Page 25 - Pakistan

Emergency declared in Pak's Punjab province after Indian missile strikes

Emergency was declared on Wednesday in Pakistan's Punjab province even as all educational institutions closed in the wake of the Indian missile attack. The Pakistan army said that at least 26 people were killed and 46 injured in the Indian strikes launched shortly after midnight on cities in the Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has declared a state of emergency across the province, a Punjab government statement said here. All security agencies, including Punjab police, have been placed on high alert. Leaves of all doctors and medical staff across hospitals in Punjab have been cancelled. The statement said all staff have been ordered to report for duty immediately and district administrations in all districts of Punjab have also been placed on high alert. Officers and personnel of all relevant institutions, including Civil Defence, have been summoned, it said. The educational institutions would remain closed on Wednesday, the

Pak ready to 'wrap' tensions if India de-escalates: Defence Minister Asif

Pakistan is ready to "wrap up" tensions with India, if New Delhi de-escalates the situation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday. His remarks came hours after India carried out a military strike on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Asif was reported as saying by Bloomberg Television that Pakistan will only respond if attacked. "We have been saying all along in the last fortnight that we'll never initiate anything hostile towards India. But if we're attacked, we'll respond. If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up this tension," he said. Regarding the possibility of talks, the minister said he was not aware of any such potential engagements. Indian armed forces early Wednesday carried out missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

'India exercised its right to respond to terror': Govt on Operation Sindoor

The Centre says 'India exercised its right to self-defence' while responding to Operation Sindoor, aimed at neutralising threats across the border

Operation Sindoor: Old videos, fake news flood X after Indian strikes

Following India's targeted strikes under Operation Sindoor, Pakistani media and social handles circulate false claims of retaliation; fact-checkers flag videos as fake

Airlines avoid Pakistan's airspace as tensions rise after India's strike

More than a dozen Indian airports near the border with Pakistan will be closed until at least 12 p.m. local time, according to social media posts by domestic carriers

'Proud of our armed forces': Opposition leaders hail Operation Sindoor

Opposition backs Indian Army's 'Operation Sindoor'; Congress, Owaisi laud strikes on Pakistan terror camps, stress unity, urge tough stance after Pahalgam attack

MHA orders civil defence drills amid escalating tensions with Pakistan

The exercise will be conducted in 244 'civil defence districts' on Wednesday

Major global airlines steer clear of Pakistan airspace for India flights

Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates and others reroute flights amid India-Pakistan airspace restrictions, raising flight times and cutting Pakistan's overflight revenue

Putin-Modi phone call over Pahalgam, Earthquake hits Pak, Skype shuts down & more

In a telecon with PM Modi today, Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and said the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Pakistan trembles as earthquake of magnitude 4.2 hits the country

This is the third earthquake to hit Pakistan in recent weeks

Pakistani singer Abida Parveen's Instagram account blocked in India

India had earlier announced a ban on 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for spreading provocative and communally sensitive content and misinformation against India

Pahalgam attack: Russian foreign minister asks India, Pak to show restraint

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday expressed concern over the tension between Pakistan and India following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, urging the two sides to show restraint. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, according to a statement by the Foreign Office. Dar apprised Lavrov of recent regional developments, the statement added. Lavrov expressed concern over the situation and stressed the importance of diplomacy to resolve issues. He emphasised that both sides should exercise restraint and avoid escalation, the Foreign Office said. During the conversation, Dar rejected India's baseless allegations and inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan, the statement said. He also condemned India's unilateral and illegal move to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance which is a violation of its international obligations. The minister also conveyed Pakistan's

Parameswaran Iyer to represent India at IMF vote on fresh tranche to Pak

Subramanian's sudden exit from the IMF has raised questions in policy circles

Pakistan to brief UN Security Council on latest regional developments

Pakistan has decided to brief the UN Security Council on the latest regional developments in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the foreign office said on Sunday. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar directed Pakistan's UN Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, to take immediate steps to convene a meeting of the Security Council, the statement said. The decision comes amid tensions between Pakistan and India following the Pahalgam terror attack. Terrorists killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. "Pakistan will inform the UNSC about India's aggressive actions, provocations, and provocative statements, the foreign office said. Pakistan will specifically highlight India's illegal actions to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, it said, adding that the country would clarify how New Delhi's actions are jeopardising peace and security in the region. This important diplomatic move is part of

