Page 143 - Pakistan

Pak court dismisses plea of visa to Indian who wants to do Hajj on foot

A Pakistan court on Wednesday dismissed a petition that urged the federal government to issue a visa to a 29-year-old Indian national, who wanted to enter the country so that he could complete a marathon journey on foot to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage. Shihab Bhai, who hails from Kerala, embarked on a 3,000-km journey on foot from his home state till the Wagah border last month, where he was stopped by Pakistan's immigration authorities as he did not have a visa. On Wednesday, a Lahore High Court division bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Muzamil Akhtar Shabbir dismissed an intra-court appeal filed by a local citizen Sarwar Taj on behalf of Shihab. The single bench observed that the "petitioner was not related to the Indian citizen, nor did he hold his power of attorney to approach the court." It also sought "a complete particulars of the Indian citizen," which the petitioner could not furnish. The High Court's division bench on Wednesday up

Pakistan govt receives names of senior generals for next Army chief

The clouds of uncertainty around the appointment of Pakistan's new army chief began to clear on Wednesday after the government announced on Wednesday that it has received the names of six senior generals for the post to succeed incumbent General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Gen Bajwa, 61, is scheduled to retire on November 29 after a three-year extension. He has ruled out seeking another extension. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) issued a brief statement on Twitter that it received the summary from the Ministry of Defence for the appointment of the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and the Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC). The prime minister will take a decision on the appointments as per the laid down procedure, according to the statement. The Army also confirmed that it had sent the names of six top lieutenant generals for the appointments. Although it did not mention the names, but it is believed that the six men include Lt Gen Asim Munir (currently Quarter Master General),

Pak army chief's family members became billionaires in six years: Report

A damaging report has shed light on the sharp rise of wealth of close family members of Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa's in a span of six years

Imran Khan faces threat from Pak's 'enemy agency', says interior minister

Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that Imran Khan faces a threat from the country's "enemy agency" but if anything happens to the former premier the real culprits will go scott-free and the entire blame would shift to the Army, the ISI, himself and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif. "It's tragic that this man (Imran), this unblessed man, has brought the country to a stage where if he exits or something happens to him, he will be a source of chaos, anarchy and evildoing for the country, Sanaullah was quoted as saying by Geo News on Monday. "Every enemy and every enemy agency of Pakistan are after his (Imran's) life, the minister said without giving any specific name or details. Asked to specify what kind of outfits or individuals were after Imran, the interior minister said those who wanted chaos, anarchy and civil war in Pakistan and wanted the people to fight and kill each other. The former prime minister faced a threat and if something happened to him, it would bri

Pak army using Chinese drones to crush rebellion in Balochistan: Report

According to reports, the Pakistani Army deployed jets against Baloch nationalists in the highlands of Bolan in Balochistan.

Imran Khan questions Pakistan's judicial system in Toshakhana reference

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan threatened Geo Group and expressed no confidence in Pakistan's judicial system, reported The News International.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers gather near Islamabad to hear Imran Khan

As soon as the administration in Islamabad issued a no-objection certificate for holding a gathering, hoards of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers started gathering to hear the address of Imran Khan

Never joined hands with Pakistan: Farooq Abdullah at rally in J-K's Akhnoor

Former President of the National Conference Farooq Abdullah on Saturday addressed a public rally in Jammu and Kashmir's Akhnoor district and said that they never joined hands with Pakistan

Khalistani terrorist Harwinder Rinda has died in Pak: Punjab Police sources

Khalistani terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, who was involved in various terror cases, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in May, is learnt to have died in Pakistan, sources in the state police said on Saturday. Though the cause of his death was not immediately known, the sources said he was admitted to a hospital in Lahore. Rinda, a member of the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International, had been taking the help of local gangsters to carry out anti-national activities here and was believed to be in Pakistan. His name had figured in the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May this year. He was also charge sheeted in a case related to seizure of arms and explosives from a vehicle in Haryana in the same month. The 35-year-old's involvement was also detected in a hand-grenade attack at the crime investigation agency office in Nawanshahr last November. Rinda was seen as the ma

Pakistan pushes to increase non-permanent members in UN Security Council

The Pakistani envoy also underscored the need for flexibility to achieve the required consensus among all UN member states to overcome the stalemate in the reform negotiations: Report

