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HAARP? Conspiracy theories link controversial US weapon to earthquake in Turkiye, Syria

06:40 PM | 7 Feb, 2023
HAARP? Conspiracy theories link controversial US weapon to earthquake in Turkiye, Syria
Source: social media

LAHORE – The death toll from a powerful earthquake and its dozens of aftershocks that jolted Turkey and Syria continues to rise. The first earthquake hit at 4:17am (01:17 GMT) on Monday and its epicenter was in the Pazarcik district of Kahramanmaras Province.

According to the United States Geological Service (USGS), the earthquake struck at a depth of about 17.9km (11 miles). Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the magnitude was 7.4 near the cities of Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep.

At least 3,600 deaths were reported in Turkey, while more than 1,600 people lost their lives in Syria. The death toll is likely to climb as rescue efforts are underway to recover people trapped under the rubble of thousands of buildings flattened during the earthquake.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced seven days national mourning in the country for the victims the earthquake. World leaders have pledged to send aid after Turkiye issued an international appeal for help.

Turkiye, formerly Turkey, is located in one of the seismically active regions and is more vulnerable to such disasters. The country of around 85 million suffered one of the worst quakes in 1999 in which more than 17,000 people were killed.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/07-Feb-2023/is-an-earthquake-going-to-hit-pakistan-and-india

Conspiracy theories

Amid the catastrophic situation, a section of social media is busy in coining conspiracy theories that hint towards human involvement in the deadly earthquake. A number of videos, which show lighting strikes at the time of earthquake, are being posted on social media claiming that the quake was artificially made. Some users believe the lighting strikes are not normal in earthquakes.

A user also linked the earthquake with HAARP – The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program – a US research centre studies the properties and behaviour of the ionosphere.

“The earthquake in Turkey looks like a punitive operation (HAARP) by NATO or the US against Turkey. The video shows lightning strikes, which are not normal in earthquakes, but always happen in harp operations,” reads the tweet.

On the other hand, some responded to the claim stating that earthquake lightning is believed to be electric charging from certain types of rock in the earth's crust from seismic activity. It may also be a power grid substation being destroyed.

This is not the first time that HAARP was blamed for such calamities by the conspiracy theorists. Earlier it was claimed for the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2010 Chile earthquake and tsunami, and the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. A massive landslide in Philippines that killed more than a thousand people in 2006 was also linked to HAARP.

Besides social media users, worlds leaders have also raised fingers over the role of the HAARP in disasters. In 2010, then President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused the US project for creating electromagnetic waves for sparking floods in Pakistan.

In the same year, then President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez said a tectonic weapon being tested by the US had caused the deadly earthquake in Haiti.

What is HAARP?

HAARP stands for High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, a US project based in an observatory in Alaska that studies the upper atmosphere using radio transmitters. The official websites of the project says it is “studying the properties and behavior of the ionosphere. The ionosphere stretches roughly 50 to 400 miles above Earth's surface, right at the edge of space. Along with the neutral upper atmosphere, the ionosphere forms the boundary between Earth's lower atmosphere — where we live and breathe — and the vacuum of space."

Operation of the research facility was transferred from the United States Air Force to the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Aug. 11, 2015, allowing HAARP to continue with exploration of ionospheric phenomenology via a land-use cooperative research and development agreement.

Although the project had never officially responded to the earthquake claims, it has talked about weather manipulation theories. An online portal 'editorji' quoted HAARP scientists as saying that the facility cannot control weather.

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Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal rates on March 21, 2023

KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on March 21, 2023 (Tuesday).

Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 283.15 286.15
Euro EUR 298.5 301.5
UK Pound Sterling GBP 340.5 344
U.A.E Dirham AED 77.25 78
Saudi Riyal SAR 75.2 76
Australian Dollar AUD 187 189.4
Bahrain Dinar BHD 749.54 757.54
Canadian Dollar CAD 207.5 209.5
China Yuan CNY 40.91 41.31
Danish Krone DKK 40.38 40.78
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 35.9 36.25
Indian Rupee INR 3.41 3.52
Japanese Yen JPY 2.06 2.11
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 916.88 925.88
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 62.85 63.45
New Zealand Dollar NZD 176.66 178.6
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.33 26.63
Omani Riyal OMR 732.14 740.14
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 77.42 78.12
Singapore Dollar SGD 207.5 209.5
Swedish Korona SEK 26.5 26.8
Swiss Franc CHF 305.25 307.78
Thai Bhat THB 8.26 8.41

Today's gold rates in Pakistan – 21 March 2023

KARACHI - The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 204,700 on Tuesday.The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs175,500.  

Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs163,624 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 190,849.  

Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Karachi PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Islamabad PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Peshawar PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Quetta PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Sialkot PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Attock PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Gujranwala PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Jehlum PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Multan PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Bahawalpur PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Gujrat PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Nawabshah PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Chakwal PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Hyderabad PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Nowshehra PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Sargodha PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Faisalabad PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390
Mirpur PKR 204,700 PKR 2,390

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