Kurdish militant group PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey
Ankara: The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has declared a ceasefire with Turkey, ending over four decades of armed conflict. The announcement follows an appeal from the group’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, urging the PKK to disband and abandon its insurgency.
The PKK’s executive committee confirmed the ceasefire in a statement released by the pro-PKK ANF news agency. "To facilitate the implementation of leader Apo’s call for peace and a democratic society, we are declaring a ceasefire effective immediately," the statement read, using a common reference for Ocalan. The group also expressed its commitment to following his directives.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, has been engaged in an armed struggle since 1984, demanding greater autonomy for Turkey’s Kurdish population, which constitutes nearly 20% of the country’s 85 million people.
Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, has been involved in past peace efforts, but negotiations collapsed in 2015, leading to renewed violence. The latest development follows an unexpected peace initiative proposed in October by a nationalist ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggesting a resolution if Ocalan renounced violence.
While Erdogan supported the initiative, his government simultaneously intensified crackdowns on opposition figures, resulting in the arrests of several politicians, activists, and journalists.
Following meetings with Ocalan at his prison on Imrali Island, the pro-Kurdish DEM party conveyed his message on Thursday, calling for the PKK to lay down arms and dissolve.
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Karnataka Muslim Convention to be held as scheduled on May 16, say organisers
Bengaluru: Organisers of the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ have clarified that the programme will be held as scheduled on Saturday, May 16, at 10.30 am at Town Hall in Bengaluru, and urged the public not to pay attention to rumours regarding any change in the event.
In a joint statement, convention coordinators Suhail Ahmed Maroor, Tanveer Ahmed and Yahya Damudi said there is no change whatsoever in the programme and that all preparations are in the final stage.
The convention is being organised by the Karnataka Rajya Muslim Sanghatanegala Okkoota.
According to the organisers, more than 45 Muslim organisations, associations and jamaats from different parts of Karnataka have extended support to the event and have assured active participation.
The organisers said the state government has withdrawn the restriction on hijab, but noted that nine other major demands of the Muslim community are still pending.
They said the convention is being held to urge the government to fulfil these constitutional demands without further delay.
