Latest news with #Hashmat
Express Tribune
29-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Market revamp sparks controversy
A glimpse of Lahore's Sunday pet market where a variety of animals are bought and sold, attracting pet lovers from across the city. Photo: Express Known for decades as a hub for bird and pet sales, the Tollinton Market has landed in a controversy following the Punjab government's recent decision to close the market for renovation. Where the authorities are adamant to shut down the market in an attempt to revamp the sale centre in adherence with international hygiene standards, the trader's community is anxious over the future of their business, which is their paramount source of income. The complex dispute surfaced after the government directed traders to relocate their businesses by June 30th, without specifying an alternative site, leaving the affected shopkeepers in a state of uncertainty. According to Mohammad Adnan Hashmat, a bird shop owner, shopkeepers were instructed by Punjab Wildlife authorities to redesign their outlets at significant personal costs during the renovation process. "But now, we are being told to shut down and move elsewhere, which is unjust. The situation has led to anxiety among the trader community, who claim their decades-old businesses are at risk due to this sudden shift," expressed Hashmat. Reportedly, the Lahore High Court has taken notice of the issue and requested recommendations from a judicial commission. The court remarked that Tollinton Market should serve as a model for upgrading similar markets across Punjab. However, traders insist that their removal threatens their livelihoods and have appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene. According to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), the market's reconstruction cost Rs190 million. As part of the project, three model shops were completed, and remaining vendors were instructed to renovate on their own, matching the new standards. LDA Director General Tahir Farooq claimed that a management committee, including traders, district administration, and the Punjab Food Authority will oversee cleanliness, waste management, and meat sales, ensuring strict implementation of new SOPs. Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, during her visit to the market, stated that keeping meat and live animals in the same space violated international health regulations. "Therefore, pet shops are being removed, and only meat sale will be permitted in the future. A new slaughterhouse is also being constructed near a drain for hygienic meat processing," said Aurangzeb. While authorities see these steps as aligning with global standards, experts argue that setting up a chicken market and slaughterhouse in a busy urban zone could worsen traffic and public hygiene issues. They recommend decentralizing such facilities, pointing out that contaminated poultry meat has repeatedly been found in the city. On the positive side, the revamped infrastructure, including tiled floors, marble pathways, and uniform lighting has improved the market environment. Some shopkeepers have even welcomed the government's initiative, saying long-term improvements are possible with collaboration. However, pet and bird traders remain concerned, citing the lack of relocation plans and ongoing uncertainty. Shopkeepers argue that without addressing these concerns, the vision of a model market will remain obscure.
Express Tribune
29-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Tollinton Market revamp sparks controversy
Known for decades as a hub for bird and pet sales, the Tollinton Market has landed in a controversy following the Punjab government's recent decision to close the market for renovation. Where the authorities are adamant to shut down the market in an attempt to revamp the sale centre in adherence with international hygiene standards, the trader's community is anxious over the future of their business, which is their paramount source of income. The complex dispute surfaced after the government directed traders to relocate their businesses by June 30th, without specifying an alternative site, leaving the affected shopkeepers in a state of uncertainty. According to Mohammad Adnan Hashmat, a bird shop owner, shopkeepers were instructed by Punjab Wildlife authorities to redesign their outlets at significant personal costs during the renovation process. 'But now, we are being told to shut down and move elsewhere, which is unjust. The situation has led to anxiety among the trader community, who claim their decades-old businesses are at risk due to this sudden shift,' expressed Hashmat. Reportedly, the Lahore High Court has taken notice of the issue and requested recommendations from a judicial commission. The court remarked that Tollinton Market should serve as a model for upgrading similar markets across Punjab. However, traders insist that their removal threatens their livelihoods and have appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to intervene. According to the Lahore Development Authority (LDA), the market's reconstruction cost Rs190 million. As part of the project, three model shops were completed, and remaining vendors were instructed to renovate on their own, matching the new standards. LDA Director General Tahir Farooq claimed that a management committee, including traders, district administration, and the Punjab Food Authority will oversee cleanliness, waste management, and meat sales, ensuring strict implementation of new SOPs. Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, during her visit to the market, stated that keeping meat and live animals in the same space violated international health regulations. 'Therefore, pet shops are being removed, and only meat sale will be permitted in the future. A new slaughterhouse is also being constructed near a drain for hygienic meat processing,' said Aurangzeb. While authorities see these steps as aligning with global standards, experts argue that setting up a chicken market and slaughterhouse in a busy urban zone could worsen traffic and public hygiene issues. They recommend decentralizing such facilities, pointing out that contaminated poultry meat has repeatedly been found in the city. On the positive side, the revamped infrastructure, including tiled floors, marble pathways, and uniform lighting has improved the market environment. Some shopkeepers have even welcomed the government's initiative, saying long-term improvements are possible with collaboration. However, pet and bird traders remain concerned, citing the lack of relocation plans and ongoing uncertainty. Shopkeepers argue that without addressing these concerns, the vision of a model market will remain obscure.
