A delegation from the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) visited the disputed Kashmir border on Saturday and met victims of the cease-fire violations.

Representatives from Turkey, Malaysia, Morocco, Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were briefed by the Pakistan army on the prevalent security environment along the Line of Control (LOC), a de-facto border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India.

The group was also apprised of arrangements made for the protection of civilians from hostile fire in any eventuality through the construction of community bunkers, according to a statement from the Pakistani army.

They interacted with victims, members of village defense committees and civil administration.

IPHRC’s Chairman Dr. Saeed Mohamed Abdullah from the UAE termed the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir's long-standing semi-autonomous status by New Delhi a "dangerous decision," that would change the region's demography.

The controversial move in August 2019, he said, violates the human rights of "our brothers and sisters in Jammu and Kashmir."

Vice Chairman of IPHRC Dr. Haci Ali Acikgul from Turkey demanded the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions to resolve the long-smoldering dispute.

He expressed dismay that India has been ignoring UNSC resolutions, which call for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, for more than 70 years.

Hafid El Hachmi from Morocco said the delegation expresses solidarity with the Kashmiri people.

"Justice will happen, and they will exercise their right to self-determination; to live with dignity and freedom," he said.

Dr. Aydin Safikhanli from Azerbaijan termed the cease-fire violations as "gross" human rights abuses

"It falls under the [category of] war crime[s], which should be punished," he said.

- Disputed region

Kashmir has been the main ingredient in the long-simmering rivalry between Pakistan and India since the two nuclear-armed neighbors gained independence from the British Empire in 1947.

The picturesque Himalayan valley is held by the two countries in parts but claimed by both in full. A small sliver of the region is controlled by China.

Since 1947, the two neighbors have fought three wars, two of them regarding Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups have been fighting Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands have been killed and tortured in the conflict since 1989./ agencies

The world has been grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020. In addition to its effects on human health, the virus’ impact on economies across the globe continues to be a heavily discussed issue.

DELTA SHOCKS ECONOMIES

It is clear that significant progress has been made in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. We cannot ignore how vaccines not only saved lives, but also helped reopen economies. As you all know, the most effective measure at the onset of the fight against the pandemic was to implement restrictions, including curfews, that resulted in shutting down economies. We saw that these restrictions were eased from time to time, depending on the number of cases and deaths. 

However, as cases rise again, restrictions have also made a comeback.

Of course, the most decisive factor in this process of opening and closing economies was the different waves of the pandemic. Just as people everywhere were starting to think that it would become a thing of the past, Covid-19 variants began to make things even more complicated. For example, even the U.S., which is one of the most advanced countries in the field of vaccines, is now contending with its own severe delta outbreaks.

INCREASING INFLATIONARY EXPECTATIONS

Since the start of the pandemic, issues such as restrictions, closure of border crossings, travel bans, production suspension and disruptions in supply chains have been reflected in pricing behavior. These behaviors mainly resulted in inflationary pressure. Then, with the reopening of economies, the increase in demand this time resulted in stronger inflationary pressure, especially for commodities. Of course, governments’ expansionary monetary and fiscal policies that support the economy, which at times included direct income deposits, also played a significant role in this. It seems that as long as Covid-19 and its variants remain on the agenda, inflationary pressure will be here to stay.

SUPPORTING ECONOMIES

The most negative aspect of Covid-19, apart from threatening human life, was the income losses that occurred with restrictions and closures, in addition to the injustices it brought on in income distribution. 

Government policies aimed at supporting the economy helped manage the situation. In fact, the central banks of several countries are maintaining their supportive monetary policies despite high inflation and rising inflationary expectations. In this regard, the attitude of the U.S. Federal Reserve, FED, buys the rest of the world, especially developing economies, some time.

When it comes to global outlooks, there is a perception that the current inflation and increasing inflationary expectations are not only caused by the dynamics of economies but mainly by the conditions exclusively brought on by the pandemic and thus are not expected to be permanent. This is a standpoint that I also support and which should be taken into account in monetary and fiscal policies in the coming period.

