Page 40 - Pakistan

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission gets licence for largest nuclear plant

Pakistan is set to construct its largest nuclear plant for electricity generation after the country's atomic energy regulatory agency issued the licence for it. The Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) issued the licence to build Chashma Nuclear Power Plant Unit 5 (C-5, the largest plant producing electricity through nuclear power with a capacity of 1200 MWe, according to a PNRA press release issued on Thursday. The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission applied for the licence in April of this year, along with the Preliminary Safety Assessment Report and other documents about the design and operational aspects of nuclear safety, radiation protection, emergency preparedness, waste management, and nuclear security, the Dawn newspaper reported. After a thorough review and assessment of and fulfilment of regulatory requirements in compliance with the relevant national and international standards, the licence was issued, the PNRA press release stated. C-5 is an advanced ...

Pakistan 2024: Troubled ties with neighbours, economic woes and Imran Khan

Pakistan was haunted by political uncertainty, economic instability, a deteriorating security situation and troubled relations with neighbours in 2024. But what defined the year were not just these perennial ills but the country's inability to tackle incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan. Amid political turbulence, Pakistan hosted a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave, which was also attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar -- the first high-ranking Indian minister in nearly a decade to visit Islamabad amid frosty ties between the two neighbours. The last Indian foreign minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad to attend the 'Heart of Asia' conference on Afghanistan in December 2015. In his address at the SCO event, Jaishankar said, "If friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address." He also said if activities across borders are

Pakistan solider killed, 11 wounded in firing by Afghan Taliban forces

A Pakistan paramilitary soldier has been killed and 11 others injured in firing by the Afghan Taliban forces at the border posts of Pakistan troops, days after strikes by Pakistan targeted the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) militants. According to defence sources, the Afghan troops resorted to unprovoked fire on multiple Pakistani border posts in the Upper Kurram district on Saturday morning. They fired at posts in Ghozgarhi, Matha Sangar, Kot Ragha and Tari Mengal areas using both light and heavy weaponry, sources said. Pakistani forces retaliated, inflicting significant losses on the other side as seven to eight personnel of the Afghan forces were killed in the exchange of fire, sources added. However, in the fire exchange, a Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldier was killed and 11 others were injured. The incident of firing occurred days after Pakistan targeted terrorist positions in Paktika province of Afghanistan to punish the banned TTP militants, allegedly using Afghan soil to

Days after Pak airstrike, Afghan Taliban targets several points in Pakistan

The statement, which was released by Taliban did not directly specify that Pakistan was hit, but said the attacks were conducted "beyond the "hypothetical line"

Pak village mourns Manmohan Singh's death, says 'like loss in the family'

: The entire village is in mourning. We feel that someone from our family has died today, Altaf Hussain told PTI as a group of local residents held a meeting to condole the death of village boy Manmohan who became prime minister next door. Hussain is a teacher at the same school in Gah village where Manmohan Singh studied up to class 4. His father Gurmukh Singh was a cloth merchant and his mother Amrat Kaur a homemaker. His friends called him Mohna'. The village lies about 100 km southwest of capital Islamabad and was part of Jhelum district when Singh was born. But it was included in Chakwal when it was made a district in 1986. Surrounded by lush green fields, the place can be reached from M-2 motorway linking Islamabad to Lahore, as well as from Chakwal city. The former prime minister died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92. Raja Ashiq Ali, nephew of Raja Muhammad Ali, a schoolmate who travelled to Delhi in 2008 to me

Pak army officer dies, 13 terrorists killed in 3 ops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A Pakistani army officer died and 13 terrorists were killed in three separate operations conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing has said. All the operations took place in the early hours of Thursday, it said. In the first operation, security forces targeted terrorists in the Jani Khel area of Bannu district, killing two terrorists. A second operation in North Waziristan resulted in the neutralisation of five terrorists, with eight others injured. However, Major Muhammad Awais, 31, was killed in the gun battle. In the third operation, security forces engaged terrorists in South Waziristan, killing six and injuring eight others. The military emphasised its commitment to eliminating terrorism, saying, "Sanitisation operations are being carried out to eliminate any other kharji (militants) found in the area...such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve." According to recent statistics from the interior ministry,

Afghanistan summons Pakistani envoy over airstrikes in Paktika province

Pakistani side has been clearly informed that protecting Afghanistan's national sovereignty is a red line for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Pak airstrikes kill 46 in Afghanistan; mostly women, children: Taliban

