Page 33 - Pakistan

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

'Focus inward, not blame': India rejects Pak claim on Jaffar Express attack

Rejecting Pakistan's allegations, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the world knows where the epicentre of terrorism lies, and Pakistan must stop shifting blame and take responsibility

Pak security forces foil attack on checkpost, kill 10 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistani security forces on Thursday foiled a terror attack on a checkpost and killed 10 militants following a suicide attack near the Frontier Corps camp in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, security sources said. Heavy firing was heard following a loud explosion in Jandola in South Waziristan district, Geo News reported, citing police officials. According to security sources, terrorists tried to attack the Jandola checkpost, which was repulsed by the security forces. A suicide bomber blew himself up in a vehicle near the FC camp, they said. The attack came a day after security forces killed all 33 attackers who had hijacked the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan and held passengers hostage in the mountainous region. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think-tank. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained the ...

Baloch attack: Pak points finger at Afghanistan, says 'We have evidence'

Pakistan accused India of sponsoring terrorism on Thursday without directly implicating it in the Balochistan train attack that killed 21 passengers. Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan at the weekly press briefing was asked several questions about the deadly attack on Tuesday, which led to a hostage situation lasting for more than 24 hours. Terrorists were in direct communications with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident, he said, adding that Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghanistan to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) for their attacks against Pakistan. We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism to justice, he said. When asked about any change of policy because India was blamed in the past

Pakistan forces end Jaffar Express standoff; 21 hostages, 4 troops killed

Pakistani security forces end deadly siege on Jaffar Express, rescuing hundreds held hostage by Baloch militants; 21 passengers and four troops killed during the operation

21 passengers, 4 soldiers, 33 militants killed as Pak army ends hijack op

Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Balochistan, an army general said on Wednesday. Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene. "The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely, Lt Gen Sharif said. He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident. "The forces killed all 33 terrorists and secured the release of hostages, he said. The Jaffar Express, carrying some 400 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in a tunnel 160 kilometres from Quetta. The

Decoded: Baloch separatists and why they seek freedom from Pakistan

The Balochistan Liberation Army contends that Balochistan was forcibly annexed by Pakistan in 1948 against the will of its people, a claim central to its ongoing fight for independence

Pakistan train hijack: How Baloch rebels took over Jaffar Express | Baloch liberation army

A packed train, a deadly explosion, and a hostage crisis—Pakistan was rocked by the hijacking of the Jaffar Express by Baloch rebels.

Why ex-Balochistan CM Akhtar Mengal thinks Pakistan has lost the province

Former Balochistan CM Akhtar Mengal has declared that Pakistan has lost control over Balochistan, blaming state oppression and rising insurgency for the crisis