Day: March 15, 2022

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Pakistan expresses deep concern at Indian High Court decision on hijab issue

Pakistan has expressed its serious concern at the ruling of the High Court of Indian State of Karnataka banning the wearing of ‘hijab’ by Muslim girls in educational institutions.

According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office, the decision manifestly has failed to uphold the principle of freedom to religious practices and impinges on the human rights. The judiciary in India which is expected to act as a bulwark against dehumanization, stigmatization and discrimination against minorities has completely failed to uphold the principles of justice and equality. This decision marks a fresh low in the relentless anti-Muslim campaign where even the pretext of secularism is being weaponized to target Muslims.

It is feared that the flawed ruling by the High Court would fast track the pace of marginalization of the minorities, especially Muslims and further embolden the Hindu-RSS zealots to target them with impunity.

It is deeply concerning that the malicious trend of characterizing Muslims as ‘others’ or ‘20 percent by prominent BJP leaders which was continuing with appalling impunity is now also being translated into decisions by the judiciary. The discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act and the grossly injudicious Indian Supreme Court judgement in the Babri mosque case are not distant memories.

Pakistan strongly urges the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims, and their right to practice religion.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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Foreign Secretary emphasizes promotion of biotechnology products

The second meeting of the Working Group on International Cooperation and Partnerships in Vaccine Production was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Tuesday.

In his remarks, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood stressed the need to look beyond the pandemic and use this opportunity to promote local production of medical biotechnology products in Pakistan. He said at the diplomatic front, Pakistan has maintained its position on the advocacy for equitable access to vaccines and international partnerships for global health security.

The FS acknowledged the efforts led by the NIH in completing a holistic mapping of indigenous capacity in vaccine manufacturing, which was one of the key objectives of the Working Group mechanism.

Executive Director (NIH) Prof. Dr. Aamer Ikram underscored the necessity of continued up-gradation of manufacturing and regulatory systems for increasing the scope of indigenous vaccine production and local pharmaceutical products.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representatives to WHO Ambassador Khalil Hashmi and WTO Dr. Mujtaba Piracha, updated the participants on various work streams at the WTO, including ongoing discussions on patent waivers.

The meeting was held in the backdrop of the recent announcement by WHO regarding approval of Pakistan’s Expression of Interest to seek technology transfer and technical support under the COVAX initiative of the WHO.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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First issue of Science Diplomacy Journal launched

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Collaboration held the launch of the first issue of its Science Diplomacy Journal, ‘Science Diplomacy Perspectives’ in Islamabad on Tuesday.

In his keynote address on the occasion, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood highlighted the significance of science diplomacy in helping to address global challenges and bridging the gap between innovation and policy community. He said on the occasion that the Journal was an effort to provide inter-disciplinary stakeholders such as scientists and diplomats a platform to write on themes related to science diplomacy.

In his comments, Director General (Science Diplomacy) Muhammad Kamran Akhtar thanked the authors for their contributions and taking the challenge of looking beyond conventional boundaries to offer innovative and multi-sectoral inputs. The Journal will provide thought leadership to the country’s science diplomacy efforts and also be a source of rendering science advice on technology-related issues.

Coordinator General COMSTECH Prof. Dr. Iqbal Choudhary informed that COMSTECH was playing a significant role as a science diplomacy platform to improve the status of science in the Muslim World.

It is pertinent to mention here that the inaugural issue of Science Diplomacy Perspectives features 17 articles from researchers, diplomats and policy practitioners on different cutting-edge themes including scope and regulatory perspectives of new and emerging technologies, science popularization, and multilateral governance of science.

Source: Radio Pakistan

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