NEW DELHI, 28 March 2020, TON: In an alarming disclosure, the Indian Government has said that over 15 lakh passengers who returned from abroad during the last two months may have skipped the monitoring system put in place for coronavirus (COVID-19) surveillance.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has revealed that in the last two month, more than 15 lakh international travelers came to India but there appears to be a gap in their actual monitoring.

In his letter to Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories, Rajiv Gauba said such a gap in monitoring of international passengers for coronavirus may seriously jeopardise the efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, given that many amongst the persons who have tested positive so far in India have history of international travel.

The Indian Government had started monitoring of all international passengers who have arrived in India in last two months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and put under close surveillance to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

WASHINGTON, 28 March 2020, IANS: Overwhelmed by the rapid rise in the number of coronavirus infected people, the US government has decided to use its navy ships as hospitals and move non-Covid-19 patients from most-affected cities to the sea. The US on Thursday surpassed China, where the novel coronavirus had originated four months ago, with the highest number of coronavirus infected people. Over 85,000 people have tested positive for the deadly virus and more than 1,300 have died of the disease in the US so far. New York has become the epicenter of the pandemic in the US with over 38,000 cases diagnosed as on Friday. On the West Coast, California has got the largest number of cases with over 4,000 infected people.

Sources said that since New York hospitals are unable to cope with the growing number of coronavirus positive cases, even as hotels are being used for non-corona patients, the government has decided to move some of the non-Covid-19 patients to navy ships. As the outbreak is spreading fast in New York, many people have been fleeing the city, sources said. 

WASHINGTON, 28 March 2020, IANS: The World Bank Group President David Malpass said hat the multilateral lender was finalizing a package that could provide as much as $160 billion in financial support for the worst-hit countries by the coronavirus pandemic.

“The goals are to shorten the time to recovery; create conditions for growth; support small and medium enterprises; and help protect the poor and vulnerable,” Malpass told a conference call of the Extraordinary Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit on Thursday.

Noting that the World Bank has approved a $14 billion package focused on the immediate health and social consequences of the outbreak, Malpass said “we’re now finalizing an additional package that will focus on the broader economic consequences”, reports Xinhua news agency.

The World Bank President further said that on Wednesday, he presented a program to the Board that could provide as much as $160 billion in financial support over the next 15 months.

“I’m particularly concerned about poor, densely populated countries such as India, where weak health systems need massively scalable investments in human capital, supplies and infrastructure,” Malpass said. “We are working hard to provide support through our public and private sector tools,” he said.

Malpass noted the World Bank has new COVID-related projects underway in 56 countries, encouraging other multilateral development banks to co-finance follow-up tranches. The World Bank is restructuring existing projects in 24 countries in order to direct funds to the health emergency.

NEW DELHI, 28 March 2020, TON:  In a bid to fight against coronavirus, the Indian Railways has decided to convert non-AC coaches into isolation ward to treat coronavirus COVID-19 patients. The Railways authorities has approved the plan and decided to allow producing more such coaches for the patients.
The Northern Railways has converted one such coach into an isolation ward. Once the prototype is approved by the Railway Ministry, the decision producing more such coaches can be planned, said a railway official.

YUMGAN, 28 March 2020; TON:  Taliban have retaken the control of a district headquarters in Yumgan, Afghanistan's northeastern province of Badakhshan. In another Taliban refused to withdraw or negotiate handing over the headquarters to Afghan government.

Heavy fighting between Taliban and the Afghan troops, resulted in number of casualties and finally takeover.

Yumgan and Jurm districts of Badakhshan Province which are presently with Taliban were controlled by Taliban since decades but last year taken over by the Afghan Government forces. In case Taliban retains Yumgan, there are high chances that the areas in between Yumgan and Taliban controlled Kuran wan Munjan will also be taken over by the Taliban.

GUINEA , 28 March 2020, TON: Guinea has voted to bring change its constitution, according to provisional results from a referendum that was announced on Friday. West African country’s could see the president remain in power for two more terms.

According to the head of Guinea’s electoral commission, Amadou Salifou Kebe, nearly 92% of voters on 22 March supported the change and the turnout was 61%.

