LAHORE: The Central Working Committee (CWC) of Pakistan’s ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Tuesday elected Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif as the party’s acting president. His brother, Nawaz Sharif, was declared “Leader for Life” through a new resolution.
Nawaz, who was removed from his position as prime minister in July over allegations of corruption, proposed his brother for the office of party president to a thunderous round of applause from CWC members.
The party’s chairman, Raja Zafarul Haq, then nominated the former prime minister as “Leader for Life,” saying, “Nawaz Sharif was, is and will remain the leader of PML-N.”
Prime Minister Shahid Khan Abbasi endorsed that sentiment.
“These are peoples’ decisions and the courts have no right to make such choices,” he said. “This is what our party wants.”
Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that a person disqualified from holding public office, as Nawaz was, could not lead a political party, hence Shabaz’s election as “acting president.”
Nawaz resigned as party president after his disqualification, but regained the position in October after the legislature approved the Electoral Reforms Bill, 2017. Section 203 of that bill states that any citizen, except for civil servants, can form a political party and become its office bearer.
That law was then challenged in the Supreme Court, which declared it null and void, and Nawaz had to quit his position once again.
Addressing the 109-member CWC, Nawaz strongly criticized the judiciary and reiterated his reservations about its recent decisions.
Referring to the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) issued by the former military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, he said: “It is the greatest crime when you (forsake) your country’s constitution and take an oath of allegiance to a military dictator. What is a bigger crime than that?”
Shahbaz Sharif, accepting his nomination, said that he would follow the party line and his brother’s work.
“I will move forward under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif,” he said.
Political pundits see Shahbaz’s presence in the office as a good omen for the party.
“He is non-confrontational and will be acceptable to the establishment,” said Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami.
Veteran journalist Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami agreed. “Shahbaz Sharif is different from his brother. He mostly focuses on development work and is likely to avoid confrontation,” he said.
“This nomination was made with the next general elections in mind,” said Salman Ghani, editor, Current Affairs at Dunya TV. “Shahbaz Sharif enjoys a good reputation and people like him since he carried out development work. He is also the most acceptable person in the party, and his leadership can ensure PML-N’s victory in the coming elections.”
The CWC will present its decision at the PML-N’s General Council meeting on March 6 in Islamabad. The council is likely to endorse the decision, confirming Shahbaz as the new party chief.
Shahbaz Sharif named president of PML-N, brother Nawaz becomes ‘Leader for Life’
Shahbaz Sharif named president of PML-N, brother Nawaz becomes ‘Leader for Life’
Pro-Palestinian activists say they damaged planes at UK military base
- Campaign group Palestine Action said that its activists had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and escaped undetected
The campaign group Palestine Action said that its activists had entered the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and escaped undetected.
“Flights depart daily from the base to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus,” the group said on X accompanied by video footage. “From Cyprus, British planes collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza.”
There was no immediate response from Britain’s Ministry of Defense.
Kremlin says Middle East is plunging into ‘abyss of instability and war’
- Asked on Friday if Russia had any red lines when it came to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that countries in the region should have their own red lines
ST PETERSBURG:The Kremlin said on Friday that the Middle East was plunging into “an abyss of instability and war” and that Moscow was worried by events and still stood ready to mediate if needed.
Russia, which has close ties with Iran, and also maintains close links to Israel, has urged the US not to strike Iran and has called for a diplomatic solution to the crisis around Tehran’s nuclear program to be found.
Asked on Friday if Russia had any red lines when it came to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that countries in the region should have their own red lines.
“The region is plunging into an abyss of instability and war,” Peskov said.
Moscow sees that Israel wants to continue its military action against Iran for now, but Russia has lines of communication open with Israel and the US, Peskov added.
Russian strikes on Odesa kill one, wound at least 13
ODESA: One person was killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in Russia’s latest aerial attack on Ukraine, which targeted the southern port city of Odesa, officials said on Friday.
Emergency services published images of firefighters helping a woman in pyjamas climb from the window of a housing block in flames.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have stepped up their drone and missile attacks after three years of war and peace talks initiated by the United States appear closer to collapse.
Ukrainian police said one person was killed and 13 were wounded in Odesa, including three rescue workers who were hurt at the scene of the attack.
“Residential buildings, higher education institutions, civilian infrastructure and transport were damaged by the strike,” said Oleg Kiper, the governor of the Black Sea region.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 86 drones in the barrage and that 70 had been downed by air defense systems.
The Russian defense ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had eliminated at least 61 Ukrainian drones.
Odesa, one of Ukraine’s largest port cities and a UNESCO heritage site, has been under persistent Russian attacks since Moscow invaded its neighbor early in 2022.
In Uganda, a tougher bicycle offers hope for better health coverage in rural areas
- World Bicycle Relief, a Chicago based nonprofit, promotes the Buffalo Bicycle in remote parts of Africa
- It collaborates with governments, NGOs and others who use the bikes to improve access to health services
LIRA: The bicycle parked in Lucy Abalo’s compound doesn’t belong to her. Any one of the hundreds of people in her village can show up and ask to use it.
A man might wish to take his pregnant wife for a checkup. A woman might need transport to pick up HIV medication. An injured child might need a trip to a hospital.
