Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Controversy over Pakistan cleric's invite to anti-terror meet in Manchester

The invitation to a Pakistani cleric to an anti-terror meet in the UK earlier this month has triggered controversy as it emerged that he had praised the actions of an Islamist extremist in the past.

Hassan Haseeb ur Rehman attended the 'Counter Terrorism Conference' on July 12 in Manchester alongside UK police chiefs and family members of a victim of the ISIS-claimed terror attack on an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena last year, which had claimed 23 lives.


According to The Sunday Times, Rehman led a "high-profile campaign" in Pakistan in praise of Mumtaz Qadri, who had killed Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011 for wanting a dialogue on the country's strict blasphemy laws.

Qadri, who shot Taseer 28 times saying it was his religious duty, was executed in 2016.

Sara Khan, the UK's lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism, told the newspaper: "Rehman attended and spoke at the funeral of Qadri and described him as a martyr.

"There is no defence or justification for celebrating an ideologically motivated assassination. It is clear that many of those at the conference... would not have known about his vile views."

Fiyaz Mughal, founder of the interfaith group Faith Matters said: "The speaker being feted in the 'counter-extremism' conference has been on record as maligning Ahmadi Muslims and in supporting the memory of the murderer of Punjab governor Salman Taseer."

The conference in a Manchester hotel was hosted by the Ramadhan Foundation, which denied its Pakistani guest's links to extremism.

Mohammed Shafiq, the chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation said: "He (Rehman) is not a supporter of terrorism. He is an opponent of terrorism. Any insinuation that he is an extremist is frankly absurd and an insult."

Russ Jackson, Head of the Northwest Counter-Terrorism Unit, was presented with an award by Rehman and Shafiq at the event, which was also attended by Sharon Goodman, grandmother of the Manchester Arena attack victim Olivia Campbell-Hardy, and Andrew Hardy, Olivia's father.

Greater Manchester police said: "The Sunday Times has now brought to our attention some concerns about one of the speakers, which we will now consider."

More For You

Trump says 'won’t get Nobel' as Pakistan backs 2026 nomination

Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Trump says 'won’t get Nobel' as Pakistan backs 2026 nomination

PAKISTAN government has announced that it will formally nominate US president Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention” during the recent military tensions between India and Pakistan.

The announcement was made on Saturday (21) on X, just days after president Trump hosted Pakistan Army Chief general Asim Munir at the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
King Charles praises yoga as thousands join global celebrations

Yoga Day celebrations in the UK (Photo: X/@HCI_London)

King Charles praises yoga as thousands join global celebrations

HUNDREDS of people gathered in central London on Friday (20) evening to mark the 10th International Day of Yoga, with King Charles III sending a special message of support for the ancient practice that continues to grow in popularity across Britain.

The celebration took place at an iconic square on the Strand, organised by the Indian High Commission in partnership with King's College London. High commissioner Vikram Doraiswami opened the proceedings by reading out the King's personal message from Buckingham Palace.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

Supporters of the assisted dying law for terminally ill people hold a banner, on the day British lawmakers are preparing to vote on the bill, in London, Britain, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Parliament backs assisted dying in historic law shift

PARLIAMENT voted on Friday (20) in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, paving the way for the country's biggest social change in a generation.

314 lawmakers voted in favour with 291 against the bill, clearing its biggest parliamentary hurdle.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India

An Air India Airbus A320-200 aircraft takes off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, July 7, 2017. Picture taken July 7, 2017.

Regulator warns Air India over delayed emergency equipment checks: Report

INDIA’s aviation regulator has warned Air India for violating safety rules after three of its Airbus aircraft operated flights without undergoing mandatory checks on emergency escape slides, according to official documents reviewed by Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued warning notices and a detailed investigation report highlighting the breach. These documents were sent days before the recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8, in which all but one of the 242 people onboard were killed. The Airbus incidents are unrelated to that crash.

Keep ReadingShow less
assisted dying bill

Pro and anti-assisted dying campaigners protest ahead of a parliamentary decision later today, on June 20, 2025 in London.

Getty Images

MPs to vote on assisted dying bill amid divided views

UK MPs are set to hold a key vote on assisted dying on Friday, which could either advance or halt a proposed law that would allow terminally ill adults to end their lives under strict conditions.

The vote follows several hours of debate in the House of Commons and will decide whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill moves to the House of Lords for further scrutiny or is dropped altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less