with the first lady and will meet Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the January 30-31 trip. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog will make a historic visit to the UAE at the end of the month, his office has said, in the latest high-profile diplomatic trip since the countries normalised ties.

Herzog’s office said on Tuesday that the president, who will travel with the first lady, will meet Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during the January 30-31 trip.

UAE, Israel to develop unmanned military, commercial vessels end of list “We have the privilege of making history by making the first visit of an Israeli president to the United Arab Emirates,” Her-

zog said in the statement, adding that the countries were “laying the foundations of a new shared future”.

Herzog is also scheduled to meet with the ruler of Dubai and senior government officials, and visit the Dubai Expo, his office said.

The visit comes some 16 months after the wealthy UAE broke with decades of Arab consensus and forged diplomatic ties with Israel...............................Source: aljazera.com

In recent months, PA has been violently obstructing prisoner release celebrations and funeral processions for Palestinians killed

by Israel. Ramallah, occupied West Bank – The Palestinian Authority (PA) has intensified its crackdown on political opponents in the Israeli-occupied West Bank over the past months, analysts say.

The PA run by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party has since November obstructed welcome events held

upon the release of Palestinian prisoners affiliated with other political parties, particularly the Gaza-based resistance groups, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Perhaps more controversially, funeral processions for Palestinians killed by Israel – whom Palestinians sacredly refer to as “martyrs” – have also been disrupted by PA security forces in an effort to suppress public displays of support for rival parties.

On several occasions, PA security forces turned violent, including the firing of tear gas at crowds, carrying out preemptive arrests of event participants, forceful confiscation of Hamas, PIJ and supporters of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) party flags, and firing live ammunition into the air. ....Source:aljazera.com

Why is the Palestinian Authority cracking down on opposition?

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Surrey-Langley SkyTrain on track and ahead of schedule

Surrey, BC – When full funding was announced last summer for Surrey Langley SkyTrain, the City of Surrey immediately commenced land-use planning and construction to widen sections of Fraser Highway along the new SkyTrain route. This early work was done to expedite the construction of Surrey Langley SkyTrain when work begins on the rapid transit project.“The Surrey Langley SkyTrain line is already paying off dividends even before a single shovel has been put in the ground for this major rapid transit project,”

said Mayor Doug McCallum. “As noted by Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, the completion date for Surrey Langley SkyTrain is now 2028, a full two years earlier than expected. An added bonus is the significant cost savings gained by building this project in one phase instead of two. Costs have been reduced by $500-$600 million by building Surrey Langley SkyTrain in one fell swoop. I would like to thank Minister Fleming for the priority he has placed on this long overdue project. I can assure him that the City of Surrey will

continue its advanced work to help speed along the construction of Surrey Langley SkyTrain.”

The 16-kilometer route will bring rapid transit to the growing communities of Fleetwood, Clayton and Cloverdale. Having nearby access to rapid transit will also benefit the expanding Campbell Heights Business Park. When completed Surrey Langley SkyTrain will take commuters from King George Station to Langley in 23 minutes. Learn more about the project here.

Source:Office of the Mayor

Potential remains found in 93 spots at B.C. residential school, but some children will be unaccounted for even after investigation a former residential school in British Columbia suggests the remains of dozens of people may be buried at the site. Preliminary results of a geophysical examination at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School were released during a news conference Tuesday, and included 93 “reflections” observed through ground-penetrating radar. A section of the first 14 hectares examined was also used as a cemetery at some point. Those involved Warning: This article contains details that in the investigation are working to understand how the burials correlate with the readers may find disturbing.

An initial report into an investigation at cemetery. Current data suggests 50 of the

93 potential burials are not associated with known graves, meaning they may be unmarked graves associated with the school.

The only way to tell whether those sites do, in fact, contain human remains is exhumation, and next steps are still being discussed, but human remains, caskets and graves can all produce reflections, project lead Whitney Spearing said during a presentation on the initial findings.

The property located near the Williams Lake First Nation operated as a school between 1891 and 1981. The site went by several names during that time, including

the Cariboo Indian Industrial School. A farm and ranch were added to the Catholic Oblates’ holdings at the site in the 1960s, and were used to sustain the school and staff.Thousands of Indigenous children were forced to attend the school during that time. Those behind Tuesday’s presentation called it “one small snapshot” into the ongoing investigation, and that the results are preliminary at this stage. Research in Phase 1 included the geophysical examination as well as archival and photographic research and survivor interviews.

Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

Court proceedings for an embattled B.C. mayor are scheduled begin Tuesday.

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum was charged with one criminal count of public mischief last month after a report he made to the RCMP that someone had run over his foot in a grocery store parking lot.

Tuesday afternoon will be the mayor’s first court appearance in Surrey.

The mayor will be given written information on the evidence in his case through disclosure and will likely find out what kind of sentence the prosecution is seeking. According to the criminal code, a charge of public mischief involves falsely reporting crimes to the police, resulting in unnecessary investigations.

The mayor’s original complaint was made

in September, when members of the Surrey Police Vote campaign were outside a Saveon-Foods in South Surrey.

The group was gathering signatures on a petition to stop the city’s transition from the RCMP to a municipal police force.

McCallum campaigned on the transition, and pushed it forward despite resistance from some fellow councillors and Surrey residents.The mayor alleged one member of the rival campaign intentionally drove into him after a confrontation, prompting an RCMP investigation.

Special prosecutor Richard Fowler was appointed to the case to “avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice,” the B.C. Prosecution Service said.

Fowler ultimately approved the charge against McCallum on Dec. 10.

McCallum has not said publicly how he plans to plead.“We are in the middle of changing from RCMP to the Surrey Police Service and as this matter is before the courts, I will not be making any comment,” the mayor wrote in an email.

There’s also concerns about who will foot the bill for McCallum’s legal fees after the City of Surrey confirmed it will be the one paying under the city’s indemnification bylaw. Adding to the controversy, McCallum hired high-profile defence lawyer Richard Peck, who represented Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in her highly publicized extradition case. An online petition calling for the mayor to pay his own fees has re-

ceived more than 15,000 signatures.

McCallum’s court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, though it’s unclear if he’ll appear in person or via phone.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

Vaccine mandates for truckers have raised transportation costs -- but haven’t impacted the shipment of goods to stores, the head of one of Canada’s largest grocery chains says. Instead, Metro president and CEO

Eric La Fleche said Tuesday the biggest impact on Canada’s food industry supply chain has been worker absenteeism due to COVID-19 protocols.

The labour shortage caused by quarantined workers has impacted the entire supply chain -- including retail stores, distribution centres and suppliers as well as transportation -- driving sporadic outages of certain products, he said.”The domino effect clearly has had an impact over the last month on supply chain,” La Fleche said.

Yet while there might be less depth and variety to Metro’s product assortment than usual, La Fleche said “there’s still food on store shelves.”“There’s certainly less variety than there should be and we’re not as full as we’d like to be,” he said. “But we’re

not missing food out there.”

Meanwhile, the worst of the product delays and shortages might have passed, La Fleche said.

“More and more people that were infected are back at work, both at our suppliers and in our own operations,” he said. “It’s improving every day. Every week, we’re getting better.”Still, inflation is expected to persist, especially in transportation.

“Costs are up,” La Fleche said. “It’s higher inflation than normal in our business.

We’re getting cost increases from our suppliers and we are managing our prices at retail as best we can.”

