Latest news with #YousufRazaGillani
Arab News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistan Senate chief attends inaugural mass of Pope Leo in show of interfaith harmony
ISLAMABAD: Yousuf Raza Gillani, chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, on Sunday attended the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City, Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) said, in a show of Islamabad's commitment to promoting interfaith harmony. Pope Leo XIV set the tone for his papacy with a call to stop exploiting nature and marginalizing the poor at the inaugural mass, attended by dignitaries including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice President JD Vance. Ten days after he became the first US head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, some 200,000 people gathered to see his inaugural mass in St. Peter's Square, according to the Vatican. Gillani's presence at the mass highlighted Pakistan's respect for the Catholic community worldwide and its dedication to fostering dialogue and mutual understanding among diverse religious traditions. 'Gillani is scheduled to engage in bilateral meetings with Vatican officials and international counterparts to discuss shared interests, including the promotion of peace, protection of minority rights, and the advancement of interfaith collaboration,' the PID said. 'Pakistan remains steadfast in its advocacy for religious tolerance and coexistence, and Chairman Gillani's participation in this significant event reaffirms the nation's role in promoting global understanding and harmony.' Before the mass began, the Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost delighted the crowds by taking to the popemobile for the first time, smiling, waving and blessing those he passed. In his homily, the soft-spoken 69-year-old returned to the themes of peace, reconciliation and social justice that have marked his first few days as pope. 'In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth's resources and marginalizes the poorest,' he said. After two decades spent as missionary in Peru, the new pope — who was only made a cardinal in 2023 — is unknown to many Catholics. But many of those gathered in St. Peter's Square said they liked what they had heard so far. Maria Grazia La Barbera, 56, a pilgrim from Palermo in Sicily, said Leo was 'the right person at the right time' to lead the Church. 'He will certainly do what he promised: knocking down walls and building bridges,' she said. — With additional input from AFP
Express Tribune
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PPP walkout heats up Senate session over canal issue
Listen to article In an interesting development, lawmakers of the PPP on Tuesday staged a protest in the Senate together with lawmakers from opposition parties — the PTI and the JUI-F — against the federal government's controversial canal project. When the Senate session commenced, PTI lawmaker Saifullah Abro requested Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani to allow him to speak on the canal issue during a point of order. He said the people of Sindh have been staging a protest for the last seven days. "We have submitted a resolution against the Canal project. We should be allowed to speak on the matter," he added. However, the chairman, who belongs to the PPP, asked him to discuss the matter after the question hour. Abro, however, staged a sit-in in front of the speakers' dice. The move also irked the PPP senators who rose from their seats and started chanting "theft of water, unacceptable". Gillani urged the leader of the opposition, PTI Senator Shibli Faraz, to bring the matter for discussion in the house after consulting it with PPP's parliamentary leader Sherry Rehman. However, the lawmakers did not accept this request and PPP senators staged a walkout in protest. Talking with reference to the project, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar said the matter will be discussed thoroughly, and nothing will be bulldozed through parliament. Cabinet members will respond to questions in the house. Meanwhile, Yousuf Raza Gillani noted that quorum had been pointed out in the house. PTI members responded by saying that no one had pointed out the lack of quorum. The Senate chairman later announced that the quorum was present. Taking the floor, Shibli Faraz noted that life in Sindh had come to a halt due to public protests. He also criticized the PPP, which rules Sindh, and accused the party of hypocrisy. He said President Asif Ali Zardari, who co-chairs the PPP, approved the canal project which is part of the Green Pakistan Initiative in June 2024 but later issued a statement against the project. Once again, a lack of quorum was pointed out and the chairman ordered a headcount, but this time the quorum was not complete and bells were rung in the Senate galleries. PTI members raised loud slogans during the session. Senator Humayun Mohmand said, "What could be more shameful than government members themselves pointing out the lack of quorum?" Senator Falak Naz Chitrali of the PTI shouted: "Shame on PPP!" During this time, only one PML-N Senator, Nasir Butt, was seen sitting alone in the House. The session was subsequently adjourned by the chairman until 10:30am on Friday.
Express Tribune
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Notorious export
Listen to article Beggars are fast becoming our most notorious export, going abroad to ask for alms while bringing disrepute to the country and indirectly creating hurdles for hard-working youngsters who want to move abroad. Despite the government's promises and assurances that it is addressing the beggary export business, the UAE recently announced the arrest of another 10 beggars, leaving Pakistani authorities to again proclaim that they will face legal action upon deportation back here, without addressing either how they got to the UAE in the first place. Even though several Middle Eastern governments are making it harder for Pakistanis to go to their countries, it appears the fraudsters are still making it through, while upstanding citizens are being deprived of the opportunity to visit as legitimate tourists, students or job applicants. Meanwhile, successive governments have been unwilling to acknowledge why people would go to such lengths just to beg for money — for many people, being a beggar on the street in a wealthy country is better than working in Pakistan. While the initial excuse used to be that such migrants do not realise how tough life on the street abroad can be, several documented cases of deportees going abroad again suggest that at least some migrant beggars genuinely prefer the bottom rung abroad to working a 'real' job here. Studies have shown that begging has a direct inverse relationship with unemployment and average wages. If the government -— or any government — had made the country attractive for talented people, rather than a place they are forced to be, those talented people would have helped grow the economy and create good jobs for working-class people, giving everyone a good reason to stay. Instead, about 13 years after then-prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani seemingly encouraged desperate people who wanted to leave Pakistan to leave, rather than admit state failure in their desire, we are at a point where governance failures are forcing people to stay.
