Urdu Columnist Nazir Naji passes away

Veteran journalist and Urdu Columnist Nazir Naji breathed his last here on February 22, 2024. He was 86.

He was admitted to a private hospital a few days before his demise. Naji served Daily Jang as a senior columnist for 27 years. He also served the Pakistan Academy of Letters as its chairman. In 2012, he joined Dunya as its group editor. The veteran journalist was awarded Hilal-i-Imtiaz.

Cargill meets WHO’s recommended best practices

As of January 2024, every Cargill food customer can be confident that the company’s fats and oils comply with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended maximum tolerance level for industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFA) in fats and oils. Cargill has achieved this milestone by becoming the first global supplier whose entire worldwide edible oils portfolio meets the WHO’s best practice standard on iTFAs, limiting iTFA content to no more than two grams per 100 grams of fats/oils, including in countries where there is currently no legislative mandate.

While Cargill announced its commitment to removing iTFAs from its fats and oils portfolio in December 2021, the achievement reflects decades of work. The company’s iTFA journey spans more than a quarter century, including early innovation, millions of dollars of investments in capital expenses and resources, and thousands of R&D hours. Along the way, Cargill has helped more than 400 customers create nutritious and tasty products that contribute to happier, healthier lives, removing more than 1.5 billion pounds of products containing iTFAs from the global food supply.

In the past two years alone, Cargill has invested an additional $8.5 million to upgrade facilities to reduce the transfat produced during oil processing while working closely with more than 100 additional customers in two dozen countries to reformulate new product solutions that meet their needs.

Oppenheimer leads early wins at BAFTA

The Drama “Oppenheimer,” a three-hour epic about the making of the atomic bomb during World War Two, led to early wins at the BAFTA Film Awards.

Known as the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), the ceremony was hosted by actor David Tennant.

As well as a spate of celebrities attending the ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall by the River Thames in central London, the guest list also included BAFTA President Prince William.

One of the highest-grossing films of 2023, “Oppenheimer” picked up prizes for editing and cinematography and supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr early in the ceremony. It has the most nominations for Britain’s top movie honours, with 13.

“I’m so grateful I’m going to give you my life story in 30 seconds,” Downey Jr, who last won a BAFTA in 1993 for “Chaplin,” said in his acceptance speech. “I share this with my fellow nominees; this has been an exceptional year.” “Oppenheimer” is the favourite to win the night’s top prize, the best film, and the best director for Christopher Nolan.

China expands influence in Afghanistan

While most of the world treats Afghanistan’s Taliban government as a pariah, China is growing diplomatic and economic links — and Kabul is happy for the attention.

Top-level meetings between officials, new mineral deals, and upgrading transport routes between the two countries are regularly championed by Taliban government officials. While Beijing has played down the formality of these growing links, it is steadily increasing investment and exposure — a relationship that could benefit both parties, analysts and diplomats say.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a challenging terrain, but the characteristic of the Chinese is to go where no one else goes, trying to gain advantages,” said Valerie Niquet, an analyst with the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.

“The Chinese are extending a hand to the Afghans, who need all possible assistance.” In September, China became the first country to appoint a new ambassador to Kabul, and the Taliban government’s envoy to Beijing and dozens of other diplomats presented his credentials to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“I believe that when the concerns of all parties will be more vigorously addressed, diplomatic recognition of the Afghan government will follow naturally,” said Wang Wenbin, China’s foreign ministry spokesman.
In January, China joined Russia in abstaining on a UN Security Council vote calling for the appointment of a special envoy to Afghanistan — something strongly opposed by the Taliban authorities. The international community’s expectations include allowing girls and women to be educated, letting them work, introducing a more inclusive government, and greater protection for minorities.

Bangladeshi Nobel winner convicted of violating labour laws

Bangladesh Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said several of his firms were “forcefully” taken over weeks after his conviction in a criminal case his supporters say was politically motivated.

Yunus, 83, is credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his pioneering microfinance bank but has earned the enmity of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has accused him of “sucking blood” from the poor.

He told a press conference that a group of “outsiders” had come to a building housing several of his companies, taking over offices and locking out staff.

“Some people came and took control forcefully,” he said, without giving further details on those involved.

“We’re in deep trouble. It’s a big disaster,” he added. “They are trying to run the companies according to their rules,” Yunus said. Police refused to register a criminal case regarding the apparent takeover. “They find no problems” with the occupation, he said.

Dozens of people who claimed they were supporters of the ruling Awami League stood at the gates of the building earlier, blocking entry to staff. “They did not allow us to enter the building,” Mainul Hasan, a general manager of one of the Yunus-chaired firms, said.

Yunus is facing more than 100 other charges over labour law violations and alleged graft.