He said shipping costs have faced “significant inflation” over the past year, with an added jump earlier this month when Can-

Homicide investigators have been called to a Richmond, B.C., duplex after a shooting that left four people dead.

The duplex on Garden City Road, just north of Alderbridge Way, was behind police tape Tuesday night, into Wednesday morning.

The road was shut down for several hours while officers canvassed the scene.

Investigators said four people were found dead inside the unit, adding they were victims of what’s believed to have been a targeted shooting. Officers said the shooting doesn’t appear to be connected to the

ongoing Lower Mainland conflict.

All the victims are believed to have known each other and their identities aren’t being released. While police were called to the home on Tuesday, it’s believed the shooting happened the night before at about 7 p.m.

“It is a traumatic incident the community is waking up to,” said Sgt. David Lee in a

Surrey, B.C., mayor’s court proceedings to begin over criminal public mischief charge

Worker absenteeism -- not trucker vaccine mandates -- impacting store shelves: Metro

ada and the U.S. ushered in vaccine mandates at the border that have caused trucker shortages.“We felt an immediate increase in the transportation costs for that,” La Fleche said. “But I can’t say that we have huge shipping issues affecting delivery of goods to our stores.”He added: “Overall, I think on the trucking side we are well serviced. Diane Brisebois, Retail Council of Canada president and CEO, said the supply chain is being impacted by multiple factors from labour shortages to weather events like flooding and wildfires.

“I wish I could simply say it’s because there aren’t enough truckers, but it’s much more complex than that,” she said. ”Source: montreal.ctvnews.ca/

4 dead after shooting at Richmond, B.C., duplex, homicide unit investigating

news release. “Our investigators are scouring the area looking for information as this event unfolds. We hope to provide the community with answers soon.”

Police said they expect to be on scene for much of the day Wednesday along with the BC Coroners Service. Garden City Road has since reopened.

Anyone with information, especially those who were in the area of Garden City Road near Odlin and Leslie roads, should call investigators at 1-877-551-4448.

Source: bc.ctvnews.ca

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What went wrong for the Conservatives Liberals let big oil and gas off the hook, again: NDP Ottawa: –Today the Parliamentary Budget last election? MPs to hear findings

The Conservative caucus will be briefed Thursday about an internal review examining what led to their 2021 election defeat.

Former Alberta MP James Cumming is overseeing the review, which he says will focus on all aspects of the Conservative campaign from the party infrastructure to the performance of the leader.“The mandate of the report was to look at what went right and what went wrong, so I’ve reached out to – we’re in excess of 400 people that we’ve either spoken to or spoken to in groups or received written submissions from,” he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. Cumming said that list includes candidates, campaign managers, electoral district associations, party members, activists, and others.

Officer (PBO) released his report on the massive economic and environmental liability looming from the 600,000 abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells across Canada. These aging wells pose an immense environmental risk from leaking highly damaging methane gas and other contaminants.

Canadians expect their federal government to do its part to protect the environment, yet, despite the Liberals offering $1.7 billion in taxpayers’ money to help clean up Big Oil’s mess, we’re no closer to dealing with the environmental damage they have caused.

“The extent of the economic and environmental damage caused by big oil companies abandoning oil and gas wells is shocking,” said Charlie Angus, MP for Timmins-James Bay and the NDP Natural Resources Critic.

“What is even more shocking is that it’s not surprising. Once again, we see the public being asked to cover the costs for the damages done by a highly profitable industry.”

The PBO found that although the Liberals provided a $1.7 billion federal program to clean wells that had been abandoned by companies that went bankrupt, a significant amount was given to highly profitable companies who are already positioned to handle bition against preventing or impairing the their own well remediation. The PBO states transmission of an election advertising mes- that giving money to profitable oil compasage without the consent of a person with au- nies only increases the risk of the unfunded thority to authorize its transmission”.

“This is another example of a pattern of lawless behaviour by the Trudeau Liberals in order to further their own political interests.

Whether it’s the trip to billionaire island, the SNC scandal, or clam-scam, the Liberals and Trudeau clearly think that the laws in this country don’t apply to them.

“Canadians need to trust that those in power follow the law. There can’t be two sets of rules, one for Trudeau and his party, and one for the rest of us. Justin Trudeau must now PRINCE GEORGE (January 25, 2022) – With tell Canadians what punishment there will COVID-19 PCR testing restricted throughbe for Chahal, or if this is just business as out the province and millions of rapid tests arriving in British Columbia, the Official Opusual for a member of his caucus.

“Canada’s Conservatives will continue to position is calling on the NDP government be a voice for those concerned about the to explain to British Columbians why they continuous Liberal ethics violations, law- are still unable to access rapid tests in ways breaking, and lack of accountability by the similar to residents in virtually every other jurisdiction in the country.

Trudeau government.”

“With millions of rapid tests being proSource: Office of John Brassard, M.P. vided by the federal government, we’re disappointed to see that the NDP government is still failing to increase access for British Columbians to use a rapid test as part of the strategy to mitigate transmission. With much more limited availability of PCR tests, now more than ever, rapid tests should be made broadly available in our province as they are in many other jurisdictions,” said Interim Leader of the Official Opposition Shirley Bond. “People across B.C. are anxious about Omicron and in utter disbelief and frustration that they cannot access rapid tests like in other provinces. We’ve seen a million rapid farmers first have to find the funds to pay out of their own pockets? Or will they be able to submit estimates for repairs to get funds advanced and then submit receipts for completed work?

Blueberry growers have received professional advice from expert horticulturalists that their plants will never return to previous production levels and must be replaced.

Do government officials agree with that assessment, and will farmers be compensated if they move forward with replacing those plants? “I implore the minister to find a way to improve the eligibility criteria and ensure these farmers can get the funds they need to restore their operations, some of which have been in their families for generations,” adds Paton. “If we truly value farmers and understand their business, then we cannot allow government structure to impede their recovery.”

Source: Tracy Grimsrud BC Liberal Caucus CTV News app sign-up: Breaking news alerts and top stories delivered right to you The Conservatives failed to dethrone the now-three-term Liberals or increase their seat count, and lost votes in key Western ridings where support is usually steady. That dip in popularity was attributed, in part, to the rise in traction of the People’s Party of Canada. O’Toole announced the internal review the day after the election, saying it would help the party in “building towards victory next time.” “We have a busy session ahead in the House of Commons. And if we take Justin Trudeau at his word, we may be back to the polls in the next 18 months,” he said at the time.

LEADERSHIP DOUBTS Since then, O’Toole has faced direct challenges to his leadership from within the party tent.Saskatchewan Sen. Denise Batters was kicked out of caucus in November after launching a petition to force a leadership vote within six months, Batters has stated that Cumming’s report must include consideration of O’Toole’s failures. S:ctvnews.ca

Trudeau Liberal breaks elections law

liability on abandoned sites.

“Why is the government giving money to profitable oil and gas companies for clean up? These are companies flush with profit.

Surely, they can afford to clean up their own mess,” added Angus. “This is just another example of dishing out more massive subsidies.” The Trudeau government must take responsibility for dealing with this failure of big oil to pay for the damages caused.

