Page 75 - Pakistan

Pakistan rules out dialogue with banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan

Pakistan on Thursday said that it was not interested in a dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after a leading cleric visited Kabul and talked of dialogue following his meeting with the Afghan Taliban leadership. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in her weekly press briefing said that Pakistan's stance was clear because the TTP had accepted responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in the country. The spokesperson said there is no change in Pakistan's policy towards the TTP. "We have no dialogue taking place with the TTP nor do we have the intent to hold talks with it which is responsible for several terror incidents in Pakistan," she said. She once again demanded the Afghan authorities take effective action against terrorist elements including the TTP leadership. She said the Afghan authorities should ensure the elimination of terrorist hideouts and hand over to Islamabad those responsible for terror incidents in Pakistan. "Our demand from t

Govt planning to sell 291,000 'enemy property' shares in 84 companies

The government on Thursday said it is planning to sell over 2.91 lakh 'enemy property' shares in 84 companies to individuals and corporates in tranches as it looks to dispose of assets of individuals who had migrated to Pakistan and China. In the first tranche, the government is looking to sell about 1.88 lakh shares in 20 companies and has invited bids from 10 categories of buyers, including individuals, NRIs, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs), trusts and companies by February 8, according to a public notice. Assets left behind by people who have taken citizenship of Pakistan and China -- mostly between 1947 and 1962 -- are called 'enemy property'. The proposed share sale is part of the government's initiative to dispose of "enemy property" in the country. Buyers will have to place bids for shares they wish to buy and any price quoted below the reserve price set by the government will be rejected. The reserve price will be kept confidential fro

Pakistan's former PM Sharif to launch election campaign as front-runner

Analysts believe the South Asian nation's powerful military has thrown its backing to Sharif, 74, after it was locked in a standoff with former cricket star Khan, 71

Pak court asks EC to re-allocate cricket bat symbol to Imran Khan's party

In a major relief for Imran Khan's party ahead of general elections, a high court on Wednesday declared as unconstitutional the election commission's decision revoking the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party's cricket bat' electoral symbol and rejecting its intra-party polls. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) also directed the electoral body to allocate the jailed premier's party its iconic bat' electoral symbol back and upload the party's certificate of internal elections on its website, Dawn newspaper reported. "The PTI is entitled to bat' and should be given the same as its electoral symbol, the court ruled. The judgement, which was reserved earlier in the day, was announced by a two-member bench comprising Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Syed Arshad Ali on a petition jointly filed by PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali and six other leaders requesting the court to declare the ECP order as illegal and without jurisdiction. On December 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan decided against ...

Pak SC judge Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar resigns amid corruption allegations

A Pakistan Supreme Court judge who was facing allegations of corruption resigned on Wednesday, a day after the apex court's disciplinary committee refused to stay proceedings against him for his misconduct. In a letter to the Pakistan President Dr Arif Alvi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar tendered his resignation and said that he couldn't carry forward his duties amidst the allegations and the way he was treated. "It was an honour to be appointed and to serve as a judge first of the Lahore High Court and then as the Supreme Court of Pakistan. In the circumstances which are a matter of public knowledge and to some extent public record, it is no longer possible for me to continue to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Naqvi said. Considerations of due process also compel. I, therefore, effective today resign as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he added. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected Justice Naqvi's request to stay proceedings against him in th

Imran Khan fails to get relief from Pak court to contest Feb 8 elections

Justice Tariq Nadeem and Justice Abul Aziz of the tribunal announced the verdict on Lahore's NA-122 and Mianwali NA-89 seats, respectively. In the 2018 polls, Khan had won both his hometown's seats

'Mumbai terror attack mastermind Saeed in Pak jail serving 78-yr sentence'

Mumbai terror attack mastermind and outlawed Jamat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of Pakistan serving a 78-year-imprisonment sentence as a result of a conviction in seven terror financing cases, the UN said in updated information. In December, India asked Pakistan to extradite Saeed, a United Nations-proscribed terrorist, who is wanted by Indian probe agencies in a number of terror cases. Saeed, who was designated as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council's 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee in December 2008, is in (the) custody of the Government of Pakistan, serving a 78-year imprisonment sentence since 12 February 2020 as a result of conviction in seven terror financing cases, the Sanctions Committee said in an amended entry. Last month, the Security Council Committee enacted amendments to certain entries in its ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List of individuals and entities subject to the assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo. Under these amendmen

Imran Khan arrested in connection with attack on Pakistan Army on May 9

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had summoned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who is already behind bars in cipher and graft cases

Imran Khan arrested in connection with attack on Pakistan Army on May 9

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi had summoned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, who is already behind bars in cipher and graft cases

Pak officer wounded in attack on polio workers dies, death toll rises to 7

An officer, who was critically wounded in a roadside bombing that targeted police assigned to protect polio vaccination workers in northwestern Pakistan, died in a hospital on Tuesday, raising the death toll from the attack, claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, to seven. Police said in a statement that at least three officers remained in critical condition after Monday's bombing in the district of Mamund, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban promptly claimed responsibility for the attack. However, a competing claim late on Monday by the Islamic State group accused the Pakistani Taliban of falsely taking responsibility for the bombing. In the past too, the two militant groups which are both active in the region have issued competing claims. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic. Monday's bombing in Mamund happened after the government began another ro