India.com
26-04-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pakistan has only two operational submarines, rest are..., satellite images reveal SHOCKING details about...; what it means for India?
Satellite imagery reveals Pakistan Navy has only two operational submarines. (Source: X) India-Pakistan war: Amid heightened tensions and the threat of a major scale India-Pakistan war, satellite images have uncovered a significant weakness of the enemy, revealing that the Pakistan Navy has only two operational submarines at present, while the rest are currently undergoing maintenance and repairs. According to experts, this significantly weakens Pakistan's maritime power in the Arabian Sea even as Islamabad has bolstered the Pakistan Navy with submarines, unlike the Indian Navy, which has focused on powerful frigates and warships to attain naval superiority in the region. Pakistan Navy has only two operational submarines As per reports, satellite images from March 2025 reveal that only two out of Pakistan Navy's eight submarines are currently in operational use, while the remaining vessels are stuck in repairs or upgrades, and will take several months to be sea-ready. This raises serious questions about the operational preparedness of the Pakistan Navy amid the threat of an India-Pakistan war. Reports suggest that the satellite images, which have been been shared on X (former Twitter and purportedly reveal the status of Pakistan's submarine fleet at the Karachi port, were taken in March this year. The Pakistan Navy has two Agosta-70 (Hashmat class) and three Agosta-90B (Khalid class) submarines, and its believed that only two Agosta-90B class vessels are operational, while the rest are docked at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) for repairs and upgrades. As per the satellite imagery from the Karachi Naval Dockyard and the Ormara Naval Base, three Pakistan Navy submarines are undergoing repairs at the dock, two are completely broken down, and only two are in an operational state. Pakistani subs could be key targets for India According to OSINT sources, a majority of of the submarines present at Pakistan's naval base in Karachi are either without crew or undergoing repairs at the dockyard, and only Agosta-90B class vessels are active. Pakistan had acquired these vessels from France in the 1990s and later attempted to upgrade them but those efforts have not been successful so far. Military experts assert this presents a unique opportunity for India as these docked vessels could be strategic targets in an India-Pakistan war scenario, and the Indian Navy must neutralize them before they are made operational again. Notably, the Indian Navy has a fleet of over 16 conventional submarines and one nuclear-powered submarine, INS Arihant, while the Pakistan Navy is lagging behind with its diesel-electric submarine fleet which is struggling with old platforms and maintenance problems. Advantage India in Arabian Sea The recent revelation about the status of Pakistan submarine fleet raises questions about Pakistan's maritime security capabilities. Pakistan had ordered eight Type-039A (Hangor-class) submarines from China, the first of which was scheduled to be delivered in 2024, but the vessels remain undelivered due to various issues, including Islamabad's economic crisis. Experts believe that in a potential India-Pakistan war scenario, the Indian Navy currently commands a strong position in the Arabian Sea, and has the capability to block Pakistan's sea routes. They say that Pakistan's naval deterrence capability could be completely nullified, which can bring a huge imbalance in any potential India-Pakistan conflict..
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's refugee ban leaves Afghan allies abandoned
Hashmat, a vehicle contractor in Afghanistan, spent 10 years providing assistance to the U.S. military. His work made him a target for the Taliban; when Kabul collapsed in 2021, he and his family fled to Pakistan. He was repeatedly assured his allegiance to the Americans would be repaid with a visa to live in the U.S. He underwent security clearances and a medical exam. Finally, in late 2024, his visa application was awaiting final approval. Last week, his status was instantly put back in limbo. Hashmat is among the thousands of Afghan allies who were affected by President Donald Trump's pause on refugee resettlement. Nearly 1,660 Afghans were scheduled to travel to the U.S. and their flights were canceled due to Trump's order. Others, like Hashmat, were anxiously awaiting the final green light but now have no reasonable expectation of a path forward. 'I really feel disappointed and betrayed,' Hashmat, who requested that his last name not be used for safety reasons, told the Deseret News. Trump promised to halt all refugee admissions into the U.S. on the campaign trail, and he did so within hours of assuming the presidency last week. His executive order, titled 'Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,' suggested that pausing refugee admissions was a matter of national security, and there is no end date for the pause — only when the president decides resuming resettlement 'would be in the interest' of the country. 'I know the veterans and the U.S. military who bled in Afghanistan. They sacrificed a lot as well. ... But they returned safe to their families. We remain stranded.' Hashmat, an Afghan ally who is currently stranded in Afghanistan awaiting the completion of his visa request The pause angered immigrant advocates, faith groups and veterans alike. 