Page 58 - Pakistan

China-Pak joint statement opposes 'unilateral actions' on Kashmir issue

China and Pakistan on Saturday opposed any "unilateral action" for the resolution of all outstanding issues in South Asia as the visiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed the Chinese leadership on the situation in Kashmir and discussed close ties enjoyed by their militaries. Sharif concluded his four-day visit, the first after his second stint started in March, focussing on shoring up Chinese investments and assistance as his country faces an acute economic crisis. A joint statement at the end of his trip said, Both sides underscore the importance of maintaining peace and stability in South Asia, the need for resolution of all outstanding disputes, and their opposition to any unilateral action. The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the latest developments of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Chinese side reiterated that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is left over from history, and should be properly and peacefully resolved in accordance with the UN Charter, releva

15 terrorists arrested during intelligence operations in Pakistan's Punjab

As many as 15 terrorists from banned militant outfits have been arrested by police in Punjab province of Pakistan as it foiled a major terrorist attack, an official said on Saturday. "During intelligence-based operations, 15 terrorists belonging to Daesh (ISIS), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have been arrested. The terrorists wanted to target important installations in Punjab," a spokesperson for the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said in a statement. He said the terrorists were arrested this week during intelligence-based operations in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Muzaffargarh, Attock, Mianwali, Faisalabad and Chiniot. As many as 5977 grams of explosives, one IED bomb, one 30 bore pistol with 18 bullets, 18 detonators, 47 safety fuse wire and prohibited ammunition have been recovered from their possession. Last month, the CTD had arrested 44 alleged terrorists of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan i

Modi good not just for India but for S Asia: Pakistani-American businessman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi guarantees stability not only in India but in the entire South Asia region, a prominent Pakistani American businessman said Friday as he congratulated the people of India on the peaceful and successful conduct of the world's largest democratic exercise. I have always said that Modi's leadership is necessary for India's future stability, preventing multiple parties from coming and destabilizing the constitution. Modi's leadership is a guarantee of India's stability and future of India, Pakistani-American businessman Sajid Tarar told PTI in an interview. With Modi coming to power for a third term, people in Pakistan hope that this will result in an improvement in its relationship with India, he said. Responding to a question, Tarar said he was expecting that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and added that it was "disappointing" that so far there has been no congratulatory message from him. ...Mod

Jailed Imran Khan invokes Kejriwal's example before Pakistan's SC

Justices Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Athar Minallah, and Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi also sat on the bench

China more important than IMF? Why Pak PM postponed Budget to visit Beijing

Presenting the Budget is critical for Pakistan to finalise a fresh IMF deal

China, Pakistan pledge to safeguard CPEC against critics and opponents

Pakistan and China on Friday vowed to protect the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from its "detractors and adversaries", as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang and assured Beijing of providing complete security to Chinese personnel working on the USD 65 billion project. Sharif is currently on a visit to China at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, seeking to upgrade cooperation under the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a key part of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. In a statement, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office said during the meeting, the two sides discussed the significance of Gwadar as an important pillar of the CPEC and agreed to expedite the timely completion of all related infrastructure projects to transform Gwadar in Balochistan province into a regional economic hub. "They also expressed their firm commitment to protect CPEC from its detractors and adversaries and to upgrade CPEC in the form of

In photos, Pakistan govt rejects Imran Khan's 'poor jail conditions' claim

The Pak govt's submission also listed family members, friends, lawyers, and party members who have visited Khan since his imprisonment in August last year

Pakistan, Panama, Somalia, Greece elected as UNSC non-permanent members

Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece and Panama were Thursday elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a two-year term beginning 2025. The five members were elected by a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly for a 2-year term starting on January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2026. In the two seats for African and Asia-Pacific States, Somalia got 179 votes and Pakistan 182. In the Latin American and Caribbean States, Panama got 183 votes while in the Western European and other States, Denmark got 184 votes and Greece 182. "Proud moment as Pakistan receives a resounding 182 votes and is elected to the United Nations Security Council for the term 2025-26," Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X. He said Pakistan was looking forward to working with the international community to address pressing global challenges. "We will continue to play our role in promoting peace, stability, and cooperation among nations," he said. Elected for the 8th time as a .

Pak PM in Beijing for talks with Xi to seek more investments, boost ties

Visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reached Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders to elevate all-weather bilateral ties and prospects of more aid and investments to bail out his cash-strapped country from the current economic crisis. Sharif, on a five-day official visit to China since June 4, toured the southern high-tech city of Shenzhen on Wednesday and addressed the investors meeting. During his stay here, Sharif will meet Xi, Premier Li Qiang and other leaders, Pakistan's state-run APP news agency reported. He will also attend a Pakistan-China Friendship and Business event and have meetings with the CEOs of leading Chinese companies working on the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. Several MoUs between the two countries on cooperation in various fields are likely to be signed, the report said. Cash-strapped Pakistan's economy is facing severe headwinds, and it has formally requested the International Monetary Fund (

