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.

SRINAGAR, 27 March 2020, TON: A 65-year old from Hyderpora, Srinagar passed away Thursday at Chest Diseases Hospital here. The doctors claim that he was tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and marks the first casualty to the outbreak of coronavirus in India occupied Jammu & Kashmir State. However, family members claims that he had acute chest infection and not COVID-19.

Principal Secretary to Jammu & Kashmir State Government Rohit Kansal announced the death on Thursday through a tweet, “Sad News: First death due to Coronavirus – 65 year old male from Hyderpora Srinagar.”

The man, who had been admitted to hospital on Saturday had been critical with bilateral pneumonia. His condition, a doctor at the hospital said, deteriorated on Wednesday and he breathed his last around 8 am. The body, he said, was handed over to the family in afternoon, as per the protocol for COVID-19 casualties.

Dr S Saleem Khan, nodal officer for COVID-19 at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar said the deceased man had co-morbidities and had been “very sick”. “He had hypertension as well as diabetes and did not improve with treatment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir government initiated an inquiry into the alleged mishandling of this patient at SKIMS Medical College Hospital where the patient had sought treatment on 21 March, a day before he was admitted at Chest Diseases Hospital.

An order issued by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, PK Pole, has sought explanation from Medical Superintendent SKIMS Medical College Hospital (JVC) and Head of the department of Chest Medicine. The order has asked them to explain why the patient was “given ample time to spread the virus by intermingling with relatives and public”. The patient, as per the document, had been listed as COVID-19 suspect and the same was not brought into the notice of the administration. “He left the hospital without getting admitted,” reads the order.

Media is filled with various types of news but coronavirus is one of the most destructive news that concerns everyone. Like others country, Bangladesh has been affected by this virus. coronavirus has proved to be most terrible virus of the world. Now we will analyze on ground reality of spread of coronavirus from the perspective of Bangladesh.

On 8 March 2020, in a press conference Director Prof. Meerjady Sabrina Flora of the Bangladesh announced the first coronavirus cases in the country after three people were tested positive for COVID-19 on 7 March 2020. They were two male and a female patients, aged between 20 and 35 years. Two of these patients had returned from Italy.

On 16 March, the Director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research announced that additional three cases of COVID-19 patients had been detected in Bangladesh including two children. On 17 March, two more patients were affected with coronavirus, one of them an expatriate Bangladeshi. Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus death on 18 March. The patient was 70 years old and had long medical history. On the same day, three infected patients recovered from COVID-19. There were three new coronavirus cases confirmed on 19 March. They were all family members and one of the members had returned from Italy. Among them, the two men were 32 and 65 years old whereas the woman was 22 years.

The cases are increasing day by day. On 20 March, a female and two males were confirmed coronavirus positive. One of them was Bangladeshi who returned from Italy and another patient was in the ICU who is 70 years old. On 22 March, three new cases were defected. Among them, two patients were returnees from abroad and one other person got infected due to them. In the meanwhile, two previous patients recovered. There were confirmed six new cases on 23 March; three males and three females including a doctor and two nurses while a new death was reported. On 24 March, again six patients got infected with coronavirus. One of them is old patient who is 70 years old also died from COVID-19. After that day, in last 24 hours, no one got affected with coronavirus, however, a COVID-19 patient died. According to WHO and others health institutions, Bangladesh need to take care of its people. We have to wash our hands again and again. We should have use mask on face. Today, on 26 March, IEDCR confirmed five new cases of coronavirus. And now, total COVID-19 patients now stood 44.  

In the preparation stage of the crisis, Bangladesh responded slow but now the Government, different non-state actors and local volunteer groups are working together to manage the situation and secure the psychological and emotional hygiene of Bangladeshi people. Government is also trying hard to control the socio-economic loses of the country as almost 12 lakh people engaged in garments industry have to face unemployment and overall economy has to face a faced recession. Bangladesh is also trying its best to create awareness to make people understand not to be afraid but to be sincere to their health. Stay Safe - Keep safe.

