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Pakistan

The repetition of history and the hidden sciences!

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History repeats itself is common concept, but in Pakistan the example of such notion is hardly found in any other country in the world.

Imran Yaqub Khan Profile Imran Yaqub Khan

In November 2017, Tehreek-e-Libek staged a sit-in in Faizabad. The background of this sit-in was known to all. The PML-N government, which was already under pressure, was under siege. When the party was mobilized against the PML-N government, today's ruling party, the PTI, supported their sit-in. In his judgment, Justice Qazi Faiz Issa also mentioned the local leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) besides Sheikh Rashid and Ejaz-ul-Haq, who continued to support the sit-in, according to intelligence reports.

A conference was held in Golra Sharif in the name of Khatam-e-Nubuwat (SAW) in which Imran Khan participated and tried his best to win the sympathy of Tehreek-e-Libek. Today, it is the responsibility of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to stop the protest march and possible sit-in. The minister got mentioned Mujahid Khatam-e-Nubawat on posters and used religion for his political campaign.

After this protest against the PML-N government and its support from the PTI, the 'revolutionary anchors' also disguised them as Mujahideen Khatam-e-Nabuwat and walled off the PML-N and its leadership. As a result of this movement, resignations were announced from some members of the PML-N in the National Assembly and an electoral atmosphere was created against the PML-N. Now the Tehreek-e-Libek is once again on strike and the next scenario seems to be peeking out of the pages of the past.

The atmosphere against the PML-N began after the report of a high-level meeting was published in an English newspaper and it was named Dwan Leaks. Now the atmosphere is being created again and the impression of "One Page" has been shattered by the ruling circles. An appointment to a key post was announced on October 6 and the tug-of-war began. The 20-day tug-of-war played a central role in dispelling the one-page impression.

Now the matter seems to have been resolved and the long awaited notification has come to light but the impression of tension remains as no attempt is being made to remove it but a conscious effort is being made by the government to prevail the tension.

Prior to the notification, there was talk of secret science and statistics. Even after the notification came, the machinations of the occult sciences are still rampant and this notification is being viewed in conjunction with the dates of next month's partial lunar eclipse. I have no interest in cognition or numerology, but apart from such factors, it seems that matters are now heading towards confrontation and such confrontations don't last long, only a few weeks are decisive.

When it comes to linking this analysis to another mysterious process, the date of December 4 seems to be important when there will be a total solar eclipse in the world. Eclipses have been associated with solar and lunar eclipses for centuries. A large number of people believe in such superstitions and are convinced to the extent that eclipses bring about great changes. The then government in Pakistan was overthrown within two months after the 1999 eclipse.

Whether the eclipse will do anything or not, but if the situation continues like this, then of course the blame will fall on the December 4 eclipse. Assuming that the December 4 eclipse could be disastrous for the government, the next elections could be in April or May. There will be partial eclipses in these months as well. The partial eclipse of April 30, 2022 will not be visible in or around Pakistan and will be visible in the western, southwestern United States, Pacific, Atlantic and Antarctic regions.

The 2022 partial lunar eclipse will be seen in most parts of the world including Europe, Asia, Africa and this partial lunar eclipse will probably be seen in Pakistan as well. If those who believe in the mysterious sciences are to be believed, then according to this calculation, if the total solar eclipse of December 4 played any role in the overthrow of the government, then April and May will be election months and partial eclipses will also show color in these elections. ۔

Political figures seeking the help of occultists should now worry about December. Thoughts will be of two kinds. Those who believe in the mysterious sciences in the government will hire experts to save the government and the opposition will turn to the 'babus' to drown the government in the crisis. If December is decisive, then the worries of April and May will bother everyone and a new round of operations will be launched to remove the possible misfortunes in their horoscopes and this time, since everyone is worried about power, they will get rid of the misfortunes. Will become the need of all.

Those who believe in the mysterious sciences think that the eclipse is a plague that comes from the sky to destroy human beings and they have no means to stop it but the moon and the sun have blocked its path and sacrificed their lives. Weak believers believe that because it is powerful and has taken the sun and the moon in its mouth, it is necessary to help them.

In the old days, the hill tribes, to whom the light of knowledge had not reached, used to gather in a field at the time of eclipse, dance to the beat of drums, make loud drunken utensils, play tin, etc., in order to somehow get rid of this evil. Some of them used to throw stones so that if they didn't retreat from the noise, they would move away from the fear of these stones. Such scenes are seldom seen now, but the claimants of expertise in the hidden sciences go astray, perform strange acts that frighten the common man, and play with their weakness.

