Islamabad: The Hindu Marriage Act 2017 has been notified by Pakistan's Islamabad capital administration, more than five years after it was passed. This development may benefit members of the minority community who can now solemnise their marriage in accordance with accepted rituals, according to a media report. The Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan provinces will also be able to apply the marriage act passed in 2017, according to the notification named "Islamabad Capital Territory Hindu Marriage Regulations 2023." An Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration official said the notification was forwarded for implementation to all Union Councils of the federal territory. According to the rules, relevant Union Councils in Islamabad will register a ‘Maharaj’ to solemnise marriages. According to the report, a Hindu male with adequate knowledge of Hinduism can become a ‘Pundit’ or ‘Maharaj’. However, the ‘Maharaj’ will be appointed only after the submission of a character certificate from the local police and the written approval of at least 10 members of the Hindu community. The notification "is a step," according to Mehfooz Piracha, the district attorney for Islamabad Capital Territory who wrote the rules, in securing the rights of the minority group. The appropriate Union Councils will give a "Shaadi Pert" (marriage certificate) to the "Maharaj" registered with the applicable local government entity, much as the "registered nikah-khawan" for Muslims. All marriages would be registered at the Union Councils as well, the report said.
Indian origin pleads not guilty to human smuggling
In a US federal court, a man accused of planning and receiving payment to smuggle Indian migrants from Canada into the US entered a not-guilty plea. Prosecutors allege Simranjit “Shally” Singh, a 40-year-old Indian who is resident in Ontario, was involved in a conspiracy to smuggle Indian nationals over the border from Cornwall Island and the Akwesasne Mohawk reservation in 2020 and 2021, the US attorney’s office for the northern district of New York said. Indicted in 2022, Singh was last week extradited to the US. He could receive a term of up to 15 years in jail if found guilty, according to the US attorney's office. The St. Lawrence River contains Cornwall Island.
Pak gets Saudi nod for extra $2bn to secure IMF bailout
Pakistan has been given the go-ahead for funding of an additional $ 2 billion in deposits from Saudi Arabia, a move that will aid the nation in securing the desperately needed rescue from the IMF. The Saudi leadership is set to make a public announcement, probably during the upcoming visit of PM Sharif to the Kingdom, reported by the media. The Saudi ambassador in Pakistan had also hinted recently that his country had always supported Pakistan in critical situations.
Baloch separatist leader arrested
Pakistan army said it has arrested Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, the founder of banned Balochistan separatist group. Baloch insurgent groups have carried out several daring attacks targeting the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the United Baloch Army merged to form the banned Baloch National Army, which the military described as the creator and head of the apprehended terrorist as a "hardcore militant." (UBA). The militant group has ramped up its operations since the talks with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) ended in November, focusing primarily on the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan.
Snake on plane, pilot makes emergency landing
A deadly cobra was hidden under the pilot's seat when he made a hurried emergency landing in South Africa. On the trip, Rudolf Erasmus had four passengers on board when he felt "something chilly" creep across his lower back. He glanced down to see the head of a fairly large Cape Cobra “receding back under the seat,” he said. “It was as if my brain didn’t know what was going on,” he said. After taking a moment to compose himself, he informed his passengers of the slippery stowaway. Erasmus called air traffic control for permission to make an emergency landing in the town of Welkom in central South Africa.
Finnish PM to step down as party leader
Sanna Marin, the departing prime minister of Finland, said that she would step down as the head of the Social Democratic Party at the upcoming party convention in the fall. She expressed the hope that doing so would allow her to "start a new page in my personal life." “Now is the time to get in line again and leave the chairman’s place,” Marin, 37, said during a news conference in Helsinki. She said she would continue as a lawmaker in parliament. The Social Democratic Party came in third in last week's election, dashing Marin’s hopes of staying on as PM.
Berlusconi in ICU with respiratory problem: Report
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was hospitalised. His breathing issues landed him in intensive care, according to Italian media. According to spokesman Paolo Emilio Russo, the 86-year-old three-time prime minister was admitted to Milan's San Raffaele hospital, where he regularly receives care. There was no confirmation of reports from the news agencies that he was in the cardiac ICU. He has had a pacemaker for years, underwent heart surgery to replace an aortic valve in 2016 and has overcome prostate cancer.
Amsterdam airport to ban pvt jets
One of the best airports in Europe, Amsterdam Schiphol, declared it will reduce noise and pollution in one of the densely populated locations on earth. Environmentalists applauded the decision right away, but its main client, KLM national airlines, did not. With its plans, the airport will phase out all traffic between midnight and 5am (local time), ban private jets and the noisiest planes and abandon a project for an additional runway. “We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world,” said Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Schiphol Group.
Brazil man kills 4 children at a daycare center
In Brazil, a guy wielding a hatchet hopped a wall to enter a creche facility, where he killed four children and injured at least five more, according to the authorities. The attacker turned himself in at a police station and didn't seem to have any relation to the center, which provides after school programs, nursery services, and preschool instruction. Ages of the deceased ranged from 5 to 7, according to the officials. Investigators were searching for a motive, a police detective told television reporters in Blumenau, a city in southern Brazil.