Pakistan's airstrikes on eastern Afghanistan killed 46 people, mostly women and children, a Taliban government official said Wednesday. Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, said that six people were also wounded in the Paktika province bordering Pakistan. This comes a day after Pakistani security officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with regulations, told The Associated Press that Tuesday's operation was to dismantle a training facility and kill insurgents in the province of Paktika in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, in a statement, Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claimed that 50 people, including 27 women and children, have died in the strikes. Residents in the area told an AP reporter over the phone that at least 13 people were left dead, adding that the death toll could be higher. They also said the wounded were transported to a local hospital. Pakistan has not commented on the .

Pakistan airstrikes 7 Afghan villages, killing 15: Here’s why

On December 24, Pakistan carried out rare air strikes inside Afghanistan, hitting 7 villages and killing atleast 15 people. Watch the video to know the reason behind Pakistan's move.

US expresses concern over sentencing of 25 civilians by Pak military court

Expressing concern over the sentencing of 25 civilians by a military court in Pakistan, the United States on Monday said it lacked judicial independence, transparency and due process guarantees. The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. The United States continues to call on Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial and due process, as enshrined in Pakistan's constitution, he added. However, a close aide of President-elect Donald Trump described it as too little and too weak. You are late. And this is too little and too weak. Speak normally. Free Imran Khan, said Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence under President Trump in 2020 and was the US ambassador to Germany from 2018 to

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Pak govt forms panel to negotiate with jailed ex-PM Imran Khan's party

The PTI welcomed the formation of the government committee for negotiations, calling it a "positive step"

16 soldiers killed in terrorist attack on South Waziristan post in Pakistan

The ISPR reported that on the night of December 19-20, security forces detected a group of terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan. Following an intense exchange of fire

Imran Khan's wife granted interim bail in cases related to Nov 26 protest

Among the cases is a murder case filed against Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, his wife and senior party leaders in connection with the deaths of paramilitary soldiers

French magazine exposes Pak's links to extremist network Jaish-e-Mohammed

The report highlights the resurgence of the Jaish e Mohammed (JeM), particularly in Bahawalpur area of Punjab province

Pakistan's missile programme is 'emerging threat', says top US official

Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer's surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated

Unfortunate, biased: Pak on US sanction on its missile programme entities

Pakistan on Thursday termed as unfortunate and biased the US decision to sanction its commercial entities for alleged involvement in ballistic missile programme. After the US designated its four entities for sanctions, a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) statement said the sanction defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries and claimed that double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes. In light of the alleged continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States on Wednesday designated four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. These include the state-owned Islamabad-based flagship aerospace and defence agency National Development Complex (NDC), and three Karachi-based entities, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and

Pak security forces kill 11 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Pakistani security forces gunned down 11 terrorists in three separate operations in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities have said. The operations took place in various regions of the province on December 17 and 18, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The first operation was conducted in the Tank district after receiving information about the presence of militants in the area. Seven terrorists were killed during the operation. The second operation took place in Datta Khel in the North Waziristan district where two terrorists were killed. Two more terrorists were killed in the Mohmand district. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants. The third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns in Pakistan, with a 90 per cent surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Centre f

US sanctions Pak's defence agency over long-range missile proliferation

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency -- National Development Complex (NDC) -- on charges of them contributing to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme. In light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States is designating four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. In addition to the NDC, the three other entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. All three are based in Karachi, while the NDC is in Islamabad. The NDC has worked to acquire items in furtherance of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme -- including special vehicle chassis intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile-testing equipment. The United States assesses

Can, but have not blocked any VPNs: Pakistan's telecommunication authority

Pakistan's telecom watchdog made it clear that no virtual private network (VPNs) was blocked in the country, nor it planned to do so in the future despite having the capability. It was announced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Hafizur Rehman on Monday while addressing the launch of the regulator's 'Annual Report'. According to the Express Tribune, Rehman made it clear that so far, no VPN had been blocked and there was no such plan for the future. We have said it before, and I repeat it now: we could block VPNs, but we won't. To date, no VPNs have been blocked. The statement comes after news taking rounds for months that the regulator had initiated the process of registering the VPNs. The deadline for the registration was extended beyond November 30. However, a new deadline had not been announced for the VPN suspension. The government had expressed the apprehension that VPN use might be harmful for the people, while accessing immoral contents on social med