Any funding for orphan oil wells must be directed towards creating and maintaining good-paying jobs and protecting the environment – not just another subsidy to the industry while they don’t do anything to fix the problem.“The polluter pays. It is a simple concept yet under this government the polluter gets subsidized year in and year out. The industry is flush with cash. When is the government going to cut off the money taps and insist that the industry clean up its mess?”.. Source:NDP Media Centre:

British Columbians expect access to rapid tests

Ottawa, ON – John Brassard, Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government, released the following statement on the Commissioner of Canada Elections issuing Trudeau MP George Chahal a notice of violation:“Today, Trudeau MP George Chahal was found to have broken election law by the Commissioner of Canada Elections for stealing campaign material of his opponent during the last election.

“In his ruling, the Commissioner stated, “there are therefore reasonable grounds to believe that George Chahal was in violation of subsection 325(1) of the Act, the prohi-

Farmers desperate for help to recover from massive flood losses DELTA (January 25, 2022) – As farmers await details on the provincial and federal governments’ pending Agri-Recovery package, many are expressing concerns about its potential limitations as they try to make plans to restore their operations which were devastated in last November’s floods.

“Our farmers are distraught,” says Opposition Agriculture and Food Critic Ian Paton, MLA for Delta South. “Their barns and homes were filled with three to seven feet of water and they lost livestock, poultry, feed, and crops to this disaster. They also saw equipment failures and face expensive repairs because of this catastrophic flooding. They need help now, and they haven’t been encouraged by the response they’ve received so far.” Many farmers say they have tried to apply for Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) but have been told they technically don’t qualify for any support because their farms are incorporated and bring in more than $1 million in annual sales. With private insurance and DFA nearing exhaustion, farmers will now be keeping a close eye on the Agri-Recovery package set to be announced soon but they have a lot of questions. Paton has sent a letter to Agriculture Minister Lana Popham to try to get answers to some of their inquiries, such as: When it comes to repairs and rebuilding, will

tests sitting in storage, issues about packaging and distribution, and now, with millions more tests on the way from the federal government, why aren’t they being provided to British Columbians as part of our pandemic safety kit?”

The public, as well as the BC Liberal Caucus, have been calling for increased and broader use of rapid tests since early in the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the NDP has failed throughout the entire pandemic to take advantage of these tests in the way other jurisdictions across Canada have and has made little progress on getting those tests into the hands of British Columbians.

“When millions more rapid tests were announced to be coming to B.C., people expected that the distribution and utilization plan would include expanded availability and access for public use. Instead, the NDP has been silent on their plans to deploy the vast majority of those tests and whether or not they will be available more broadly to British Columbians across the province,” added Bond. “While rapid tests aren’t perfect, they should be considered an important part of pandemic protection and the NDP government should be using every tool in the toolbox to keep people safe by helping facilitate expanded distribution of the millions of rapid tests arriving in our province.”

Source: Andrew Reeve, BC Liberal Caucus

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a f f a i rs

U.S. orders 8,500 troops on heightened alert amid Russia worry By: Robert Burns and Lorne Cook

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert Monday to potentially deploy to Europe as part of a NATO “response force” amid growing concern that Russia could soon make a military move on Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden consulted with key European leaders, underscoring U.S. solidarity with allies there.

Putting the U.S.-based troops on heightened alert for Europe suggested diminishing hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin will back away from what Biden himself has said looks like a threat to invade neighboring Ukraine. At stake, beyond the future of Ukraine, is the credibility of a NATO alliance that is central to U.S. defense strategy but that Putin views as a Cold War relic and a threat to Russian security. For Biden, the crisis represents a major test of his ability to forge a united allied stance against Putin.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said about 8,500 U.S.-based troops are being put on alert for possible deployment -- not to Ukraine but to NATO territory in Eastern Europe as part of an alliance force meant to signal a unified commitment to deter any wider Putin aggression.

Russia denies it is planning an invasion. It says Western accusations are merely a cover for NATO’s own planned provocations. Recent days have seen high-stakes diplomacy that has failed to reach any breakthrough, and key players in the drama are making moves that suggest fear of imminent war.

Biden has sought to strike a balance between actions meant to deter Putin and those that might provide the Russian leader with an opening to use the huge force he has assembled at Ukraine’s border.

Biden held an 80-minute video call with several European leaders on the Russian military buildup and potential responses to an invasion.“I had a very, very, very good meeting -- total unanimity with all the European

leaders,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “We’ll talk about it later.”

The White House said the leaders emphasized their desire for a diplomatic solution to the crisis but also discussed efforts to deter further Russian aggression, “including preparations to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia for such actions as well as to reinforce security on NATO’s eastern flank.”

A day earlier, the State Department had ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave the country, and it said that nonessential embassy staff could leave at U.S. government expense.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, said that U.S. decision was “a premature step” and a sign of “excessive caution.” He said Russia was sowing panic among Ukrainians and foreigners in order to destabilize Ukraine.

Britain said it, too, was withdrawing some diplomats and dependents from its Kyiv Embassy. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said an invasion was not inevitable but “the intelligence is pretty gloomy.”

Ordering even a modest number of American troops to be ready for potential deployment to Europe is meant to demonstrate U.S. resolve to support its NATO allies, particularly those in Eastern Europe who feel threatened by Russia and worry that Putin could put them in his crosshairs.

“What this is about is reassurance to our NATO allies,” Kirby told a Pentagon news conference, adding that no troops are intended for deployment to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance but has been assured by Washington of continued U.S. political support and arms supplies.

The Pentagon’s move, which was done at Biden’s direction and on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recommendation, is being made in tandem with actions by other

NATO member governments to bolster a defensive presence in Eastern European nations. Denmark, for example, is sending a frigate and F-16 warplanes to Lithuania; Spain is sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces, and France stands ready to send troops to Romania.

In a statement prior to Kirby’s announcement, NATO said the Netherlands plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria in April and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO’s Response Force.

NATO has not made a decision to activate the Response Force, which consists of about 40,000 troops from multiple nations. That force was enhanced in 2014 -- the year Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula and intervened in support of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine -- by creating a “spearhead force” of about 20,000 troops on extra-high alert within the larger Response Force.

If NATO does decide to activate the Response Force, the United States will contribute a range of military units, Kirby said.

“It is a NATO call to make,” Kirby said. “For our part, we wanted to make sure that we were ready in case that call should come.

And that means making sure that units that would contribute to it are as ready as they can be on as short a notice as possible.”

He said some units will be ordered to be ready to deploy on as little as five days’ notice. Among the 8,500 troops, an unspecified number could be sent to Europe for purposes other than supporting the NATO Response Force, he said. Without providing details, he said they might be deployed “if other situations develop.”

Prior to the U.S. announcement, NATO issued a statement summing up moves already described by member countries. Restating them under the NATO banner appeared aimed at showing resolve. The West is ramp-

Canada has been a prominent voice of support for Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, both as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and as an ally.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced a $120-million loan to Ukraine to help bolster its economy, and Canada has sanctioned more than 400 individuals and entities, in line with similar EU actions.

Last week, the Ukrainian Embassy in Ottawa called on Canada to send defensive weapons to the country, an action that so far Trudeau

has declined to commit to.Canada’s close relationship to Ukraine is being watched closely as the standoff continues in eastern Europe, with the question – what is Canada, and by extension NATO, obligated to do in the worst case scenario?

ing up its rhetoric in the information war that has accompanied the Ukraine standoff.

Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.

NATO said Monday it is bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region.

The alliance will “take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. “We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defense.”

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was NATO and the U.S. who were behind the escalating tensions, not Russia.“All this is happening not because of what we, Russia, are doing. This is happening because of what NATO, the U.S. are doing,” Peskov told reporters.

