Tag: Pakistan

Pakistan evictions of Afghan migrants ‘unacceptable’, says Kabul

Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation

And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law. Image for representation purpose only. File | Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s plan to evict hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants is “unacceptable”, Taliban authorities said Wednesday, denying allegations by Islamabad its citizens were responsible for a string of suicide attacks there.

Around 1.3 million Afghans are registered refugees in Pakistan and 880,000 more have legal status to remain, according to the latest United Nations figures.

But caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said Tuesday a further 1.7 million Afghans were in Pakistan illegally, giving a November 1 deadline to return home or face deportation.

The order comes as Pakistan grapples with a rise in attacks the government blames on militants operating from Afghanistan, a charge Kabul routinely denies.

“The behaviour of Pakistan against Afghan refugees is unacceptable,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on social media site X.

“Afghan refugees are not involved in Pakistan’s security problems. As long as they leave Pakistan voluntarily, that country should tolerate them.”

Bugti claimed Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of 24 suicide attacks in Pakistan since January.

“We deny all these claims because Afghans have migrated to other countries for their safety, their security,” said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

“It’s natural when someone migrates to another country for his safety, he would never want insecurity there,” he told AFP.

Legions of Afghans have migrated to neighbouring Pakistan over decades of conflict during the Soviet invasion, the following civil war and the U.S.-led occupation.

And 600,000 have arrived since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021 and imposed their austere version of Islamic law.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-evictions-of-afghan-migrants-unacceptable-says-kabul/article67380504.ece

Pakistan sets November 1 deadline for illegal immigrants to leave country: Minister

Islamabad, Oct 3 (PTI) Pakistan’s caretaker government has set November 1 as the deadline for thousands of illegal immigrants to leave the country or face deportation as the government intensified its crackdown against those involved in militancy and smuggling, Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Tuesday.

https://www.arabnews.com/

Speaking at a press briefing after a high-level meeting of the Apex Committee chaired by caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and attended by Army Chief General Asim Munir among others, Bugti said that soon law enforcement agencies will get directions against the illegal immigrants.

He said that the meeting held at the PM House took the decision to remove illegal residents under the National Action Plan which was devised in 2015 to deal with the threat of militancy.

“The first decision taken is about our illegal immigrants who are living in Pakistan through illegal means. We have given them a deadline of November 1 to willingly return to their countries and if they don’t, all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of the state and provinces will deport them,” Bugti said.

He said that the meeting decided that the welfare and security of a Pakistani was the most important for the government and all stakeholders were “taken in the loop” regarding the decision to expel those living illegally.

He said an operation would be launched after November 1 by a task force already created in the interior ministry against the illegal properties and businesses owned by illegal immigrants or that were being run in collaboration with Pakistanis.

The minister said that no one would be allowed to enter Pakistan without a passport or visa after November 1 and anyone entering with valid documents would be deported. He said those having illegal national identity cards would also be targeted.

He said DNA testing would also be used to identify those having Pakistan’s identity cardholders despite not being Pakistani citizens.

Source: https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-sets-november-1-deadline-for-illegal-immigrants-to-leave-country-minister/1788688/

Pakistan: Death toll due to explosion rises to 65, country blames India for twin suicide blasts

Pakistan on September 30 accused India’s intelligence agency of being involved in two suicide blasts on September 29 as the death toll rose to 65.

Pakistan twin blast

Pakistan on September 30 accused India’s intelligence agency of being involved in two suicide blasts on September 29 as the death toll rose to 65.

The explosion took place near a mosque in Balochistan’s Mustang after a bomber detonated his explosives. Hours later another explosion took place at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu city that killed at least 5 people.

Pakistan’s interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti in Quetta, Balochistan accused India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) of being involved in the suicide attack.

Police on Saturday filed a report to launch an investigation, saying they had sent DNA from the suicide bomb attacker to be analysed.

A total of 60 people were killed and more than 60 others were injured in a grisly suicide blast in Balochistan near the Madina Masjid at a place called Mastung.

Source : https://www.indiatodayne.in/international/story/pakistan-death-toll-due-to-explosion-rises-to-65-country-blames-india-for-twin-suicide-blasts-687156-2023-10-01

Asian Games 2023, Day 7 wrap: Gold rush in squash, tennis; Hockey team hammers Pakistan 10-2

India’s Rutuja Bhosale and Rohan Bopanna their Asian Games 2023 gold medal (AP)

India had a successful outing on Day 7 of the ongoing Asian Games 2023, winning five medals. With this display, India has taken its medal tally to 38, behind only China, Japan and South Korea.

India won a gold medal in the men’s squash team event, a gold medal in mixed doubles in tennis, a silver medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, and a silver and bronze medal in the men’s 10000m event.

Asian Games 2023, Day 7: Highlights

Day 7 featured a couple of high-octane India versus Pakistan contests, alongside brilliant individual performances in athletics, boxing and shooting.

INDIA DOWN PAKISTAN IN SQUASH FINAL

Abhay Singh was the star of the show as India secured a memorable comeback win over Pakistan in the men’s team squash final to clinch the gold medal at Asian Games 2023.

Abhay defeated Pakistan’s Noor Zaman 11-7, 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 12-10 in an intense Match 3 to clinch Gold for India.

India went down 0-1 following Nasir Iqbal’s 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 win over Mahesh Mangaonkar in the first match. India then turned to Saurav Ghosal who brought the team back into the contest by breezing past Muhammed Asim Khan 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 to make it 1-1.

In the final match of the final, Abhay came down from 1-2 to win the match 3-2 and help his team win the gold medal at Hangzhou.

BOPPANA-RUTUJA CLINCH GOLD

Indian tennis duo Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale clinched the gold medal in mixed doubles at the 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China.

The dynamic duo secured their victory in a thrilling final at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, triumphing over the Taiwan duo of Tsung-hao Huang and En-shuo Liang with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-3, 10-4.

This win continued India’s impressive record of achieving at least one gold medal in each of the six Asian Games editions in the 21st century.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/asian-games-2023/story/asian-games-2023-day-7-wrap-gold-rush-in-squash-tennis-hockey-team-hammers-pakistan-10-2-2442825-2023-09-30

Pakistan sees foreign involvement in Friday’s fatal bombings, pledges to eliminate militant hideouts

A man comforts to another mourning for his relative, who was killed in the bomb explosion, at a hospital, in Quetta, Pakistan, on September 29, 2023. (AP)

Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti on Saturday vowed to pursue militant groups operating in Pakistan and eliminate their safe havens, as he accused India’s premier spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), of orchestrating recent suicide bombings in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces which claimed 65 lives.

Bugti’s statement came just a day after a suicide explosion took place near a gathering to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Balochistan’s Mastung area, killing at least 60 people.

People gather at the site of a suicide bomb attack that targeted a procession marking Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday in Mastung district on September 29, 2023. (AFP)

In another attack that took place later in the day, militants targeted a mosque at a police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district to kill five more people.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, though the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) network distanced itself from the Friday attacks and denied involvement by issuing a public statement.

“Whether it is Daesh or TTP or anyone else, anyone committing violence under any banner, violence will only be exercised by the state,” the minister told a news conference in Quetta after attending a security meeting.

“All major incidents that occurred in Balochistan were not without RAW’s involvement along with the forces that seek to destabilize Pakistan,” he continued.

Bugti did not provide any evidence of Indian involvement in the recent attacks in Pakistan, though officials in Islamabad have always suspected New Delhi of orchestrating such incidents in the country.

“We will go after the terrorists and eliminate all their dens … We know who is handling all these terrorists,” he said. “We have decidedly that there will be zero tolerance for these terrorists.”

Source : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2383191/pakistan

Suicide bombings at two mosques in Pakistan kill at least 57

Suicide bombings ripped through two mosques in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 57 people, including seven children, as believers marked the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, police and health officials said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, from which the death toll could climb, with many people seriously injured and others having been trapped beneath the wreckage.

In the first blast, in Mastung in the southwestern province of Balochistan, the bomber detonated his explosives near a police vehicle where people were gathering for a procession, senior police official Munir Ahmed said.

At least 52 people were killed, according to district health official Abdul Rasheed, including the children who were aged nine to 11. At least 58 people were injured.

“The injured were crying for help,” witness Munir Ahmed Shahwani said.

“I saw at least 25 bodies on the spot, which included small children,” he said, adding people were looking for their loved ones.

A deputy superintendent of police was among those killed as he oversaw security arrangements in the area, police said.

“Nawaz Gishkori tried to stop the suicide bomber, but he blew himself up after getting close to him,” Javed Lehri, a senior police officer said.

The gathering, in which people were carrying flags and banners, was at a mosque belonging to the Barelvi sect, generally considered more moderate than hardline Islamic sects such as Salafism.

Some hardline sects consider veneration of the Prophet Mohammad as heresy.

