Pakistan offers rare thanks to India after Kashmiri boy custody case



MUZAFFARABAD, PAKISTAN // Pakistan sent a rare message of thanks to India on Sunday, after a five-year-old boy who was taken to India by his father nearly a year ago was reunited with his Pakistani mother.

Ifthikar Ahmed was handed over to Rohina Kiani by border officials in the town of Wagah in Punjab province on Saturday evening following a long legal battle seeking his return from his father, Gulzar Ahmad Tantray.

The case created a media stir and shone a spotlight on the two countries’ decades-long dispute over divided Kashmir, over which they have fought two wars.

Ms Kiani, a resident of the Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, said on Sunday she was overwhelmed with happiness and prepared to forgive her estranged husband, who is from Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“I’m extremely happy and unable to express my joy,” she said.

“I pardon my husband and hope he will also join us soon to live with us here in Pakistan.”

Mr Tantray was among thousands who crossed the de facto border into Pakistani Kashmir while an insurgency was at its peak in the Indian sector.

He later married Kiani, but wanted the family to return to his home village following the birth of their son. When Ms Kiani refused, Tantray fled with the child last March.

Ms Kiani pursued a custody case in an Indian court through the Pakistani embassy in New Delhi, and the court ruled in her favour.

“We are thankful to Indian authorities for their cooperation in this humanitarian matter,” Pakistan’s high commissioner Abdul Basit tweeted.

Ms Kiani also thanked both governments, and urged them to come together to find a lasting solution to the Kashmir conflict.

“Thousands of people are suffering from grief and sorrow because of this dispute. The Kashmir issue must be solved to end problems of people living on both sides of Kashmir,” she said.

The region has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Several rebel groups have for decades fought Indian troops deployed in the region, demanding its independence or merger with Pakistan.

* Agence France-Presse

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Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
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The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

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A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
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No more lice

Defining head lice

Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.

Identifying lice

Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.

Treating lice at home

Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.

Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital

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