'Our allies that we put into harm's way — (Trump) shut them down,' said Charles Kuck, the former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 'This is literally going against the very idea of what America is." As a whole, refugees are the most thoroughly vetted legal immigrants that enter the U.S., and the visa category for Afghan allies — Special Immigrant Visa — involve the 'the most arduous background check in U.S. immigration law,' Time reports. Created by Congress in 2009, the Special Immigrant Visa pathway is for Afghan nationals who provided valuable service to the U.S., like interpreters or translators, and were put in danger by doing so. The 14-step process for applicants includes multiple background screenings, a health examination, and a letter of commendation by their U.S. military supervisor. Hashmat completed these steps years ago. Bureaucratic backlogs — and now this refugee pause — have been his largest hurdles. He began providing ATVs and other non-tactical vehicles to the U.S. military in 2009. A decade later, his first SIV application was rejected over a technical error; in a letter of commendation, the U.S. supervisor did not identify himself specifically as Hashmat's 'direct supervisor.' Others tell similar stories: One interpreter told The New York Times he was rejected for 'unprofessional conduct' after using profanity in 2013; another was denied because, as a 9-year-old, he gave bread to quell the demands of an angry Taliban member who threatened to burn his house down. As the U.S. began its withdrawal in 2021, Hashmat went into hiding. He told me in June of that year that he received threats daily on WhatsApp from Taliban members; he didn't leave his home. Come August, as the Taliban took control of Kabul, Hashmat expected to die. 'We are betrayed,' he told me. 'We are trapped. We are waiting behind a closed door for someone to come and haul us outside and execute us in front of our family.' He didn't know what would happen next, he said. 'But the only thing we know is that we will not survive.' Hashmat eventually escaped. His wife and youngest son, less than one year old, secured visas to travel to India; Hashmat and his two older sons, ages 10 and 8, fled to Pakistan. They expected it to be a temporary move. 'At the beginning, we were thinking that the resettlement process would not take that long,' Hashmat told me Monday. It's been nearly four years now. They don't have legal status in Pakistan, so Hashmat doesn't have work authorization and his oldest sons, now 13 and 11, are unable to attend school. Hashmat does his best as their tutor, relying on YouTube educational videos. Their youngest son, now four years old, has no memory of life outside of Pakistan. The older sons remember, however. They want to get to the U.S., to safety. Every day, Hashmat says, they ask for an update on his visa. 'Most of the time, I have to lie,' Hashmat said, instilling a fabricated sense of hope in them. But the boys, from social media or friends, hear about what's going on in the U.S. — the visa backlogs, the refugee pause. 'I try to keep them away from these things, but they're aware of everything that's going on,' Hashmat said. In the U.S., a makeshift team of volunteers has done all it can to welcome Hashmat. Christy Staats, an associate vice president of field and constituencies at the National Immigration Forum, assembled a group to sponsor Hashmat and his family through the Welcome Corps program. They pulled together donations and helped Hashmat with the application process. When Hashmat's first application was rejected, the group tracked down his direct supervisor. 'They had their security checks, their health checks, passed them all, and we've just been waiting on the final decision,' Staats said. 'And then Trump took over.' Hashmat said he does not have 'a good feeling' about his future under the Trump administration. But his frustration predated the refugee executive order. 'I mean, the Biden administration — the first failure was because of them,' he said. He called the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan a 'failure.' 'If you come to go to war and make allies, and get support from the local people, and then they left them without said support — it's quite disappointing," Hashmat said. 'These things will be written in the history.' For now, Hashmat waits, hoping that the refugee pause will be lifted and his application approved. In Pakistan, the government has conducted raids and deportations of Afghans; Hashmat hopes he will be taken to the U.S. before his family is sent back to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. 'I know the veterans and the U.S. military who bled in Afghanistan,' Hashmat said. 'They sacrificed a lot as well. ... But they returned safe to their families. We remain stranded.'
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'I'll do everything I can to save the libraries'
"I came here 15 years ago. I didn't speak a word of English", Hashmat reflects. The former child refugee learnt English in his local library and has said he will now do "everything in my power" to save Langley Library in Slough from closure. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he relied on his local libraries to learn the language when he arrived in Britain as a teenage asylum seeker from Afghanistan. Now 30, he said he wanted his two-year-old daughter Haya to have the same opportunity and is campaigning to save the library, which is one of two that Slough Borough Council is consulting on plans to close. The council previously said closing Langley and Cippenham libraries could save about £195,000. At a meeting on 23 January, councillors blocked a bid to protect the two libraries, promising instead to "consider the consultation" and "protect existing resourcing levels". Hashmat said he learned English, got good grades in school and studied civil engineering at university. "That's all because of the public libraries," he said. "I used to go on the weekends, after school, before school - every day. That's why I'm so passionate." He said his daughter goes to the library twice a week, and when he told her they wanted to close it she cried. "I will do everything in my power, I will protest, I will do everything to keep it open for the future of these children," he said. Chandra Kondepudi, another Langley resident, said he wanted to keep the building open so his teenagers, in years 10 and 12 at school, could study. He said he had launched a petition against the proposals "to protect the future of our children". Slough Borough Council is currently asking residents for their opinions on the proposal in a public consultation set to end on 25 February. Council leaders will then discuss the feedback and make a decision on 17 March. The council previously said the consultation was about using library resources "in the most effective way" and that closing the two buildings could allow it to improve services elsewhere. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Councillors block bid to protect libraries Motion tabled to throw out planned library closures Hundreds sign petition opposing library closures Two libraries could close under council budget cuts Slough Borough Council
