Page 30 - Pakistan

Pak lodges formal protest with Kabul over train hijacking in Balochistan

Pakistan formally lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan over the use of its soil in the recent train hijacking in the restive Balochistan by Balochistan Liberation Army militants in which 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed. The Express Tribune reported quoting sources that a senior Afghan diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday to register the protest. However, there was no official statement from the FO about the summoning of the Afghan diplomat. On March 11, terrorists attacked and hijacked the Jaffar Express at Bolan Pass, holding over 400 passengers hostage for 30 hours. The train was en route from Quetta to Peshawar. Pakistani security forces, backed by the Air Force and elite army commandos, successfully rescued over 350 passengers. However, authorities confirmed that terrorists killed 25 passengers before the operation commenced. All 33 attackers were killed during the operation. Following the attack, Pakistan stated that it had found evidence ...

J-K on high security alert following recent terror attacks in Pakistan

A high-security alert has been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir in view of the recent terror attacks in Pakistan, including the killing of a top commander of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), officials said on Tuesday. All the protected persons, including politicians, have been advised to be conscious and strictly follow the security protocols for their safety, the officials in the security establishment said. They said the forces have been directed to maintain a close watch and "extraordinary" vigil to thwart any attempt by anti-national elements to carry out any attack, especially on soft targets, by intensifying area domination patrolling and search operations. Several recent terror attacks in Balochistan, including a train hijacking and the killing of top LeT commander Zia-ur-Rehman alias Nadeem alias Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi have prompted the security alert, the officials said. Rehman, who was wanted by the Indian security agencies for several deadly terror attacks in

5 people injured in grenade attack on SHO's house in Balochistan

Five people including four children were injured on Monday in a grenade attack on the residence of a Station House Officer (SHO) in Pakistan's Balcohistan, as insurgents continued terror attacks in the restive province. The attack took place at the house of SHO Qadir Sheikh in Khuzdar, according to authorities. Khuzdar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Javed Zehri told the media that unknown assailants threw a hand grenade at the residence of the Hub City SHO, injuring his father as well as his brother's four children. The father has been moved to Karachi for treatment while the children have been given treatment, he said, adding that the incident was being investigated. There have been a series of terror attacks in different parts of the province since militants from the banned separatist outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed Jaffar Express carrying 440 passengers last week. The militants killed 26 hostages before the Army eliminated all 33 terrorists the next day. On

Pakistan terms as 'misleading and one-sided' PM Modi's remarks on J&K

Pakistan on Monday rejected as misleading and one-sided the remarks made on Jammu and Kashmir by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a podcast. The Indian leader said during the interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman on Sunday that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and that he hoped that wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties. Pakistan Foreign Office issued a statement in response to media queries regarding the remarks made by Modi and rejected his assertions. The remarks are misleading and one-sided. They conveniently omit the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which remains unresolved for the last seven decades despite India's solemn assurances to the United Nations, Pakistan and the Kashmiri people, according to the statement. It alleged that India was involved in fomenting trouble on Pakistani soil and carrying out state-sanctioned oppression in Jammu and Kashmir. It also accused India of orchestrat

Pakistan's economy recovers, but rising terrorism threats test stability

The resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan's wild west has complicated Sharif's already difficult job

Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia among 43 nations to face Trump's travel ban

The draft also places 10 countries, including Afghanistan and Bhutan, on the Red List, meaning their citizens could face a full visa suspension

We connect well as nation comes first for both of us: PM Modi on Trump

Apart from elaborating on his rapport with the US President, the PM covered other international issues, such as his efforts at fostering peace with Pakistan

Highlights: My strength lies not in my name but in the backing of 1.4 bn Indians, says PM Modi

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Every noble attempt for peace with Pakistan met with hostility: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and hoped that wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties. In a podcast with Lex Fridman released on Sunday, Modi recalled that he had specially invited his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014 with the hope that the two countries could turn a new leaf. "Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace," the prime minister said in his over three-hour interaction. Modi said he believed that even the people of Pakistan long for peace because they also must be tired of living in strife, unrest and relentless terror where even innocent children are killed and countless lives are destroyed. The prime minister said his first attempt at improving bilateral relations was a gesture of ...