People gather outside the Mastung hospital, following a deadly suicide attack on a religious gathering in Balochistan province, Pakistan, September 29, 2023 in this handout image. Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital Mastung/Handout via REUTERS

The second attack, in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed five people at a mosque, according to rescue officials. The roof collapsed, broadcaster Geo News said, trapping about 30 to 40 people under the rubble.

The attack involved two explosions, one of which was at the mosque gate and the other in the compound, an official said.

A surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces has cast a shadow on election preparations and public campaigning in the run-up to January’s national election, but until now the attacks had mostly targeted security forces.

Both provinces border Afghanistan and have suffered attacks in recent years by Islamist militants aiming to overthrow Pakistan’s government and install their own brand of strict Islamic law.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/blast-southwest-pakistan-kills-13-more-than-50-injured-police-2023-09-29

75 years after independence, 40% of Pakistanis live below the poverty line; and its economic model is not working

Pakistan’s economic model is ineffective in reducing poverty, warns World Bank.

It has been 75 years since Pakistan got its independence from British rule on August 14, 1947. (Representative image: Pixabay)

As Pakistan grapples with an ongoing economic crisis, the World Bank has issued a stark warning: the country’s current economic model is no longer effective in reducing poverty. In a recently published report titled ‘Time to Decide’, the World Bank argues that Pakistan needs urgent economic reforms.

This advice comes amidst alarming indicators like skyrocketing inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and a population where 40% live below the poverty line. And, it has been 75 years since the country got its independence from British rule on August 14, 1947.

Najy Banhassine, the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan, pointed out that the nation’s policy decisions are heavily swayed by a coalition of strong vested interests. These include political, military and business elites. According to Banhassine, unless Pakistan changes its course, it risks becoming a perpetual laggard, hamstrung by elite capture and policy decisions that favour a few.

“It is also facing a ‘silent’ human capital crisis: abnormally high child stunting rates, low learning outcomes, and high child mortality,” ANI quoted Banhassine as saying.

With economic hardship mounting, the Pakistani Rupee touched a record low against the dollar, sliding to ₹299.64 in the interbank market. Analysts attribute this to easing import restrictions, which have increased demand for the US dollar. These conditions were stipulated in a $3 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The World Bank has stated that Pakistan’s real per capita growth rate was a mere 1.7% between 2000 and 2020. This is less than half the average growth rate for South Asian countries over the same period.

Equally troubling is the human development crisis the country faces, particularly high rates of child stunting and poor learning outcomes.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/75-years-after-independence-40-of-pakistanis-live-below-the-poverty-line-and-its-economic-model-is-not-working-11695528712845.html

No Bilateral Cricket Relations With Pakistan Unless Cross Border Terrorism Ends: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur

Anurag Thakur (left) says no bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan till cross border terrorism ends. (AFP/AP)

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has said the BCCI long ago decided that there won’t be any bilateral cricket with Pakistan till they stop cross border terrorism and infiltration in India.

The bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been suspended for years due to the heightened diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours with the two teams only playing matches at the ICC and continental events.

“As far as sports is concerned, BCCI had long before decided that bilateral matches with Pakistan won’t be held till they stop infiltration and cross-border terrorism. I think this is the sentiment of every common citizen of this country,” Anurag Thakur, a former BCCI president, said on Friday.

The cricket ties between India and Pakistan are in focus again after an Army Colonel, a Major and a Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police were killed during a gunfight with militants recently.

The Indian men’s cricket team is currently in Sri Lanka where they are taking part in the Asia Cup 2023. They have faced Pakistan twice in the ongoing tournament.

The Asia Cup 2023 was originally slated to be held entirely in Pakistan but BCCI said it cannot send its team citing denial of permission from the Indian government.

In response, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) threatened to boycott the 2023 ODI World Cup which is scheduled to be held in India.

However, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) eventually arrived at a hybrid model according to which few matches were to be played in Pakistan while the remaining will take place in Sri Lanka.

 

Source: https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/india-vs-pakistan-bilateral-cricket-relations-anurag-thakur-cross-border-terrorism-ends-asia-cup-2023-8578458.html

Asia Cup 2023: Mendis, Asalanka Shine As Sri Lanka Beat Pakistan In Last-Ball Thriller To Set Up Final vs India

PAK vs SL, Asia Cup 2023 Super 4: Sri Lanka (253/8) Beat Pakistan (252/7) By 2 Wickets Via DLS To Set Up Sunday’s Final vs India. Kusal Mendis (91), Charith Asalanka (49*), Iftikhar Ahmed (3/50)

Charith Asalanka played one of the coolest shots in ODI cricket history to score the final two runs required off the last as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 2 wickets in the Super 4 to reach the Asia Cup 2023 final in Colombo.

Needing 2 runs off the last ball, Asalanka walked across the stumps and flicked a full delivery from Pakistani debutant Zaman Khan to take two runs and bring an end to a thrilling contest at the R Premadasa stadium in the Sri Lankan capital on Thursday.

Sri Lanka win rain-marred contest

Chasing a rain-revised target of 252 for victory, Sri Lanka rode on the superb knocks from Kusal Mendis (91) and Asalanka, who fell short of his 10 ODI fifty by 1 run, to cross the finish line and set up the summit clash against India, which will be played at the same venue on September 17.

Sunday’s match will be Sri Lanka’s 12th appearance in the Asia Cup final while India will be playing its 10th summit clash in the tournament’s history.

The Men in Blue have won the title a record 7 times with Sri Lanka a close second with 6 trophies.

“We had the game under control, but the losing of wickets took it till the last over. We gave them a chance to come back in the game, but we knew Charith could get us home.

“We had a discussion before batting and we discussed the mistakes we made in the India game. We gave away wickets in the first 10 overs, and Kusal and Sadeera played brilliant knocks,” Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka said after the match.

 

Source:  https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/asia-cup-2023-kusal-mendis-charith-asalanka-shine-as-sri-lanka-beat-pakistan-in-last-ball-thriller-to-set-up-final-vs-india

Pakistan Continues To Expand Nuclear Arsenal Amid Dire Economic Crisis: Report

A report has said that Pakistan has continued to “expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads” even as its citizens suffer through a cash-strapped economy.

Pakistan continues to expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads even as the nation’s citizens suffer in a broken economy amid cash woes, reveals a report | Image: X/AP

Despite its dire economic circumstances, cash-strapped Pakistan continues to pursue its ambitions of expanding its nuclear arsenal. A recent research report by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists raises alarms about this development, stating, “Pakistan continues to gradually expand its nuclear arsenal with more warheads, more delivery systems, and a growing fissile material production industry.”

Pakistan, a nation grappling with a severe economic downturn, is facing widespread protests driven by soaring fuel prices and exorbitant power bills. The situation has reached a critical point, with petrol prices reaching an all-time high of PKR 300 per litre, and many cities experiencing prolonged power outages.

Desperate for financial relief, Pakistan sought assistance from China and Gulf nations on multiple occasions. However, in a significant turn of events, Pakistan reluctantly agreed to stringent conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a bailout.

Source: https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/pakistan-news/pakistan-continues-to-expand-nuclear-arsenal-amid-dire-economic-crisis-report-articleshow.html

Pakistan: Woman stoned to death in Punjab province for alleged adultery

According to police, the woman’s husband accused her of adultery and, along with his two brothers, tied her to a tree and stoned her to death. They also brutally tortured her before killing her.

Picture of a stressed woman

A woman was stoned to death in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Friday, allegedly for committing adultery. The incident took place in Rajanpur district, some 500 kilometers from Lahore. According to police, the woman’s husband accused her of adultery and, along with his two brothers, tied her to a tree and stoned her to death. They also brutally tortured her before killing her.

The brothers fled the scene and are believed to be hiding in the border region between Punjab and Balochistan. The woman belonged to the Alkani tribe of Rajanpur.

This is not the first time that a woman has been killed in Pakistan in the name of honor. According to human rights activists, around 1,000 women are killed in Pakistan every year in such killings. The victims are often perceived to have brought shame and dishonor to their families by marrying against their will or having an affair. Most often, the family members are behind such killings.

A few days ago, a young lady doctor was shot dead in the name of honor in Punjab’s Mianwali district. The 25-year-old doctor wanted to marry her colleague, but her father disapproved of it. The doctor’s father came to her clinic and argued with her over the matter. During the argument, he pulled out a gun and shot her, leaving her critically injured. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed to her wounds.

These killings are a horrific reminder of the plight of women in Pakistan. They are often treated as second-class citizens and are denied basic rights. The government must take urgent steps to stop these killings and ensure the safety of women in Pakistan.

Source: https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/pakistan-woman-stoned-to-death-alleged-adultery-punjab-province-rajanpur-2023-09-03-890580

9 Pak forces men killed, 17 injured in suicide blast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A suicide bomber on a motorbike struck a security forces convoy in the Mali Khel area, The Pakistan Telegraph reported on Thursday.