Since I don't believe in these hidden and mysterious sciences, I am only worried about how long our politicians will continue to blackmail or to be blackmailed for the sake of power. How long will history be repeated? Why is democracy in danger after every 10 years?

The ruling party is trying to use the recent controversy to its advantage by hiding behind the slogans of "stand firm, captain". but linking an attempt to keep a person close because of personal friendship to the battle of principles is nothing but mutual deceiving. The same party used to humiliate everyone else by giving the impression of being the enemy of a strong institution of the country.

Until the conflict of interests, the good relations with the institution were displayed like a medal on the chest. Isn't it senselessness and selfishness to confont the same institution for ulterior motives now?

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Pakistan

Hajj pilgrims to get passports within 24 hours

Hajj pilgrims will be dealt with on a priority basis at special counters

Published by Noor Fatima

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Islamabad: Director General (DG) Passports has announced the establishment of a special desk for Hajj pilgrims, under which they will obtain passports in just 24 hours.

According to DG Passports Mustafa Jamal Qazi, special desks will be established in all regional offices including the headquarters and this facility will also be available in passport offices established around the world.

DG Passports said that Hajj pilgrims will be dealt with on a priority basis at special counters and delivery of passports will be ensured within 24 hours.

It is pertinent to note that this year, under the government scheme, Rs0.2 million will be submitted along with the application. Rs0.4 million in draw selection and the remaining amount will be deposited by February 10.

Hajj applications for the government scheme can be submitted until December 3. If the applications are more than the quota, the draw for the regular scheme will be held on December 6.

The government quota sponsorship scheme is on a first-come, first-served basis. The sponsorship scheme requires all funds to be deposited in a lump sum of dollars. Last year, due to a low number of Hajj applications, a 10-day extension was also given for the submission of applications.

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World

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in US

Arrest warrants have been issued for Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani

Published by Noor Fatima

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New Delhi: Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his alleged role in a $265 million bribery scheme, plunging his conglomerate deep into crisis for the second time in two years.

The multiple counts of fraud levelled against Adani, who is one of the world's richest people, and seven other defendants, sent shares and bonds of Adani firms tumbling on Thursday. Adani Green Energy, the company at the centre of the allegations, also canceled a $600 million bond sale.

Arrest warrants have been issued for Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani and prosecutors plan to hand those warrants to foreign law enforcement, court records show.

The charges follow much turmoil for the Adani Group last year after short-seller Hindenburg Research issued a report that accused it of using offshore tax havens improperly - which the company has denied.

US federal prosecutors said the defendants agreed to pay the bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and develop India's largest solar power plant project.

They also said the Adanis and another executive at Adani Green Energy's former CEO Vneet Jaain raised more than $3 billion in loans and bonds by hiding their corruption from lenders and investors.

The three were charged with securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. The Adanis were also charged in a parallel US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) civil case.

“Gautam and Sagar Adani were engaged in the bribery scheme during a September 2021 note offering by Adani Green that raised $750 million, including approximately $175 million from US investors,” the SEC said in a press statement.

“The SEC's complaint against Gautam and Sagar Adani charges them with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws. The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and officer and director bars,” it added.

Representatives for the Adani Group did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Indian authorities, including the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), also did not respond to requests for comment on the US charges.

Shares in Adani Green Energy plunged 17 percent and stocks for many other firms in the conglomerate lost more than 10 percent. The group lost $28 billion in value in Thursday trade, putting its firms' combined market capitalisation at $141 billion. Before last year's Hindenburg report, the group's market value was $235 billion.

Adani dollar bonds slumped, with prices down between 3-5c on bonds for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone.

'Numero Uno', 'The Big Man'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration has been accused by political opponents of favouritism toward Adani in government decisions. Modi and Adani, who both are from the western state of Gujarat, have denied impropriety.

On Thursday, India's Congress party reiterated calls for a parliamentary investigation into alleged wrongdoing by the Adani Group. A probe by SEBI in the wake of the Hindenburg report is ongoing.

The unsealed criminal charges by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York showed some conspirators referred privately to Gautam Adani with the code names ‘Numero uno’ and ‘the big man,’ while Sagar Adani allegedly used his cellphone to track specifics about the bribes.

Five other defendants were charged with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a US anti-bribery law, and four were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice.

None of the defendants is in custody, a spokesperson for US Attorney Breon Peace in Brooklyn said. Gautam Adani is believed to be in India.

Gautam Adani is worth $69.8 billion according to Forbes magazine, making him India's second-richest man after Mukesh Ambani. He is one of the few billionaires formally accused in the United States of criminal wrongdoing.

Shares in GQG Partners, an Australia-listed investment firm that is a major Adani backer, slid 20 percent, its largest one-day fall since it listed three years ago. It said in a statement that it was monitoring the charges.

