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Fresh protest in Bangladesh over Indian politician’s remarks against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

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  • Around 10,000 Muslims demonstrated in Bangladeshi capital.
  • Bangladeshi protesters shout slogans “Muslims of the world unite”.
  • Senior police official says marchers were peaceful. 

DHAKA: Around 10,000 Muslims demonstrated in the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday in the second protest in a week over remarks about the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by an Indian official that sparked anger across the Islamic world.

Authorities in India have meanwhile ordered heightened security in several regions for coming Friday prayers after two people were shot dead in protests there last week, local media reported.

Last Friday Muslims took to the streets in huge numbers across Asia following the comments by a spokeswoman for India’s ruling party on May 26.

The governments of nearly 20 countries summoned Indian envoys for an explanation of Nupur Sharma’s remarks about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and his youngest wife.

Shouting slogans such as “Muslims of the world unite”, the Bangladeshi protesters on Thursday rallied in front of Dhaka’s biggest mosque and tried to march to the Indian embassy before being blocked by police.

“There were around 10,000 marchers. They were peaceful,” senior police official Enamul Haq told AFP.

The protest was organised by Islami Andolan Bangladesh, one of the largest political parties in Bangladesh, which is home to the world’s fourth-largest Muslim population.

Around 150,000 people demonstrated last Friday in major Bangladeshi cities including 20,000 in the capital Dhaka and thousands more in towns and at universities.

Speakers at the Dhaka rally on Thursday called for a boycott of Indian products and demanded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally lodge a protest with India.

Hasina, who has been in power for 13 years, is a close ally of India and has stopped short of condemning Sharma’s remarks.

Derogatory comments about Islam and the prophet on social media often trigger violent protests in Bangladesh. They often also spark riots targeting minorities.

Last year at least six people were killed when widespread anti-Hindu riots swept the southeast of Bangladesh after an alleged desecration of a Koran, Islam’s holy book, in a Hindu temple.

Bulldozers

Since coming to power in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been accused of championing discriminatory policies towards India’s Muslim minority.

Sharma’s comments sent the BJP into damage control, with the party suspending her from its ranks and insisting it respected all religions.

As largely peaceful protests raged in several Indian cities last Friday, police opened fire in eastern Ranchi, killing two people after demonstrators threw stones and bottles.

Since then the homes of several people arrested or identified as protesters have been demolished with bulldozers in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which is governed for the BJP by hardliner Yogi Adityanath.

Amnesty International called for an immediate end to what the rights group called a “vicious” crackdown and “excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and punitive house demolitions”.

Authorities in several Indian regions including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Muslim-majority Kashmir have told security personnel to tighten security around mosques on Friday, local media reported.

The Hindustan Times newspaper said a few districts in these states had banned congregations of more than four people.

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The center is urged by Sindh to provide water supplies for crop production.

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Jam Khan Shoro, the minister of Sindh irrigation, urged Islamabad on Thursday to guarantee the province’s continuous water supply, stressing that there should never be a water scarcity for agricultural production.

Speaking on the matter, the minister stated that there is a disagreement with the federation about Sindh’s water scarcity.

“The Nara and Rohri canals are getting 7,200 cusecs of water, while there is up to 70% shortage of water in other canals,” he stated.

Shoro continued, saying that as part of the rotation scheme, the government is guaranteeing the availability of potable water and crops.

According to him, the government is developing a different plan to remove rainwater from the Hakro, Dhoro Puran, and Left Bank outfall drains.

“A large gate will be erected at RD 210 as part of the plan,” he stated, adding that the responsible deputy commissioners of the aforementioned drains have been asked to submit a report.

He gave DC Mirpurkhas instructions to clear obstructions from the Puran and Dhoro drains.

The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) was requested by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to release water from the Tarbela Dam above the 1,420-foot storage level one day prior.

The move, according to a Wednesday story in The News, is expected to jeopardize Sindh’s seeding of rice and cotton, the two principal Kharif crops.

The paper states that Wapda’s orders for IRSA were given against the backdrop of the tunnel project’s (T3) need for water, as using water from low-level outputs would impede development.