Suicide blast in Pakistan. (Source: File photo)

At least nine security personnel were killed and 17 others were injured in a suicide bomb blast in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, reported Dawn News on Thursday.

A suicide bomber on a motorbike struck a security forces convoy in the Mali Khel area, The Pakistan Telegraph quoted police sources as saying.

Pakistan’s caretaker PM Anwaar ul Haq Kakar expressed grief over the Bannu division incident. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Kakar wrote, “Heartbroken by the loss of 9 valiant soldiers in Bannu Division, KPK, to a cowardly terrorist act that injured many. Such acts are utterly reprehensible. My thoughts are with the families of the martyred and injured. Pakistan stands resolute against such terror.”

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/suicide-blast-death-toll-pakistan-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-2429341-2023-08-31

Air Force To Hold Mega Air Exercise ‘Trishul’ Near Pak, China Border During G20 Summit

The Exercise will take place close to the borders of Pakistan and China at the time when India would be hosting the biggest International event, the G-20 Summit between 8-10 September in New Delhi. The exercise scheduled ahead of the G20 Summit will witness the participation of major fleets of fighter aircraft including the Rafale, Mirage 2000 and the Su-30MKIs.

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force will be conducting a major air exercise in the Northern Sector between September 4 -14. The exercise named Trishul will involve almost all components of Air Force’s fighting and transport fleet. The Exercise will take place close to the borders of Pakistan and China at the time when India would be hosting the biggest International event, the G20 Summit between 8-10 September in New Delhi. The exercise scheduled ahead of the G20 Summit will witness the participation of major fleets of fighter aircraft including the Rafale, Mirage 2000 and the Su-30MKIs.
Heavy-lift transport aircraft and choppers including the Chinooks and Apache will also take part in the military drills. Garud Special Forces are also part of the drills where all elements of air power are likely to be exercised. The Indian Airforce conducts these training exercises to enhance the combat capabilities regularly at various command and inter-command levels. Exercise Trishul will involve all major air bases including Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/airforce-to-hold-mega-air-exercise-trishul-near-pakistan-china-border-during-g20-summit-article-103262109

All 8 Stuck In Pakistan Cable Car Stranded Mid-Air Rescued

The daring rescue began with a helicopter plucking two children to safety after almost 12 hours in the air as daylight faded, but the chopper was forced back to base in the dark.

Military helicopters and zipline experts on Tuesday rescued eight people, including six school children, trapped for hours in a stricken cable car high above a remote Pakistan valley.
The daring rescue began with a helicopter plucking two children to safety after almost 12 hours in the air as daylight faded, but the chopper was forced back to base in the dark.

Then rescuers used the cable keeping the gondola from plunging into the valley as a zipline to rescue the rest of those stranded late into Tuesday night.

“The rescue operation has been completed. The two adults were the last to be rescued,” Bilal Faizi, from the Pakistan emergency service Rescue 1122.

The military confirmed the rescue efforts had successfully concluded.

A video of the first rescue showed a teenager in a harness hanging at the bottom of a swinging rope under a helicopter as crowds cheered with relief.

Rescuers set up a temporary camp on a mountaintop and were providing first aid, Faizi said.

The six children had been on their way to school when the chairlift broke down at around 7:00 am (0200 GMT) midway through its journey, hanging above the lush green Allai valley.

Residents used mosque loudspeakers to alert neighbourhood officials of the emergency and hundreds of people gathered on both sides of the ravine — hours away from any sizeable town — to watch the drama unfold.

Several military helicopters had earlier in the day flown sorties and an airman was lowered by a harness to deliver food, water and medicine, Rehman, the official, told AFP.

“Great team work by the military, rescue departments, district administration as well as the local people,” caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar posted on X.

He earlier issued a directive for all chairlifts in mountainous areas to be inspected and for those that are not safe to be immediately closed.

“What can they do?”

Earlier in the day, as the rescue operation unfolded, headmaster Ali Asghar Khan told AFP by phone that the children were teenage boys and students at his government high school Battangi Pashto.

“The school is located in a mountainous area and there are no safe crossings, so it’s common to use the chairlift,” Khan said.

“The parents are gathered at the site of the chairlift. What can they do? They are waiting for the rescue officials to get their children out. We are all worried.”

Abid Ur Rehman, a teacher from another school in the area, said around 500 people had gathered to watch the rescue mission.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/video-all-8-stuck-in-pakistan-cable-car-stranded-mid-air-rescued-4320719

Pakistan President denies signing controversial bills, begins political slugfest: What is happening?

President Arif Alvi denied approving changes to the Official Secrets Act and the Pakistan Army Act, claiming that he was undermined by his own staff. The law ministry, however, asked him to “take responsibility for his own actions”.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi gestures as he arrives in a horse-drawn carriage to attend the Pakistan Day military parade in Islamabad, Pakistan March 23, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File)

“As God is my witness, I did not sign Official Secrets Amendment Bill 2023 & Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023 as I disagreed with these laws,” Pakistan President Arif Alvi posted on X Sunday (August 20).

With these words, Alvi triggered one of the most absurd political controversies of all time in Pakistan.

The bills he was referring to, were approved by the Pakistan National Assembly and the Senate a few weeks ago and sent for presidential assent. Alvi was deemed to have given his assent to both of them – the Of­­ficial Secrets (Amend­m­ent) Bill, 2023 with effect from August 17 and the Pakistan Army (Amend­ment) Bill, 2023 from August 11. But their legal status is now up in the air, in light of the President’s latest comments.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/pakistan-prez-denies-signing-bills-explained-8902491/

Ex-Pak minister’s daughter held after criticising Army, family calls it abduction

Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari, daughter of former Pakistan minister Shireen Mazari, was arrested on Sunday morning.

Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir was arrested on Sunday. (Image: Twitter/ @MahrangBaloch_)

Former Pakistan minister Shireen Mazari’s daughter and human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir was arrested on Sunday by the Islamabad Capital Police “for investigation”.

The arrest occurred just hours after Imaan Mazari took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to report an alleged break-in at her home, sparking outrage and concerns among activists and human rights groups.

Imaan Mazari had tweeted, “Unknown persons breaking down my home cameras banging gate jumped over (sic).” The message was posted at 3:50 am on Sunday, August 20.

The Islamabad Capital Police confirmed the arrests in a statement posted on X, saying, “Islamabad Capital Police has arrested Ali Wazir and Imaan Mazari. Both suspects were wanted by the Islamabad Police for investigation. All action will be taken in accordance with the law.”

The police did not specify the details of the case under investigation.

However, a Tarnol Police Station personnel said the young lawyer and activist was booked for interference in state affairs, staging a sit-in, and resistance, as per a report by news agency PTI.

FAMILY CALLS IT ABDUCTION
An hour after Imaan had posted the distressing message on X, her mother, former PTI leader Shireen Mazari, posted another alarming message, claiming that “policewomen, plainclothes people and r ager (sic) types took my daughter away after breaking down our front door.”

Shireen Mazari said that they also took away their security cameras and her daughter’s laptop and cell phone.

“We asked who they had come for and they just dragged Imaan out. They marched all over the house. My daughter was in her night clothes and said let me change, but they just dragged her away. There was no warrants or any legal procedures. This is state fascism. Remember we are only two women living in the house. This is an abduction,” Shireen Mazari said.

Later, Shireen Mazari told the local media that 20 people had entered their home, with more officials standing outside. “There were six female officers that I saw but there was no male wearing the blue uniform of Islamabad Police,” she was quoted as saying by Dawn.

This arrest follows Imaan’s recent participation in a rally for the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a group of Pushtu-speaking activists known for their criticism of the military establishment. At the rally, she openly criticised the powerful military, which had previously led to a criminal case against her for using abusive language towards former Army chief Gen (retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Imaan’s mother, Shireen Mazari, had quit the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party following the May 9 attack on the country’s military installations and government buildings.

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/shireen-mazari-imaan-pakistan-former-minister-daughter-arrested-army-critic-2423972-2023-08-20

Bomb blast in Pakistan’s Waziristan; 11 labourers killed

The police spokesperson said that the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan.

As many as 11 labourers were killed and two sustained injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in Pakistan’s North Waziristan(Representational image)

As many as 11 labourers were killed and two sustained injured in a bomb blast in the Gulmir Kot area in Pakistan’s North Waziristan, ARY News reported on Saturday.

The police spokesperson said that the bomb exploded in a van in North Waziristan.

Further details are awaited in the matter.

Notably, this attack comes weeks after the massive suicide blast in Bajaur, in which at least 63 people including 23 children were killed and over 200 people sustained injuries.

The responsibility for the blast was claimed by the Islamic State group, according to Al Jazeera.

The bombing targeted an election rally in Pakistan’s border district of Bajaur.

A bomber detonated an explosives-packed vest near the platform as some 400 members of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) party, a significant government coalition partner led by hardline politician Fazlur Rehman, awaited the start of the speeches.

