Page 39 - Pakistan

47 personnel killed, 30 injured in attack on Pak army convoy in Turbat

In a statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said that the attack took place in the Behman area, which is located some eight kilometres from Turbat city

UAE president seeks collaboration with Pakistan in mining, minerals sector

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday expressed interest in collaborating with Pakistan in the mining, minerals, and agriculture sectors. The UAE leader met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Rahimyar Khan area of Punjab where he arrived on a private visit. According to Radio Pakistan, both leaders during the meeting expressed their shared commitment to deepening economic, political, and cultural ties. They discussed a wide range of issues, including economic collaboration, regional stability, climate change, and the promotion of mutual interests on the global stage. The UAE leader highlighted the UAE's keen interest in collaborating with Pakistan in the mining, minerals, and agriculture sectors. The UAE leader emphasised that this renewed economic vigour has created prospects for enhanced bilateral investment and collaboration. He reiterated commitment to enhancing its longstanding partnership with Pakistan, emphasising the importance of people-to-people connect

World Bank to approve $20 billion lending package for Pakistan: Report

The World Bank is set to approve a USD 20 billion indicative lending package for Pakistan a pioneering 10-year initiative to protect its funded projects from political transitions and focus on six targeted areas, according to a media report. The programme, titled "Pakistan Country Partnership Framework 2025-35", aims to improve social indicators in the most neglected but important areas, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing official documents. It will focus on reducing child stunting, combating learning poverty, enhancing climate resilience, decarbonising the environment, expanding fiscal space, and boosting private investment to improve productivity. These areas have broad support across the political spectrum and are expected to remain unaffected by government changes during the 2025-2035 period, which is anticipated to include at least three general elections. This 'Country Partnership Framework' is scheduled to be approved by the World Bank board on January 14, ...

4 killed, 32 injured as Baloch militants bomb passenger bus in Pakistan

Four people were killed and 32 injured when the banned separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) outfit bombed a passenger bus in the restive Balochistan province of Pakistan on Saturday. The blast in the New Bahman area of Turbat city took place when an improvised explosive device detonated near the bus from Karachi to Turbat. A senior police official said 4 bodies and 32 injured have been moved to the nearest hospital. Exact details of the blast are being investigated but a police official said high-ranking police officer SSP Zohaib Mohsin was in the bus along with his family and could have been the target, he said. The senior police official and his family were part of a wedding party on the bus. Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister for Balochistan province, condemned the attack. Those who target innocent people do not deserve to be called human beings, he said. A separatist group called the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the blast but gave higher casualty

Explosion in southwestern Pakistan kills one person, 35 injured

A blast from an improvised explosive device killed one person and wounded 35 others on Saturday in Pakistan's southwestern city of Turbat, a police official said. Footage from the scene showed vehicles moving through the city before an explosion and flames engulfed one of them. Police officer Roshan Baloch said that eight of the wounded were in critical condition, and that the rest were stable. Most of the casualties are soldiers. The device was in a car parked on the side of the road and was detonated remotely, Baloch added. The chief minister for Balochistan province, Sarfraz Bugti, condemned the attack. Those who target innocent people do not deserve to be called human beings, he said. A separatist group called the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the blast, but gave higher casualty figures. It also said the IED targeted a military convoy. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province but the least populated. It's also a hub for the country's ethnic Baloch minor

Days after peace deal, senior Pak official injured in firing in Kurram

The Deputy Commissioner of northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district was injured when assailants fired on his convoy on Saturday, days after a peace agreement was reached between two warring parties in the sectarian-violence-hit district. According to sources, the incident took place in the Kojalai Baba village near Bagan, when residents opened fire on military vehicles, injuring Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kurram Javedullah Mehsud and three security personnel. Mehsud was in the area to review arrangements for an aid convoy to take food items to the district after the main Peshawar-Sadda-Thall-Parachinar road's opening after 85 days of closure. Sources said that the firing took place during negotiations between government officials and the protestors who had blocked the main road. Mehsud was shot thrice and was rushed to a hospital in the Lower Alizai tehsil for treatment. Three protestors were also injured, official sources said. We suspect that local spoilers are involved in th

Imran Khan claims he refused offer to leave Pak, live in exile for 3 yrs

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that he was offered a chance to leave the country on exile for three years but he declined. In a post on X on Friday, the 72-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician said, I was offered the opportunity of a three-year exile while I was in Attock Jail, but I will live and die in Pakistan. In conversation with media persons at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail where he is incarcerated since August 2023, Khan said he has been indirectly approached with an offer to transfer him to his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad. However, he said on X that he refused the offer. "My stance is clear: release my detained workers and leaders first. Only then will I consider discussing my personal situation.

