New Delhi: A judicial inquiry into the death of Usama Satti, a 22-year-old Islamabad resident, has revealed that he was “shot from all directions and killed on purpose” by five police personnel.
Satti was shot dead on 2 January allegedly by five members of the Pakistani police’s anti-terrorism squad. Islamabad Police has fired the five policemen for misconduct while Prime Minister Imran Khan Thursday assured Satti’s family of justice.
The accused police personnel had earlier claimed that they were chasing some robbers when the incident took place. But the judicial report found that Satti was not involved in any robbery and was shot 22 times despite his car being stationed at one place.
It also revealed that his death was “deliberately hidden from his family for four hours and that the officers involved tried to sweep the matter under the rug”.
The report also noted that the deceased “became part of the incident due to their (police) irresponsible attitude”. The police also tried to “get rid” of evidence.
According to data from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, at least 3,345 people have been killed in police encounters between January 2014 and May 2018 in the country. Among those killed during this period were 23 women and 12 minors.
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Imran Khan voted world’s best captain over Virat Kohli
In an online poll conducted by the International Cricket Council, Pakistani PM and former skipper Imran Khan was voted the world’s best captain. He received 47.3 per cent of the total 5,36,346 votes.
Indian team captain Virat Kohli came a close second, with 46.2 per cent of the votes, while South African wicket keeper-batsman AB de Villiers received 6 per cent of the votes.
This win was celebrated by Pakistanis on Twitter with trending hashtags like #PakistanshocksIndia, #CongratulateIK.
Some Pakistani ministers also rejoiced at this ‘victory’.
نَصْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ ?
پھر ہوئی ہم سب کے کپتان کی جیت!! مبارک ہو، میرے ہم وطنوں!! @ImranKhanPTI wins the massive @ICC poll! Congratulations, ??? pic.twitter.com/6Da7BfqWwP
— Zartaj Gul Wazir (@zartajgulwazir) January 13, 2021
Prime Minister Imran Khan has won the @ICC Poll of Best Captain in the world. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. Leading from the front – The greatest skipper ever Masha'ALLAH pic.twitter.com/QOVeipwKFD
— Faisal Javed Khan (@FaisalJavedKhan) January 13, 2021
Kaptaan PM @ImranKhanPTI isn’t just beating PDM ? https://t.co/AoLxw8Rl3X
— Sayed Z Bukhari (@sayedzbukhari) January 13, 2021
Several Pakistanis also took this online poll a little too seriously. A user called it a ‘surgical strike’ by Pakistan on India.
Real Surgical Strike by Pakistani Peoples in #ICC Poll
Pakistan Zindabad #PakistanShocksIndia #CongratsPMIK pic.twitter.com/fw7h9HmIzr
— Syed Numan Shah (@SyedNum37782555) January 13, 2021
Another user suggested that Congress supporters may have had a role to play in Khan’s victory.
Supporters of #BJP, PML-N and PPP have been deeply shocked by Imran Khan's surprise victory and Virat Kohli's defeat.@INCIndia supporters have played a key role in Imran Khan's victory. We thank all the Indian and Congress friends. #Kohli #India #PMIK #PakistanShocksIndia pic.twitter.com/OnGBJZLtLS
— Zohaib Sadozai (@ZSadozaiPTI) January 13, 2021
Another said Pakistan ‘surprises’ and ‘shocks’ everyone.
We Will Surprise You And Will Shock You Again And Again ✌️#PakistanShocksIndia pic.twitter.com/lIwMdQbWYV
— Mahnoor Baloch (@iMahnoorBaloch1) January 13, 2021
Turkish show producer meets Imran Khan to discuss joint venture
A Turkish delegation met PM Khan and Pakistani actors Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed recently to discuss a joint venture featuring actors from both countries.
The delegation included popular Turkish show Dirilis: Ertugul’s executive producer Kamal Tekdin and actor Celal Al. The joint venture is reportedly going to be a series based on Abdur Rahman Peshwari or Turk Lala from the Khilafat movement.
Khilafat movement was a pan-Islamic force that began in India around 1919 in order to save the Ottoman Caliph as a symbol of unity among the Muslim community in British India. Peshwari, also known as Lala Peshawari, was a migrant from Jammu and Kashmir. He had collected funds and gathered men to save the Ottoman Empire.
He had set off on a ship, reached Turkey and fought two battles as part of the Ottoman army. He was declared a Ghazi (fighter for faith) and sent by the Turks to Afghanistan as an ambassador. Soon, he came to be also known as Turk Lala or Lala Turki.
PM Khan had earlier ‘strongly recommended’ a Turkish drama titled ‘Yunus Emre’ for those who are interested in Sufism, a mystical Islamic belief and practice.
Khan’s sudden interest in Turkey and Turkish TV shows can be traced to his admiration for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has been Pakistan’s ally on issues like Kashmir. Khan’s attempt to build strong relations with Turkey also comes amid dwindling alliances between Pakistan and Arab countries.
Pakistan using government funds to mine Bitcoin
Last week, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had announced the launch of two state-owned Bitcoin mining farms. This move is being seen as an instance of the Pakistani government using its own funds to mine and make profit from bitcoin.
Bitcoin mining is referred to as the process of creating a new bitcoin by solving a computational puzzle. Through this, one can earn cryptocurrency without having to put money to it. Miners receive Bitcoins as rewards for completing ‘blocks’ of transactions.
Ziaullah Bangash, advisor to the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on science and IT, said a bill has been passed that would allow the region’s government to use its own money to establish mining facilities.
However, no details were given about the capacity of these mining farms. In the past, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration had advocated for friendly cryptocurrency laws in Pakistan.
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