The proposal would keep a two-term limit on presidencies, but increase the length of each term from five years to six. President Alpha Conde, whose second and final term ends in December, has would be able to remain in office for another 12 years.

A coalition of opposition and civil society groups, the National Front for the Defense of the Constitution, demonstrated against the proposal and boycotted the referendum. Violence during voting killed 4 people.

Pakistan has congratulated President Alpha Conde and people of Guinea on constitutional changes and continuity in the leadership.

Government of Pakistan has ordered suspension of all congregational prayers including Jumma (Friday prayers) in all mosques till further order. To this effect, the Government including Armed Forces issued has enforced compliance. In some institution written orders said, “With immediate effect Congregational and Jumma prayers have been suspended and all mosques will remain closed till further orders”. The closure of Mosques has been ordered including the grand Shah Faysal Mosque in federal capital Islamabad. On 27 March like many other mosques Shah Faysal Mosque remained closed for general public for Friday prayer. In local mosques authorities prevented Muslims from offering Jumma prayers in the mosques and asked them to pray at their homes.

            If we recall, the Islamic Ideological Council on 17 March 2020, called for keeping the Friday prayers short by reciting a brief Khutba and urged the elderly and children not to visit mosques. As per the details, a meeting of academics chaired by Maulana Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi was held on 17 March 2020, in which a joint Fatwa on the Coronavirus was issued, saying that everyone is at risk for coronavirus, must follow Islamic law of the deadly virus, “All political and religious meetings should be postponed immediately, the congregation meetings should be reduced to Arabic sermons (Khutba), and the distance between the ranks of the mosques should be reduced. Prayers should be arranged in the mosques and the floor or Chatties of the mosques should be cleaned with soap before each prayers and that Al-Qa’im-ul-Akhram-ul-Allah should be called to promoting the Corona virus”. According to the fatwa, patients, elderly persons should pray at home instead of mosques”.

The Media and Government sources claim that the Supreme Ulema Council (SUC) of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University has issued a special Fatwa on the request of Pakistani leadership, banning all congregational prayers at mosques to stem the spread of coronavirus outbreak. The western media reported that in Pakistan, people partially followed a ban on Friday prayers across the country, as people in remote areas did not heed to the call for staying away from typical Friday congregations. Accordingly, in major cities attendance at mosques was much lesser than regular times, according to local media.

It is interesting to note that despite UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson address to the nation on 23 March asking, “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households. ” In his address, he said people will only be allowed to leave their home for very limited purposes including shopping, one form of exercise a day e.g. a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household, medical need and travelling to and from work.  It would be interesting to note that with the exception of few odd all Churches in United Kingdom will remain open on Sunday 29 March.

In Bangladesh, a Muslim country with over 165 million people, there was no official ban for Friday prayers. The highest religious body, the Islamic Foundation, did not interfere but call on people not to attend the congregational prayers in areas with a high risk of COVID-19. All mosques in Bangladesh remained open rather attendance of during congregational prayers has increased. In African countries including Nigeria and Sudan people continued their prayers as usual with zeal and enthusiasm. In Maldives too Muslims were stanch believers that Almighty Allah would help them out of the crisis. In USA discarded to suspend services due to financial issues. However, people like  Sydney’s Catholic archbishop, Anthony Fisher, said masses would continue across Sydney, however they would be limited to no more than 100 people, in accordance with the government’s new ban on gatherings.

The Coronavirus is reality but not so serious as being projected on our digital screens or on media. Not even fraction will ever be infected whatever the case may be. The statistics reflected that anywhere around the world even less than one percent dies who were pronounced COVID-19 positive. The scene and the events are dramatized purposely and fake videos like Italian soldiers burning mass dead bodies of those  affected by coronavirus are, in fact, test our belief. It has become a fashion for world leaders to claim Coronavirus (COVID-19) positive to ensure people remains afraid of Virus rather the Almighty God, the Allah.  

