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Islamists prevail in Pakistan, force law minister Zahid Hamid to resign

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Islamists-Faizabad-protest

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah, other Islamic groups had laid siege on Islamabad last week protesting against a ‘blasphemous’ amendment to the Elections Act

Late on Sunday night, Pakistan’s Federal law minister Zahid Hamid resigned from office; a decision that is likely to pave the way for ending a week-long siege of the country’s capital, Islamabad, by hard-line Islamist groups who have been protesting against a now-abandoned ‘blasphemous’ amendment to the Elections Act, 2017.

Hamid’s resignation was a key demand put forth by the protestors – led by the hitherto little-known hard-line group Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLYR) – as a pre-condition for ending their agitation, which had turned violent and claimed six lives while leaving over 200 injured through the weekend.

The standoff had begun between the government and protestors over a recent amendment to the Elections Act, which sought to alter the ‘Finality of Prophethood’ declaration that electoral candidates in the country have to mandatorily make while being sworn-in.

Although the government had hastily abandoned the amendment, with some sections having even declared it as a ‘clerical error’, the protestors had continued their agitation and pressed for Hamid’s resignation as the first condition for restoration of normalcy.

The TLYR has claimed that Hamid oversaw the introduction and passage of the Elections Amendment Bill 2017, which altered the text of a form that candidates contesting elections need to sign. The candidates were earlier expected to “solemnly swear” that they believe Muhammad was Islam’s last prophet. The new amended form – now abandoned – asked candidates to swear that they “believe” in the finality of Muhammad’s prophethood – an issue of semantics that the hardliners felt was the Pakistan government’s ‘softening’ of stance against the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam – a persecuted minority group who many in the Islamic country don’t consider to be Muslims.

While a detailed statement by Hamid is still awaited, his fleeting comments have been flashed by media organisations in Pakistan in which he has claimed that the contentious amendment was not his handiwork but one that was “formulated by a parliamentary committee comprising members belonging to all political parties.”

Hamid told Pakistan’s Geo TV that he was “not directly responsible for the introduction of the controversial amendment to the Finality of Prophethood declaration for electoral candidates” but that he had decided to step down from his office of the Federal law minister “in order to restore peace in the country.”

Pakistan’s leading media organisation Dawn said in a report: “The minister’s resignation comes in the aftermath of Saturday’s botched operation against protesters at Faizabad and ‘successful negotiations’ with leaders of the demonstration late on Sunday night”.

With Hamid resigning, evidently under pressure from the Islamists, TLYR leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi addressed a press conference at the Faizabad Interchange protest site in Islamabad and ordered his followers across Pakistan to end the sit-ins and go home. He also announced an end to the strike being observed on Monday and called for opening businesses and shops.

Rizvi declared that the Islamist protesters camping at the Faizabad Interchange will depart from the protest site within 12 hours, as soon as implementation of the agreement reached with the government is started.

The TLYR leader claimed that Pakistan’s Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa and Major General Faiz Hameed had acted as guarantors for the agreement between the protestors and the federal government.

A report by Dawn said that according to a document circulating among journalists that bears signatures of the protest leaders and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, among others, the federal government has agreed to the following demands put forth by the TLYR in order to end the sit-in:

  1. Remove Federal Law Minister Zahid Hamid from his position immediately. “Tehreek-i-Labaik will issue no fatwa [religious decree] of any kind against him.”
  2. The report prepared by Raja Zafarul Haq-led committee will be made public within 30 days and whoever is named in the report for being responsible for the change in the election oath will be acted against under the law.
  3. All protesters arrested between November 6 until the end of the sit-in from across the country will be released within one to three days according to legal requirements. The cases registered against them and the house arrests imposed on them will be ended.
  4. An inquiry board will be established to probe and decide what action to take against the government and administration officials over the operation conducted by security forces against protesters on Saturday, November 25. The inquiry should be completed within 30 days and action will be taken against those found responsible.
  5. The federal and provincial governments will determine and compensate for the loss of government and private assets incurred from November 6 until the end of the sit-in.
  6. The points already agreed to concerning the Government of Punjab will be fully implemented.

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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