The NATO announcement came as European Union foreign ministers sought to put on their own fresh display of unity in support of Ukraine, and paper over concerns about divisions on the best way to confront any Russian aggression.

In a statement, the ministers said the EU has stepped up sanction preparations, and they warned that “any further military aggression

by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs.”

Source:ctvnews.ca

What is Canada’s obligation under NATO in the face of Ukraine-Russia crisis?

CANADA’S HISTORY WITH NATO

NATO has been a staple in Canadian foreign policy since Canada signed as an original member in 1949.

With the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia, NATO members and its allies have placed several hard lines of deterrence

against further Russian aggression in the face of thousands of Russian troops amassed at Ukraine’s border.

There are currently 30 member states in the alliance, including Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Denmark, Norway and France.

A NATO “decision” is announced only after a consensus has been reached by all member countries.Canada’s involvement with and contributions to NATO run deep.....

Source:bc.ctvnews.ca

Afghanistan: How the Taliban stand to benefit from Norway talks

Talks with Western officials in Oslo show the Taliban desperately need recognition for their government. They have launched a diplomatic offensive to achieve this goal, and, from their point of view, they are succeeding.Norwegian authorities have said the ongoing international talks with the Taliban are not tantamount to legitimizing the Islamist group. But human rights activists, particularly those from Afghanistan, do not agree with these claims. They have slammed Norway’s decision to host the militant group, which seized power in Afghanistan last August. The Taliban, however, are hailing the Oslo talks as an “achievement.” At the end of the first day of talks on Monday, a Taliban official told the AP news agency that the meetings were a “step to legitimize the Afghan government.”

Amir Khan, the Taliban’s foreign minister, said after meeting with envoys from the US, France, UK, Germany, the EU and Norway on Tuesday that “Norway providing us this opportunity is an achievement in itself be-

cause we shared the stage with the world.”

The West faces a dilemma: It accuses the Taliban of continued human rights abuses in Afghanistan but at the same time understands that engaging with the Islamic fundamentalist group is now more important than ever. The main reason behind this engagement is the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, the United Nations made the “biggest-ever appeal” for humanitarian aid for a single country, saying it needed $4.4 billion (€3.9 billion) for Afghanistan to prevent the “world’s most rapidly growing humanitarian crisis” from deteriorating further.

For that reason, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt stressed that the international community “must talk to the de facto authorities in the country” as it “cannot allow the political situation to lead to an even worse humanitarian disaster.”

Afghan protesters in Oslo slam Western talks with the Taliban Taliban cashing in on humanitarian crisis

But engagement with the Taliban can prove to be a slippery slope for the West. The group seeks recognition and financial aid for its government, and it can use the humanitarian crisis in the country as an excuse to attain that. “The Taliban are using Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis to stay relevant.

They have convinced the international community to engage with them directly, and the Oslo meeting is a good example of that,” Mohammad Shafiq Hamdam, a political analyst and former adviser for NATO in Afghanistan, told DW. “We are requesting them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans because of the political discourse,” Taliban representative Shafiullah Azam said on Sunday. “Because of the starvation, because of the deadly winter, I think it’s time for the international community to support Afghans, not punish them because of their political disputes.”

Shamroz Khan Masjidi, a former lecturer and political analyst, believes the group has intensified its diplomatic efforts to gain rec-

ognition for its rule.

Hamdam warned that the international community should remain cautious in its dealings with the militant group. “Afghans have not recognized the Taliban as their rulers. There shouldn’t be any discussion to recognize the Taliban without holding elections in Afghanistan. There should be an inclusive government respecting human rights in the country,” he said. Source:bc.ctvnews.ca How to help Afghans without benefiting the Taliban? Source:dw.com/en/afghanistan

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Jamadi ul II 25,1443 January 28, 2021

h e a l t h

What is Encephalitis?

E

By: John H. Ostdick

ncephalitis is a type of acute brain inflammation. A viral infection or the immune system wrongly targeting brain tissue are the most common causes.

Encephalitis is responsible for an estimated 19,000 hospitalizations, 230,000 hospital days, and $650 million in hospitalization costs in the United States, according to Trusted Source.

The HIV-infected population accounts for about 15% of encephalitis cases. The symptoms, causes, treatments, and complications of encephalitis will be discussed in this article.

body and then spreads to the brain.

Types

Different types of encephalitis have different causes.

Japanese encephalitis is spread by mosquitoes.

Tick-borne encephalitis is spread by ticks.

Rabies can be spread through a bite from a mammal.

There is also primary or secondary encephalitis.

Primary or infectious encephalitis can result if a fungus, virus, or bacterium infects the brain.

Secondary, or post-infectious, encephalitis is when the immune system responds to a Fast facts on encephalitis Here are some key points about encephali- previous infection and mistakenly attacks tis. More details and supporting information the brain.

Symptoms are in the main article.

Fever, photophobia, and headache are the The patient typically has a fever, headache, and photophobia (excessive sensitivity to first signs.

Encephalitis is a type of encephalitis that is light). There may also be general weakness and seizures. rarely fatal.

Children, the elderly, and individuals with Less common symptoms weakened immune systems are the most The individual may also experience nuchal rigidity (neck stiffness), which can lead to common victims of encephalitis.

Only a few antiviral drugs can aid with en- a misdiagnosis of meningitis. There may be stiffness in the limbs, slow movements, and cephalitis treatment.

Epilepsy and memory loss are two possible clumsiness. The patient may also be drowsy and have a cough. encephalitis complications.

What is encephalitis?

Encephalitis is an acute inflammation (swelling) of the brain, usually resulting from either a viral infection or due to the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacking brain tissue.

In medicine, “acute” means it comes on abruptly and develops rapidly; it usually requires urgent care.

The most common cause is a viral infection.

The brain becomes inflamed as a result of the body’s attempt to fight off the virus.

More serious cases

In more serious cases, the person may experience very severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion, disorientation, memory loss, speech problems, hearing problems, hallucinations, as well as seizures and possibly coma. In some cases, the patient can become aggressive.

Infant signs and symptoms

Initially, encephalitis is harder to detect in young children and babies. Parents or guardians should look out for vomiting, a bulging Encephalitis occurs in 1 in every fontanel (the soft area on the top center of the head), incessant crying that does not get 1,000 cases of measles.

Encephalitis generally begins with a fever better when the baby is picked up and comand headache. The symptoms rapidly wors- forted, and body stiffness. en, and there may be seizures (fits), confu- Causes sion, drowsiness, loss of consciousness, and Encephalitis can develop as a result of direct infection of the brain by a virus, bacterium, even coma.

Encephalitis can be life-threatening, but this or fungus, or when the immune system reis rare. Mortality depends on a number of sponds to a previous infection; the immune factors, including the severity of the disease system mistakenly attacks brain tissue.

Primary (infectious) encephalitis can be and age.

Younger patients tend to recover without split into three main categories of viruses: any ongoing health issues, whereas older HSV (herpes simplex virus) and EBV (ebopatients are at higher risk for complications la virus) are two common viruses (EpsteinBarr virus) and mortality.

When there is direct viral infection of the Viruses that affect children, such as measles brain or spinal cord, it is called “primary en- and mumps cephalitis.” Secondary encephalitis refers to Arboviruses, such as Japanese encephalitis, an infection that started off elsewhere in the West Nile encephalitis, and tick-borne en-

cephalitis, are spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects.