“The goodness about this bike,” Abalo said, is its availability to all.
She is one of dozens of “village doctors” in rural Uganda who recently were supplied with the Buffalo Bicycle, so called because its steel parts are reinforced to perform in areas with bad roads.
World Bicycle Relief, a Chicago-based nonprofit, promotes the Buffalo Bicycle in remote parts of Africa. It collaborates with governments, non-governmental groups and others who use the bikes to improve access to health services.
In Uganda, an east African country of 45 million people, efforts to market the bicycle have focused on supporting health workers like Abalo, who visits people’s homes and reports any issues to authorities.
As a community health extension worker, or CHEW, she has gained the trust of villagers, who can knock on her door in emergency situations. She said she helps to look after about 8,000 people in the area.
And at least twice a week, she is required to report to a government-run health center about 5 kilometers (3 miles) away and assist with triaging patients.
Ugandan health authorities acknowledge that one challenge for CHEWs is transportation, part of a larger burden of poverty that can leave health facilities lacking ambulances or even gas to move them.
World Bicycle Relief, operating locally as Buffalo Bicycles Uganda, has collaborated with Ugandan health authorities since 2023 to equip 331 CHEWs in two of the country’s 146 districts. One is Lira, 442 kilometers (274 miles) north of the capital, Kampala.
Bicycles have long been ubiquitous, and many families tend to have one. Cultural norms in northern Uganda don’t prohibit women from riding. While the roads in Lira town are paved, dirt paths lead into the heart of the district where farming is the main economic activity.
The Buffalo Bicycle is a recent arrival. Many have never heard of it, or can’t afford it. Retailing for roughly $200, it is three times more expensive than the cheapest regular bicycle — otherwise out of reach for many CHEWs, who do not yet earn a salary.
The bike’s promoters cite its durability in rough terrain, needing fewer trips to the mechanic as a way to save money.
The Buffalo Bicycle’s heavy-gauge steel frame is so strong that it comes with a five-year warranty, said Amuza Ali, a monitoring officer in Lira for Buffalo Bicycles Uganda.
Abalo and others told the AP the Buffalo Bicycle felt uncomfortable to use in the beginning, with a braking system that doesn’t permit carefree backpedaling.
“When I climbed on it, it wasn’t that easy as I thought,” Abalo said. “I was like, ‘I am trying again to learn how to ride.’”
CHEWs using the bicycles reported a 108 percent increase in households reached each week, and the time to reach health facilities dropped by nearly half, according to a study published in May by World Bicycle Relief.
The study shows that “mobility is not a luxury in health care” but a lifeline, CEO Dave Neiswander said in a statement released for the report.
Diana Atwine, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, has urged the distribution of bicycles to more CHEWs across Uganda, saying front-line health workers save an unknown number of lives each year.
Abalo received her Buffalo Bicycle from the health minister last year.
One of her neighbors, Babra Akello, said she has used the bicycle at least six times already. The first was for transport to an antenatal checkup. She praised Abalo’s willingness to help.
The bike has also been used for emergencies. One evening earlier this year, a neighbor’s 4-year-old child suffered a deep cut while playing in the dirt. With the child’s parents away, Abalo transported the bleeding boy to a facility where he briefly lost consciousness before being revived.
“That bike, not me, saved the life of that child,” Abalo said. “If that bike hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”
All of BTS has returned as Suga is discharged from an alternative form of military service
- The label has confirmed that Suga completed his alternative service duties on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave
- The seven singers of the popular K-pop band plan to reunite as a group sometime in 2025 now that they’ve finished their service
SEOUL: Suga, a rapper and songwriter in the global K-pop sensation BTS, has been discharged from South Korea’s mandatory military service, marking the official return of all seven members from their enlistment duties.
The label confirmed that Suga completed his alternative service duties on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave. His official discharge date is Saturday.
BTS’ management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, had said earlier that no events were planned for Suga’s release out of concern for overcrowding.
It is a momentous occasion for fans of the K-pop group BTS. The seven singers of the popular K-pop band plan to reunite as a group sometime in 2025 now that they’ve finished their service.
Last week, BTS superstars RM and V were discharged from South Korea’s military after fulfilling their mandatory service. Jimin and Jung Kook were discharged a day later. All four were enlisted in December 2023.
Six of the group’s seven members served in the army, while Suga fulfilled his duty as a social service agent, an alternative form of military service.
Jin, the oldest BTS member, was discharged in June 2024. J-Hope was discharged in October.
In South Korea, all able-bodied men aged 18 to 28 are required by law to perform 18-21 months of military service under a conscription system meant to deter aggression from rival North Korea.
The law gives special exemptions to athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions and are assessed to have enhanced national prestige. K-pop stars and other entertainers aren’t subject to such privileges.
However, in 2020, BTS postponed their service until age 30 after South Korea’s National Assembly revised its Military Service Act, allowing K-pop stars to delay their enlistment until age 30.
There was heated public debate in 2022 over whether to offer special exemptions of mandatory military service for BTS members, until the group’s management agency announced in October 2022 that all seven members would fulfill their duties.