The suicide bomber detonated explosives when JUI-F members and supporters gathered in the town of Khar, near the border with Afghanistan. The convention started at 2 pm, and the explosion happened at 4:10 pm, according to the officials.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news

Pakistan: 4 Chinese Engineers Killed in Balochistan Liberation Army’s Attack in Gwadar | Exclusive

Gwadar port is one of the focal points of the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with many Chinese workers working at the port. (File)

Four Chinese engineers and nine Pakistani Army personnel were killed in what is being termed as one of the biggest attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in Gwadar region of Pakistan on Sunday.

The BLA claimed two fidayeens from its Majeed Brigade executed the attack. The Chinese Consulate in Karachi has issued a security alert for Chinese citizens in view of the attack.

Gwadar port is one of the focal points of the multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with many Chinese workers working at the port. China is investing heavily in Balochistan under the CPEC.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan military’s media wing, the operation was launched after the presence of terrorists in the area was reported. “The security forces have cordoned off the entire area [and] launched a search operation,” the ISPR said.

THE CPEC

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was in Pakistan capital in July to mark the 10th anniversary of the enormous economic plan that is the cornerstone of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Since its initiation in 2013, the CPEC has seen tens of billions of dollars funnelled into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects.

But the undertaking has also been hit by Pakistan struggling to keep up its financial obligations, as well as attacks on Chinese targets by militants.

Beijing granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a $2.4 billion loan, giving the debt-saddled nation much-needed breathing space as it tackles a balance-of-payments crisis.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report last year said China and its commercial banks held about 30 per cent of Pakistan’s total external debt.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/pakistan-4-chinese-engineers-killed-in-balochistan-liberation-armys-attack-in-gwadar-exclusive-8534870.html

Meet Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar: Balochistan Senator Named Pak’s Interim PM

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is associated with the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), a party known for its proximity to the influential establishment of Pakistan

Pakistan’s caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. (PTI Photo)

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was on Saturday appointed the interim prime minister of Pakistan and will guide the cash-trapped country until the forthcoming elections.

The announcement came on the concluding day of deliberations between outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition in the dissolved National Assembly, Raja Riaz Ahmad, as per an announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office. “The prime minister and leader of the opposition jointly signed the advice (to appoint Kakar) and it was sent to the president,” read the PMO statement.

Raja Riaz Ahmad said, “We first agreed that whoever should be prime minister, he should be from a smaller province so smaller provinces’ grievances should be addressed.”

Speaking to the media, he said, “I proposed this name, and the PM has given his approval to it… Both the PM and I have endorsed the summary.” He further said that Kakar’s inauguration is scheduled for Sunday. Riaz further stated that there was no conversation regarding the caretaker cabinet during today’s meeting with PM Shehbaz.

Here’s all we know about Pakistan’s new interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/anwaar-ul-haq-kakar-pakistan-interim-prime-minister-balochistan-senator-elections-8534087.html

Pakistan: Shehbaz set to dissolve Parliament amid massive outcry by Imran, interim caretaker to handle country

Pakistan parliament to be dissolved today

Almost three days before the completion of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government, he will dissolve the Parliament on Wednesday– paving a path for the interim setup and much-awaited and touted elections.

PM Shehbaz, while speaking at an event on Tuesday, confirmed that he would visit the President and hand over a summary for the dissolution of the National Assembly.

“Tomorrow [Wednesday] my government completes its term and [after] meeting constitutional norms, we will hand over the reins to the interim set-up,” Pakistani English daily Dawn quoted the premier as saying during an event.

Notably, the caretaker government is appointed in Pakistan after the outgoing Prime Minister and the leader of the Opposition give the nod for it. If they fail to agree on a name, the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader will forward their names to a bipartisan committee to zero in on one name within a given time period.

If the committee also fails, the Election Commission of Pakistan receives the same names and chooses one of them to serve as Prime Minister. The caretaker Prime Minister appoints a Cabinet to manage the government’s activities, and he leaves office as soon as the newly elected Prime Minister takes the oath of office.

Imran won’t be able to fight elections until 2028

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan’s top electoral watchdog disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan for five years after his conviction and arrest in the Toshakhana case. In a notification, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman was disqualified after being found guilty of corrupt practices and his subsequent sentencing for three years, Geo News reported.

“As a consequence, Mr Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi has become disqualified under Article 63(1)(h) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with Section 232 of the Elections Act,2017,” the notification said.

Source: https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/pakistan-parliament-dissolution-updates-pm-shehbaz-meeting-with-president-alvi-pak-interim-caretaker-to-handle-country-raja-riaz-pakistan-opposition-2023-08-09-885626

Pakistan Woman Virtually Marries Jodhpur Man After Failing To Get Indian Visa

Cross-border relationships have become the talk of the town since Pakistan’s Seema Haider sneaked into India to marry a Noida man who she befriended on a mobile game.

New Delhi: A Pakistani woman virtually married a man from Jodhpur after failing to obtain an Indian visa. Cross-border relationships have become the talk of the town since Pakistan’s Seema Haider sneaked into India with her four children to marry a Noida man who she befriended on a mobile game.
In a recent case, Karachi resident Ameena decided to tie the knot with her Indian fiancee Arbaaz Khan virtually after she failed to obtain a visa for her marriage.

“Ameena will apply for the visa. I didn’t marry in Pakistan as it would not be recognised and we would have to remarry on reaching India,” Arbaaz said after the ceremony on Wednesday.

Arbaaz Khan, a chartered accountant, reached Jodhpur’s Oswal Samaj Bhawan with his friends and family for the marriage on Wednesday.

Not only was the ‘nikah’ held virtually here, but the family also indulged in festivities and made Arbaaz perform all the marriage rituals.

The ceremony was officiated by the Jodhpur qazi, who wished the couple a happy married life.

Speaking about his relationship with Ameena, Arbaaz said that this is an arranged marriage, talks of which had been initiated by his relatives in Pakistan.

“Our family members had arranged this marriage. The reason for doing Nikah online is that these days the relations between India and Pakistan are not going well,” he says.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pakistan-woman-virtually-marries-jodhpur-man-after-failing-to-get-indian-visa-4273210

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls for protests after court hands him three-year prison sentence

The ex-cricketer denies any wrongdoing and has called on supporters to “stand up for your country”.

Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister, has called for protests after he was sentenced to three years in prison for illegally selling state gifts.

Police were seen surrounding his home in the eastern city of Lahore on Saturday after the verdict was handed down.

The 70-year-old former cricketer has been arrested after he was sentenced for unlawfully selling state gifts while he was prime minister between 2018 and 2022 following an inquiry conducted by the election commission.

In a video message he urged people to peacefully protest until they get their rights, namely a government of their choice through voting and “not the one like today’s occupying power.”

He was accused of misusing his position to buy and sell gifts received during visits abroad worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000).

Legal experts say the conviction could end Imran Khan’s chances of taking part in national elections

“Police have arrested Imran Khan from his residence,” Mr Khan’s lawyer Intezar Panjotha said. “We are filing a
petition against the decision in (the) high court.”

Lahore’s Police Chief Bilal Siddique Kamiana confirmed the arrest and said Mr Khan was being transferred to the capital, Islamabad.

Mr Khan said his arrest was “expected” in a pre-recorded video statement posted on Twitter.

“People of Pakistan, when this video reaches you, they will have arrested me and I’ll be in jail,” he said.

“I have one request and an appeal, that you should not sit quietly at home.

“This sacrifice I’m doing is not for myself, I’m doing it for my country and for you and for your kids’ futures. If you’re not going to stand up for your country, you will be servants, and there no such a life for servants.”

Mr Khan has denied any wrongdoing and his political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said in a statement another appeal has already been filed to the country’s supreme court.

Legal experts say the conviction could end his chances of taking part in the national elections that have to be held before November.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is monitoring the situation in Pakistan closely.

Pakistan’s information minister Maryam Aurangzeb denied Khan’s arrest was linked to the upcoming elections and said he had been “proven guilty of illegal practices, corruption, concealing assets and wrongly declaring wealth in tax returns.”

She insisted the conviction followed a full investigation and proper legal proceedings, during which he had every opportunity to defend himself.

“Instead Imran Khan used the time to delay the court proceedings and went back and forth to the high court and supreme court to halt this case,” she said.

Since he was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April last year, Mr Khan has been hit with more than 150 legal cases, including allegations of corruption, terrorism, and inciting violence over deadly protests that saw his followers attack government and military property across the country in May.

The action was sparked by the popular opposition leader’s arrest on 9 May on corruption charges.

The fury in Pakistan sparked by a misogynist minister

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sparked an outcry with his misogynist comments

When Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stood up in parliament last week and labelled female opposition leaders in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party as “trash and leftovers” of its chairman Imran Khan, he probably wasn’t expecting the strength of the backlash that was to follow.

