ISLAMABAD, 27 September 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in London on a three-day official visit to the United Kingdom.

Upon arrival at the Heathrow Airport, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK Moazzam Ahmad Khan and Deputy High Commissioner Dr Faisal Aziz and other senior officials of the High Commission welcomed the foreign minister.

The FO statement read "besides interacting with members of the Pakistani community and British Parliamentarians, the Foreign Minister will have broad-based discussions with his British counterpart Liz Truss at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office."

The FO statement further termed Pakistan and the UK as close friends and long-standing partners.

The communique concluded "earlier this month, former Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had visited Pakistan to hold consultations on bilateral relations and regional matters. The visit by the Foreign Minister will take forward the process of close consultation and collaboration between the two sides."

On September 3, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the United Kingdom said that the two countries “shared interest” in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

The statement came during the maiden visit by British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to Islamabad where he held formal talks with his Pakistani counterpart.

DHAKA, 27 September 2021, (TON): Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached Washington, DC from New York after wrapping up her weeklong official visit to attend the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters and high voltage side events.

Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told media "a VVIP chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage members landed in Washington, DC from New York."

He said” the flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines had departed John F Kennedy International Airport, New York for Washington, DC.”

Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ambassador Rabab Fatima saw the prime minister off at JFK International Airport, while Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA M Shahidul Islam received Sheikh Hasina at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC.

Earlier, the prime minister reached New York on September 19 after a two-day stopover in Helsinki, the Finnish capital.

During her stay in New York, Sheikh Hasina addressed the general debate of the 76th session of the UNGA.

The prime minister is expected to return home on October 1.

DHAKA, 27 September 2021, (TON): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD 250 million loan to Bangladesh for economic recovery in the country. This is the first installment of the USD 500 million Sustainable Economic Recovery Programme for Bangladesh.

The Sustainable Economic Recovery Programme aims to generate employment and expand economic activities for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The loan will support the government’s planned investment in education, health, social protection and infrastructure to help stimulate economic activities and recovery. It is also aligned with Bangladesh’s aspiration to become an upper middle-income country by 2031.

ADB Principal Financial Management Specialist Srinivasan Janardanam said that the programme is expected to increase the efficiency in public investment management and create a favourable environment for access to credit, particularly for the poor and vulnerable.

KUWAIT CITY, 26 September 2021, (TON): The prime minister of Kuwait has called on Iran to take serious steps to build trust and start a serious dialogue in the Gulf region based on respect for the sovereignty of neighboring nations and non-interference.

He said “nations in the region must seek to protect maritime commerce and the free movement of goods and ships in the Arabian Gulf.”

Speaking during the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said such steps will contribute to reducing tension in the region and building ties between the Gulf nations based on cooperation and mutual respect.

He said “such measures will reflect the desire of the people of the region to live in a safe, secure and prosperous condition.”

Alluding to the current tussle between Iran and the international community over its nuclear program, Al-Sabah said that the weakness of the anti-nuclear proliferation regime represented a “existential threat to the region.”

ISLAMABAD, 26 September 2021, (TON): According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) “Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and stressed "urgent action" to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan.”

The statement said "Qureshi underscored the need for urgent action to address the prevailing dire humanitarian situation in [the] country, calling for the continued political and economic engagement of the international community to end [the] decades-long conflict.”

It added that the foreign minister also highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to address the humanitarian situation and those aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the neighbouring country.

Moreover, the statement said that Qureshi briefed Guterres on the "deteriorating human rights" situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and shared with him a "comprehensive dossier containing evidence of gross, systematic, and widespread human rights violations, war crimes, crime against humanity and genocide being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces" in the valley.

Qureshi also expressed hope that the UN would play its role in ensuring that the people of occupied Kashmir were able to "exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN resolutions".

According to the statement, the minister called for making the UN Security Council (UNSC) "more representative, democratic, transparent, effective and accountable to address the multiple challenges" faced by the world.

WASHINGTON, 26 September 2021, (TON): A Texas border encampment where about 15,000 migrants had set up makeshift shelters has been cleared, as authorities continued a controversial policy of expelling asylum seekers from the United States.