SOURCE: REUTERS

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Regional

Project 2025 is infiltrating the Trump administration already

President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, a 900-page opus of conservative policy recommendations published by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. But he has nominated two of the document’s co-authors to Cab…

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President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from Project 2025, a 900-page opus of conservative policy recommendations published by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank. But he has nominated two of the document’s co-authors to Cabinet-level positions, and many others served in his first administration, which suggests the document may be a window into what the next four years could bring. On Monday, Trump nominated Brendan Carr, who wrote Project 2025’s chapter on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to head the agency. He has also appointed Tom Homan, a Heritage Foundation fellow named as a contributor to Project 2025, as his so-called “border czar.” Eighteen of the 40 co-authors and editors of the report served in the first Trump administration. Among them are Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security; Christopher Miller, former acting Defense secretary; and Russell T. Vought, former director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought is reportedly being considered for another top post in the coming administration. During the 2024 campaign, Democrats sought to tie Trump to Project 2025 — a policy agenda they decried as “dangerous” and “shockingly radical” — framing it as a blueprint for his second term that is much more detailed than the GOP’s 28-page platform. The document focuses on proposals to expand presidential power, gut the federal bureaucracy, enact the priorities of the religious right, deregulate, and more. Trump at one point claimed to have “no idea who is behind it” and denied any connection with it when asked about it at the September presidential debate: “I have nothing to do with Project 2025. I haven’t read it. I don’t want to read it purposely. I’m not going to read it.” However, since Trump’s reelection, some of his allies have suggested that the document was always intended to be the playbook for his second term. Trump’s nominations of Carr and Homan seem to support that idea. Neither will require additional Senate confirmation to take on their roles; through them, they will be in a position to advocate for Project 2025’s ideas on communications and immigration, respectively. Here’s what we know about Carr and Homan and the ideas relevant to their posts outlined in Project 2025. Brendan Carr Carr, a pick approved by Trump’s billionaire backer Elon Musk, currently serves as the senior Republican on the FCC and was previously its general counsel. Now, he is set to take the helm, steering the commission toward a hardline stance against Big Tech and what he describes in Project 2025 as its “attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” Among his key proposals in Project 2025 is ending legal immunities for internet platforms hosting user-generated content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. That would require stricter content moderation on the part of these platforms or cutbacks to the degree to which users can contribute content, fundamentally changing the way people interact online. At the same time, he wrote in Project 2025 that he wants to ensure that “Internet companies no longer have carte blanche to censor protected speech.” That echoes some of Trump’s other Cabinet picks who are seeking to crack down on “wokeness” in their respective agencies. Carr also supports efforts to block TikTok in the US, identifying it, along with the Chinese smartphone producer Huawei, as a national security threat. He claims in Project 2025 that TikTok is part of a Chinese “foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to millions of Americans.” However, there are reasons to believe that a TikTok ban would, as Vox previously reported, have “serious consequences for online expression,” which include shutting down what has proved a hub for activism. Carr may have some difficulty enacting his agenda initially, however. The commission will have a 3-2 Democratic majority until next June when Trump will be able to nominate a new member. Homan isn’t named as an author of a particular chapter of Project 2025 but as an overall contributor — and some of his stated hardline views on immigration and the border are reflected in the report. He started out as a Border Patrol agent in the 1980s and worked his way up through the immigration agencies, becoming the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s removal operations arm under former President Barack Obama. There, he presided over the most immigrants ever deported in a single year, exceeding 400,000. Under Trump, Homan served as acting director of ICE but was never confirmed to the position permanently by the Senate. Homan’s new role as “border czar” appears to involve far-reaching responsibilities. Those include overseeing the implementation of Trump’s mass deportations policy — the centerpiece of the former president’s immigration agenda. That means Homan’s responsibilities will likely intersect with many of the numerous immigration priorities outlined in Project 2025. Here is a non-exhaustive list of what’s included: * Expanding the use of a legal authority known as “expedited removal” to quickly deport immigrants who crossed the border without authorization. * Deporting immigrants even in currently protected, sensitive zones like churches. * Ending large-scale parole programs that the Biden administration has relied upon as a deportation shield for individuals from certain countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. * Ending programs like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has protected hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children from deportation. * Creating a new legal authority akin to the Title 42 policy, which was implemented by Trump and maintained by Biden to rapidly expel immigrants arriving on the US southern border on the dubious public health grounds of stopping the spread of Covid-19. Homan has yet to indicate whether he or Trump fully endorses these policies. But unlike Trump, who claims to have never read Project 2025, Homan put his name to the document, and could draw from it in his new role.
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