After all, Pakistani writers, cricketers, celebrities and judges have all made similarly sexist remarks. As Sharmila Faruqi, a member of the provincial assembly, told local media: “Men have a licence to get away with sexism.”

It was also not the first time Mr Asif had expressed such sentiments in parliament. In an earlier joint session, the 73-year-old called former federal minister Sheerin Mazari, a “tractor trolley” – a crude reference to her weight.

It was far from the first time that such language had been used in the legislature. Mr Asif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the PTI have frequently made sexist and misogynist remarks about female parliamentarians in opposing parties.

This time, however, the outcry against Mr Asif was loud and across the board.

Parliamentarians from the PTI and other parties rounded on him on social media, while many media outlets also lambasted him for his comments. Dawn, the largest English-language newspaper in the country, put out a scathing editorial declaring “Khawaja Asif, our indefensible defence minister, needs schooling on gender equality”.

Mr Asif eventually took to Twitter to claim that his comments were “taken out of context” and that “calling someone ‘trash’ and ‘leftover’ is not gender-specific”. But he did not apologise.

Nevertheless, sociologist Nida Kirmani believes this was a sign of change.

“Some years ago, there would not have been such an outcry, and he would not be required to give any kind of response or explanation,” she says. “The recent response to Khawaja Asif’s sexist comments are the culmination of a long and sustained struggle by women’s rights activists.”

She says social media has been an obvious gamechanger, offering women the space to speak up.

And that is also visible in conversations far removed from the national spotlight. Recently, a clip from the popular ongoing drama Baby Baji, which showed a husband slapping his wife, went viral, with some men praising the scene for “finally putting the woman in her place”.

But women were quick to push back.

Amina Rehman was among them, commenting: “I saw a lot of abusive husbands in my circle celebrate it along with their abused wives. The misconstrued idea of a woman being the root of all evil is perpetuated so much that when the slap finally happens, people rejoice.”

Demonstrators gather for the annual Women’s Day march in Karachi earlier this year

Many Pakistani women believe popular entertainment has had a role to play in this, often turning to regressive portrayals of women. Video blogger Sabahat Zakariya laments that dramas on TV or streaming platforms have embraced sexism more over time – she recalls TV shows in the 1980s that were far more progressive, showing women who had both careers and families.

Some shows have tried to break that mould – such as Churails, a fictional, subversive tale of women detectives. But it proved too bold for Pakistan’s censors, who banned it after a backlash.

“Pakistani society has not accepted a woman as an individual, a human or to give her the right to live the way she deserves,” says actor and activist Adeel Afzal.

“And every crude thing that we hear or read or watch is built around that thinking. As a result, when a woman complains about being mistreated or abused or harassed, we fight and go against her and the culprit runs away.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66368714

Nawaz Sharif To Be Pakistan Prime Minister If PML-N Wins Next General Elections: PM Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif has said that his elder brother Nawaz Sharif will become the Prime Minister of the country if his party PML-N emerges victorious in the next general elections.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that if his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) wins the next general elections, then Nawaz Sharif will become the next premier of the country, reported the news agency PTI. Notably, Nawaz Sharif has been living in self-imposed exile in London since 2019. PM Shehbaz said that his elder brother Nawaz will return to the country in the next few weeks. He said this while speaking on a Geo News programme on Sunday.

Shehbaz said the three-time former prime minister would face the law once he returns to Pakistan. He added that Nawaz was sent abroad on medical grounds on the basis of a medical report which was prepared on the directives of former PM Imran Khan, the agency reported.

The top court of Pakistan had disqualified Nawaz Sharif in 2017. The next year, Nawaz became ineligible to hold public office for life after the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case. Notably, he was serving a seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case when he left for London on a four-week bail, the agency stated. PTI further reported that the Lahore High Court had given the former PM bail on medical grounds.

According to PTI, Shehbaz Sharif said that a notification of the dissolution of the National Assembly will be sent to President Arif Alvi a few days ahead of the completion of the tenure at 12 midnight on August 12. The PML-N party president maintained that the party would try its best to make seat adjustments with allied parties in the general elections.

Source: https://news.abplive.com/news/world/nawaz-sharif-to-be-pakistan-prime-minister-if-pml-n-wins-next-general-elections-pm-shehbaz-sharif-1619639

Pakistan & China ink six agreements to expedite cooperation under 2nd phase of CPEC

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is opposed by India as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China He Lifeng, during a meeting at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. (Photo: Press Information Department (PID) Handout via REUTERS)

Pakistan and China on Monday signed six key documents to help undertake the second phase of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects under a new model, further cementing the all-weather strategic relations between the “iron brothers.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng witnessed the signing ceremony held here to mark 10 years of the CPEC, a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013.

The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is opposed by India as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In his remarks, Vice Premier He conveyed President Xi Jinping’s message of China’s firm support to Pakistan’s prosperity and development. He, who is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party, underlined that Pakistan-China friendship was unique and had withstood the vicissitude of time due to deep fraternal ties between the peoples of the two nations.

He reiterated that as an “iron brother and strategic partner,” China would continue its existing economic and financial support to Pakistan.
He also conveyed Beijing’s willingness to enhance Pakistan’s agro and food exports to China.

Both countries signed a document on the joint cooperation committee on CPEC; MoU on establishing an export exchange mechanism within the framework of CPEC; a protocol of phytosanitary requirements for the export of dry chillies from Pakistan to China and a Document on the final report on the feasibility study of realignment of KKH Phase -II. Both sides also signed through diplomatic channels an MoU on the industrial workers exchange programme.

Prime Minister Sharif expressed pleasure over the signing of documents and thanked the Chinese Vice-Premier for visiting Pakistan to celebrate 10 years of the CPEC. He recalled that 10 years ago, the CPEC was signed between then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Xi and implementation was started within no time. Sharif said that under the CPEC, more than USD 25 billion in investment has taken place in sectors like power, road, hydel power, and public transport.

“Now we are entering the second phase,” the prime minister said. “Today, we signed certain important documents which will further enhance cooperation and undertake the second phase of CPEC under a new model,” he said. He said the second phase of the CPEC would feature business-to-business investment in agriculture and information technology to enable Pakistan to export its products according to Chinese standards and requirements.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/pakistan-china-ink-six-agreements-under-2nd-phase-of-cpec-8869848/

I would have completed 1,000 wickets in international cricket if I was from India: Ex-Pakistan player makes a bold claim

Former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal believes he could have achieved the extraordinary feat of taking 1,000 wickets if he had played for India.

Ajmal, considered one of the best bowlers in the world, picked up 447 wickets in 212 matches, consistently troubling batsmen with his deceptive variations. He even reached the top spot in the ODI and T20I Rankings.

However, Ajmal’s career was cut short when he was banned by the ICC in 2014. Reflecting on his career, the spinner expressed his confidence, stating that his consistent performance would have allowed him to reach the 1,000-wicket milestone had he been part of the Indian cricket team.

Ajmal believed the authorities should have intervened earlier in his career, stopping him during his debut in 2009 when he had already become a formidable force. However, action was only taken after he had amassed 448 wickets, highlighting the need to find a way to halt his dominance.

“They should have stopped me in 2009 but they still let me play. They realised there has to be a mechanism to stop him after I claimed 448 wickets, so they took the appropriate action. I was the best bowler in the world until I was prohibited from bowling, Ajmal said.

Source : https://crictoday.com/cricket/daily-cricket-news/i-would-have-completed-1000-wickets-in-international-cricket-if-i-was-from-india-ex-pakistan-player-makes-a-bold-claim

‘China saved Pakistan from default’: PM Shehbaz Sharif on IMF bailout

Global lender, IMF, and the South Asian nation have reached a staff-level agreement on a US $3 billion standby agreement just hours ahead of expiry on Friday

Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has hailed the bailout.
Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has hailed the bailout. Reuters

Hours after Pakistan was finally able to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a US $3 billion bailout, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked China for helping the cash-strapped country in the process.

“During this period, China saved Pakistan from default,” Sharif said.

Global lender, IMF, and the South Asian nation have reached a staff-level agreement on a US $3 billion standby agreement just hours ahead of expiry on Friday.

The funds would offer some respite to Pakistan which has been battling an acute balance of payments crisis and falling foreign exchange reserves.

A total of $4 billion have already been released from this fund.

An IMF team led by Nathan Porter held in-person and virtual meetings with the Pakistani authorities to discuss a new financing engagement for Pakistan under an IMF Stand-by Arrangement (SBA).

At the conclusion of the mission, Porter in a statement said, “I am pleased to announce that the IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani authorities on a nine-month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) in the amount of SDR2,250 million (about $3 billion or 111 percent of Pakistan’s IMF quota).”

Source : https://www.firstpost.com/world/china-saved-pakistan-from-default-pm-shehbaz-sharif-on-imf-bailout-12811232.html

Third attack on Sikh community in Pakistan: Shopkeeper shot dead in Peshawar

Manmohan Singh was shot dead in Peshawar.
Manmohan Singh was shot dead in Peshawar.