Pak ranks 1st in global financial losses from internet shutdowns: Report

The data, released on Thursday, focused solely on the financial impact of intentional internet shutdowns, including total blackouts, social media restrictions, and throttling, which occurred 167 times

'It takes two to tango' says Pak Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on India ties

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has emphasised that normalising relations with India requires mutual willingness. Speaking with journalists at the Foreign Office here on Thursday, Dar highlighted Pakistan's diplomatic efforts since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government took office last year. When asked about Pakistan's relations with India, he stressed on the importance of mutual effort, and said: It takes two to tango. Dar also announced plans to visit Bangladesh next month and noted that Islamabad and Dhaka are rebuilding ties after the fall of the Hasina government in August last year. Bangladesh is like a lost brother. We aim to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, he said and mentioned that he received an invitation from Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhamad Yunus during a meeting in Cairo recently. Yunus took charge as Chief Adviser after the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power on August 5 last year followi

Man crosses over illegally into Pak to marry Facebook friend, lands in jail

A 30-year-old Indian man crossed over illegally into Pakistan to meet a Facebook friend he wanted to marry, but instead found himself behind bars. And the woman told the local police she does not want to tie the knot. Badal Babu from the Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh was arrested last week in the Mandi Bahauddin district of Pakistan's Punjab province (some 240 kms from Lahore) for illegal border crossing. Babu attempted to cross the border illegally to meet the Facebook friend with whom he wanted to marry. Police have recorded the statement of Babu's Facebook friend Sana Rani, 21, who said she wasn't interested in marrying him. "In her statement to police, Sana Rani says that Babu and she have been friends on Facebook for the last two-and-a-half years. But she is not interested in marrying him," a Punjab police officer, Nasir Shah, told PTI on Thursday. He said Babu illegally crossed the border and reached Sana Rani's Maung village in Mandi Bahauddin, where he was arrested by

Internet shutdowns face legal uncertainty, says Pak telecom authority

When questioned about restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), the PTA chairman clarified that he had not authorised their shutdown

19 convicts involved in May 9 violence granted pardon, says Pak military

Pakistan military on Thursday said that it has accepted the mercy petitions of 19 convicts involved in attacks on the army facilities on May 9, 2023. On May 9, 2023, former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party supporters allegedly attacked several military installations, including the army headquarters in Rawalpindi and the ISI building in Faisalabad, to vent their anger against the arrest of their party founder in a corruption case. Hundreds of suspects were arrested in the countrywide swoop. Cases of more than 100 civilians were sent to the military court for trial because they were involved in the attack on military installations. In December, military courts sentenced 85 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to ten years for their roles in the violence. According to a statement issued by the army on Thursday, the sequel to the promulgation of punishments to the May 9 tragedy convicts, they have exercised their right to appeal and have asked for mercy

Pakistan appoints Shafqat Ali Khan as foreign ministry spokesperson

Pakistan has appointed senior diplomat Shafqat Ali Khan as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a media report said Wednesday. Shafqat, currently serving as Additional Foreign Secretary for Europe, previously represented Pakistan as an ambassador to Russia and Poland, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. He has extensive experience in diplomatic affairs. He replaces Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, who has been serving as the Foreign Office spokesperson since Nov 2022. According to media reports, Baloch is likely to be appointed as ambassador to France.