Bomb explosion kills 6 Pak policemen going to escort polio vaccination team

A bomb explosion targeted policemen going to provide security for polio vaccination workers in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, killing six of them and injuring 22 others. The incident occurred in the Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district in the province bordering Afghanistan. The police personnel had just boarded a van to join security duty with polio vaccination teams when the explosion occurred. The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital, where an emergency was declared. Six policemen were killed and 22 others injured in the explosion. The police spokesperson said all the casualties were of police personnel. Caretaker Chief Minister KPK Arshad Hussain condemned the attack and said the war against terrorism would go on till the elimination of the last terrorist. Polio teams are often targeted by militants in Pakistan due to opposition to the vaccine. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants, including the

Pak's major political parties demand election be held on Feb 8 itself

All major political parties in Pakistan, shocked by a controversial resolution passed by the Senate to delay the general elections scheduled for February 8, have displayed rare unity in demanding no change in the schedule of the polls. The united stand from political parties from across the political spectrum followed a non-binding resolution passed by the upper house on Friday when only about 14 senators out of over 100 members were attending the session. The move resulted in an outcry that the national and provincial elections to be held on February 8 should not be delayed. The resolution, tabled by independent Senator Dilawar Khan, cited harsh cold weather and security concerns in many areas across the country which he said could result in less participation in elections. Raising concerns about the security situation, he said the law and order situation was not good and added that politicians were being targeted.

All 3 branches of govt unanimously removed Article 370: V-P Dhankhar

With this, Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream has been completely fulfilled, he said

Pakistan witnessed 17% spike in terrorist violence last year: Report

Pakistan witnessed a 17 per cent spike in terrorist violence in 2023, with a total of 306 militant attacks which killed 693 people, according to a new think tank report which said banned groups like the Pakistani Taliban, Islamic State Khorasan, and the Balochistan Liberation Army accounting for over 82 per cent of the terrorism-related deaths. The security report for 2023 by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) released before the February 8 general elections raises questions over the security of electoral candidates and political leaders during the election campaign and polling, the Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday. The report said militants' intensifying attacks indicate that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates will continue to resort to an intensified terrorism onslaught with a view to force' Pakistan to reinstate the process of dialogue. The report emerged days after the interior ministry informed the Senate that the continuous influx of TTP ..

Pakistan's military men want to kickstart Green Revolution in the country

Pakistan's government argues that corporate farming is essential to ensuring food security for its 240 million people

India likely to resist Pakistan's bid to be a full-fledged member of Brics

Pakistan has sought Russia's help to become a member during its Brics presidency which began on Monday with the motto of "Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security"

Pak may get $700 mn from IMF as next tranche of bailout this month: Report

Cash-strapped Pakistan is expected to get USD 700 million as the next tranche of the bailout from the IMF as the Executive Board of the global lender meets on January 11, according to a media report on Tuesday. The board of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund is set to deliberate and potentially grant final approval for the disbursement of the next USD 700 million tranche for Pakistan under the existing USD 3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), the Dawn newspaper reported. According to the IMF Executive Board calendar, upcoming meetings are scheduled for January 8, 10 and 11, with Pakistan's case slated for discussion on the last day. The current IMF programme, amounting to USD 3 billion, is expected to conclude in the second week of April, with approximately USD 1.8 billion remaining undisbursed. The initial tranche of USD 1.2 billion was released in July. In November 2023, a Staff-Level Agreement was reached between the IMF staff and Pakistani authorities regarding

Pak Election Commission to set up over 92,500 polling stations for polls

The official polling scheme will notably be revealed 15 days before the scheduled February 8 general elections

Pak Senate moves resolution for severe punishment for anti-army propoganda

Pakistan's Senate on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution to recommend severe punishment for all those found involved in the "negative and malicious propaganda" against the armed forces and other security agencies of the country. Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi of the Pakistan Peoples Party had moved the resolution which acknowledged that a strong army and other security agencies are indispensable for the defence of the country, especially because of the hostile neighbourhood. The resolution expressed deep concern over the negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces and other security agencies on various social media platforms. It highlighted the huge sacrifices of armed forces and other security agencies in the war against terror and for the defence and protection of the country's borders", acknowledging that a strong army and other security agencies are indispensable for the defence of the country, especially because of the hostile neighbourhood. The Senate, therefor

Pakistan police arrest 21 members of Taliban linked to deadly attacks

Pakistan's counterterrorism police said on Monday they arrested 21 members of outlawed militant group the Pakistani Taliban, which has been behind several deadly attacks across the country. Acting on intelligence information, the arrests were made in the eastern Punjab province over the past two weeks, the provincial Counterterrorism Department said in a statement. The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final stages of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war. The Counterterrorism Department provided a list of the suspects, the cases against them and their alleged affiliation. But the list did not give details about the attacks the militants were allegedly involved in, including the number of casualties. The statement said that Mohammad Arshad, an alleged chief commander of the banned Baluch Nationalist Army which ..