After reports of over 250 fires ravaging through Russia, blazes now threaten a nuclear research center in the city of Sarov, prompting a state of emergency, officials said on Sunday.

The danger level was boosted as fires near Nizhny Novgorod are spreading and the change in status makes it easier to mobilize extra firefighting forces, according to city officials.

But it is only one of 250 fires Russia is currently trying to extinguish throughout the country.

The Siberian region of Sakha, in the country's northeast, has been hit particularly hard. Dozens of houses have burned down and residents have been evacuated to safety.

Meanwhile, state TV showed images of cities in the Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions enveloped in smoke.

Authorities said that, nationwide, about 3.5 million hectares are burning – about the combined area of Serbia and Montenegro. Weather experts and Greenpeace spoke of the worst fires in the history of Russian record keeping.

On the flip side, emergency crews in the Amur region, which borders China, are battling floods after heavy rainfalls. About 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) of streets and six bridges are underwater, with about 24 communities cut off from the outside world due to flooding along the Amur River said the regional transportation minister, Alexander Selenin./agencies

Some of the irregular migrants who have recently entered Turkey illegally, mostly Afghans, claim that the security forces that detained them in Iran tortured them and took their money.

Hayatullah Ahmedzai, 19, an Afghan national and one of the irregular migrants who came to the Tatvan district of Turkey's eastern Bitlis province illegally, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that he has been on the road for 25 days.

Stating that he faced great difficulties after crossing the Iranian border, Ahmedzai showed wounds on his foot and leg and claimed that the Iranian police inflicted violence on him and broke his foot.

Expressing that they were stuck in a barn for five days as soon as they crossed the border, Ahmedzai said: "There was no water or food. We had a difficult time. We couldn't find any food on the way for five days."

Ahmedzai made the following claims: "When the Iranian police caught me, they beat me to death. They took our mobile phones and money. The area where I live is under the control of Taliban militants. My father is a commander in the Afghan National Army. One of my brothers, who was in the army, was also martyred by the Taliban. I fled because I faced a very difficult situation.

"The Iranian police were brutal. We could only eat yogurt and bread while we were detained there. They didn't provide beds, they put me in the barn. My two uncles live in London. They sent me money to get to London. I've come this far, if I'm successful, I'll go to London," he said.

Afghan Sefer Murad stated that he has been on the road for 30 days and said: "We first came to Pakistan and then to Iran. Now we are here. We have no bread. We have been in the mountains for 25-30 days. Six people set out from Afghanistan with me. Soldiers took five of them.

"I came here alone. We came here with a group of 30 people from Van. Nobody is hiring in Iran, but we came from there illegally from the mountain. I gave $600 to those who helped us come here," he said.

Ghulam Nabi said that he and other Afghans fled their country due to the widespread presence of the Taliban in different regions and the ongoing war in different parts of the country.

Stating that they went through difficult roads and starved for days until they came to Turkey, Nabi said: "We could no longer live in our country. Violent clashes began between the Taliban and the security forces. If stability is achieved in Afghanistan, we will return to our country. We traveled for 30 days until we got here. We faced hunger. Iranian police caught us and released us after beating us brutally."

Khal Mohammed, who came to Tatvan with his 9-month-old baby and his wife, said that the war in Afghanistan was still going on and that he had sold everything and fled with his family because there was no place to work.

Stating that his father and relatives were captured by the Taliban, his brothers and uncles were also killed, Mohammed said: "We came to Van from Iran. We set out about 20 days before the feast. I sold everything, I came with my wife and child. I sold our lands, cows and sheep in Afghanistan. I gave $2,000 to intermediaries for myself and my wife."

Explaining that he stayed in Iran for 10 days, Mohammed said, "They broke our phones and burned our money. Iranian police beat us all ... If we have money, we buy food, otherwise, we ask for food from the villagers in the places we pass by."