Differences intensify in Pak govt over appointment of new Army chief

Differences seem to have intensified in the Pakistan government over the appointment of the new Army chief with top brasses of the ruling coalition making contradictory statements on the key issue. The appointment of a successor to Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, 61, who is set to retire on November 29, is an administrative matter. Under the law, the incumbent prime minister is empowered to select any one of the top three-star generals. But politically it means installing someone who may pull the strings and even determine the fate of the person who appointed him. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday initiated the keenly anticipated consultations with his government allies on the all-important appointment of a new Army chief, even as Defence Minister Khawaja Asif revealed that a name would be announced by Tuesday or Wednesday, the Dawn News reported on Saturday. Interestingly, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said consultations had been completed and the new Army chief woul

Pak army chief's appointment process to begin on Nov 21: Defence minister

PTI Chairman Imran Khan Friday claimed that President Arif Alvi has met Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss immediate and transparent elections, Geo News reported.

Islamabad HC says Imran Khan's life under threat as per intel reports

At one point during the hearing, the Chief Justice said: "Lodging a protest is the right of political and non-political entities, but the rights of citizens should not be violated in its wake."

India hits back after Pakistan rakes Jammu & Kashmir issue at UNGA

India has slammed Pakistan after it raked the Jammu and Kashmir issue during a plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Security Council reforms, saying Islamabad's desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods and its bad habit of abusing the sanctity of multilateral forums deserves the international community's collective contempt. The General Assembly held a plenary meeting on Thursday on the issue of UN Security Council reforms during which Pakistan yet again raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. I am taking the floor today to exercise India's Right of Reply to respond to Pakistan's continued abuse of this august Assembly, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN here Pratik Mathur said. Mathur said that while the UNGA is meeting to discuss the "extremely important topic of UN Security Council reforms, the representative of Pakistan has yet again made unwarranted references to Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir, let me repeat once again for his benefit, remains an

No truth to former Pak PM Imran Khan's foreign conspiracy claims: US

The US has once again categorically dismissed former Pakistan premier Imran Khan's allegations that Washington orchestrated a conspiracy to oust him from power and reiterated its resolve not to let "propaganda, misinformation and disinformation" affect the bilateral ties. The sharp response from the US came on Wednesday, days after Khan said he wanted to mend relations with Washington if re-elected and no longer blames it for his removal as the Pakistan prime minister. "As we've previously said, there has there is not and there has never been a truth to these allegations, but I don't have anything additional to offer," US State Department's Vedant Patel said during a press briefing, when asked to comment on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief's apparent U-turn on the alleged conspiracy claims. Khan, 70, who was ousted in April in a no-confidence vote had been claiming that he was the result of a conspiracy between prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and the US, a top security partner to .

Pak govt seek constitutional amendment to empower PM to retain army chief

The planned amendment of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA) 1952 would empower the prime minister to retain an incumbent Army chief with a simple notification rather than through a complex process

PM Sharif violated secrecy by consulting 'fugitive' Nawaz: Imran Khan

Khan claimed that Shehbaz violated the country's Official Secrecy Act by consulting his elder brother Nawaz Sharif on the new COAS appointment.

China plays down protests against CPEC at Gwadar port in Pakistan

A wary China on Tuesday sought to downplay reports of mass protests against the CPEC projects at Pakistan's port city Gwadar, saying they are not targeted against the multi-billion dollar initiative, amid growing concerns here about the security of hundreds of Chinese personnel working in the neighbouring country. According to a report in the Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper on Monday, hundreds of children joined the ongoing protests in Gwadar which entered its 18th day on Sunday. The protesters are threatening to block the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects if their demands, which included banning illegal trawling in Gwadar, are not met within a week. These reports are untrue, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here. The organisers have said in public that the protests are not targeting the Chinese side or the CPEC," Mao said. The Dawn newspaper further reported that the protesting children reached Gwadar city from Turbat, Pasni and ot

Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif tests positive for Covid-19 after returning from UK

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tested postive for COVID-19, a day after returning from his trip to the UK, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Tuesday. Shehbaz, 71, returned to Pakistan on Monday after taking a detour to London from the COP27 climate conference in Egypt to visit his elder brother Nawaz Sharif. In a tweet, Aurangzeb said the premier was feeling unwell for the past two days and took a COVID-19 test on Tuesday on the doctor's advice, which returned positive. She appealed to the nation and to PML-N workers to pray for Prime Minister Shehbaz's speedy recovery. This is the third time the premier has tested positive for the virus, after having previously contracted COVID-19 earlier this year in January and in June 2020.

Pak-Afghan border shut for 2nd day as unprovoked firing escalates tension

The Pakistan-Afghanistan border remained closed for the second consecutive day as tensions ran high between the two countries after unprovoked firing