Secondary encephalitis: could be caused by a complication of a viral infection. Symptoms start to appear days or even weeks after the initial infection. The patient’s immune system treats healthy brain cells as foreign organisms and attacks them. We still do not know why the immune system malfunctions in this way.

In more than 50 percent of encephalitis cases, the exact cause of the illness is not tracked down.

Encephalitis is more likely to affect children, older adults, individuals with weakened immune systems, and people who live in areas where mosquitoes and ticks that spread specific viruses are common.

reveal higher-than-normal protein and white blood cell levels.

However, this test is not always decisive; in certain circumstances, even if the patient has encephalitis, the results may come back normal.

A CT scan can help detect structural changes in the brain. Other causes, such as strokes, aneurysms, or tumors, can also be ruled out.

However, for encephalitis, an MRI is the best imaging choice since it can detect the characteristic brain abnormalities that indicate encephalitis.

An EEG (electroencephalograph) that monitors the electrical activity of the brain may show sharp waves in one or both of the temporal lobes in patients with encephalitis.

The doctor might order a blood test if a Treatment West Nile virus infection is thought to be The goal of encephalitis treatment is to re- the cause. duce symptoms. There are just a few par- Complications ticular antiviral medications that have been The majority of patients who have encephareliably tested to help, one of which being litis go on to have at least one complication, acyclovir; effectiveness is limited for most especially elderly patients, those who had infections except when the infection is symptoms of coma, and individuals who did caused by herpes simplex. not receive treatment at an early stage.

Corticosteroids may be used to treat inflam- Complications may include: mation in the brain, particularly in cases of Loss of memory – especially among those post-infectious (secondary) encephalitis. If who had herpes simplex virus encephalitis the patient’s symptoms are severe, they may Behavioral or personality changes—such as require mechanical ventilation as well as ad- mood swings, bouts of frustration and anditional supportive care. ger, and anxiety Patients with seizures are sometimes given Epilepsy anticonvulsants. Sedatives can help with Aphasia—language and speech problems seizures, agitation, and restlessness.

Prevention Rest, plenty of fluids and Tylenol (paraceta- The most effective strategy to reduce the mol) for fever and headaches are the rec- risk of encephalitis is to stay up to date on ommended treatments for people with mild immunizations. Measles, mumps, rubella, symptoms. Tylenol can be ordered via the and, if the virus is present in those locations, internet.

Japanese encephalitis, and tick-borne enDiagnosis cephalitis vaccines are among them.

Doctors who identify the classic symptoms Individuals who live in places where mosin adults—fever, headache, confusion, and quitoes carrying encephalitis-causing vioccasionally seizures, or irritability, poor ruses are known should take precautions to appetite, and fever in young children—may avoid being bitten. order further diagnostic tests.

Wearing appropriate clothing, avoiding A neurological examination generally finds mosquito-infested areas, avoiding going that the patient is confused and drowsy. outside at specific times of the day when The doctor may suspect meningitis or menin- there are large numbers of mosquitoes goencephalitis if the neck is stiff due to in- about, keeping the home mosquito-free, flammation of the meninges (membranes using mosquito repellent and making sure that surround the brain and spinal cord). there is no stagnant water around the home A lumbar puncture, which extracts a sample are all examples of what you can do. of cerebrospinal fluid from the spine, could Source: pakoption.org

Omicron subvariant BA.2 reported in Canada: PHAC

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it has detected more than 50 cases of a new Omicron subvariant known as BA.2. In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday, PHAC confirmed that 51 cases of the BA.2 subvariant have been reported in Canada, mainly from international travellers.

BA.2 is a descendant of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and has been found

in at least 40 countries as of Wednesday, according to global coronavirus data sharing platform GISAID. PHAC said it is monitoring BA.2, as it does with all new COVID-19 variants, and maintains that Canadians should continue to follow the advice of public health officials.

“While the impact of all variants continues to be monitored in Canada, the Government of Canada knows that vaccination, in combination with public health and individual measures, is key to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and its variants,” PHAC said.

BA.2 was first detected in November 2021 and the U.K. designated it a “variant under investigation” on Friday, saying it could have a growth advantage.

While the World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet dubbed BA.2 a “variant

of concern,” it is tracking the sub-lineage’s spread. The Omicron variant, B.1.1.529, has four sub-lineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2 and BA.3.The BA.2 sub-lineage is widely considered “stealthier” than the original version of Omicron because some of its genetic traits make it harder to detect. Some scientists say it could also be more contagious, however, they acknowledge there are still a lot of unknowns about the subvariant.

What’s known about ‘stealth’ version of Omicron?

PHAC said BA.2 has “many similarities” to BA.1, but does exhibit some differences, including in mutations that may affect transmissibility, detection and possibly immune escape.“There is very limited evidence at present to determine how impactful the differences between BA.1 and BA.2 may be, hence the ongoing efforts by PHAC scientists to monitor cases here in Canada and track developments internationally,” PHAC said in the statement.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch said “significant degree of uncertainty” remains around BA.2, but the subvariant is worth keeping an eye on as more cases are reported around the world.

“We have a lot of BA.1 for example here in Canada, we also have BA.2. What’s interesting is, in other jurisdictions, we’re seeing growth of BA.2 whereas BA.1 might be on the downslope,” Bogoch told CTV News Channel on Wednesday. “Again, something to keep an eye on for now.”

Despite this, Bogoch said Canadians should not be concerned. He noted that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against BA.2 will likely be “very similar” to the BA.1 sublineage.

“It’s not the same [as BA.1], it’s probably a little bit more transmissible, but there’s probably a lot of other similarities,” Bogoch said.

“I think it’s too soon to know exactly how this manifests and we need to learn more,” he added. Source: tvnews.ca

11

Jamadi ul II 25,1443 January 28, 2021

sp o r t s

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PSL Schedule 2022: PSL 7 Match Timings, Teams, Venues

P

2021

SL Schedule 2022: The announcement of PSL schedule officially marks the countdown for Pakistan’s premier T20 tournament. Six teams will battle it out for over a month in thirty-four grueling matches to be crowned as the PSL 2022 champions.

In the opening ceremony of the PSL the defending champions Multan Sultans will take on hosts and 2020 champions Karachi Kings on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at the National Stadium Karachi at 7 PM PKT. 31 Jan – Quetta Gladiators vs Multan Sultans PSL Schedule 2022 1 Feb – Islamabad United vs Multan Sultans Here you can find the latest PSL 2022 Sched- 2 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars ule with date and time.

3 Feb – Quetta Gladiators vs Islamabad 27 Jan – Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans United 28 Jan – Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi 4 Feb – Karachi Kings vs Peshawar Zalmi 29 Jan – Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qaland- 5 Feb – Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars; Karachi Kings vs Quetta Gladiators ars; Peshawar Zalmi vs Multan Sultans 30 Jan – Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad Unit- 6 Feb – Karachi Kings vs Islamabad United ed; Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars 7 Feb – Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars

Zalmi 18 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators; Lahore Qalandars vs Karachi Kings 19 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United 20 Feb – Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United 21 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Peshawar Zalmi 23 Feb – Qualifier (1 vs 2) 24 Feb – Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4) 10 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi 25 Feb – Eliminator 2 (Loser Qualifier 1 vs 11 Feb – Lahore Qalandars vs Multan Sultans Winner Eliminator 1) 12 Feb – Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladi- 27 Feb – (Qualifier v Eliminator 2) Final Match timings ators 13 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings; Friday’s double-headers 3pm and 8pm Other than Friday’s double-headers — Lahore Qalandars vs Quetta Gladiators 14 Feb – Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings 2pm and 7pm 15 Feb – Peshawar Zalmi vs Quetta Gladiators All single-headers – 7pm Source: dawn.com 16 Feb – Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings 17 Feb – Islamabad United vs Peshawar

More honours for Pakistan as Shaheen named ICC cricketer of the year, Babar takes ODI gong

P

akistan pace bowler Shaheen Afridi was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Player of the Year on Monday for his “sizzling spells, sheer display of pace and swing and some magical moments”, while captain Babar Azam was crowned as the ODI Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his “match-winning knocks, spell-binding strokeplay and memorable moments” in 2021.