Mehmet Marufi, an Afghan national who was caught by the gendarmerie in Van, stated that they had to flee due to the problems in their country, and said: "We came to Iran from our country. Iranian soldiers persecuted us a lot. They sent us by force so that we could go to Turkey. We are moving on the roads with the locations that were sent from WhatsApp."

Explaining that he escaped from Afghanistan and took refuge in Iran and worked there, Selim Sırdaş said: "Iranian soldiers caught us, took our money, our stamps, everything. They deported us from there to Turkey. Iranian soldiers transferred us to Turkey."

"After the crossing of Turkey, smugglers put us on a truck with 300 people. We were dying because of the lack of air in the truck. Thanks to the gendarmerie, they caught us and saved us. They charge us up to $1,000 to cross into Turkey," he added.

Turkey and Iran are the countries most affected by the migration problem caused by increasing tensions resulting from the advance of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Turkey's Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop stated on Thursday.

Video footage has shown large groups of migrants in the border area with Iran, although the Turkish government says there has been no surge yet in numbers.

Turkey, which hosts around 4 million refugees, is currently building new security measures on its eastern border. Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in the country after Syrians.

The Taliban has pressed a sweeping offensive across Afghanistan in recent months, capitalizing on the last stages of the U.S. troop withdrawal due to be completed by the end of August, and raising fears of a potential humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations recently estimated that half of Afghanistan's 39 million people are in need of aid, and called on the international community to maintain financial support for the country.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said last week that surveillance at the Iranian border had been increased with additional troops, among other measures.

Turkey is also erecting a wall along parts of the 300-kilometer (186-mile) border.

Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Turkish officials were holding high-level talks over the issue with Afghan counterparts.

The issue is also likely to feature in talks between Ankara and Brussels about updating a 2016 deal under which Turkey received aid for hosting migrants seeking refuge in the European Union./aa

Turkish drones recorded Greek authorities leaving irregular migrants to die on a deserted island. Following the incident, the migrants were rescued by Turkish coast guard units.

According to a Defense Ministry statement, drones used to detect forest fires in Turkey's south and west noticed that the LS-134 vessel belonging to the Greek coast guard approached Turkey's Başak Island, south of Kaş in the Mediterranean.

After following up on the information, it was determined that the irregular immigrants on the Greek coast guard's boat were left on Başak Island, where they had no chance of survival.

While the events were being monitored by the drones, Turkish Coast Guard Command units were immediately directed to the region to rescue the immigrants who had been abandoned to die.

Ministry sources stated that Greece intentionally left the migrants on the uninhabited island to die. Emphasizing that this is not the first time that Greece's inhumane treatment of immigrants has been recorded in the Aegean and Mediterranean, the sources underlined that Greece is not acting in accordance with international law and the spirit of good neighborly relations, at a time when Turkey is struggling with forest fires.

Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for migrants aiming to cross into Europe, fleeing war and persecution to start new lives. Turkey has accused Greece of large-scale pushbacks and summary deportations without migrants being given access to asylum procedures, which is a violation of international law. It also accuses the European Union of turning a blind eye to this blatant abuse of human rights.

Between January 2020 and March 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) documented around 300 reported incidents of illegal expulsions around the Aegean islands and Greece's northeastern land border with Turkey. Several migrant support groups, including the Greek Helsinki Monitor, in May filed a complaint with the European Court of Justice against Frontex, the EU's border monitoring agency.

A joint investigation by several international news outlets reported in October 2020 that Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, had been complicit in maritime pushback operations to drive away migrants attempting to enter the EU via Greek waters. A month later, Brussels-based news outlet EUobserver revealed that Frontex exchanged letters with Greek authorities about Athens' orders to push back migrants to Turkish waters.

Pushbacks are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements, which dictate that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or membership in a social or political group./agencies

Turkish security forces have eliminated 18,313 terrorists since July 24, 2015, including 1,631 in Iraq and Syria since Jan. 1 this year, said Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Saturday.

"The Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) story of heroism and sacrifice is not over, it continues. Turkish soldiers continue to make history," Akar said at a swearing-in ceremony for Maroon Berets who successfully completed a 47-week special training program in Ankara.

Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler and the second chief of the Turkish General Staff, Lieut. Gen. Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, also attended the ceremony.

Akar emphasized that the fight against terrorism, which began on July 24, 2015, continues through the Claw operations.

The Claw campaigns are a series of military operations that Turkey launched in 2019 against terrorist organizations in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK.

PKK terrorists are known to have many hideouts and bases in northern Iraq from where they carry out attacks in Turkey.

PKK targets are being struck in the Metina, Avashin-Basyan, Zap and Qandil regions. In addition to F-16 fighter jets, border artillery units, attack helicopters and fire support elements on the frontlines are participating in the operation.

The TSK regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Turkey has long been stressed that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy from targeting terrorist threats.

Underlining that Turkey respects all of its neighbor's borders, sovereign rights and laws, including those of Iraq, Akar added that the country will continue to stand by its Libyan and Azerbaijani brothers in their just causes.

Most recently, Turkey killed six members of the terrorist group PKK's Syrian branch YPG in northern Syria, across Turkey's southern border, including one behind a deadly attack on civilians last week, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The terrorists were killed by Turkish security forces in self-defense in Zavian and Shaalah Tal Cican and Tel Unaib in the Tal Rifaat region, the area of Turkey's counter-terrorism Operation Euphrates Shield, said a ministry statement.

One of the terrorists slain was the perpetrator of an Aug. 5 attack on an ambulance in the region which killed two civilians.

Kabul airport

Touching upon the recent developments in Afghanistan, Akar said, "We have done our best, within our means, so that our Afghan brothers and sisters can live in safety and prosperity."

Reiterating that the country has been working for 20 years to bring peace to Afghanistan, Akar added that Turkey has been operating Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for the last six years and wants to continue to manage the airport to support the Aghan people.

Ankara has been running the military and logistic operations of the airport for six years as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said recently that Turkey is considering operating the major Kabul airport after the U.S.-led pullout. He also said that Ankara is ready to discuss the peace process with the Taliban, adding that the group must stop the occupation.

The U.S.-led military coalition has been in Afghanistan for nearly two decades following an invasion launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

After nearly four decades of fighting, fears are growing that Afghan forces will be overwhelmed without vital coalition air support, allowing for a complete Taliban military takeover or the start of a multisided civil war in a country awash with weapons.

Turkey, whose forces in Afghanistan have always been comprised of noncombatant troops, has offered to guard and run Kabul’s airport after the NATO troops’ withdrawal. Ankara has been holding talks with Washington on logistic and financial support for the mission, as questions remain on how security will be assured along major transport routes and at the airport.

The airport is in a strategic location close to the Afghan presidential palace and foreign diplomatic missions in Kabul and is the only place from which to evacuate diplomats in emergency situations.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called for a fair burden-sharing of the task given that the “uninterrupted, safe operation of the airport is indispensable for the continued presence of diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.”

At the end of a series of meetings with NATO leaders on the sidelines of the alliance summit in June, Erdoğan stated that Turkey was seeking Pakistani and Hungarian involvement in the mission in Afghanistan following the departure of the U.S.-led NATO forces.

However, the Taliban have opposed Ankara’s proposal, saying that Turkey should also withdraw its troops in line with the 2020 deal for the pullout.

Fires in Turkey

Regarding the wildfires in Turkey, Akar said that the TSK has provided resources and personnel to help put out wildfires that broke out in several parts of the country.

Four drones, five landing ships, one patrol boat, four helicopters, more than 50 firefighter trucks, sprinklers and over 600 personnel were provided by the TSK, he added.

When needed, the country's armed forces have mobilized all of their resources and capabilities, noted Akar, adding that the government has used their services in collaboration with the relevant institutions and organizations./aa

Libyan authorities unearthed 10 bodies from a mass grave in Tarhuna city, south of the capital Tripoli, reports said Sunday.

