PPI News Agency

New Delhi, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Social Media giant, Facebook, on Monday announced the appointment of former IAS officer, Rajiv Aggarwal as Director of Public Policy in India. As per the Facebook statement, “The appointment of Rajiv Aggarwal as the Director of Public Policy to define and lead important policy development initiatives for Facebook in India on an agenda that covers user safety, data protection and privacy, inclusion and internet governance.” Rajiv Aggarwal will report to the Vice President of Facebook India.

“In this role, Aggarwal will report to Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, and Facebook India and will be a part of the India leadership team,” it added. In the statement, Facebook said that the Aggarwal has worked as IAS officer for 26 years and as District Magistrate in nine districts across Uttar Pradesh. “During his tenure as an administrative officer, he steered India’s first ever national policy on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (M/o Commerce), and was instrumental in the digital transformation of India’s IP offices.

He has been closely associated with the India-US bilateral trade forum, besides being India’s lead negotiator on IPRs with other nations. His last assignment was with Uber, where he was the Head of Public Policy for India and South Asia,” said Facebook. The appointment of Rajiv Aggarwal came several months after former Facebook India policy head Ankhi Das stepped down from her post in late October last year.

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New Delhi, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Charanjit Singh Channi, the first Dalit Chief Minister of Punjab, got emotional in his interaction with media after taking oath as he spoke of his humble origins and thanked the Congress for “giving great honour to a common man”.

Channi said in a choked voice, “I come from a family who had a house made of mud and straws. I am a representative of a poor man, be it a poor farmer or a labourer. I myself pulled a rickshaw. My father had a tent house business and I used to supply chairs (on a rickshaw),”

According to South Asian Wire, Channi’s focus on his “aam aadmi” origins could be directed at the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which is going all out to increase its footprint in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections in the state early next year. Channi said he will become the voice of the common people of Punjab and will always remain accessible to the people.

Thanking the party leadership, Channi said the Congress has given a common person a great honour. He described Rahul Gandhi as a “revolutionary leader”. In his first remarks after being sworn in, the 58-year-old Channi asked the Indian government to withdraw the three contentious farm laws.

Channi said his party stands firmly behind farmers agitating against the “black” farm laws. “I won’t let any harm come to the farmers. We will make a decision on sand mafia today itself. No power connection of a poor man will be disconnected for pending bills,” Channi said. “We have to strengthen Punjab. It is the state of farmers. I appeal to the Indian to withdraw the farm laws. I will sever my head but I won’t let any harm come to the farmers,” he added.

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New Delhi, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (Mahmood Madani group) has demanded that policemen involved in the custodial death of 32-year-old Qasim Abdullah Hayat in Gujarat’s Godhra be booked. Qasim was arrested last week for allegedly transporting cow meat. The following day, he was found dead before he could be produced before a magistrate. Citing the video footages, the police claimed that he had committed suicide while family members said that he was tortured by police leading to his death.

A delegation of Jamiat’s Gujarat unit met with Godhra Superintendent of Police, Leena Patil and demanded action against the erring police officers. Talking to media men about their meeting with Patil, Gujarat Jamiat’s General Secretary, Prof Nisar Ahmed Ansari, who was part of the delegation, said that during the meeting they were shown CCTV footage by the SP to claim that Qasim had committed suicide.

“The CCTV footage shows that he was preparing for suicide. But the question arises when he was trying to commit suicide, where were the policemen, who were on duty? What were they doing at that time? Secondly, taking your own life is not an easy task. There must be torture or any big trouble on him. He took his life while in police custody. It suggests that torture or any other behaviour of the police would be responsible for his suicide,” said Ansari.

Brother of the victim was also part of the delegation. He asked the SP to book the erring policemen for murder. However, the SP said that everything is obvious through the CCTV footages. Hence, there is no need for the case. But the SP said that if they find anything wrong in the post-mortem report, they will order an inquiry into the matter, said Ansari.

The SP also told the Jamiat delegation that a magisterial inquiry has already been started into the death. She also told the delegation that if they have any suspicion on any policeman, they will be transferred.

About the police torture, a family member of the deceased told the Indian Express: “I met Qasim on September 14 at the police station. He told me that the police beat him up and were forcing him to confess that he was carrying beef. He told me to tell his brother to seek help for him. When family came with his tiffin and tea at morning time, the police did not let the family in. They did not tell me that he had died. Someone from the police station told us that he was tortured the previous night.”