A number of synagogues, churches, mosques and temples have already shifted to online platforms for online sermons and prayers. They call it “spiritual Communion”. They intend to close all physical places of worship and satisfy religious obligations watching them on television or computer screens or on their Smartphones. One wonders countries are successfully going digital in all walks of their lives within days and weeks. Those who have planned it do not want to miss the golden opportunity to completely defeat our beliefs as Davidians, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Who else can save us but the Almighty God, it is high time to awake our conscience and neither let viruses like Coronavirus to be successful by taking all precautions nor allow our Divine Faith to be shaken.

PULWAMA, 27 March 2020, TON: In a joint operation carried out by Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu & Kashmir Police on morning 27 March, suspected militants were targeted in Indian occupied south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. Two villagers were killed in the operation but it was later claimed that they had links with the militants. When SSP Pulwama, Ashish Mishra was approached he declined that the villagers were killed in a fake encounter.

According to military sources, militants first fired upon the patrolling party and in retaliation personnel opened fire. After brief exchange of the fire the militants escaped from the spot without any damage to either side. However, later two militants were killed in the encounter. The villagers, however, refuted that any such exchange of fire had taken place and claimed the Indian security forces nabbed the two villagers from their houses and later killed in forest area.

UNITED NATIONS, 27 March 2020, TON: Ahead of the biennial review of the UN’s Global Counter Terrorism Strategy (GCTS), Muslim countries are set to introduce a series of proposals to upgrade the document so that it also focuses on the new and emerging terrorism threats from far-right terrorist and anti-Muslim supremacist groups in South Asia and Europe.

The strategy, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006, calls for international cooperation to combat all forms of the terrorism, but its counter terrorism normative has remained limited to addressing the threats posed by Al-Qaida, Daesh and their affiliates. The UN reviews this strategy every two years and its next review in the coming weeks will be the seventh. Pakistan’s new proposals for the strategy’s review were negotiated in New York amongst the Organization of Islamic Cooperation members States that led to the adoption of an OIC paper.

Diplomats from OIC countries called the proposals ‘significant and forward-looking’ has OIC’s solid support to build on its initiatives. In this regard, the OIC called on the member states that while the current UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Sanctions regimes should be reviewed and overhauled to ensure that targeted sanctions against individuals and entities should meet the objectives of the sanctions regimes and are used effectively in line with human rights standards and due process of law, it also upholds the central role of the concerned member state whose individuals/entities are being designated and the state which affected by the listed individuals/entities.

As regards Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the OIC adopted a number of proposals, calling on member states that the GCTS review resolution should strongly oppose any attempt to equate the legitimate struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination and foreign occupation for self-determination guaranteed through UN resolutions with terrorism.

On the current oppressive measures enacted by India in Kashmir, the OIC paper reminds member states those laws and measures in counter terrorism domain including mass incarcerations, communication blackouts, curfews to suppress freedom of speech and expression, especially if directed against a specific group, may adversely affect global efforts to combat terrorism. The document calls for expansion of Security Council terrorism Sanctions List to include anti-Muslim supremacist groups including Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

BEIJING, 27 March 2020, TON:  China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has announced it it will soon send medical team to help Pakistan fight against the novel coronavirus.

Zeng Yixin, Vice Minister of China’s National Health Commission said, the Chinese authorities was quick enough to share the COVID-19 related knowledge, prevention and control plan, and diagnosis and treatment plan with Pakistan soon after the virus outbreak in Pakistan. The Chinese side shared this experience regarding prevention, controlling, diagnosing and treating COVID-19 and other issues with Pakistan via video conference.

Deng Boqing, Vice-chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, said that China would share every aspect and updates about prevention and control experience with Pakistan in response to the COVID-19 challenge.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan, China had provided Pakistan four batches of medical supplies, including detection reagents, medical protective gowns, N95 face masks, surgical face masks and breathing machines.

Earlier, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had donated a batch of medical supplies to Pakistan, which was offloaded on 20 March. Besides Chinese government, Chinese companies and general masses had also been proactively helping Pakistan fight against the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the first batch of relief materials donated by China’s Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation had arrived at Karachi. The two Foundations would send the second and third batches of relief materials to Pakistan within a week.