Azam beat Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan,

South Africa’s Janneman Malan and Ireland’s Paul Stirling to bag the title and Shaheen was in competition with England’s Joe Root, teammate Mohammad Rizwan and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

Prime Minister Imran Khan was all praises for Azam and Afridi. He also lauded Fatima Sana and Mohammad Rizwan who were named ICC’s Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year and Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, respectively.

Netizens celebrate Mohammad Rizwan and Fatima Sana for winning top ICC awards, making Pakistan proud

2021 has been a year of victories where the Pakistani cricket team is concerned — just recently Babar Azam was made captain of the ICC’s ODI and T20I teams of the year — and now two more players have made their way to the top. The ICC announced more of its awards and Mohammad Rizwan has been named ICC’s Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year, while Fatima Sana was named Emerging Women’s Cricketer of the Year and netizens are overjoyed.

Pakistani Twitter has flooded the platform with congratulations, expressing joy over the two massive wins and saying they’ve made the country proud.

“Sheer Consistency, indomitable spirit and

some breathtaking knocks,” the ICC captioned the post, saying 2021 was memorable for Mohammad Rizwan. Shadab Khan was quick to congratulate his team member and said, “No one deserved it more.” Fans brought up Rizwan’s turnaround as he made the transformation from “not T20 material to best T20 player.”

“Congratulations to our cricket stars.

You have made us proud,” PM Khan said.

Source: dawn.com

12

Jamadi ul II 25,1443 January 28, 2021

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women/youth

January 28, 2021

Why some Muslim women feel empowered wearing hijab, a headscarf?

F

or people who would like to learn more about Islam, The Conversation is publishing a series of articles, available on our website or as six emails delivered every other day, written by Senior Religion and Ethics Editor Kalpana Jain. Over the past few years she has commissioned dozens of articles on Islam written by academics.

These articles draw from that archive and have been checked for accuracy by religion scholars.

Some Americans believe that the Islamic faith is oppressive for women. In the West, particularly in France, the hijab, or headscarf, that many Muslim women wear has become a symbol of this perceived oppression.

This article will explain some of the complex issues that go into many Muslim women’s choice to wear the hijab, including why some women see it as a mark of empowerment. It will also draw attention to some of the global Muslim feminist movements that often go unnoticed in the Western world.

Sociologist Caitlin Killian explains that Jewish, Christian and Hindu women have covered their heads since pre-Islamic days.

We can help you make informed decisions with our independent journalism.

For some Muslim women today, wearing a hijab can be a religious act – a way of demonstrating their submission to God. The Quran instructs both men and women to observe modesty in their dress and behavior. However, Muslim women’s clothing isn’t

entirely about adherence to faith. It has been used in the past – and present – as an assertion of identity.

Under colonial rule, Muslim women were encouraged to be more like European women and remove the veil. As demands for independence from colonial rule grew, the veil, Killian says, became a “symbol of national identity and opposition to the West.” women gather on world hijab day while holding pink posters Some Muslim women in America may wear the hijab as a way of asserting their pride in the face of Islamophobia. World Hijab Day, celebrated on Feb. 1, starting in 2013, came about through the efforts of Nazma Khan, an immigrant to the United States from Bangladesh, who had been shamed over wearing a headscarf. She decided to start a day when both Muslim and non-Muslim women could experience wearing the head garment.

Even so, in much of the Western world, the headscarf continues to be seen as representative of Muslim women’s oppression.

In Switzerland, voters approved legislation in March 2021 to ban face coverings, while France is pushing for a more restrictive policy on hijabs.

In a judgment on March 14, 2017, the Court of Justice of the European Union, which interprets EU law, allowed private companies in France to bar employees from wearing “religious, political and philosophical signs” in the interest of “neutrality.”

Modern Day Issues faced by Muslim Youth

W •

e asked the Muslim youth about • the issues that concern them .Here is what the youth say-

Lack of employment opportunities-Many youth want to study deen

but because of lack of employment opportunities,they put their energy in • secular studies.

• Pornography and masturbation : It’s something literally every youngster with a smartphone has had contact with but nobody educates them/us about these things.

• Riba it is literally everywhere at this point

• •

• •

•

Ethical consumerism

Riya’ and minor shirk-Everyone of us in social media are guilty of some sort of Riya.

•

The racist messages and stereotypes .It is not uncommon to hear racist re- •

Ethenic differences. In my experience, roaming around parts of India, I was surprised at the amount of hatred a particular ethnic group has for the other. Unfortunately, this is prevalent even among muslims here to quite aome degree.

Stress & Time Management Managing the pressure to succeed in every area of life and finding time to do it all seems to be one of the biggest challenges facing the youth today. Young people are expected to be successful, yet few of them are aware of effective time management.

Materialism-We have forgotton the path of Sunnah and are striving towards gaining more materialistic assets thanks to social media influencers .

Depression -Teens struggle with an

marks and that depresses us a lots .

Keeping the hijab on-You must have

heard how People sometime get scared and abusive when they see a Woman in hijab .

Alcohol and Smoking have become very common in society and it is a real struggle to stay away from it.

anxiety disorder .They are seeing more descriptions of feelings such as isolation, sensitivity, being misunderstood, narcissism, worry, sadness, low selfcontrol and general dissatisfaction.” It’s a phenomenon that cuts across all demographics—suburban, urban and rural; those who are college bound and those who aren’t. Source: islamhashtag.com

A woman in a headscarf at a protest in Toulouse, France, shows a drawing reading ‘My veil, my choice, Free’ in French.

A woman at a protest against Islamphobia in Toulouse, France, shows a drawing reading ‘My veil, my choice, free’ in French.

Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Getty Images Sociologist Z. Fareen Parvez says the anti-headscarf legislation was a “turning point” in the lives of Muslim women looking for acceptance and integration in French society. The headscarf is not just a religious symbol for many of the women; it is a way of being.

But this focus on Muslim women’s clothing takes attention away from other issues and how Muslim feminist movements are trying to bring about change. In Indonesia, for example, female Muslim religious scholars, or ulamas, are helping change how Islam is understood and practiced.

As sociologist Rachel Rinaldo says, the past three decades in Indonesia have seen the emergence of a new generation of female religious leaders who are interpreting the Quran in a way that is empowering for women. The word of female ulamas is more accepted, compared to women’s rights activists, explains Rinaldo, as they are trained Islamic scholars.

A 2017 conference of female Muslim reli-

gious scholars held in Indonesia, with participants from Kenya, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, issued fatwas – nonbinding religious edicts – against child marriage, sexual abuse and environmental destruction.

