Page 60 - Pakistan

India landing on moon, while children die in Karachi gutters: Pak leader

National Assembly member Syed Mustafa Kamal brought attention to the lack of educational facilities for children in the country, comparing it to India's achievements

LS elections: PoK is part of India, we will take it, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday referred to protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and said "PoK is part of India and we will take it". Addressing a rally in Serampore, Shah said while peace has returned to once trouble-torn Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir "now echoes with slogans of Azadi and protests. "After the abrogation of Article 370 by the government in 2019 peace has returned to Kashmir. But now we witness protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Earlier slogans of Azadi were heard here, now the same slogans are heard in PoK. Earlier stones were pelted here, now stones are pelted in PoK," he said. Hitting out at Congress leaders for not supporting the demand of taking over PoK, Shah said, "Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar say it should not be done as they have an atom bomb. But let me say this Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of India and we will take it." Shah said the present Lok Sabha elections are about "choosi

At least 3 killed in firing by security forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

At least three people were killed and six others injured when security forces opened fire on protesters during clashes with paramilitary Rangers in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's capital Muzaffarabad which has been rocked by protests against high prices of wheat flour and inflated electricity bills, a media report said on Tuesday. The paramilitary Rangers, which were called in to maintain law and order in the disputed region, came under attack while moving out of the region, the Dawn newspaper reported. Instead of exiting via Brarkot, the village bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the 19-vehicle convoy, including five trucks, chose to exit the region from Kohala, it said. As the convoy reached Muzaffarabad in a charged atmosphere, it was pelted with rocks near Shorran da Nakka village, to which they responded with teargas and firing, the report said. After entering the city through the Western Bypass, the Rangers were welcomed with rocks again, prompting them to use teargas and bullets. Th

Pakistan PM Sharif unveils broader plan to sell most state-owned firms

The statement didn't clarify which sectors would be deemed strategic and non-strategic

'Will make Pakistan wear bangles': PM Modi takes jibe at Farooq Abdullah

'They [Pakistan] don't have flour, they don't have electricity, now I have come to know that they even have a scarcity of bangles,' said PM Modi in Bihar

Pakistan PM Sharif approves $86 mn grant for Kashmir region after protests

A police official was killed and over 90 people injured when thousands of people clashed with police in the region over the weekend, said Shah Nawaz, a local government official

Pakistan's Dy PM Ishaq Dar in Beijing; set to meet top Chinese leaders

Pakistan's newly-appointed Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday reached here for a four-day official visit during which he will meet top Chinese leaders and co-chair a bilateral strategic dialogue between the two all-weather friends. Dar, who is also the foreign minister, was received by Director General Ambassador Wang Fu Kang and Pakistan's Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Dar will meet top Chinese leaders and comprehensively review bilateral relations, including the upgradation of the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement before his visit. He will co-chair the 5th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, it said. "The two sides will comprehensively review Pakistan-China bilateral relations including economic and trade cooperation; high-level exchanges and visits; upgradation of ...

No tolerance for taking law in one's own hands: Pak PM on situation in PoK

He noted that he has directed all Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) office bearers in AJK to talk to the leaders of the action committee

IMF expresses concern over ongoing political uncertainty in Pakistan

The IMF noted that despite a coalition government formed by the alliance of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party

IMF mission to meet Pak officials next week to discuss economic trajectory

An IMF mission will meet authorities of cash-strapped Pakistan next week to hold discussions for laying the foundation for "better governance" and "stronger economic growth", an official said on Sunday. Last month Pakistan completed a short-term USD 3 billion programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which bailed the country out of any default. On Friday, an advance team of the Washington-based global lender reached the cash-strapped country to hold talks after Islamabad requested a longer and larger bailout package. A mission team led by Nathan Porter, IMF's mission chief to Pakistan, will meet with authorities next week to discuss the next phase of engagement," said Esther Perez Ruiz, IMF's resident representative for Pakistan. The aim is to lay the foundation for better governance and stronger, more inclusive, and resilient economic growth that will benefit all Pakistanis, the Dawn newspaper quoted her as saying. Pakistan has sought the next bailout package in the r

Cong spreading fear among countrymen in name of Pakistani atom bomb: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed the Congress and accused the party of spreading fear among people by repeatedly suggesting that neighbouring Pakistan too has nuclear weapons that they could use at any moment. Addressing an election rally in Odisha's Kandhamal, Modi highlighted that the Congress has historically instilled fear among people by repeatedly saying, "Sambhal ke chaloPakistan ki pass atom bomb hai (Proceed with caution, Pakistan has an atom bomb)". "Yeh mare pade log, desh ke mann ko bhi maar rahe hain (These virtually dead people are trying to kill the spirit of the country)", the PM remarked. Modi emphasised that the Congress has consistently adopted an attitude of spreading fear by mentioning the Pakistani bomb, noting that the neighbouring country currently lacks the capability to handle or manage the nuclear arsenal it possesses. "They (Pakistan) are now trying to sell the bomb and searching for a buyer. But nobody is buying the bomb because people k