Warring tribes in Pakistan's Kurram reach peace deal after weeks of clashes

A peace agreement was reached between two warring parties in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram district after more than three weeks of efforts to broker a ceasefire amid sectarian violence, officials said on Wednesday. Representatives from the Alizai and Bagan tribes signed the 14-point agreement, agreeing to demolish all private bunkers and surrender heavy arms to the administration, said Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Sectarian clashes between the two tribes resulted in the killing of 133 people between November 21 and December 2. Tribal council member Malik Sawab Khan confirmed that 45 representatives from both sides signed the agreement, which included a ceasefire, commitments to dismantle fortifications and surrender their weapons. One party signed the peace pact few days ago while the other party signed it on Wednesday, Saif said. "We congratulate the people of Kurram on the signing of the peace agreement," he said, noting

Govt asks Pakistan to expedite release of Indian prisoners in its custody

India on Wednesday urged Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 183 Indian fishermen and civilian prisoners in view of completion of their jail terms. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to the 18 civilian prisoners and fishermen in Pakistan's custody, who are believed to be Indian, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. India made the request in the context of the exchange of lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen by both the countries as part of a practice to do so on January 1 and July 1 every calendar year under the framework of a 2008 pact. India has shared names of 381 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen in its custody, who are Pakistani or are believed-to-be-Pakistani. Similarly, Pakistan has shared names of 49 civilian prisoners and 217 fishermen in its custody, who are Indian or are believed-to-be-Indian, according to the MEA. "The government of India has called for early release and repatriation of civilian ...

At least 3 killed in separate terror attacks in Pak's restive northwest

At least three people, including a child, were killed and 11 others injured in three separate terror incidents in Pakistan's restive northwest on Wednesday. A police constable and a labourer were killed and two others injured when unidentified militants attacked a police checkpost in Daraban area in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at 1 am this morning, police said. In a separate incident, a child was killed and four others were injured when a bomb planted in a motorbike exploded in Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan district, police said. In another incident, at least five policemen were injured in an explosion caused by a roadside bomb in Mamaskhel area of Bannu district. On Tuesday, two policemen were killed and another injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in Daraban Kalan in Dera Ismail Khan district, bordering South Waziristan. According to an official report released on Monday, security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed 270 terrorists in 2024, .

Pakistan begins its two-year tenure as non-permanent member of UNSC

Pakistan began its two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, with Ambassador Munir Akram saying that the Pakistani delegation will play an active and constructive role in addressing key challenges facing the world. Our presence will be felt in the Security Council, Ambassador Akram, Pakistan's top diplomat at the UN, told state-run APP (Associated Press of Pakistan) news agency. From Wednesday, Pakistan will sit in the Security Council for the 2025-26 term as a non-permanent member the eighth time that the country has had a seat on the 15-member body's horseshoe table. In June, Pakistan was elected to the council with a massive majority as a non-permanent member, polling 182 votes in the 193-member General Assembly far more than the required 124 votes representing a two-thirds majority. We enter the council at a time of great geopolitical turbulence, intense competition between the two largest powers, raging wars in Euro

Kerala CM condemns Maharashtra minister Rane's 'mini Pakistan' remark

The Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday vehemently criticised Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane for calling Kerala a "mini Pakistan" and said his remarks were highly "provocative and condemnable". The Sangh Parivar's basic approach towards Kerala is exposed through the words of the Maharashtra minister, the CM said in a statement. The Sangh Parivar believes that they can isolate a place that's difficult for them to influence by alienating and spreading hate campaigns and these statements came as part of that, he said. A minister, who made the hate statement, does not deserve to continue in the position, Vijayan said. "It is surprising that the leadership of the country's ruling party is yet to react to the minister's act of serious breach of oath, which amounted to insulting the country's Constitution," he added. Later in a post on social media X, the Chief Minister termed the Maharashtra minister's comment as "deeply malicious & utterly condemnable". Such rhetoric .

BSF recovers 3 Pakistani drones from border areas in Punjab's Amritsar

The drones were recovered from Rajatal village in Amritsar, Punjab, and were effectively neutralised using advanced technical countermeasures

Taliban vs Pakistan: Why are they fighting?

Tensions are escalating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border following deadly clashes between Afghan Taliban forces and Pakistan’s military. Watch the video to know the reason behind the conflict.