UNITED NATIONS, 25 March 2020 (APP):The United Nations on Wednesday launched a $2 billion plan to fight coronavirus in the world’s poorest countries countries, saying nobody was safe if such nations were left exposed.
“This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said while unveiling the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19.
The virus – which began in China and spread fast through Europe – is now penetrating Africa, Asia and Latin America, hitting countries that already face humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
Nations reeling from conflict, poverty and deficient health care will be unable to contain the coronavirus without significant international assistance, the UN chief said.
COVID-19 has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide and there are nearly 400,000 reported cases. It has a foothold across the globe and is now reaching countries that were already facing humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
The response plan will be implemented by UN agencies, with international NGOs and NGO consortia playing a direct role in the response.
The plan will:
— deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and medical supplies to treat people;
— install handwashing stations in camps and settlements;
— launch public information campaigns on how to protect yourself and others from the virus; and
— establish airbridges and hubs across Africa, Asia and Latin America to move humanitarian workers and supplies to where they are needed most.
In his remarks, Secretary-General Guterres said, : COVID-19 is menacing the whole of humanity – and so the whole of humanity must fight back. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.
“We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves. This is a matter of basic human solidarity. It is also crucial for combating the virus. This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable.”
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said, “COVID-19 has already upended life in some of the world’s wealthiest countries. It is now reaching places where people live in warzones, cannot easily access clean water and soap, and have no hope of a hospital bed if they fall critically ill.
“To leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries to their fate would be both cruel and unwise. If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe,” he said.
“Countries battling the pandemic at home are rightly prioritizing people living in their own communities. But the hard truth is they will be failing to protect their own people if they do not act now to help the poorest countries protect themselves.
“Our priority is to help these countries prepare and continue helping the millions who rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN to survive. Properly funded, our global response effort will equip humanitarian organizations with the tools to fight the virus, save lives, and help contain the spread of COVID-19 worldwide,” Lowcock added.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The virus is now spreading in countries with weak health systems, including some which are already facing humanitarian crises. These countries need our support – out of solidarity but also to protect us all and help suppress this pandemic.
“At the same time,”, he said, “we must not fight the pandemic at the expense of the other humanitarian health emergencies.”
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said, “Children are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and school closures are affecting their education, mental health and access to basic health services.
“The risks of exploitation and abuse are higher than ever, for boys and girls alike. For children on the move or living through conflicts, the consequences will be unlike any we have ever seen. We must not let them down.”
At the virtual launch of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, the UN Secretary-General was joined via video link by Lowcock, Dr Tedros and Ms. Fore.
Together they called on UN Member States to commit to stemming the impact of COVID-19 in vulnerable countries and containing the virus globally by giving the strongest possible support to the plan, while also sustaining core support to existing humanitarian appeals that help the more than 100 million people who already rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN just to survive.
Member States were warned that any diversion of funding from existing humanitarian operations would create an environment in which cholera, measles and meningitis can thrive, in which even more children become malnourished, and in which extremists can take control – an environment that would be the perfect breeding ground for the coronavirus.
To kick-start the response plan, Lowcock, the UN humanitarian chief, released an additional $60 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This brings CERF’s support to humanitarian action in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic to $75 million. In addition, country-based pooled funds have allocated more than $3 million so far.
This new CERF allocation – one of the largest ever made – will support: WFP to ensure the continuity of supply chains and transport of aid workers and relief goods; WHO to contain the spread of the pandemic; and other agencies to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to those most affected by the pandemic, including women and girls, refugees and internally displaced people. Support will include efforts around food security, physical and mental health, water and sanitation, nutrition and protection.

ISLAMABAD, 25 March 2020, TON: In an important development, Ulema from Rawalpindi and Lahore are not ready to accept that Ulemah from Egypt have issued any Fatwa regarding cancellation of Friday prayers and other congregational prayers at Mosques.  They said, “it is misleading statement, being attributed to have said by President Alvi that Islamic countries Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt have already suspended congregational prayers.”
It is important to mention here that Surat-e-Jumma Ayat No 9 and 10 orders. “O people who believe! When there is call for prayes (Azzan) on the day of Jumma  (Friday), then proceed to the remembrance of Almighty Allah and close trading. That is better for you, if you only knew. And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah, and remember Allah in abundance so that you may succeed. It is added that the Preamble and Article 2A of the Constitution of Pakistan provides, “Wherein the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and Sunnah.”

As reported by APP President Dr Arif Alvi of Islamic Republic of Pakistan requested Al-Azhar Egypt, an authority on Islamic injunctions, permitting suspension of Friday prayers to control the spread of deadly coronavirus in the country. It has been claimed that Al-Azhar has issued a Fatwa on the request of President Alvi permitting suspension of Friday prayers.

Pakistani President said in a tweet on Wednesday, “I am thankful to Grand Imam Shaikh of Al Azhar and Supreme Council for responding to my personal request to provide guidance to us with regard to Farz Jamaat & Juma prayers in mosques during coronavirus attack.”
The president urged the Ulema in the country for urgent action on the Fatwa of Egypt’s Al-Azhar institution that termed it purely Islamic to cancel Friday prayers over coronavirus concerns.
The Fatwa stressed that public gatherings, including congregational prayers at mosques, could result in spread of coronavirus and the governments of Muslim countries had full jurisdiction to cancel such events. It also emphasized amending Azaan (call to prayer) with words ‘Salaat Fi Buyut-e-Kum’, meaning ‘pray in your homes’ instead of the usual ‘come to prayer. 

KABUL: 26 people died and 8 wounded on Wednesday, 25 March 2020, as a Sikh as unidentified militant carried out early morning bomb attack at religious complex in the Afghan capital of Kabul, witness at the site of bombing said. Afghan government claims that all the attackers were killed by the Afghan security forces. 

Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said 25 people who had been in the religious compound had been killed, eight wounded and 80 rescued while all of the attackers have been killed. A Taliban spokesman, in a message on Twitter, denied responsibility for the attack. Otherwise, Taliban and Sikhs enjoy cordial relations. 

Narender Singh Khalsa, a member of parliament who represents the Sikh community said “Three suicide bombers entered a Dharamsala and started their attack at a time when the Dharamsala jam-packed.”  Sikhs are a small religious minority in Afghanistan with numbers fewer than 300 families.

Pakistan Foreign Office strongly condemned the ‘heinous terrorist attack’ on Gurdwara, “Such despicable attacks have no political, religious or moral justification and must be rejected outright,” Official statement issued by Islamabad said, “Our hearts go out to the families who have lost their loved ones in this inhuman act and we pray for the swiftest recovery of the injured. We also express our abiding solidarity with the fraternal people of Afghanistan.”

If we recall, New Delhi was aggrieved over the Sikh’s protests in foreign countries and campaign against the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Amendment in Citizen Act. One of the Sikh woman who lost her husband blamed Indian Embassy at Kabul.