W O R L D

Fighting rages as Syrian army readies for Aleppo assault
Amman/Beirut, July 27
President Bashar al-Assad's artillery pounded rebel-held areas around Aleppo on Friday, preparing the ground for an onslaught on Syria's biggest city where the United States has said it fears a "massacre" may be imminent.

Policemen stand in front of a giant Syrian revolutionary flag, hung by two rebels in support of the Syrian uprising, after they climbed the scaffolding placed under the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Friday. — AFP

Crimes against Rohingya Muslims
Pak Taliban threaten to attack Myanmar
Islamabad, July 27
The Pakistani Taliban threatened that they would attack Myanmar to avenge the targeting of Rohingya Muslims if Islamabad does not cut off ties with the that country and shut its embassy.
A Pakistan protester stands over a US flag as he holds up a burning Myanmar flag during a protest in Multan. — AFP

Live conversion on Pak TV stirs anger
Islamabad, July 27
A young Hindu boy converted to Islam on a live television show hosted by a controversial Pakistani anchor, triggering outrage among liberals and sparking concerns among minority communities.

Fighting rages as Syrian army readies for Aleppo assault
Rebels brace for ‘mother of all battles’ US fears massacre in city

Amman/Beirut, July 27
President Bashar al-Assad's artillery pounded rebel-held areas around Aleppo on Friday, preparing the ground for an onslaught on Syria's biggest city where the United States has said it fears a "massacre" may be imminent.

Opposition sources said the shelling, which follows intensive ground and air bombardment of the city itself, was an attempt to stop fighters from re-supplying rebel units inside Aleppo.

"They are shelling at random to instill a state of terror," said Anwar Abu Ahed, a rebel commander outside the city. The battle for Aleppo, a major power centre that is home to 2.5 million people, is being seen as a potentially game changing turning point in the 16-month uprising against Assad that could give one side an edge in a conflict where both the rebels and the government have struggled to gain the upper hand.

A rebel commander said insurgents had attacked a convoy of Syrian army tanks heading towards the city, as the government continued to redeploy forces from other parts of the country to bolster its forces there.

The fate of Syria itself, an ethnically fragmented nation of 22 million people, is likely to determine the future of the wider region for years to come amid fears that its own sectarian tensions could spill across its porous borders.

The US State Department said credible reports of tank columns moving on Aleppo, along with air strikes by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, represented a serious escalation of Assad's efforts to crush his opponents.

"This is the concern: that we will see a massacre in Aleppo, and that's what the regime appears to be lining up for," Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said.

As the remaining residents of Aleppo braced themselves for more bloodshed, General Robert Mood, the outgoing head of the UN monitoring mission, told Reuters he thought Assad's days in power were numbered.

"In my opinion it is only a matter of time before a regime that is using such heavy military power and disproportional violence against the civilian population is going to fall," the Norwegian general, who left Damascus on July 19, said.

Navay Pillay, the United Nations human rights chief, said a pattern had emerged as Assad's forces resorted to shelling, tank fire and door-to-door searches. "All this, taken along with the reported build-up of forces in and around Aleppo, bodes ill for the people of that city," Pillay said in statement. — Reuters

Crimes against Rohingya Muslims
Pak Taliban threaten to attack Myanmar

Islamabad, July 27
The Pakistani Taliban threatened that they would attack Myanmar to avenge the targeting of Rohingya Muslims if Islamabad does not cut off ties with the that country and shut its embassy here.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) sought to portray itself as a defender of Muslims in Myanmar and said in a statement that "we will take revenge of your blood".

Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan demanded that the Pakistani government cut off relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad. "Otherwise we will not only attack Burmese interests anywhere but will also attack the Pakistani (friends) of Burma," Ehsan said in a statement. There was no word from the Myanmar embassy.

This was probably the first time that the TTP has commented on an issue that is not related to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Experts questioned its capability to carry out strikes in Myanmar. However, the TTP was linked to a botched car bomb attack in Times Square in New York in 2010. — PTI

Heavy death toll in rains dents Beijing’s image

Beijing, July 27
Bearing the brunt of the heaviest rainy season in six decades, Beijing - often projected as China's picture-perfect city - faced severe public criticism for its inadequate infrastructure, even as a top official admitted that the city has many loopholes in urban planning.

As the death toll in the incessant rains this week in Beijing mounted to 77, including five rescuers, triggering strong criticism among public, Guo Jinlong, former Mayor of the city and secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China's Beijing Municipal Committee said the local government should learn serious lessons.

Guo mourned the people who lost their lives in the disaster during a field trip to Fangshan district, which was worst hit by the rainstorm.

"We must seriously reflect on the lessons and always bear them in mind," Guo said. — PTI

Live conversion on Pak TV stirs anger

Islamabad, July 27
A young Hindu boy converted to Islam on a live television show hosted by a controversial Pakistani anchor, triggering outrage among liberals and sparking concerns among minority communities.

The Hindu youth, who appeared to be a teenager and was identified only as Sunil, was converted by Maulana Mufti Muhammad Aqmal on a special live Ramzan show on ARY Digital channel that is hosted by Maya Khan.

During the show beamed on Tuesday, Sunil sat among a group of children and men and said he had decided to convert to Islam while working for the NGO headed by rights activist Ansar Burney.

"Two years ago, I observed the fast during Ramzan. There is no pressure on me to accept Islam, I want to accept Islam of my own will," he said in response to questions from Aqmal.

The cleric then asked Sunil to say he was "accepting Islam without any pressure and without being forced by anyone" and to recite the "Kalimah Tayyibah".

Following the conversion, Maya Khan announced that Sunil would be renamed Muhammad Abdullah.

Khan, who was sacked by Samaa TV channel earlier this year after she earned the ire of people across Pakistan when she accosted "immoral" couples dating in Karachi's parks, said she hoped Sunil "would become a good Muslim".

Hindu leaders expressed concern at the development, saying it could increase pressure on the minority community.

"This has caused sadness in our community as it does not set a good example. Such shows will increase pressure on our community," Amarnath Randhawa of the Lahore-based Hindu Sudhar Sabha told PTI.

"Minority communities are already oppressed in Pakistan and the pressure is bound to increase on people when such things are played up in the media," Randhawa said.

Sarim Burney, the brother of Ansar Burney, was part of the show and sat beside Sunil as he was converted. — PTI

‘Religion for ratings’ 

It is yet another example of how the industry's commercial goals trump ethics, open-mindedness and common sense. More disturbingly, what the channel obviously didn't stop to consider is the message this broadcast would send to the country's minorities. The joy with which the conversion was greeted, and the congratulations that followed, sent a clear signal that other religions don't enjoy the same status in Pakistan as Islam does.

— The Dawn, Pakistani daily