Rula Ghani
Tolo News: In her interview with Radio Azadi earlier this week, Rula Ghani described the parliament as a vote-trading ground, saying that the acting ministers who were rejected by the parliament will continue their jobs whether the lawmakers want them to continue their jobs or not. Lawmakers described Rula Ghani’s statement as an insult to the parliament and the democratic values. Click here to read more (external link).
By Radio Mashaal
December 19, 2020
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi on December 19 handed over a lawmaker and Pashtun-rights leader to be held in custody for 12 days over a sedition charge that has sparked protests all over northwestern Pakistan.
Lawmaker Ali Wazir was arrested in the city of Peshawar on December 16 after the case was lodged against him in Karachi, alleging he made remarks against the state during an unsanctioned rally 10 days earlier.
Earlier on December 19, Wazir was flown from Peshawar to Karachi.
Wazir’s Pashtun Tahafuz Movement ( PTM) rejects the accusation and insists its campaign to defend the rights of ethnic Pashtuns is peaceful and constitutional.
Thousands of people rallied in dozens of cities and towns in northwestern Pakistan and elsewhere on December 18 to protest his arrest.
PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen called for the demonstrations in a live video posted on Facebook late on December 17, after the authorities announced that Ali Wazir would face prosecution.
The PTM movement has campaigned since 2018 for the civil rights of Pakistan’s estimated 35 million ethnic Pashtuns, many of whom live near the border of Afghanistan.
It has attracted tens of thousands of people to public rallies in recent years to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army’s heavy-handed tactics in its fight against the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups.
International rights groups say Pakistani authorities have banned peaceful rallies organized by the PTM, while some of its leading members have also been arbitrarily detained and prevented from traveling within the country.
Some members have also faced charges of sedition and cybercrimes.
Tolo News: The Ministry of Public Health on Saturday reported 80 new positive cases of COVID-19 out of 1,123 samples tested in the last 24 hours. The data by the ministry shows that the cumulative number of total cases is now 50,536, the number of total reported deaths is 2,054, and the total number of recoveries is 38,799. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban’s Baradar (left) and Pakistani Minister Qureshi (right). File photo.
The Tribune: “America is delegitimising democracy in Afghanistan. They want a puppet democracy. They are pushing Ghani (Ashraf Ghani) to give up the election. The Taliban is getting what they want. Pakistan is playing clever. They think that delegitimising democracy would create chaos in Afghanistan. Pakistan is maestro of chaos.” Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News: At least 15 civilians were killed and 20 more were wounded in an explosion at a gathering in Gelan district, Ghazni province, on Friday afternoon, the Interior Ministry Affairs says. The explosives were loaded on a motorbike that was parked near a house in Agho Jan village in Gelan district where a group of people had gathered to attend a Quran recitation ceremony, the Interior Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian said. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Russia warns that the Islamic State, known as Daesh in Afghanistan, is building up its potential in Afghanistan to propagate extremist activities in the Central Asian countries. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News: NAI – an Organization Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan–reported that over 1,000 female Afghan journalists have left jobs in the industry for various reasons since 2014. NAI said that targeted killings, gender discrimination and low wages are among the key factors that have led to the reduction in the number of female journalists in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Ariana: Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations said on Thursday that all foreign forces in Afghanistan committing crimes should be brought to justice. The report stated that 19 Australian soldiers were involved in the killings however, none were identified but have been referred for possible prosecution. Click here to read more (external link).