November 24, 2023

Seeing no end to insurgency in their own country, Afghan immigrants living in Pakistan for the past many years were hoping that they would become Pakistani nationals one day, however their dreams shattered as the current caretaker government suddenly decided to send them back to Afghanistan. Journalist Zia Ur Rehman made this remark during a talk at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) on Thursday. Rehman along with economist Uzair Younus and lawyer Abira Ashfaq was on a panel for a discussion titled ‘No country to call home: Behind Pakistan’s expulsion of Afghan refugees’ moderated by IBA lecturer Yumna Fatima. The journalist shared the story of an Afghan immigrant man who went to buy vegetables but was stopped by police in the market for checking his identity document, which he did not carry, and was consequently forced to sit in a bus and sent along with other persons caught in a similar manner to the Chaman border for deportation to Afghanistan. “The man did not have any money and he contacted his family from Chaman and told them about the incident,” Rehman said, adding that in many Afghan immigrant families living in the country, some members are documented and some are undocumented, and the government’s repatriation drive have been dividing many such families. Besides immigrants, he added, there was another category of Afghan people, including former law enforcement and security personnel and journalists who arrived in Pakistan a couple of years ago on visas to escape persecution at the hands of Taliban, but now their visas were not being extended. He said that stereotyping against Afghan immigrants had been taking place for long now and because of this, divisions were formed even in the civil society on the issue. The journalist said the authorities had warned landlords in many parts of the country not to rent out their places to Afghan immigrants or else they would face legal action. Abira was of the view that a narrative had been built to scapegoat Afghan immigrants for the failure of the authorities to curb crime and maintain governance. She called the ongoing repatriation drive an imperialist adventure. She added that many Sindhi and Baloch nationalists were divided on this issue, with some supporting the government’s deportation move while others opposing it. She said that instead of talking about the mining for petroleum and minerals happening in parts of Sindh and Balochistan causing harm to the environment and indigenous people, people had been indoctrinated through mass media to accept the state’s narrative. She advised the audience to look at things from a decolonisation lens. She said that Afghan immigrants were not allowed to go to public educational institutions, but they could opt for private ones if they could afford them. She remarked that this reeked of an institutional discrimination and a ‘racial apartheid’ against Afghan immigrants, even though they did contribute to the country’s economy through taxes. The lawyer said Pakistan’s immigration law had problems that led to structural discrimination. She maintained that there was currently no law that could protect Afghan immigrants from deportation, even those who were born in the country and lived here for generations. She asked the young audience to resist such moves, or else morality in society may die forever. Younus said that Afghan immigrants were being punished because a superpower, from which he apparently meant the US, was a bit salty over what happened to it in Afghanistan in the past 20 years. He said that Afghans were out of their country because they did not want to live under the Taliban rule, and now unfortunately were being forced towards it. He said the Taliban government in Afghanistan was running a budget deficit of USD8 billion annually with no access to international support. He opined that they would rely on drug trade and taxation on trade at border. He feared that they may also react aggressively through the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan against Pakistan to maintain coherence in their society. The economist said that anecdotal data suggested that Afghan immigrants worked in labour-intensive fields in Pakistan, with investments in local business. He added that when you expropriate business, it affected the economy negatively. He lamented tjat although Afghan immigrants contributed positively to the economy, a polling data showed deportation drive as a popular policy choice. He said that even in a half-decent democracy, this repatriation policy would have been discussed in Parliament before being implemented. Source:https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1131946-afghans-in-pakistan-wanted-to-escape-taliban-rule-but-we-shattered-their-hopes