Beyond hawks and doves

Influential voices in Pakistan and India, including two recent books, serve as advocates for cross-border peace and hope that post-elections, the new government will respond to these friendly overture

Army to get first Hermes-900 on May 18, to boost surveillance on Pak border

The Hermes-900 known as the Drishti-10 drone is being supplied to Indian forces including Indian Army and Navy by Adani Defence Systems

Pakistan's maiden lunar orbiter CubeSat sends first images of sun, moon

Pakistan's maiden lunar orbiter sent the first images of the sun and the moon, days after it was launched as part of China's moon mission, it was announced on Friday. Pakistan's mini satellite iCube-Qamar' was launched as part of China's Chang'e-6 lunar mission on May 3 from the Hainan province. The images were unveiled at a ceremony organised at the China National Space Agency (CNSA) to mark the successful mission, Maria Tariq, spokesperson of Pakistan's national space agency Suparco, told Dawn.com. She said that pictures were officially handed over to Pakistan's ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, at the data handover ceremony in Beijing. At 16:14 (1:14 pm Pakistan time) on May 8, the Pakistani CubeSat, one of the international payloads carried by the Chang'e-6 mission, separated from the orbiter near the far moon point of the 12-hour large elliptical orbit around the moon, and then successfully captured the first image. Pakistan's CubeSat project achieved the set goal of ...

'Every inch of PoK belongs to India and no force can snatch it': Amit Shah

During an election rally in Jharkhand, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that every inch of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belonged to India and no force could snatch it away from India

BJP accuses Congress of being apologist for Pakistan, it's terrorism

The BJP on Friday accused the Congress of being an apologist for Pakistan and the terrorism emanating from its soil, as the ruling party cited comments of Mani Shankar Aiyar to slam it. In comments which have gone viral on social media, Aiyar is heard saying that India should accord due respect to Pakistan and hold talks with it. If India spurns the neighbouring country, some madman there can use nuclear bomb, the former Union minister suggested. Reacting to the row, Aiyar noted in a statement that it is obvious from the sweater he is wearing is the video that he made the comments to Chill Pill in the winter several months ago. "They have been dredged up now as the BJP's election campaign falters. I refuse to play their game. Interested persons may please read the relevant passages in my two books released by Juggernaut last year, 'Memoirs of a Maverick' and 'The Rajiv I Knew'," the Congress leader said. Seeking to corner the opposition party in the middle of the high-stakes gener

Pak to seek rollover of $12 bn debt to meet target before IMF team arrives

Pakistan has decided to seek a rollover of around USD 12 billion debt from key allies like China in the 2024-25 fiscal year to meet a whopping USD 23 billion worth of gap in its external financing as the federal government aims to achieve budget targets before the expected arrival of an IMF team to the cash-strapped country. According to the Finance Ministry insiders, USD 5 billion from Saudi Arabia, USD 3 billion from the UAE and USD 4 billion from China will be rolled over, adding that the estimate of further new financing from China would also be included in the next financial year's budget, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Pakistan will receive more than USD 1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the fresh loan programme, whereas new financing from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank has also been included in the estimated budget. According to the Finance Ministry sources, new loan programme agreements will be made with financial institutions. Th

'Pak has atom bomb': Mani Shankar Aiyar's old video sparks row, BJP retorts

In an old and now-viral video, Congress' Mani Shankar Aiyar warned that if not respected, Pakistan may consider using its atomic bomb against India

'Black day' in Pakistan: How events of May 9 last year shook the Pak army

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has refused to apologise for the events of May 9

Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan refuses to tender apology over May 9 riots

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has refused to apologise for the unprecedented May 9 riots, a day after the military ruled out dialogue with his party unless they tendered a public apology over the unprecedented violence. Khan, who spoke to the media after the court proceedings in the 190 million pounds Al Qadir corruption case at Adiala jail on Wednesday, also said that he was ready to face an inquiry into the sit-in that his Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf party staged in 2014, Dawn newspaper reported. When asked whether he would apologise for the May 9 violent protest, 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician replied no, saying he was under detention at the time and was unaware of those protests, the report added. I condemned the May 9 incidents in front of (former) chief justice Umar Ata Bandial, he added. The ex-premier mentioned that he became aware of the protests when he appeared before the then-chief justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial. Khan has been incarcerat