Is secularism dying in Pakistan?

ISLAMABAD: Secularism has become a dangerous, deadly label in Pakistan as Muslim extremists slowly strengthen their stranglehold on the nuclear-armed, U.S. ally and put its stability at risk.

Punjab governor Salman Taseer was a liberal, secular Muslim who, last week, was shot dead by his own bodyguard for opposing a blasphemy law that many human rights activists say is often used to discriminate against ethnic and religious minorities.

Taseer’s death shocked many in Pakistan and abroad, but perhaps the widespread lionisation of his assassin, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, was more worrying for the future of a country that Washington sees as key in its fight against militancy.

Kashmir not an integral part of India: Abdul Basit

Pakistan has asked New Delhi to introspect on its policies instead of blaming Islamabad for the violence in the Occupied Kashmir. Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said that Jammu & Kashmir issue was an international dispute and subject of several UN Security Council resolutions and India should not be dismissive of uprising in Kashmir.
Reacting to the Indian response to the Foreign Ministers statement on the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir, the Spokesman said the response was evidently self-serving and, to say the least, callous to be dismissive of the widespread uprising of the Kashmiri people including youth and women against Indian occupation.
Instead of stereotypically blaming Pakistan, India should undertake serious introspection of its policies that were in sharp variance to its international commitments including adherence to accepted human rights standards, he added.

Floodwater inundates Sujawal, heads to Thatta

Flood inundates Sujawal, heads to Thatta

Staff Report

KARACHI: Floodwater submerged Sujawal on Sunday, spreading further destruction in an area where hundreds of thousands of people who fled to higher ground are in dire need of food and water.

Almost all of Sujawal’s 250,000 residents fled from the town before the water rushed in, but the damage to homes, clinics and schools added to the widespread devastation the floods have caused across Pakistan, said Hadi Baksh, a disaster management official in southern Sindh province.

Authorities in Sujawal were trying to limit the damage, but the water level has already risen to five feet (1.5 meters) in the center of town and up to 10 feet (3 meters) in the surrounding villages, said Anwarul Haq, the top official in Sujawal.

The floodwaters also threatened Thatta, one of the major cities in southern

Widespread heavy rains forecast for next three days

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast widespread heavy monsoon rains for most parts of the country especially Sindh, aggravating flooding in River Indus.

According to Met analysis, Friday”s monsoon weather system over central area is likely to move in a westerly direction and may approach Sindh during the next 24 hours.

An official of Met office said that the widespread rains are expected in Punjab; D.G.Khan, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad divisions on Sunday, becoming scattered during next 48 hours.

Due to heavy rainfall, flash flooding is expected in the hill torrents of D.G. Khan/Rajanpur areas, and in the nullas/streams of Rawalpindi and Sargodha divisions. Occasional thundershowers are also expected in the federal capital during next three days.

In Sindh, widespread heavy rainfall is expected in Sindh during next 2-3 days. Urban flooding in Karachi, Hyderabad and other urban areas is possible during the period, the official added.

In Balochistan, widespread thundershowers with isolated heavy falls is expected in north-eastern and southern parts of Balochistan; Zhob, Barkhan, Jhalmagsi, Kohlu, Naseerabad, Lasbella and Sibbi Districts on Sunday/Monday, becoming scattered on Tuesday while isolated heavy falls may generate flash flooding in the local rivers/nullahs of the province during the period.

The widespread rains heavy at times are expected over Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa; D.I.Khan, Bannu and Kohat, Peshawar, Hazara, Mardan and Malakand divisions on Sunday, becoming scattered during next 48 hours.

Due to heavy falls, further flash flooding is expected in the local rivers including Kabul, Tochi, Gambila, Kalpani, Kurram, Swat, Chitral, Panjkora, Khiyali and Jindey river and Nullahs of the province during next 2-3 days.

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, widespread heavy rains are expected in Kashmir during next three days and heavy rainfall may cause flash flooding in local rivers during the period. While in Gilgit-Baltistan, scattered rain is likely during next three days.

The rainfall recorded in different cities during last 24 hours was Risalpur 132mm, Mandi Bahauddin 86mm, Attock 63mm, Rawalpindi (Shamsabad) 60mm, Chaklala 57mm, Islamabad (Saidpur) 52mm, Saidu Sharif 48mm, Sialkot (City) 43mm, Sialkot (A.P) 42mm, Islamabad (Zero Point) 39mm, Bhakkar 36mm, Bannu 35mm, Muzaffarabad 31mm, Murree 29mm, Bokra 28mm, Kakul 25mm, Garidupatta, Chirat and Balakot 22mm each, Rawlakot 21mm, Golra 16mm, Lower dir 14mm, D.I Khan 13mm, Shorkot and Parachinar 12mm (each), T.T Singh and Dadu 09mm each, Kotli and Peshawar 08mm each.

Vatican Decries Plight of Mideast Christians

By Rachel DonadioIn a document presented here on Sunday by Pope Benedict XVI, bishops from across the Middle East decried the plight of Christians in the region, largely attributing their widespread exodus to the instability caused by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Iraq and unrest in Lebanon.

Go here to see the original:
Vatican Decries Plight of Mideast Christians

Cyclone nearing Karachi as rain lashes city

KARACHI: Widespread torrential rains, accompanied by cyclonic winds, lashed Karachi as Cyclone Phet nearing Karachi after passing the Makran coast and parts of central Makran.

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Cyclone nearing Karachi as rain lashes city

One dead, two missing in Indonesian floods: official

TrendPK.com JAKARTA: Widespread flooding has left one person dead and two missing in Indonesia’s East Java, a health official said Sunday.
Water as high as one meter (three feet) Submerged more than 500 houses in Pasuruan district due to continuous rain since Friday evening, crisis centers health ministry Rustam Pakaya chief told AFP.
“One [...]