An Australian warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, the sensitive and narrow waterway that separates Taiwan from China, provoking a warning from Beijing. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence did not name the ship in a statement released on Friday but said it entered the strait the previous day and sailed through in a southerly direction. Taiwan’s military kept watch throughout, the statement added without giving details. end of list An Australian official, quoted by the Reuters news agency, confirmed that the Toowoomba frigate had transited the international waters of the Taiwan Strait as part of a regional deployment. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country’s position on the issue has been “consistent and clear”. “We urge the parties concerned to refrain from taking provocative actions and causing trouble towards the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular briefing. The sailing came at a difficult time in Australian-Chinese relations even as the two countries seek to get their ties back on track. Last week, Canberra complained of an incident involving a Chinese warship and the same Australian navy vessel in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, in which an Australian military diver was injured. ‘Routine’ US transits The US navy sends ships through the strait about once a month in what it calls “routine” transits. China also routinely objects to the voyages. Euan Graham, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the Australian navy has regularly transited through the Taiwan Strait but “chooses not to publicise it”. The analyst told Reuters that the Australian navy uses the Taiwan Strait because it is the shortest route between the East China Sea and South China Sea, and he warned against reading too much into the timing of the latest sailing. “It’s a befitting coincidence but shouldn’t be misinterpreted as Australia going out of its way to make a point to China after the [earlier] incident,” he said. “Transits through the Taiwan Strait shouldn’t be controversial, just lawfully going from the East China Sea to the South China Sea via the shortest route.” Taiwan has complained over the past four years of repeated Chinese military activity around the the democratically governed island, especially in the strait. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province. Taiwan, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims, is gearing up for presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13. Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/24/australian-warship-sails-through-taiwan

After seven weeks of war, Palestinians in bombarded Gaza welcome first truce agreed by Hamas and Israel with mixed feelings. Under the Qatar-mediated deal for a four-day pause, 39 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails and 13 captives in Gaza expected to be released in the coming hours, with aid trucks also crossing into Gaza. Gaza endures another night of heavy bombardment from air, land, and sea ahead of the start of the truce, while Israeli military raids continue across the occupied West Bank. More than 14,800 people killed in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at about 1,200. Palestinians shot by the Israeli army Many displaced Palestinians have attempted to reach their homes in northern Gaza, despite the Israeli military’s warnings. At least two people were shot and killed by Israeli troops and another 11 were wounded in the legs, according to AP. A journalist with the news agency saw the two bodies and the wounded as they arrived at a hospital. [Adel Hana/AP Photo] [Adel Hana/AP Photo] [Adel Hana/AP Photo] [Adel Hana/AP Photo] Click here to share on social media Photos: Israeli forces warn Palestinians against moving to the north This leaflet was dropped on Rafah in southern Gaza says the war is not over yet and calls northern Gaza a combat zone. [Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images] [Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images] [Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images] Israel says preparations for receiving captives completed The army says it has prepared several locations dedicated to the initial reception of the released captives, including with necessary medical provisions and support. “After the initial reception and medical treatment, the released hostages will continue to hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families,” it said in a statement. The Israeli army added that four helicopters with medical teams and soldiers on board will be tasked with completing the return of the captives after their reception. Click here to share on social media Hamas open to releasing more civilian captives including men Ghazi Hamad, member of Hamas’s political bureau, says the group is open to negotiating to release even more civilian captives currently held in Gaza, including men. However, in regards to Israeli soldiers held captive, Hamad told Al Jazeera, “This is another story”. “At this phase, we are talking about the civilian hostages. Regarding others, we are looking for a comprehensive swap and exchange to release all [7,200] prisoners in Israeli detention centres. This is our goal and aim,” Hamad said. “But we will wait and see. We have full patience, power and energy to do that … Israel must release all the prisoners, and we are ready to release the Israeli soldiers.” Click here to share on social media Click here to share on social media Foreign minister says unable to confirm if Thai captives will be freed Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara says he has not been able to confirm if the 23 Thai workers held as captives in Gaza are set to be released. Thailand’s foreign minister said preparations to receive the hostages if and when they are released are under way. Bahiddha-Nukara’s Iranian counterpart, serving as an intermediary with Hamas, told him there would be “good news soon”. He said Qatari officials, who mediated the truce agreement, will have a meeting about the matter, and by this afternoon, Thai officials are expecting to know more. A woman cycles next to a billboard calling for the return of the hostage in Tel Aviv, Israel [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo] Click here to share on social media Where things stand right now It’s 12:25pm (10:25 GMT) in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel, and these are the most significant developments in the past few hours: Displaced Palestinians are trying to get to their homes but Israel says movement to northern Gaza is not allowed. Gaza residents say their happiness about the pause in Israeli attacks is accompanied by feelings of grief and uncertainty about the future. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including tankers with fuel and cooking gas, are moving into Gaza from Rafah crossing. Families of Palestinian prisoners and captives held in Gaza wait for news of their loved ones ahead of expected release later on Friday of 39 and 13 people, respectively. Palestinians try to cross back into northern Gaza as an Israeli tank blocks the Salah al-Din road in the central Gaza Strip Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/11/24/israel-hamas-war-live-israel-continues-gaza-attacks-ahead-of-truce.