President of Jamiat, Maulana Mahmood Madani also expressed grave concern over the custodial death of Qasim in Godhra and demanded the arrest of the policemen responsible for his death.

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New York, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Kashmiris, Pakistanis and their allies from across the world will stage a demonstration outside the United Nations building when Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi addresses the UN General Assembly on September 25 to protest the Indian atrocities in Kashmir and call for the exercise of their UN-pledged right of self-determination.

The rally has been organized by the US-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and co-sponsored by US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), Majlis Shura New York and ICNA/Council for Social Justice, according to an announcement.

The organizers said, the disputed Kashmir region remains illegally occupied by India, with 100,000 civilian lives lost. Under Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party, situations have further deteriorated, and Kashmir’s special have been revoked, they said, adding the territory is on the brink of disaster and genocide.

The protesters, according to the announcement, will demand immediate lifting of the military occupation, release of all political prisoners, halting and rescinding of all laws instituted to accelerate demographic changes and promote the ethnic, cultural and political cleansing of the Kashmiri people, and allowing Kashmiris to exercise their unfettered right to self-determination through a free and fair referendum.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who will address the 193-member Assembly on September 24, is expected to focus on the grave situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and press the World Body to the grant the people of Kashmir their inalienable right to self-determination.

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Islamabad, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi has urged upon the international community to play role for early resolution of the long-pending Kashmir dispute for ensuring emergence of lasting and durable peace in the region. The prime minister made these remarks during a meeting with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Ali Amin Gandapur held in Islamabad.

He said that Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan has been projecting the Kashmir dispute at international level effectively and inviting the attention of the world community towards gruesome human rights violations and systematic killings of Kashmiris at the hands of brute Indian forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur said that under the leadership of the AJK Prime Minister a new era of progress and development would be started in the state.

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New York, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):A protest demonstration will be held outside the UN building in New York on Saturday (September 25) when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would address the United Nations General Assembly.

The protesters will demand intervention of the World Body for immediate lifting of the military occupation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir by New Delhi, release of all political prisoners and restoration of communications and internet connectivity in the occupied territory.

The protest will be organized by the US-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and co-sponsored by US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), Majlis-As-Shura New York, Islamic Circle of North America and Council for Social Justice.

A press release issued by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum said, “The United Nations Security Council enshrined Kashmir’s right to self-determination via plebiscite over 70 years ago – yet this vote has never taken place. Today, the region remains illegally occupied by India, with 100,000 civilian lives lost. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu Nationalist party, conditions have further deteriorated, and Kashmir’s limited autonomies have been revoked. The region is on the brink of disaster and genocide.”

The region, the press release added, is also facing a devastating occupation and humanitarian crisis. “73 years of Indian military occupation have produced an existential threat, with 100,000 civilian deaths, 10,000 missing, and civic, political and economic life critically suppressed.”

“In the past year, conditions have further deteriorated due to forced demographic changes and the lockdown and an at-will communication blackout imposed by the Modi government, paralyzing the IIOJK’s economy, education, healthcare system and social existence.” Kashmiris and allies from across the world will participate in the protest.

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Islamabad, September 20, 2021 (PPI-OT):Prime Minister, Imran Khan will raise the Kashmir dispute at the United Nations General Assembly session on September 24 (Friday). The Prime Minister will virtually address the 76th session of the UNGA, the world’s biggest diplomatic gathering, in which a large number of world leaders are set to participate in person and virtually.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Munir Akram said in a statement that Pakistan will actively participate in the General Assembly session. He said Pakistan’s policy statement, to be delivered by Prime Minister Khan, is expected to convey Islamabad’s views on the major global economic and political issues.

The Ambassador said throughout the session, Pakistan will draw the world‘s attention to the human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the imperative to stabilize Afghanistan, the need to combat Islamophobia and counter disinformation, being propagated by India, and to address the economic challenges confronting developing countries.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will participate in person in several events being held during the Assembly’s high level week, including a meeting of the OIC Working Group on Jammu and Kashmir, a ministerial meeting of the Uniting for Consensus group on Security Council reform, and a high level meeting on energy. The UNGA session will be held in hybrid mode, starting Tuesday in New York.

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