Tragedy struck the Sikh community in Pakistan as Manmohan Singh, a Pakistani Sikh shopkeeper, was shot and killed by unidentified motorcyclists in the city of Peshawar on Saturday evening. This is the third such incidence in Pakistan this year.

The 29-year old victim operated a cosmetic shop near Rasheed Garhi Chowk, a mere five-minute distance from Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh.

Peshawar-based religious and social activist Baba Ji Gurpal Singh said that Manmohan was attacked by assailants while he was returning home on an autorickshaw. The assailants, riding a motorcycle, targeted him with bullets to his heart and head, resulting in his immediate demise at the scene.

The incident occurred just two days after another Sikh shopkeeper, Tarlok Singh, a Hakim (traditional healthcare professional) narrowly escaped a similar attack. “The three assailants shot five rounds but Tarlok hid under the counter and survived the attack,” Gurpal said.

While terrorist organisation Daesh had claimed responsibility for the attack on Tarlok, Gurpal said that no organisation has claimed responsibility behind Manmohan’s killing. He also questioned why the peaceful Sikh community was being targeted by terrorist organisations.

Peshawar’s Sikh community made an earnest appeal to the international Sikh community, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), seeking assistance for their safety and security. Gurpal said that these incidents had ignited deep concerns regarding the safety and security of the Peshawar Sikh community.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/third-attack-on-sikh-community-in-pakistan-shopkeeper-shot-dead-in-peshawar/articleshow/101254216.cms

Pakistan to raise taxes in final attempt to secure IMF loan

Pakistan will make changes to its budget for the next fiscal year to appease the International Monetary Fund’s concerns on taxes.

The nation plans to introduce new taxes and raise revenue by 215 billion rupees ($750 million) to 9.4 trillion rupees after three consecutive days of discussions with the IMF, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said in Parliament Saturday. The budget will be finalized within three days, Dar said.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government presented the annual spending plan that aimed to balance boosting economic growth with austere conditions imposed by the IMF to revive a $6.7 billion bailout program. It has decided to revise and reduce expenses by 85 billion rupees, according to the finance minister.

The IMF raised objections to some of the proposals, saying then that tax policies in the budget didn’t broaden the revenue base and an amnesty ran against the bailout program’s “conditionality and governance agenda.”

Sharif this week met with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and pledged to take further steps with the fund to improve the budget. Pakistan is making one final effort to revive its program, said Dar.

Pakistan now expects to secure at least $1.1 billion funding from the fund before its current program expires on June 30. In the past year, the government has raised taxes and fuel prices and eased control over the foreign exchange rate.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-to-raise-taxes-in-final-attempt-to-secure-imf-loan/articleshow/101244128.cms

“Game Over”: Nawaz Sharif’s Daughter Maryam Nawaz Mocks Imran Khan

“How will the people stand when the leader himself is a jackal?” she said, while ridiculing former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was removed from office via a vote of no confidence in April last year.

“How will the people stand when the leader himself is a jackal?” Maryam Nawaz said.

Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz mocked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, saying that the “game is over”, following an exodus of his party’s senior members, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.

Geo News is a Pakistani news channel.

Maryam Nawaz made the speech in Pakistan’s Vehari while addressing the PML-N’s youth convention. During her address, she talked about the incidents on May 9, the day on which Imran Khan was arrested, triggering violent protests across Pakistan.

Maryam Nawaz, while mocking Imran Khan’s party over its leaders’ mass departure, said that there were ques of those quitting the party.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders’ exodus started when the security forces launched a crackdown against the party following the attacks on the civil and military institutions, including the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the Lahore Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House), according to Geo News.

Over 70 lawyers and leaders from the party have parted ways with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf so for following the May 9 mayhem.

“How will the people stand when the leader himself is a jackal?” she said, while ridiculing former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was removed from office via a vote of no confidence in April last year.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/game-over-nawaz-sharifs-daughter-maryam-nawaz-mocks-imran-khan-report-4070441

Imran Khan “Thanks” Pakistan For Placing Him In ‘No-Fly’ List

On Thursday several media outlets reported that Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other leaders and former assembly members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were reportedly barred from leaving the country.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan today thanked the country’s government for putting him on a ‘no-fly list’ stating that he does not plan to go overseas as he does not have any property or businesses abroad and does not hold even a bank account outside the country.

“I want to thank the government for putting my name on the ECL (Exit Control List) as I have no plans to travel abroad, because I neither have any properties or businesses abroad nor even a bank account outside the country. If and when I do get an opportunity for a holiday, it will be in our northern mountains, my favourite place on earth,” Imran Khan tweeted.

On Thursday several media outlets reported that Mr Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and other leaders and former assembly members of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were reportedly barred from leaving the country.

This statement came after various media reported citing sources that Imran Khan would be added to the no-fly list.

“IK (Imran Khan) added in No Fly List,” The Pakistan Daily tweeted quoting sources. The Pakistan Daily is a digital news portal in Pakistan mainly reporting about the political updates of Pakistan. However, there has been no official confirmation of Imran Khan being added to the no-fly list.

This comes a day after Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the government is considering imposing a ban on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over the incidents that took place on May 9, Dawn reported.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/imran-khan-thanks-pakistan-for-placing-him-in-no-fly-list-4068164

 

Khalistan Commando Force Chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar Shot Dead In Pakistan’s Lahore

Paramjit Singh Panjwar joined the Khalistan Commando Force in 1986.
Photo : ANI

Wanted terrorist and chief of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF-Panjwar group) Paramjit Singh Panjwar was shot dead in Pakistan’s Lahore on Saturday by unidentified assailants, sources said. He was gunned down this morning by two motorcycle-borne men near his residence in Lahore, they said.
Hailing from Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, Panjwar, 63 was involved in drug and weapons smuggling and was designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020.

Source: https://www.timesnownews.com/india/khalistan-commando-force-chief-paramjit-singh-panjwar-shot-dead-in-pakistans-lahore-article-100039677

Pakistan baby born with two penises, no anus in rare medical condition

Doctors said that diphallia is an extremely rare urological case with reported incidence of 1 in 5-6 million live births.

Only 100 cases of diphallia have been written about in medical history with the first one recorded in 1609. /File Photo(REUTERS)

A baby boy was born in Pakistan with two penises and no anus, as per a paper published in International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. The rare medical phenomenon known as diphallia affects one in 6 million births. The boy will be able to pass stool through an opening created via a colonoscopy by the doctors in Islamabad.

According to the journal, the penises are ‘normal-shaped’, but one was 1 cm longer than the other. As per scans, the baby urinated from both penises as he had a single bladder attached to two urethras. Without explaining why, the surgeons at Children’s Hospital in the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences added that no surgery was done to remove the extra phallus.

In the literature of medical history, only 100 cases of the condition have been marked with the first one recorded in 1609.

The infant, born after 36 weeks, was reportedly discharged after two days. The child has no family history of birth defects.

Although there is no known single risk factor that results in diphallia, it is reported to develop when genitals form in the womb. There is complete and partial diphallia, when both phalluses are either well developed or when one is smaller or deformed, respectively. In the latest reported case, one penis measured 1.5cm, while the other was 2.5cm.

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/two-penises-no-anus-pakistan-baby-born-with-rare-medical-condition-101682729693345.html

Explosions at Pakistani counter-terrorism ammunition store kill at least 13

Two explosions in a counter-terrorism ammunition depot in northwest Pakistan killed at least 13 people and wounded over 50 on Monday, police said.

Provincial police chief Akhtar Hayat said the explosions rocked the counter-terrorism office in northwestern Swat valley, which was previously long controlled by Islamist militants before they were flushed out in a military operation in 2009.

His spokesman said in a statement issued later that ammunition caught fire, “most probably due to an electric short-circuit. No evidence of an attack from outside has been established so far.”

Pakistani police and military have got a significant presence of their counter-terrorism staff in the valley, which has been prone to the insurgency.

The militants also shot at and wounded Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012 in the scenic valley, the birthplace of Mullah Fazlullah, the former chief of the Pakistani Taliban, who was killed in an air strike in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2018.

Police officers and rescue workers gather after explosions on the counter-terrorism office building in Swat, Pakistan April 24, 2023. Rescue 1122/Handout via REUTERS

Other aspects of the explosions are being investigated, the spokesman said.

Most of those killed in the blasts were police counter-terrorism officers, Hayat said, adding that a woman and her child who were passing by the building were also killed.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/explosions-kill-eight-northwest-pakistan-police-2023-04-24/

UAE approves additional $1 billion funding to Pakistan: Finance Minister Ishaq Dhar

Finance Minister Dar said the Gulf nation has confirmed its commitment to the International Monetary Fund, paving way for the staff-level agreement to unlock a $1.1 billion loan by the global lender.