Workers finished removing the last debris of impromptu shelters and tents in Del Rio, Texas, as state troopers lined the banks of the Rio Grande, on the border with Mexico, to discourage new crossings.

US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said “there are no longer any migrants in the camp underneath the Del Rio International Bridge”.

Nearly 30,000 migrants, many of them from Haiti, had been camping underneath Del Rio International Bridge in the past two weeks.

According to Mayorkas, more than 12,000 migrants will have a chance to make their case for protection before US immigration judges, an estimated 8,000 voluntarily returned to Mexico, and 2,000 had been expelled.

More could be expelled in the coming days under pandemic powers that deny people the chance to seek asylum. A US official with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press news agency six flights were scheduled to Haiti on Friday, with seven planned on Saturday and six on Sunday, though that was subject to change.

SANAA, 26 September 2021, (TON): Military and medical sources told media “more than 140 rebels and pro-government troops have been killed this week as fighting intensifies for Yemen’s strategic northern city of Marib.”

Multiple military sources said “at least 51 loyalists were killed in the past four days, most of them in clashes in the province of Shabwa and the neighboring governorate of Marib.”

They added that at least 93 Iran-backed Houthi rebels also died in the fighting and from airstrikes by the military coalition backing the government.

The Houthis rarely report casualty numbers, but figures were confirmed by medical sources.

The Houthis in February escalated their efforts to seize Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold, and the fighting has killed hundreds on both sides.

According to the military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the Houthis have made advances and seized four districts, one in Marib and three in Shabwa.

Yemen’s conflict flared in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, prompting intervention to prop up the internationally recognized government the following year.

KABUL, 26 September 2021, (TON): Hundreds of residents in capital Kabul rallied asking the US and other international community members to released Afghanistan’s frozen funds.

The rally was held in downtown Kabul headed by the Najam Foundation. Participants chanted ‘death to America slogan’, ‘Nation’s rights, Nation’s voice.’

Najm Foundation Head Abdul Wahid Hemmat said “the rally was held to convey the voices of the people of Afghanistan to the world.

He said $3billioin in the total frozen assets belonged to Afghan business community, adding if these funds are not released it would have economic consequences for the country.

“We call on the entire world US and Russia to refrain from enmity with the people of Afghanistan. This is a Muslim nation and would never compromise on its creed and values. Besides seeking apology from Afghans for decades atrocities, the international community adopted aggressive posture and frozen Afghanistan’s assets.”

KABUL, 26 September 2021, (TON): Kabul residents praised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) for their control of law and order, but concerns over job prospects and economic issues remain prevalent.

Market porter Mohammad said “law and order is better under this government than under the previous government, that useless government, but they must work towards getting jobs for the people. They should pay attention to the economy, the unemployment situation.”

The IEA has asked to address world leaders at the United Nations in New York this week and nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador.

Eventual UN acceptance of the ambassador of the IEA would be an important step in the new government’s bid for international recognition, which could help unlock badly needed funds for the cash-strapped Afghan economy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the IEA’s desire for international recognition is the only leverage other countries have to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD, 26 September 2021, (TON): According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) “Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York and stressed "urgent action" to address the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan.”

The statement said "Qureshi underscored the need for urgent action to address the prevailing dire humanitarian situation in [the] country, calling for the continued political and economic engagement of the international community to end [the] decades-long conflict.”

It added that the foreign minister also highlighted Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to address the humanitarian situation and those aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the neighbouring country.

Moreover, the statement said, Qureshi briefed Guterres on the "deteriorating human rights" situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and shared with him a "comprehensive dossier containing evidence of gross, systematic, and widespread human rights violations, war crimes, crime against humanity and genocide being perpetrated by Indian occupation forces" in the valley.

Qureshi also expressed hope that the UN would play its role in ensuring that the people of occupied Kashmir were able to "exercise their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN resolutions".

According to the statement, the minister called for making the UN Security Council (UNSC) "more representative, democratic, transparent, effective and accountable to address the multiple challenges" faced by the world.

He emphasised that reforms must be decided by consensus and member states must be allowed the necessary time and space to evolve a solution acceptable to the entire UN membership, the statement said.