Pakistan appoints Mueenul Haq as India's new envoy
Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday appointed career diplomat Mueenul Haq as the High Commissioner to India. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday approved appointments of over two dozen ambassadors in various countries including India, China and Japan.
Haq, the current ambassador to France, has previously served as chief of protocol at the Foreign Office.
The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan's new foreign secretary.
The decision came after a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Khan, who formally approved the new appointments, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a video message.
Qureshi said, "New Delhi, India, is very important After consultation I have decided to appoint Mueenul Haq, the current ambassador in France, who will be sent to (New) Delhi, and I hope that he (Haq) will deliver."
Qureshi said that Indian elections were coming to end and it was possible that after the elections a new process of engagement could start.
He expressed hope that Haq would perform his new job with best of his abilities.
Since assuming the office in August last year, Prime Minister Khan repeatedly reached out to India for the resumption of peace talks on all outstanding issues. But India has made it clear to Pakistan that terrorism and dialogue will not go hand-in-hand.
Confirming the major appointments, the foreign minister said Naghmana Hashmi, career diplomat, is being sent to China, which is "very important" country for Pakistan.
She will replace Masood Khalid, the incumbent envoy to China, after completion of his tenure.
Additional Secretary Imtiaz Ahmad was appointed ambassador to Japan while Zaheer Janjua, currently serving as additional secretary to Europe, was sent to Pakistani mission in Brussels.
Additional Secretary Amina Baloch was appointed Ambassador in Malaysia, Javed Khattak in Portugal, Saqlain Sayeda in Kenya, Rukhsana Afzal in Singapore, Khalid Jamali in Czech Republic and Ataul Munim in Algeria.
Sarfaraz Ahmad appointed as ambassador to Sudan, Imran Haider was appointed as ambassador in Tajikistan, Major General Abdul Aziz Tariq in Brunei and Major General Muhammad Khalid Rao in Bosnia Herzegovina.
Qureshi said council generals appointed included Khalid Majeed in Jeddah, Ayesha Abbas Khan in New York.
Ambassador in Kuwait Ghulam Dastagir will replace Muazzam Ali Khan in Abu Dhabi, while Qazi Khalilullah, serving as ambassador in Russia, was being given an extension of six months.
Qureshi hoped that the newly-appointed ambassadors and consul generals will play a pivotal in promoting the soft image of Pakistan and will adopt the best behaviour with Pakistani community living abroad.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