UAE approves additional $1 billion funding to Pakistan: Finance Minister Ishaq Dhar
UAE approves additional $1 billion funding to Pakistan: Finance Minister Ishaq Dhar

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dhar on April 4 announced that the UAE has approved $1 billion in financial support, taking the cash-strapped nation a step closer to unlocking the crucial IMF bailout.

Pakistan is tackling a major economic crisis as it awaits a much-needed $1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, part of a $6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019.

Finance Minister Dar said the Gulf nation has confirmed its commitment to the International Monetary Fund, paving way for the staff-level agreement to unlock a $1.1 billion loan by the global lender.

“UAE authorities have confirmed to IMF for their bilateral support of $1 billion to Pakistan,” Mr. Dar said in a tweet, adding that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was now “engaged for needful documentation for taking the said deposit from UAE authorities”.

The UAE rolled over its deposits of $2 billion in January this year too, providing critical support to cash-starved Pakistan’s depleting foreign exchange reserves.

In another tweet, Mr. Dar announced that the apex bank is getting the third and last disbursement from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), worth $300 million, out of its $1.3 billion loan.

“Out of Chinese bank’s ICBC approved facility of $1.3bn (which was earlier repaid by Pakistan), State Bank of Pakistan would receive back third and last disbursement today in its account amounting to $300mn,” the Finance Minister tweeted.

The ICBC approved a rollover of a $1.3 billion loan for Pakistan on March 3 and made the first payment of $500 million on the same day, while the second payment of the same amount was made on March 17.

The IMF lowered its forecast for Pakistan’s economic growth rate days ago from 2% to just 0.5% for the current fiscal year amid high inflation and a growing unemployment rate in the cash-strapped country.

The new development brought debt-struck Pakistan closer to signing the staff-level agreement with the IMF and getting access to multilateral loans.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/uae-approves-additional-1-billion-funding-to-pakistan-finance-minister-ishaq-dhar/article66737215.ece

New Zealand’s Matt Henry Derails Pakistan Innings With Hat-Trick In 1st T20I

Matt Henry picked up a hat-trick spread across two overs in the first T20I against Pakistan in Lahore to join an elite group of New Zealand bowlers

Matt Henry finished with 3/32, his career-best figure in T20Is.
Matt Henry finished with 3/32, his career-best figure in T20Is.

Matt Henry picked up a hat-trick spread across two overs in the first T20I against Pakistan in Lahore to join an elite group of New Zealand bowlers. Henry had derailed Pakistan’s innings in the 13th over with the wickets of Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed off back-to-back deliveries. Shadab was caught out by Latham off the penultimate ball of the over and Itikhar fell the next ball, edging again to the wicketkeeper. Henry returned in the 19th over to dismiss Shaheen Afridi off the first ball, caught brilliantly near the ropes by Daryl Mitchell off the first ball in the over.

Shadab Khan
Iftikhar Ahmed
Shaheen Afridi

A hat-trick for Matt Henry in the first T20I at the GSL. #PAKvNZ | #CricketMubarak pic.twitter.com/h6bZP6O1hM

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 14, 2023
Henry finished with 3/32, his career-best figure in T20Is and also became just the fourth New Zealand bowler to take a hat-trick in men’s T20Is. Jacob Oram was the first to do so when he took a hat-trick in 2009 against Sri Lanka. The all-rounder then became just the second player to record a hat-trick in men’s T20Is. Tim Southee joined him on the list next year against Pakistan.

Source: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/new-zealands-matt-henry-derails-pakistan-innings-with-hat-trick-in-1st-t20i-watch-3949862

Pakistan: Imran Khan again hails India for procuring Russian oil at discounted rate; laments he couldn’t

Although his Russia tour was the first visit by a Pakistani premier to Moscow in the past 23 years, Khan could not broker any deal that could give relief to the cash-strapped country.

Pakistan’s former PM Imran Khan and his Indian PM Narendra Modi.

Pakistan economic crisis: As Pakistan reeling under the worst-ever economic crisis, former Prime Minister Imran Khan lamented his country could also purchase Russian crude oil at a discounted rate that India enjoys despite the ongoing Ukraine war.

While addressing the countrymen in a video message, Khan claimed he had discussed the purchase of oil at a discounted rate when he met Russian President Vladimir Putin just days before the latter announced a full-fledged war against neighbouring Ukraine.

Imran Khan could not broker any deal

Although his Russia tour was the first visit by a Pakistani premier to Moscow in the past 23 years, Khan could not broker any deal that could give relief to the cash-strapped country.

“We wanted to get cheap Russian crude oil just like India but that could not happen. Unfortunately, my government fell due to a no-confidence motion just four weeks after I returned to Moscow,” Khan said. Notably, his claims were not confirmed by any of the Russian media outlets when he visited Moscow last year.

Khan has a habit of praising India 

Interestingly, this was not the first time when Khan acknowledged India’s achievements in terms of growing its economy and purchasing Russian oil despite Western pressure.

“No other leader except Nawaz in the world has properties worth billions. Tell me about one country whose Premier or leader has billions worth of properties outside the country. Even in our neighbouring country, how many properties does PM Modi has outside India?” he had said at a public gathering in September.

Russian oil export nearly 22-fold 

It is worth noting that India is the world’s third-largest oil-consuming and importing nation. It imports 85 per cent of its crude oil needs. Ever since the war between Russia and its neighbouring nation started last year, the West and Europe imposed stringent sanctions on its energy. This resulted in Russia’s offering more discounts to its oldest ally, India.

Recently, a top Russian official claimed it supplied crude oil to India nearly 22-fold ever since the West imposed sanctions. According to multiple state news agencies, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister said that the maximum energy was diverted to “friendly nations” after the United States and the European Union imposed back-to-back sanctions on Russian energy.

Source: https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/pakistan-imran-khan-praises-india-for-buying-russian-crude-oil-at-discounted-rate-despite-russia-ukraine-war-and-west-sanctions-pressure-pm-modi-2023-04-09-861940

India To Host SCO National Security Advisors Meet Today; Pakistan, China Likely To Join

India will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s National Security Advisors meetig today and Pakistan and China could also attend virtually.

India will today host the SCO Security Advisors’ Meet In Delhi Today ( Image Source : Getty )

As the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), India will today host the meeting of National Security Advisors (NSA) and top officials in New Delhi. Pakistan and China are likely to attend the SCO-NSA meeting virtually.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval will make opening remarks at the meeting, news agency ANI reported.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001 and it comprises eight member states, namely, India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In 2022, India assumed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Chairship for 2023. Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, will attend the annual meeting of the secretaries of security councils of SCO member states in New Delhi on Wednesday, according to a statement by Russian Security Council, a Russian embassy official confirmed to ANI.

 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a major regional powerhouse that was established over two decades ago with the aim of promoting economic, political, and military cooperation among its member nations. The eight-member countries of SCO represent around 42 per cent of the world’s total population and 25 per cent of the global GDP.

Source: https://news.abplive.com/news/india/india-to-host-sco-national-security-advisors-meet-today-pakistan-china-likely-to-join-1591748

Afghanistan beats Pakistan for first time in T20 cricket

Afghanistan edge out an inexperienced Pakistan side in Sharjah series opener.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan bats during a T20 World Cup cricket in Australia in 2022 [File: James Elsby/AP]
Afghanistan beat Pakistan by six wickets in the series opener on Friday, the Afghan side’s first T20 win over its neighbours.

Pakistan, without five rested front-line players, including captain Babar Azam, struggled on a slow and low pitch at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after opting to bat first.

Pakistan handed T20I debuts to Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan. But none of the Pakistan batters could accelerate on a two-paced pitch and mostly fell to soft dismissals.

In the absence of formidable openers Azam and Rizwan, replacements Ayub and Mohammad Haris couldn’t gauge the low bounce and fell within the batting power play while attempting extravagant shots.

Abdullah Shafique was pinned by Azmatullah Omarzai without scoring and Tayyab Tahir, one of four making their Pakistan debut, lobbed a return catch to Rashid Khan. When Azam Khan was also out for a duck on debut, Pakistan were 41-5 in the eighth over.

Pakistan was in danger of its lowest T20I total of 74 in 2012 against Australia at Dubai but Imad Wasim top-scored with 18.

Unorthodox spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 2-9 and Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-13.

In reply, Afghanistan overcame falling to 45-4 in the 10th over to cruise home at 98-4 and win by six wickets with more than two overs to spare.

 

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/25/afghanistan-beats-pakistan-for-first-time-in-t20i-cricket-series

Toshakhana case: Hearing adjourned till March 30, cops recover AK-47 rifles from Imran Khan’s house

Clashes between the police and PTI supporters forced the Islamabad Court to adjourn the hearing in the Toshakhan case to March 30.

A Pakistan court on Saturday adjourned the hearing in the Toshakhan case till March 30 following the massive protests and violent clashes between the PTI supporters, workers and the police outside former PM Imran Khan’s residence in Lahore.