The point is that, like other faiths, Islam is a multifaceted religion, and Muslim women are choosing how they want to be heard and seen.

Fact: Female ulamas in Indonesia go back to the 17th century. Queen Tajul Alam Safiatuddin Syah ruled over the Islamic kingdom of Aceh (now Indonesia’s northernmost province) for 35 years and commissioned several important books of Islamic commentaries and theology. At a time when female rulers anywhere in the world were unusual, she was the primary upholder of religious authority in what was then a prosperous and peaceful kingdom. – From an article written by Rachel Rinaldo, Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder. Source: heconversation.com

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Jamadi ul II 25,1443

L IFE S T Y L E

January 28, 2021

Why are some shelves empty at Canadian grocery stores? Experts weigh in and there, and it’s the same in the U.S.,” Charlebois said. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has said that there has been no “measurable impact” on the number of trucks crossing the border since the cross-border vaccine mandate went into effect on Jan. 15.

IMPACT ON CONSUMERS

W

hile some Canadians are reporting empty shelves in grocery stores across the country, experts say this is due to ongoing supply chain issues that began at the start of the pandemic, not because of the federal government’s vaccine mandate for truckers.

A convoy of truckers and others opposed to public health restrictions is on its way from British Columbia to Parliament Hill for a weekend “freedom rally” against mandatory vaccinations. Some supporters of the convoy have taken to social media to warn the vaccine mandate for truckers will leave Canadian store shelves empty, and others have gone so far as to predict Canadians will starve. While there may be limited selection in stores, Dalhousie University professor of food distribution

and policy Sylvain Charlebois says Canadians won’t go hungry.

“Grocers know that empty shelves are bad for business… and [they] will make things move along the supply chain so consumers can leave grocery stores with products in their hands,” Charlebois told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

“They don’t want empty shelves, so they’ll do everything they can, vaccine mandate or not.”

The food industry has been warning since March 2020 that Canadians will likely experience shortages of some items and increased prices at the grocery store amid COVID-19.

Now, experts say these shortages have been compounded across the world by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

“We are expecting sporadic empty shelves here

Metro president and CEO Eric La Fleche, the head of one of Canada’s largest grocery chains, said Tuesday the biggest impact on Canada’s food industry supply chain has been worker absenteeism due to COVID-19 protocols.

La Fleche said that vaccine mandates for truckers have raised transportation costs, but haven’t impacted the shipment of goods to stores.“There’s certainly less variety than there should be and we’re not as full as we’d like to be,” he said. “But we’re not missing food out there.” La Fleche says the labour shortage caused by quarantined workers has impacted global supply chains, driving sporadic outages of certain goods. However, he said the worst of the product delays and shortages might have passed.“More and more people that were infected are back at work, both at our suppliers and in our own operations,” La Fleche. “It’s improving every day. Every week, we’re getting better.”University of Guelph agribusiness professor Simon Somogyi told CTVNews.ca that

if there are issues getting supply from truckers travelling into Canada, he said it is mostly because of winter weather in the U.S. “Like many years, the shortages or the outages around this time are compounded by winter storms and that’s typical,” Somogyi said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

However, he said consumers do not need to be concerned as experts don’t anticipate these issues being long-term.

“When we saw those massive outages in 2020... people were panic buying and we just couldn’t keep up with demand. Now, some of these issues like winter storms and trucks, absenteeism issues, these are going to be relatively short-term,” Somogyi said.

With this in mind, Somogyi said there is no need for Canadians to start panic buying.

However, he says they may have to be “smarter” about what they buy amid the ongoing shortages, such as looking for cheaper alternatives and planning meals ahead of going to the grocery store. “If you panic buy and buy too much you end up wasting a lot of product that doesn’t get eaten, and that’s just throwing away money,” he said. “It’s about being smart and hoarding product is not a smart move.”

Source:calgary.ctvnews.ca

The Miracle Media Requests for Pray (Duaa) Dear Brothers and Sisters Imam and Khatib of Fiji Islamic Centre Maulana A. Latif Naumani and Community well-known personality Mr. Liaqat Ali Bajwa are currently in ICU in a hospital. Please make Duaa for their health and speedy recovery.

“May Allah protect them and grant them Sifa’a e Kamla, long and healthy life and all Muslims who are suffering with any illness. Ameen!

Note: Please don’t make a phone call to them, they can’t pick the phone, just pray. Thanks

Majority of Canadians surveyed support fines for unvaccinated citizens: Nanos

By:Sarah Turnbull

T

he majority of Canadians either support or somewhat support a new health contribution or fine applied to those who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new survey by Nanos Research.

Results of the survey commissioned by CTV News show that 40 per cent of respondents support the idea and another 20 per cent somewhat support it. Meanwhile, 29 per cent oppose it, eight per cent somewhat oppose it and four per cent remain unsure.

Support for the policy that would give provincial governments the power to fine unvaccinated citizens is stronger among those aged 55 and older.

“This is critical from a political perspective.

Only 50 per cent of Canadians that are under 35 years of age support this or somewhat support this, while it jumps up to 72 per cent or more than seven out of every 10 for seniors,” Nanos Research’s Nik Nanos told CTV “Older Canadians tend to vote more than younger Canadians, which means that for those individuals that are more likely to vote, they’re probably more likely to support this.”

Regionally, Ontario reports the highest level of support, followed by Quebec, Atlantic Canada, B.C., and the Prairies.

On Jan. 11, Quebec Premier François Legault announced that a new health contribution would be applied to the unvaccinated in the province in response to rising COVID-19 cases and the resulting strain on the health-care system.

The exact amount of the financial penalty is yet to be determined but Legault had indicated that $50 or $100 “is not significant” enough for him. It will not apply to those with a medical exemption.

The announcement has prompted mixed reviews from politicians and health-care providers, with some arguing that the policy is an effective incentive to get the vaccine, while others say it’s a violation of individual liberties.

METHODOLOGY Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (landand cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,049 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between January 21 and 23, 2022 as part of an omnibus survey. Participants were randomly recruited by telephone using live agents and administered a survey online. The sample included both land-andcell lines across Canada. The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.

Individuals were randomly called using random digit dialing with a maximum of five call backs.

The margin of error for this survey is ±3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research. Source: CTVNews.ca

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16 Pakistan Failure of accountability Jamadi ul II 25,1443 January 28, 2021

T

HE resignation of PTI government’s accountability czar Barrister Shahzad Akbar is a blow to the party’s central political narrative and could not have come at a worse time for the government.Mr Akbar tweeted on Monday that he was resigning from his position as head of the Asset Recovery Unit but would remain associated with the party. He gave no reason for his resignation. However, it has now been reported in the media that he was in fact asked to resign by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The PM was reported to be dissatisfied with his performance.

The PTI had repeated time and again for years that once in power it would bring back money looted by previous rulers and stashed abroad. The PM as well as Mr Akbar had kept on claiming regularly that they had identified this looted money and the nation

would soon hear the good news. However, more than three years later, the whereabouts of this money remain a mystery and the government has failed to explain why its claims are just that and nothing more.

In addition, Mr Akbar had also led the accountability drive against the PTI’s opponents — and specifically the Sharif family — but as yet no solid evidence has been brought to the courts to substantiate the allegations made by Mr Akbar and his various colleagues in numerous press conferences.

Shahzad Akbar’s unceremonious departure is the latest evidence that the government’s accountability drive is slowly coming undone. This should surprise no one. It is by now fairly obvious that this drive has been politically motivated and aimed primarily at netting the opponents of the ruling party.

