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Holi conundrum: KU forms 3-member committee to probe incident

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  • Justice (retd) Hassan Feroz to lead three-member committee.
  • Committee will submit recommendations within two weeks.
  • Students claimed they were stopped from celebrating Holi.

KARACHI: The University of Karachi Wednesday formed a three-member fact-finding committee to investigate the incident of Hindu students being allegedly stopped and beaten from celebrating Holi.

Dean Faculty of Law Justice (retd) Hassan Feroz will be the convener of the committee, while it will include three members — MPA and member of Syndicate of KU’s Sadia Javed and Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science Mukesh Kumar.

The committee has been tasked to reach out to the allegedly affected students, while it has been directed to submit its recommendation within two weeks.

The move comes a day after some Hindu students studying at the university alleged that they had been “subjected to violence” and stopped from celebrating Holi by members of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) — a student organisation.

Holi is a Hindu spring festival also known as the “festival of colours” and is celebrated by the Hindu community in Pakistan and worldwide with traditional and religious fervour.

The students, who organised the Holi celebration, said they belonged to the Sindhi department, and had been “tortured” for the festivities they had arranged.

“While we were celebrating Holi,” they alleged, “a number of boys from the Jamiat came and stopped us. They beat us and other students.”

A female student, in a video statement, corroborated this statement, saying while she and her classmates had been celebrating Holi, students from the IJT came and “harassed” them and beat up the male students.

In response, an official of the varsity, who wished not to be named, said that no student sought permission for celebrating Holi from the educational institution’s authorities.

“No incident of violence against students celebrating Holi was reported to the security office, student advisor, or the campus hospital,” the official said, noting that law enforcement agencies have also not reported such an incident.

The IJT, however, claimed that it had nothing to do with the incident.

IJT spokesperson Basiq Naeem told Geo News that the student organisation was not involved in the beating of students. “We respect all religions,” he added.

He also alleged that members of the nationalist organisation wanted to “promote religious hatred through baseless propaganda” and demanded that the university administration conduct a transparent investigation into the matter.

Sindh Universities Minister Ismail Rahu had taken notice of the incident and directed KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi to investigate the matter.

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Session of the National Assembly: Government Prioritising Youth Skill Development: Ch Salik Hussain

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The National Assembly was informed that the government is concentrating on developing the skills of young people in order to meet the demand for skilled workers in other countries. To this end, the government has inked agreements with several countries.

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PTA provides a significant update on Pakistan’s Starlink launch.

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Starlink applied for a license on February 24, 2022, and is currently in communication with the new regulatory body, according to a briefing given to the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT, which was chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, the PTA Chairman.

Starlink needs to register with both the PSB and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) before to starting its satellite services in Pakistan. According to the PTA Chairman, the body will proceed with further actions after the registration procedure is over.

Along with Starlink, Shanghai Space Technology is also making its debut in Pakistan, which should boost internet access and spur technical advancement in the nation.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has also made it plain that until it has government approval, it is unable to grant a license to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink.

The chairman stated that Starlink has promised to adhere to government regulations and not circumvent the system.

The committee also chose to call a meeting of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to take up the topic of space technology regulation. Additionally, the committee asked why the PTA is assigning its duties to other groups.

Prior to the launch of Starlink in Pakistan, Elon Musk, the CEO of SPACEX, stated that he was seeking permission from the Pakistani government.

According to information, Pakistani social media user Sanam Jamali and Elon Musk had a discussion on the launch of Starlink in Pakistan on the social media site X (previously Twitter).

Sanam asked Musk to launch Starlink in Pakistan, claiming that it might open the door to a better future by giving people access to the internet and chances to advance.

In response, Musk said that he is awaiting Pakistani official approval to introduce Starlink there. Through a massive network of satellites, SpaceX’s Starlink offers internet services.

Starlink

SpaceX, a private aircraft manufacturer and space transport services provider established by Elon Musk, is the developer of the Starlink satellite internet network. The constellation uses a network of thousands of tiny satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to deliver fast, dependable, and worldwide internet connectivity.

The way we access the internet could be completely changed by this cutting-edge technology, particularly in isolated and underdeveloped locations where conventional fiber-optic and cellular networks are scarce or nonexistent.

High-speed internet access with latency as low as 20 ms is what the Starlink constellation is intended to provide; this is on par with or even better than many current fiber-optic networks.

Every Starlink satellite includes a phased array antenna, which enables it to connect with numerous users at once, offering a flexible and high-capacity network. Fast and dependable internet connection is available to users from almost anywhere in the world with Starlink, which is an exciting advancement for digital inclusion and global connectedness.

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The government has dismissed the PTI’s request for a judicial panel probing the violence on May 9.

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The federal government’s negotiation team has completed a comprehensive written reply to the demands put out by PTI.

The statement addresses all points presented by PTI, including the rejection to establish a judicial panel for the events of May 9.

The administration highlighted that judicial commissions are constituted for issues not subject to judicial review, and cases pertaining to May 9 are currently being adjudicated in courts, with certain persons having been condemned by military tribunals.

PTI has consented to engage in negotiations with the Prime Minister’s committee. An in-camera session has been arranged at Parliament House to further deliberate on the topic.

The letter response requests comprehensive lists of missing persons and arrested individuals from PTI, inquiring how measures for their release may be implemented without adequate information. Furthermore, PTI’s assertions concerning fatalities during protests necessitate corroborative data.

The government committee intends to deliver the written response to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in the imminent future. The Speaker will determine whether to convene the fourth round of discussions upon receipt of the response.

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