Chinese shipyard completes 2nd Hangor class submarine for Pakistan's navy

A Chinese shipyard has completed a second submarine for the Pakistan navy, further strengthening military ties between the two countries. The diesel-electric Hangor class craft was launched on Thursday at China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation's shipworks in the central city of Wuhan on the Yangtze River, Chinese state media reported Sunday. Pakistan contracted to buy eight of the submarines, the final four of which are to be built by the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works in the Pakistani port city of the same name. The Hangor class is believed to be an export version of China's 039A submarine, with a crew of 38 plus eight spaces for special forces troops and equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Pakistan has used submarines in the past to confront India as part of their land wars over disputed territory in the north. Prohibitions on dual military and civilian use of technology by European nations that make diesel submarines has left China Pakistan's best option fo

Bomb blast near bus carrying security personnel in Balochistan, 5 killed

The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that over 90 personnel were killed

LeT terrorist Abu Qatal, top aide of Hafiz Saeed, killed: All we know

A close aide of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, Qatal was a key figure in planning and executing multiple terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir

After train hijack, Pakistan suffers over half a dozen militant attacks

The series of attacks come shortly after a passenger train was hijacked in the restive Balochistan province, which resulted in the killing of 31, including soldiers, railway staff, and civilians

ATF personnel killed, 6 others injured in IED blast in Pakistan's Quetta

The explosion targeted a vehicle of the Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF) patrolling Barori Road in the Karani area

26,250 tonnes of rice from Pakistan arrives at Bangladesh port

MV Mariam arrived at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port on March 11 while it berthed at a port jetty on Friday

Senior cleric killed, 3 injured in blast at mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A senior cleric was killed while three others injured in a blast at a seminary cum mosque in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, less than 24 hours after a bomb exploded during Friday prayers at another mosque in the province. Cleric Mufti Munir Shakir, the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-i-Islam, succumbed to his injuries, according to hospital authorities. The blast occurred at the religious seminary in Urmur Bala village in Peshawar district, police said. A police spokesperson said that personnel from police, bomb disposal unit and Counter-Terrorism Department were present at the scene and evidence was being collected. In a video message, Mohammad Asim, a spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), said: Mufti Shakir was brought to LRH in a critical condition and succumbed to his injuries. Lashkar-i-Islam a Bara-based militant organisation in Khyber tribal region led by Mangal Bagh was banned in 2008. A local cleric in Bara, Mufti Shakir formed the

11 dead in two security ops against militants in Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan's security forces raided two militant hideouts in the country's restive northwest on Saturday, triggering gun battles that left at least two soldiers and nine militants dead, the military said in a statement. The raids were conducted in the Mohmand and Dera Ismail Khan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan. According to local police officials, the insurgents were Pakistani Taliban, who are known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The outlawed TTP is a separate group but an ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final stages of a withdrawal from the country after 20 years of war. Many TTP leaders and fighters have found sanctuaries and have even been living openly in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, which also emboldened the Pakistani Taliban. Separately on Saturday, insurgents ambushed security forces in the northwestern Kurram district of Pakistan,

IMF expresses satisfaction with Pakistan's economic measures, use of loan

An IMF mission after a key visit to Pakistan acknowledged that the country achieved a strong implementation of the USD 7 billion loan programme agreed upon last year, it emerged on Saturday. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation led by Nathan Porter visited Islamabad and Karachi from February 24 to March 14 to undertake the First Review for the 37-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and on discussions for an arrangement of a fresh loan under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The team held discussions on the first review of Pakistan's economic programme supported by the EFF and on a possible new arrangement under the RSF, according a statement issued by Nathan Porter at the conclusion of the visit on Friday. He said that the IMF and the Pakistani authorities made significant progress toward reaching a Staff Level Agreement (SLA) on the first review of the EFF. Programme implementation has been strong, and the discussions have

PIA flight lands safely at Lahore airport despite missing rear wheel

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) domestic flight landed on the Lahore airport with one of its wheels missing, an official said on Friday. However, no untoward accident was reported due to the Thursday morning incident, the official said. One of the rear wheels of PIA flight PK-306, which left from Karachi for Lahore, was missing when it landed at the Lahore airport, the official said. An investigation has been initiated into the incident, a PIA official told PTI. He added it was being probed whether the aircraft left Karachi with the "missing wheel" or got detached and fell during the take-off. He said some fragments of the wheel were found at the Karachi airport. "It appears that one of the rear wheels was in shabby condition when the aircraft took off," the official said. A PIA spokesperson said the PK-306 made a "smooth and uneventful landing" as per the schedule. "Passengers disembarked as per routine. During a walk-around inspection by the aircraft captain, it was r

Jaffar Express driver recalls how insurgents attacked train in Pakistan

The driver of Jaffar Express, which was hijacked by Balochistan Liberation Army militants, has described the terrifying moment when the insurgents attacked the train as survivors praised the military for their rescue. On Tuesday, Jaffar Express travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers was hijacked in which 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed. Speaking after the attack, Amjad described how the militants first detonated an explosive under the train's engine, causing the bogies to derail, the Express Train reported. As soon as the train stopped, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists launched an attack, he said. Meanwhile, one of the freed passengers recalled how the attackers took them hostage after the blast. They held us at gunpoint, but the commandos risked their own lives to rescue us, he said, adding that the military's courage gave them strength during the ordeal. The ordeal began on Tuesday when separatist militants ambushed the Jaffar Expr