NAB has also contributed to this discred-

iting of accountability by pursuing cases against various opposition leaders while looking the other way when it came to allegations against those people associated with the government.

The judiciary also criticised NAB for failing to produce a convincing case against many opposition leaders which led to the courts giving them bail. The report of Transparency International issued on Tuesday further downgraded Pakistan in the corruption perception index thereby delivering yet another blow to the government’s anti-corruption narrative. With both accountability and eradication of corruption floundering, the PTI government will have a tough time explaining why it has failed to deliver in its core areas of focus. It is therefore time for

the government to acknowledge that its claims were unrealistic and it was wrong to follow a politically motivated approach.

Pakistan needs a process of accountability that citizens can believe in. This can only happen if governments and their institutions follow merit and keep political motives out of the process. This is easier said than done but never was this needed more than today.

The PTI’s failure on this account should remind everyone that one-sided accountability can never deliver the desired results.

Source: dawn.com

Pakistan slides 16 spots on corruption perceptions index, now ranks 140 out of 180 countries: report

P

akistan dropped 16 places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2021 compared to the previous year, ranking 140 out of 180 countries, Transparency International said in a report on Tuesday. The CPI, which measures how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by its experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100 where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

The 2021 edition of the CPI ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives.

In 2020, Pakistan’s CPI was 31 and it was ranked 124 out of 180 countries. According to Transparency International, the country’s corruption score has now deteriorated to 28 while it is ranked 140 out of the total countries on the index. In contrast, India’s corruption score stood at 40 while Bangladesh’s

I

CPI was 26. The two countries ranked 85 and 147, respectively.

While the corruption levels remain at a standstill worldwide, with 86 per cent of the countries making little to no progress in the last 10 years, Transparency International in its Index revealed that the absence of “rule of law” and “state capture” has resulted in substantial low CPI score of Pakistan.

Vice Chair of Transparency International Pakistan, Justice (retd) Nasira Iqbal, while commenting on the report said that there was no change in CPI 2021 scores of India and Bangladesh from last year.

Under the PTI government, the ranking of Pakistan has gradually slid. In 2019, it was 120 out of 180 countries, in 2020, it was 124 and in 2021 it worsened further to 140. In 2018, during the PML-N government, the ranking was 117 out of 180 countries.

In its report, Transparency International found countries that violate civil liberties

consistently score lower on the CPI. Complacency in fighting corruption exacerbates human rights abuses and undermines democracy, setting off a vicious spiral. As these rights and freedoms erode and democracy declines, authoritarianism takes its place, contributing to even higher levels of corruption. According to Transparency International, the top-performing countries were Denmark, Finland and New Zealand — all having a corruption perceptions score of 88 — followed by Norway, Singapore and Sweden, all of them scoring 85.

In contrast, the worst-performing countries were South Sudan with a corruption perceptions score of 11, followed by Syria (13), Somalia (13, Venezuela (14) and Afghanistan (16).

Regional situation

In its report, Transparency International noted a trend in countries with weak scores — China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan — of “weakening of anti-corruption institutions or in some cases absence of an agency to coordinate action against corruption”. The report termed the situation in India “particularly worrying”, saying there were concerns about its democratic status as fundamental freedoms and institutional checks and balances decay. Journalists and activists in the country are especially at risk, it noted, adding that they had been victims of attacks by the police, political militants, criminal gangs and corrupt local officials.

“Civil society organisations that speak up against the government have been targeted with security, defamation, sedition, hate speech and contempt-of-court charges, and with regulations on foreign funding,” the report said. It further said that countries like Singapore, Bangladesh and Pakistan had increased digital surveillance to silence those trying to hold governments accountable during the pandemic.

Commenting on the findings, chair of Transparency International, Delia Ferreira Rubio, said: “Human rights are not simply a nice-to-have in the fight against corruption.

Authoritarian approaches destroy independent checks and balances and make anticorruption efforts dependent on the whims of an elite.

“Ensuring people can speak freely and work collectively to hold power to account is the only sustainable route to a corruption-free society.”

‘Charge sheet against govt’

Meanwhile, reacting to the report, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said corruption had “decreased” during the PML-N’s government as a result of “transparency, good governance and legal reforms”.

However, “now corruption has hit an alltime high despite the fact that no worthwhile development has taken place,” he tweeted.

Source: dawn.com

PDM drops idea of tabling no-trust motion

SLAMABAD: Rejecting the government’s request to postpone its protest on Pak­ is­ tan Day, the opposition Pak­ istan Democratic Move­ment (PDM) on Tuesday vowed to go ahead with its planned long march against price hike on March 23, but drop­ped the idea of moving a no-trust motion against the government in the parliament, considering the time inappropriate for such a move.

Talking to reporters after presiding over a meeting of the heads of the component parties of the alliance, PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman criticised the government over its reported plan to seal the capital city on March 23 due to the military parade and presence of some foreign dignitaries, declaring in categorical terms that the protesters would enter Islamabad, come what may.

The meeting was attended by PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and the party’s vice president Maryam Nawaz through video link.

“The PDM will enter (Isla­ m­ abad). They (the government) already knew that a huge march of the PDM is coming (to Islamabad) on that day. Under which conspiracy, they have prepared such recommendations,” said

the Maulana when his attention was drawn to the government’s reported plan to impose a curfew-like situation in the capital on March 23 due to the military parade and a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. “As far as the parade is concerned, it is held in the morning and ends by Zuhr prayers time. And we will be coming after Zuhr prayers so there will be no (chance of a) conflict,” he said.

Last month, the PDM had given the call for holding a long march to Islamabad against price hike on March 23 after which federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had requested the alliance leadership to change the date of its protest as the nation would be celebrating March 23 as a national day and there would be some foreign guests in the country on the occasion. The minister had indirectly conveyed to the PDM that there was a possibility that the government might have to seal the capital city as a security measure due to Pakistan Day parade and other activities.

The Maulana intelligently skipped a specific question whether the PDM would begin its march from different parts of the country on March 23 or they had a plan to reach the

capital on the day, which is celebrated as Pakistan Day. However, later talking to Dawn, senior vicepresident of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the participants of the long march would “definitely” enter Islamabad on Pakistan Day and stage a sit-in at famous DChowk, situated in front of the Parliament House building on Constitution Avenue.

In response to a question, Mr Abbasi ruled out the possibility of turning the protest into an indefinite sit-in, but said they had not yet decided about its duration.

Asked about the reason for dropping the proposal of tabling a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Mr Abbasi said such moves were always kept secret. To make the no-confidence successful, he said, they would be requiring the support of at least 172 members in the 342-member National Assembly, which they presently did not have. Mr Abbasi said they would move the motion when they would be sure to have the support of 172 members in the assembly

and that the “establishment” was not behind the ruling coalition.

“We are hopeful that keeping in view the current situation in the country, the establishment will not support (the ruling coalition). When the establishment will not interfere, the no-confidence move will succeed,” he said. “There was a long queue of those (treasury) members who wanted to join (us) when there was an impression that the establishment had withdrawn its support (to the government),” he said.

“The time will tell this. The ISPR says they are not behind (the ruling coalition). But the treasury members told us that they received telephone calls for voting on the money bill and the State Bank bill,” said Mr Abbasi, when asked if the opposition believed that the establishment was still supporting the present set-up.................Source: dawn.com

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