The U.S. government has held back delivery of 31 MQ-9A Sea Guardian and Sky Guardian drones to India until New Delhi carries out a “meaningful investigation” into the conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Mr Pannun, who holds dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship, is a New York-based Khalistan activist accused by India of terrorism. The proposed $3 billion purchase includes 15 Sea Guardian drones for the Indian Navy, while the Indian Air Force and Army are supposed to get eight Sky Guardian drones each. Also held back by Washington are smaller Indian acquisitions, including a proposal to buy six Boeing P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft. These supplement 12 P-8I Poseidon aircraft that the Indian Navy already operates.

Ironically, the Indian Ministry of Defence’s internal approval for the now-stalled drone procurement came in June 2023, a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Washington. This was also the time when the conspiracy to kill Mr Pannun – allegedly set in motion by an Indian security official code-named CC1, according to a federal indictment made public last November – shifted to high gear.

In a joint statement on the Pannun plot last December, five US Congress members of Indian origin – who received a classified briefing from the Biden administration on the federal indictment – said that it is critical for India to “fully investigate [and] hold those responsible, including Indian government officials, accountable, and provide assurances that this will not happen again.”

Accolade for Adib Rizvi

The Urological Care Foundation of the American Urological Association has selected Professor Adib Rizvi of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) as the recipient of the prestigious ‘Humanitarian Recognition Award’ for the current year in recognition of his tremendous services in the world surgical sciences.

According to a press release issued by the Foundation, “The decades-long services of Prof Rizvi for the patients in the underserved areas of Pakistan have left an indelible impact on sustainable clinical care of a vast population of his country.”

Paying tributes to Prof Rizvi, it said his contribution to Pakistani society was nothing short of remarkable as he turned an eight-bed ward into South Asia’s most prominent public healthcare institution, which is based on the motto “free with dignity.” The SIUT has treated over 3.3 million patients in 2022. Prof Rizvi, who has earned numerous national and international awards, is invited to receive the award in San Antonio, Texas, in May this year.

Magazine contests Indian government order

The Caravan magazine, India’s leading platform for investigative journalism, has contested a government order to take down its story on alleged torture and death of civilians at the hands of the army in Jammu.

The article carried pictures of victims’ families showing stacks of currency notes they were reportedly given by the army as compensation.

The deaths of three Kashmir civilians – Mohammad Showkat, 22, Safeer Hussain, 45, and Shabir Ahmad, 32 —were detained by the army at the hilly Topa Pir village in Poonch district on Christmas Eve last year, a day after military vehicles were ambushed and four Indian army soldiers were killed near the village.

Simi Kamal appointed Chair of the Board of IWMI

Ms Simi Kamal, one of Pakistan’s leading geographers, has recently been appointed as Chair of the Board of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Kamal is the first woman to be appointed as the Chair of the Board since IWMI’s establishment in 1984. This is a huge honour for Pakistan and the women of the country.

With 40 years of experience in water, environment, food security, and related sectors, Simi Kamal is well-known globally and nationally in social development and women empowerment circles. Headquartered in Sri Lanka, IWMI is a globally renowned research-for-development organisation with offices in 15 countries. With its vision of achieving a water-secure world, IWMI has contributed to social and economic development through impactful research results. IWMI is also a research centre of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global research partnership for a food-secure future. The announcement from IWMI said that Kamal has been instrumental in guiding IWMI’s strategic direction and organizational growth as a member of IWMI’s board since 2018 and, moving forward, will provide leadership in the integration of IWMI with One CGIAR.

Kamal has also been recently appointed to the boards of two more well-known international organizations: the Board of Trustees of WaterAid UK and the Board of Directors of the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI), also headquartered in the UK.

US wants Pakistan to probe election irregularities

The United States said Pakistan should hold an independent investigation into the claims of election irregularities through its legal system.

The U.S. State Department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, responding to a question about the demand for an independent probe, stated, “I don’t know what body are they proposing to conduct an independent investigation would be.” He added, “Right now, it’s a matter of first course; the legal system plays itself out in Pakistan, that’s the appropriate first step to take, and we think that’s the step that should be taken.”

Miller mentioned that the United States was willing to explore other options, with some U.S. lawmakers urging the Biden administration not to recognize the results of the Feb 8 elections until the proposed probe is completed. “If additional steps ought to be entertained, we are happy to look into that,” Miller said. “Certainly, we want to see the freedom of assembly respected anywhere in the world.”

While congratulating the people of Pakistan for participating in the elections, Miller also congratulated Pakistani poll workers, civil society, journalists, and election observers for their work to protect and uphold democratic and electoral institutions.

Responding to a question about the U.S. reaction to rigging allegations, he said: “We did express concerns publicly; we also expressed those concerns privately and joined the EU, the UK, and other countries in doing so with some irregularities that we saw in the process.”