BSF to get 16 new battalions, 2 field HQs for Pakistan, Bangladesh borders

The Border Security Force is all set to get the government's final nod to raise 16 more battalions, comprising around 17,000 troopers, and set up two forward headquarters for its western and eastern commands guarding the Pakistan and Bangladesh frontiers, respectively, official sources have said. The plan has already received an in-principle approval. Once sanctioned, it will be a shot in the arm for the force that has heightened vigil in the east following last year's fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh and in the wake of a renewed challenge on the Pakistan front after the April 22 Pahalgam massacre. The BSF is soon expected to get the final sanction for raising 16 new battalions which will be raised over the next few years, sources in the security establishment told PTI. Some final approvals including sanction from the Union finance ministry are pending and are expected to be granted soon, they said. The paramilitary force has 193 battalions as of now to guard the

Pahalgam attack: Pakistan shuts ports for Indian ships in tit-for-tat move

In a directive issued by Pakistan's Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Indian flag carriers would no longer be permitted at any Pakistani port

CRPF dismisses jawan who married Pak woman without intimation

The Central Reserve Police Force has dismissed from service its jawan Munir Ahmed for "concealing" his marriage with a Pakistani woman as his action was found to be detrimental to national security, official sources said Saturday. The jawan was last posted with the 41st battalion of paramilitary CRPF, the lead internal security force of the country. He was "dismissed from service" under the rules that do not require conducting an enquiry, official sources told PTI. "Munir Ahmed has been dismissed from service with immediate effect for concealing his marriage to a Pakistani national and knowingly harbouring her beyond the validity of her visa. "His actions were found to be in violation of service conduct and detrimental to national security," CRPF spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) M Dhinakaran said. Ahmed's marriage with Menal Khan came to light after India asked Pakistani nationals to leave the country as part of diplomatic measures taken in the wake of the Pahalgam ...

Death toll from oil tanker blast in Pak's Balochistan rises to eight

The death toll from a deadly oil tanker explosion in the Noshki area of the Balochistan province has risen to eight after five victims died during treatment at a private hospital in Karachi. At least one person was killed and 40 others injured when a parked oil tanker caught fire and exploded in Noshki on April 28. The Balochistan government had 24 critically wounded patients airlifted to Karachi on April 29 via Edhi Air Ambulance for specialised treatment in Karachi. A spokesperson for Edhi trust said on Friday night and Saturday morning five more victims had died. The driver was killed in the explosion while two others had died earlier this week at another private hospital for burns victims in Karachi, he said. Seventeen other patients remain under treatment in private hospitals across Karachi, according to the spokesperson, some of them are still in critical condition with 80 per cent burns. Local authorities are continuing investigations into the cause of the fire, which ...

Pak Ranger apprehended by BSF from international border in Rajasthan

A Pakistani Ranger has been apprehended by the BSF from along the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan, official sources said on Saturday. The development comes nearly a fortnight after a Border Security Force jawan was apprehended by the Rangers amid rising tension between the two countries in the wake of the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed. The Pakistani Ranger has been taken into custody by the Rajasthan frontier of the force, they said. BSF jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw was apprehended by the Rangers on April 23 from along this international border in Punjab and they have refused to hand him over despite a strong protest registered by the Indian force.

Pak goods worth $500 mn likely entering India via third countries: Official

Goods like dry fruits and chemicals worth USD 500 million are believed to be entering India through third countries including the UAE, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, an official said. According to the official, it is said that a substantial proportion of USD 500 million exports from Pakistan which were earlier directly exported to India are now being rerouted through other countries. While Pakistani fruits, dry dates, leather, and textiles are repackaged and relabeled in the UAE for exports to India, chemicals are likely to be routed through Singapore. Similarly, Indonesia is being used as a transit route for Pakistani cement, soda ash, and textile raw materials. From Sri Lanka, it is expected that Pakistani dried fruits, salt, and leather goods were being shipped to India. Since there is a possibility of some of the USD 500 million exports now being routed to India through other countries, it is necessary to put a complete ban on exports from Pakistan to India (direct or ...