During the early Kharif period, which runs from April 1 to June 10, Sindh urgently requires water supplies from Tarbela Dam at Indus. Should the output of cotton crops be impacted in 2024–2025, the textile industry would need to import it at a cost in the billions of dollars.

Concerning Wapda’s inability to finish its tunnel projects, Sindh voiced its concerns during the IRSA technical committee meeting.

In order to plant rice and cotton on schedule, the provincial authorities emphasized during the conference that the Tarbela reservoir’s low-level exits should discharge the maximum amount of water possible.

It was made quite evident that there isn’t any water at all, not even for drinking, at the Kotri Barrage, the last barrage on the Indus.

Shoro told The News that the matter would be discussed at the advisory committee meeting on April 2. But Sindh must release as much water as possible early in the Kharif season; else, the province will suffer an unparalleled loss in the yield of its Kharif crops.

“We oppose storing water at the level that Wapda has requested. According to the water pact, Sindh needs to discharge the most water possible; if there is a shortage, it should be shared with all the provinces, the minister stated.

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ISLAMIC

In Pakistan, Eidul Fitr 2024 is most likely to occur on THIS day.

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According to Maulana Azad, scientific observations indicate that this year’s Shawwal crescent moon would probably be visible on Ramadan 29.

In order to see the Eidul Fitr moon, he also alluded to using scientific observations and forecasts.

Maulana Azad recalled his interactions with former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, stating that he informed the minister that scientific findings are acknowledged and accepted by the Ruet-e-Hilal committee.

He did, however, state that Islamic testimony and principles will be the basis for the ultimate decision about the Eidul Fitr moon.

It is important to note that in 2024, Pakistanis will observe a 29-day Ramadan and, should the crescent moon be seen on April 9, would celebrate Eidul Fitr on April 10.

Following the sighting of the Ramadan moon in Pakistan one day earlier, the first day of the holy month fell on March 12.

The statement came after the central and zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committees convened in Peshawar to sight the Islamic month’s crescent.

The beginning day of Ramadan was also declared by a number of nations in the Middle East, Europe, and other regions of the world to be March 12.

The commencement of the holy month was declared on March 12 by Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Oman due to the absence of the crescent moon sighting on Sunday evening.

According to the Islamic lunar calendar, the ninth month is Ramadan-ul-Mubarak, or the month of fasting.

Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, gossip, or swear during the fast. Instead, they are urged to concentrate on meditative activities like prayer, reading the Holy Quran, and charitable giving.

The minimum sum that must be deducted from bank accounts on the eve of the first day of Ramadan is Rs. 135,179, as notified by the government for the Zakat Year 1444–1445 A.H.

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Youngsters hurt in Karachi by kite string

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The police said in a statement that Awais, a 20-year-old guy, was ensnared by kite string in Azizabad when he was riding a motorcycle.

According to the police, he was taken to a hospital where his condition was deemed to be stable.

The incident follows the Punjab police’s escalating crackdown on kite flying throughout the province following the death of a young man in Faisalabad at the hands of wayward kite strings.

Following these instances, Maryam Nawaz, the Chief Minister of Punjab, ordered a crackdown on the production, sale, and purchase of chemical string used in kites.

After discovering an online kite sales network two days prior, the police detained five people they believed to be connected to a string killing that occurred in Faisalabad.

City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Ali Zia said at a press conference that Asif Shafiq of Samanabad was traveling across the Novelty overhead bridge in the Factory Area police limits when he was fatally injured by a string in his throat.

After the formation of special police squads, they began a scientific investigation and detained five primary suspects.

Using CCTV footage, the police were able to determine that on the same day, Muhammad Abid Gujjar, a resident of Sir Syed Town, was flying a kite on the rooftop of Punjab Bank.

Afterwards, the police detained the accused Abid, who admitted to the crime and stated that he had bought the kites and thread online from a website that, they claimed, was controlled by Abdul Shakoor and Muhammad Bilal.

Accused Abid also informed police that he burned all other kites and thread on the bank’s rooftop out of fear after Asif Ashfaq was murdered by his kite’s string.

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