The mass grave was discovered Saturday in a large agricultural area known as Mashrou' Alrabet in the city, Lutfi Tawfiq, director of the General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

He said the grave is the second to have been discovered in the city in the past 10 days.

In March, the authority said it has lists of 3,650 missing persons in different Libyan cities, including 350 in Tarhuna, which was a stronghold of putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar before being defeated and forced to leave the city in June 2020.

According to official Libyan sources, Haftar's forces and affiliated militias committed war crimes and acts of genocide in the period between April 2019 and June 2020.

As of July, over 140 bodies have been exhumed in a slow process that began in June 2020 after the town was captured from eastern-based forces loyal to warlord Haftar. The al-Kaniyat militia had first supported the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli, which was mainly backed by Turkey and Qatar.

But when Haftar's forces used Tarhuna as a launchpad for an offensive against the capital in April 2019, the al-Kaniyat switched loyalties. They chose the losing side.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says at least 338 people were abducted or reported missing during the five-year rule of the al-Kaniyat. "Residents reported that the militia often abducted, detained, tortured, killed and (caused the) disappearance of people who opposed them or who were suspected of doing so," the HRW said.

On March 16, a new transitional unity government headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibah was approved to lead the country to elections this December.

The Libyan government has repeatedly called on the U.N., the International Criminal Court (ICC) and human rights groups to demand an international investigation into the mass graves./aa

Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) taxpayers’ ombudsperson will launch a probe after Muslim and other minority charities submitted a complaint about being unfairly targeted for audits, the Canadian Press reported Friday.

Francois Boileau said he will address the issues and concerns expressed by Muslim charities and other charities led by people of color.

"Before we take action, we need to take the time to listen and deepen our knowledge of the issues,” Boileau said in a release.

The ombudsperson’s office will ask the charities in question to share their experience with the CRA and the agency’s efforts to combat discrimination.

His office is expected to provide National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouhillier an update by Jan. 1, 2022, the CP reported.

The national coordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, Tim McSorley noted that the treatment of Muslim charities is common among other government institutions, but the CRA’s treatment especially has implications as it impacts how the agency audits these groups.

"We have offered to discuss our research and provide any support as needed to the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson for its review of this issue, and we look forward to seeing the results," McSorley told CP in an emailed statement. He continued by saying that the review should be transparent and the ombudsperson’s office should get access to the necessary documents and information.

"The review (should) examine the issues in full, including surveillance of the sector, the selection process for audits, how audits are carried out, how sanctions are determined, and how the CRA, particularly the Review and Analysis Division, works with other government departments, especially national security and intelligence agencies," McSorley said.

He also highlighted it was crucial for Boileau to review the implications of the country's anti-terrorism and anti-radicalization policies in terms of the CRA’s treatment of Muslim organizations.

"These policies are at the heart of the problem. They are the drivers behind the prejudiced auditing of Muslim charities, and must be a key part of this review," he said.

"Our one primary concern is that the ombudsperson's mandate may be too narrow to examine this system in its entirety."

Last month, almost 100 Muslim nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, urging him to reform CRA’s practices and overturn the agency’s decision to suspend a well-established Muslim charity’s ability to issue tax receipts./agencies

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued a group of asylum seekers who were abandoned by a Greek Coast Guard boat on an uninhabited Turkish island, said an official statement on Sunday.

The Greek boat dropping off the asylum seekers on the Mediterranean island of Basak, near the coastal town of Kas in the Antalya province, was seen by drones assisting in local firefighting efforts, the National Defense Ministry said.

After the irregular migrants were abandoned without survival supplies on the uninhabited island, they were quickly rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard Command, said a ministry statement.

Decrying how Greece has committed such inhumane practices before, the ministry said abandoning the asylum seekers was inappropriate and violated international law.

In recent years, numerous accounts by asylum seekers have accused Greek forces of abusing them along the border, in some cases even stripping them and robbing them of their possessions.

​​​​​​​Turkey has repeatedly condemned Greece illegally pushing back asylum seekers – a practice also been condemned by international human rights groups – saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children./aa