The police have allegedly recovered A-47 assault rifles and bullets at the PTI chief’s house where Imran Khan has holed up since he failed to appear before the court at an earlier hearing this week.

Khan and the party’s supporters have been clashing with the police over the last couple of days. The cops have so far arrested over 60 people after storming Khan’s residence in his absence.

“The assault on my house today was first of all a contempt of court. We had agreed that an SP with one of our people would implement a search warrant bec we knew otherwise they would plant stuff on their own, which they did. Under what law did they break the gate, pull down trees,” the former Pakistan cricket captain tweeted.

Khan’s convoy meets with accident

Imran Khan’s car met with an accident earlier on Saturday as his convoy was heading towards Islamabad to attend the court hearing in the Toshakhan case.

As per reports, a vehicle overturned when the PTI chairman Imran Khan was on his way to appear before the court in Toshakhana case.

Source : https://www.freepressjournal.in/world/toshakhana-case-hearing-adjourned-till-march-30-cops-recover-ak-47-assault-rifles-from-imran-khans-house

Several wounded in clashes as Pakistan police try to arrest ex-PM Khan

Pakistani police and supporters of Imran Khan fought pitched battles outside the former prime minister’s home in Lahore on Tuesday, wounding several on both sides, ahead of his expected arrest, a government spokesman and witnesses said.

Police hit Khan supporters in baton charges and lobbed tear gas canisters, some of which landed on the lawns of Khan’s house, according to video images released by his party.

Local Geo TV showed a helicopter hovering over the house, adding that internet connection had been cut in the area.

“We will arrest Imran Khan today and present him in court,” said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah at a public rally telecast live on local TV channels.

A lower trial court in the capital Islamabad had issued the arrest warrant for Khan for unlawfully selling state gifts while in power from 2018 to 2022, his aide Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters.

Khan aide Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters the former prime minister had secured “protective bail” from a court.

“Our understanding is that the police can’t arrest Imran Khan,” he said.

Khan has been demanding a snap election in protest rallies across the country since his ouster from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. That demand was rejected by his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, who has said the vote would be held as scheduled later this year.

Khan was shot and wounded in one of these rallies.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers started the violence, government spokesman Amir Mir told Reuters.

“If Imran Khan ensures his presence in the court, it will be good, otherwise the law will take its course.”

Khan called on his supporters to stand up for the supremacy of the law.

“Police have come to arrest and send me to jail,” he said in a video recorded statement posted on twitter. “If something happens to me, or sent to jail, or they kill me, you’ve to prove that this nation will continue to struggle even without Imran Khan.”

Mir said the government had called out paramilitary forces to help control the situation. Similar clashes took places last week.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-police-clash-with-former-pm-khans-supporters-2023-03-14

Pakistan: Huge cache of weapons seized from hospital’s water tank in Karachi

Pakistan’s Karachi police on Friday recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from a water tank in a hospital located in Karachi’s Shah Faisal area.

Representative Image

According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Korangi, Faisal Bashir, the police has confiscated a large number of weapons including anti-aircraft guns, Kalashnikov, rifles and hand grenades that were hidden in the water tank of the cardiology hospital in Shah Faisal colony of the metropolis, reported ARY News.

Bashir while addressing the local media said all the arms and ammunition that are recovered have been sent for forensics and the investigation into the matter is underway. “Further investigation into the matter is underway,” he said.

Source: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/pakistan-huge-cache-of-weapons-seized-from-hospitals-water-tank-in-karachi20220326035133/

Decisive control over Pakistan-backed terrorism in J&K after abrogation of Article 370, says Amit Shah

SRINAGAR: Security forces have taken a “decisive control” over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in J&K following the abrogation of Article 370 two-and-a-half-years ago, Union home minister Amit Shah said at the CRPF’s 83rd Raising Day main function in Jammu on Saturday, held for the first time outside Delhi.

“After the abrogation of Article 370, the security forces have successfully controlled terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah said and called it the biggest spinoff of the repeal of the constitutional instrument that gave J&K some special but contentious privileges. Praising the CRPF, he said “I am sure we will be able to restore peace” in the next few years.

The situation in J&K has seen a “drastic change” since Narendra Modi took over as PM in 2014, he said. And on the PM’s watch, the dream and vision of ideologues Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Prem Nath Dogra— Ek Pradhan, Ek Vidhaan, Ek Nishan— have come true in J&K, Shah said. “Today, it’s the best tribute to the soul of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee that there is one flag, one Constitution and one leader across India,” he said.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/decisive-control-over-pakistan-backed-terrorism-in-jk-after-abrogation-of-article-370-says-amit-shah/articleshow/90328345.cms

Voting on No-confidence Motion Against Pakistan PM Imran Khan to be Held on March 28

Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is likely to face another no-trust motion in Pakistan National Assembly (Image: Reuters)

Voting on the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will take place on March 28. A no-confidence motion was submitted earlier this month against Imran Khan by the Opposition parties which held his government responsible for the uncontrolled inflation. The voting was delayed due to OIC representatives in Islamabad.

Following the submission, Imran Khan had met the Attorney General of Pakistan and sought legal opinion in the matter.

According to the Dawn newspaper, the Khan-led government is anxious and been making all attempts to foil the Opposition’s move to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf: regime led by Khan, who has already claimed that the powerful Pakistan Army is backing him.

The no-confidence motion, signed by about 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was submitted with the National Assembly Secretariat. Khan, 69, is heading a coalition government and he can be removed if some of the partners decide to switch sides, which is not unusual in parliamentary democracies.

Source:  https://www.news18.com/news/world/voting-on-no-confidence-motion-against-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-to-be-held-on-march-28-4873799.html 

Rishabh Pant Breaks Kapil Dev’s Massive Near 40-Year Record In Sri Lanka 2nd Test

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant scored the fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter on Sunday when he completed his half-century in 28 deliveries on the second day of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant on Sunday broke Kapil Dev’s record of fastest Test fifty for India.

India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant scored the fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter on Sunday when he completed his half-century in 28 deliveries on the second day of the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru. With India having bowled Sri Lanka out for 109 early in the day’s play, the hosts extended their 143-run first innings lead with some quick scoring in their second innings. It was Rishabh Pant, batting at No. 5, who took charge of the innings and attacked the visiting bowlers to help consolidate India’s control.

With his brisk fifty, Pant broke Kapil Dev’s almost 40-year record of the fastest Test fifty by an Indian batter.

Kapil Dev had scored a 30-ball half-century while batting against Pakistan in the Karachi Test in December, 1982. Despite his heroics, Pakistan went on to win the match by an innings and 86 runs.

Earlier on Sunday, Jasprit Bumrah took a fifer, his first in a home Test, as India ran through Sri Lanka’s lower order and bowled them out for 109.

Sri Lanka had resumed batting at 86/6 on Day 2 but could add only 23 runs to their total.

India started their innings well, with Rohit Sharma scoring 46 and Hanuma Vihari chipping with a knock of 35.

Pakistan demands joint probe into missile incident

Stating that the incident involving the accidental firing of a missile which ended up in Pakistan indicates many “loopholes and technical lapses” of serious nature in “Indian handling of strategic weapons”, Pakistan on Saturday demanded a joint probe to “accurately establish the facts” surrounding it. This was also conveyed to the Charge d’ Affaires (Cd’A) of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

People work around what Pakistani security sources say is the remains of a missile fired into Pakistan from India, near Mian Channu, Pakistan on March 9, 2022. | Photo Credit: Reuters

“The Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory. Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Pakistan said in a statement.

“The grave nature of the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorised launch of missiles in a nuclearised environment.”

Stating that they took note of the statement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the MoFA said such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation offered by the Indian authorities.

On the missile landing in Pakistan, the MoD said the incident is “deeply regrettable” but it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life.

Raising a series of questions, Pakistan said given the “profound level of incompetence,” India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its “armed forces or some rogue elements”.

Pakistan also sought answers to several questions including the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident, the “type and specifications of the missile”, the flight path and trajectory and how it ultimately turned and entered Pakistan. “Was the missile equipped with self-destruct mechanism? Why did it fail to actualise?” it said.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pakistan-demands-joint-probe-into-missile-incident/article65217350.ece

Rights body raises concern about human, sex trafficking in Pakistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has released a study that identifies Pakistan as a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking.
The study titled “Modern slavery: Trafficking in women and girls in Pakistan” reveals how economically vulnerable women and under-age girls are targeted in particular.
An HRCP press release issued on Wednesday said, “Although it is difficult to determine the magnitude of the crime–given lack of reliable data–HRCP is particularly concerned over the network of trafficking that exists internally, spanning sex trafficking, forced child labour, bonded labour, forced begging and forced marriage. Economically vulnerable women and under-age girls are targeted in particular.”

source: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/rights-body-raises-concern-about-human-sex-trafficking-in-pakistan20220310075844/

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