Here’s what’s happening across the border: Imran Khan all smiles after Malaysia’s First Lady holds his hand for a photo; Pakistan welcomes India’s decision to develop Kartarpur corridor.
The woman who led the security forces in Karachi’s Chinese Consulate terror attack
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Suhai Aziz Talpur was the woman officer who led the team of security forces that successfully gunned down three attackers outside the premises of the Chinese Consulate in Karachi Friday, reported The Express Tribune.
Talpur was lauded for leading the operation, in which two policemen were killed. The Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah praised the woman officer’s work during a briefing to the Chinese consulate general about the attack, reported Geo TV.
“Suhai Aziz, you have set an example of bravery. These are the women who are ahead of everyone”, he was quoted saying.
Recognising Talpur’s display of bravery, the Inspector General of Sindh, Dr. Kaleem Imam, has recommended her for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal. This proposal makes her the first woman officer in Sindh police to be considered for this award.
Several political leaders have commended the SSP for her work.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari took to Twitter to condemn the incident but also lauded the “courageous fight put up by our Sindh Police led by the courageous SSP Suhai Aziz”.
The reprehensible terrorist attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi, was thwarted by the courageous fight put up by our Sindh Police led by the courageous SSP Suhai Aziz. I salute the brave officers who were martyred courageously protecting our friends. We honor them
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) November 23, 2018
Another PPP leader Sherry Rehman also heaped praise on Talpur for the operation.
In the middle of a hard day, Pakistan’s ??remarkable women rise to be the silver lining. So proud of SSP Suhai Aziz Talpur, the woman who fearlessly spearheaded the vanguard of the successful police operation against terrorists at Chinese consulate. pic.twitter.com/tsu1bMttLz
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) November 23, 2018
Imran Khan tweeted Friday that the attack was carried out as a resistance against the country’s trade deals with China, with an intention to “scare Chinese investors” and “undermine CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor)”
The failed attack against the Chinese Consulate was clearly a reaction to the unprecedented trade agreements that resulted from our trip to China. The attack was intended to scare Chinese investors and undermine CPEC. These terrorists will not succeed.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 23, 2018
Balochistan Liberation Army, a militant and separatist group that has been fighting for the province’s independence for more than a decade now, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The BLA claims responsibility for this attack. Three of our fighters have raided the consulate”, BLA spokesperson Jihand Baloch was quoted saying in a report by Al Jazeera.
None of the 21 staff members and other people at the consulate were harmed during the operation.
Imran Khan all smiles after Malaysia’s First Lady asks if she can hold his hand
A video showing Malaysia’s first lady Siti Hasmah Mohammad Ali asking if she could hold Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s hand while getting their photographs clicked alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has gone viral on social media, reported Dawn.
Khan concluded his two-day visit to Malaysia Wednesday.
During a photo session, of which the video was widely shared, Malaysia’s First Lady could be heard asking Imran Khan “Prime Minister, can I hold your hand?”
Khan obliged her by saying “sure” as he replied to her question prompting smiles on everybody’s faces, including the Malaysian PM’s.
'Prime minister, can I hold your hand?'
'Prime minister, can I hold your hand?'
Updates यांनी वर पोस्ट केले बुधवार, २१ नोव्हेंबर, २०१८
Khan is the first Pakistani Prime Minister to visit Malaysia after Mohamad took office for the second time this year.
Imran Khan’s guide to a happy life
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered some mantras to lead a happy life, reported The News International.
Delivering a speech Thursday, Khan revealed three hacks for a happy life — don’t read newspapers, don’t attend weddings, and take family for an outing once.
Khan said people will not write “good things” about someone if they have been faced with defeat. He said that one’s success attracts “jealousy” from people who might want to take advantage of it. But when you fall down, these same people (haters) will stab you.
He also said that instead of going to wedding functions where relatives take keen interest in sprinkling salt to one’s burns, one should go out with their family to outdoor trips such as those to the mountains.
Pakistan’s failure if Asia Bibi sent abroad for safety: CJP Nisar
Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar Wednesday contended that it will be the state’s failure if Asia Bibi, a minority Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy last month, had to be sent abroad to ensure her safety, reported Dawn.
Nisar made the assertion during his meeting with nine British Pakistani parliamentarians in the House of Commons.
When one of the parliamentarians, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, propounded that Bibi must be offered asylum in the UK, Nisar disagreed with her and said that it was the Pakistani State’s duty to provide security to its citizens.
“If she is sent abroad, it means that the Pakistani state has failed. She should be secure in Pakistan,” he was quoted saying.
He further said that the Pakistan government should not give in to the demands of mobs as it must “act strongly as there will be no end of such cases”.
Pakistan welcomes India’s decision to develop Kartarpur corridor
Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry Thursday welcomed the Indian cabinet’s decision to initiate the construction of the Kartarpur corridor, hailing it as a “victory of peace”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet decided Thursday to construct and develop a corridor that will link the Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur region with the International Border so that Sikh pilgrims can visit the Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan’s Narowal district, thus, enabling a hassle-free journey without the requirement of a visa.
Chaudhry tweeted that this decision will also encourage “tranquillity on both sides of the border”.
Indian Cabinet endorsement of Pakistan’s proposition on #KartarPurBorderOpening is victory of peace lobby in both countries, its a step towards right direction and we hope such steps ll encourage voice of reasons and tranquility on both sides of the border.
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 22, 2018
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also tweeted Thursday that Pakistan had already “conveyed to India” its decision to open the Kartarpur corridor.
“PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarprura facilities on 28 November,” announced Qureshi.
Pakistan has already conveyed to India it's decision to open Kartarpura Corridor for Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. PM Imran Khan will do break ground at Kartarpura facilities on 28th November. We welcome the Sikh community to Pakistan for this auspicious occasion.
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) November 22, 2018
Sufi rock band Junoon to perform first concert after 13 years
Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon is all set for an official reunion after a hiatus of 13 years, reported The Express Tribune.
Junoon will perform live on 25 December in Karachi’s Arabian Sea Country Club.
The band’s reunion had failed on several instances earlier. Even though the band reunited this year on 14 August for a teaser video based on their 1997 song ‘Khudi’, they received criticism as the song had not been re-recorded and was just a basic compilations of them lip-syncing the lyrics.
The band’s songs like ‘Sayonee’, among others, were favourites even in India.
The ticket prices for the concert are expected to range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 7,000 and will be up for sale soon.
The performance will see the members reprise their usual roles with Ali Azmat as the vocalist, Salman Ahmad on lead guitars, Brian O’Connell on bass guitar and Ustaf Ashiq Ali Mir on Eastern percussions. The choice for the drummer is still being decided.
The band’s second performance will likely be in Dubai in January next year.