PM Sharif calls Sino-Pak relations 'unshakable' during China visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday emphasised that Pakistan's all-weather relationship with China was "unshakable" as he embarked on a five-day official visit to Beijing to further bolster bilateral ties and to launch the second phase of the multi-billion dollar CPEC projects in his country. Sharif will be in China from June 4 to 8 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The 72-year-old leader embarked on his first visit to China after he took over as prime minister for the second term after his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party-led coalition government assumed power in March. During his visit, Sharif will hold talks with Chinese President Xi and jointly draw a blueprint for the growth of China-Pakistan relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing last week. During Sharif's visit, the two countries are expected to launch the second phase of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The CPEC, which connects Gw

Pak police arrest 44 ISIS, Al-Qaeda, TTP terrorists from Punjab province

Law enforcement agencies in Pakistan's Punjab province have arrested 44 alleged terrorists of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and TTP who were plotting to attack important government installations and personalities, police said on Monday. According to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab Police, the suspected terrorists have been arrested during the last month in combined intelligence operations in different parts of the province. The CTD said it conducted 794 intelligence-based operations in different cities of Punjab in which 44 suspected terrorists belonging to banned organisations -- ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi -- were arrested. It said the arrested terrorists have been arrested in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Narowal, Sialkot, Khaniwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur. The CTD said 10,275 grams of explosives, one explosive vest, three pistols, one hand grenade, three IED bombs, three ball baring boxes,

Shehbaz Sharif in China: Why Pakistan's hopes for 'CPEC 2.0' may be dashed

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to China will see the formal launching of the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistani media had reported last month

Pak courts acquit Imran Khan in 3 high-profile cases, including cipher case

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party founder Imran Khan was on Monday acquitted in three high-profile cases, including the cipher case, in a major relief to the beleaguered former prime minister who was sentenced to 10 years in jail for making public a secret diplomatic communication. The 71-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since August last year after being convicted in some of the nearly 200 cases slapped on him since his ouster in April 2022. On Monday, a two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb acquitted Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. However, the duo are not expected to be released from prison due to Khan's sentence in the Iddat case (illegal marriage) while Qureshi was arrested in a case linked to the May 9 violence. Qureshi is on physical remand till June 5. Khan and Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in the cip

Pakistan's inflation slows in May, lowest in 30 months amid record rate

The slowing pace of price gains in Pakistan is in part due to the base effect of one of the fastest inflation gains in Asia last year

Pak's law minister advocates for minority judges to join higher judiciary

Pakistan's Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar has advocated for judges from minority communities to join Pakistan's higher judiciary. Speaking at the Justice A R Cornelius Conference held here on Saturday, Tarar emphasised the importance of religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan and expressed his aspiration for judges from minority communities to join the country's higher judiciary, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday. The minister highlighted that Pakistan's Constitution guarantees complete religious freedom. At the same time, he lamented the decline in religious tolerance post-Afghan war. Tarar talked about the ongoing efforts to establish a Minority Rights Commission and proposed reserving quotas for minority law officers and legal advisors. Supreme Court Justice Mansoor Ali Shah echoed Tarar's sentiments and advocated for the appointment of minority judges to the higher judiciary. According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2021, there

AK-47 from Pak, and more: When police busted the plot to kill Salman Khan

The plot to kill Bollywood star Salman Khan, masterminded by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, involved a well-coordinated network of operatives and a cache of high-powered weaponry

Pakistan asks Afghanistan to hand over perpetrators of March terror attack

Pakistan confirmed on Friday that it had formally asked Afghanistan to hand over the alleged perpetrators of a recent terrorist attack that killed five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. Their vehicle was targeted in the Besham area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on March 26. Pakistan's probe showed that the attack was planned and executed by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from its hideouts in Afghanistan. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked at the weekly press briefing if Pakistan officials in a meeting in Kabul on Thursday had demanded the Afghan Interim Government to hand over the perpetrators of the March 26 Besham attack. The spokesperson responded by saying yes, the answer is in the affirmative. Pakistan shared the findings into the Besham attack and sought Afghanistan's assistance in apprehending the perpetrators, she said. She said the Afghan side had committed to prevent the use of their soil for any terrorist activity and agre

Pak refuses to share details of consular access to 2 Indian spying accused

Pakistan on Friday refused to share details of consular access to the two Indian nationals held on the charges of spying, saying such access had been provided from time to time. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was asked at the weekly briefing about the reported consular access to two Indians who were arrested for allegedly spying in Gilgit-Baltistan. I will not go into the details of such communications. However, Pakistan does from time to time arrange consular access for the Indian High Commission to its nationals, she said. Earlier this week, The Express Tribune newspaper reported that Pakistan authorities granted consular access to India for a meeting with two Indian nationals arrested on charges of spying in 2020. The consular access was provided at the request of the Indian government and the meeting between Indian diplomats and the alleged spies took place on Monday. Reports suggest that the two individuals, purportedly from Jammu and Kashmir, were arrested i

Pak Defence Minister asks Imran Khan to keep mouth shut to reduce tension

Khan's May 26 post garnered a lot of traction over the days with hundreds of RTs (re-tweets) and thousands of 'Likes' and was shared by multiple handles of the party and its followers

'CPEC' against our territorial integrity, sovereignty: MEA on PoJK

Randhir Jaiswal's statement comes after Pakistan and China agreed to advance their joint project CPEC and backed finalising the modalities for third-party participation