Page 79 - Pakistan

Eight killed, 26 injured in terror attack in Pakistan's Gilgit Baltistan

At least seven people were killed and eighteen injured as terrorists opened fire on a passenger bus in restive northwest Pakistan on Saturday, police said. The bus was travelling from Ghizer district in Gilgit Baltistan to Islamabad when terrorists opened indiscriminate fire, an official said. The bus caught fire after lethal firing by the terrorists, the police said. The dead and injured included military servicemen as well as civilians. The assailants managed to escape from the scene after the attack. The injured have been transferred to a nearby hospital, the police said. It said the condition of several persons is critical and that the death toll is expected to rise further. The police said an investigation has been launched into the attack and a search operation is on to apprehend the terrorists.

Major terror bid foiled in Pak; 14 TTP, ISI terrorists arrested: Police

Counter-terrorism police in Pakistan on Saturday claimed to have foiled a major terror plot to target key installations in the Punjab province by arresting 14 suspected terrorists from different banned terror groups, including the ISI and TTP. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab said it conducted 147 intelligence-based operations in different districts of the province in which 14 alleged terrorists were arrested with weapons, explosives and other prohibited materials. "The Punjab province has foiled a major terror plot by arresting 14 suspected terrorists linked with the banned outfits during operations in different areas of Punjab," a CTD spokesperson said in a statement issued here. The arrests were made during intelligence-based operations in Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Lahore cities, he said. Most of the terrorists belong to the banned organisations -- Daesh (ISIS) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- while the others had links with t

Pakistan's election body to issue schedule for Feb 8 election this month

Pakistan's election commission has said that it will announce the schedule for the upcoming general election around the middle of this month, amidst rumours of a possible delay in polls. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has already announced that the general election will be held on February 8 next year. During an informal conversation with journalists on Friday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja when asked about the election schedule said: Count 54 days backwards from February 8. Raja also said the ECP has been proactively handling election-related responsibilities ahead of the schedule. In June, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government amended the Elections Act to give powers to the ECP for fixing a general election date, while defining the timeline of procedures from the announcement of the polls' schedule till the polling day, which is about 54 days. Raja said the updated constituency lists have been released and all other election ...

Schedule for Pakistan's election to be announced 56 days before poll date

"You can calculate the date yourself. It would be somewhere around December 14," a senior official of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told Dawn

Pakistan's SC hears petition on deportation of Afghans born in country

Pakistan's top court opened a hearing on Friday on a petition by human rights activists seeking to halt the forceful deportation of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and those who would be at risk if they were returned to Afghanistan. The deportations are part of a nationwide crackdown by the government in Islamabad that started last month on Afghans who are in Pakistan without papers or proper documentation. Pakistan claims the campaign does not target Afghans specifically, though they make up most of the foreigners in the country. Pakistan has long hosted about 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation. In addition, more than half a million people fled Afghanistan when the Taliban seized power in August 2021, in the final weeks of US and NATO pullout. Since Islamabad launched the crackdown in October, giving Afghans until the end of the month to go back or face arrest, hundreds of thousands have returned home, many in Pakistan-organised ...

Pakistan's election commission to issue schedule for Feb 8 election in Dec

The chief of Pakistan's top election authority on Friday said the schedule for the upcoming general election will be announced around the middle of December amidst rumours of a possible delay in polls. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has already announced that the general election will be held on February 8, 2024. During an informal conversation with journalists, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja when asked about the election schedule said: Count 54 days backwards from February 8. Raja also said the ECP has been proactively handling election-related responsibilities ahead of the schedule. He said that updated constituency lists had been released and all other election prerequisites were scheduled to be completed smoothly. The remarks by the election commission chief come as political circles were expressing doubts about timely elections as the ECP was not giving any timetable for the process leading up to polling day. The ECP has already failed to h

Pak apex anti-graft body files corruption case against Imran Khan, his wife

A Pakistani accountability court on Friday filed a corruption case against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife and other suspects in a Rs 50 million corruption case. The National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) Deputy Prosecutor General Muzafar Abbasi and investigative officer Umar Nadeem filed the case in an accountability court in Islamabad. A total of eight people have been charged in the case.

All gaps along Pak, Bangladesh border to be plugged in next 2 yrs: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India's two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years, with work underway to completely plug gaps in about 60 km stretch along these two fronts. Shah was speaking after taking salute from a ceremonial parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 59th Raising Day celebrations here. The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders in the last nine years since it came to power at the Centre. These gaps were being used for infiltration and smuggling, he said. All the gaps in these two borders on India's western and eastern flank respectively are being plugged and work in only about 60 km is left. In the next two years we will entirely secure these two borders, Shah said. The two borders-- 2,290 km of India-Pakistan International Border and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh border-- are

Pakistan's top court begins hearing challenge to expulsion of Afghans

More than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since Oct. 1, after Pakistan vowed to expel more than a million undocumented refugees, mostly Afghans

All gaps along Pak, Bangladesh border to be plugged in 2 years: HM Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said India's two major borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh will be completely secured in the next two years, with work underway to plug gaps in about 60 km stretch along these two fronts. Shah was speaking after taking salute from a ceremonial parade of the Border Security Force (BSF) on the occasion of its 59th Raising Day celebrations here. The minister said the Narendra Modi government has fenced and plugged gaps in about 560 km of the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders in the last nine years since it came to power at the Centre. He said all the gaps in these two borders on India's western and eastern flank respectively are being plugged and work in only about 60 km is continuing. In the next two years we will entirely secure these two borders, Shah said. The two borders-- 2,290 km of India-Pakistan International Border and 4,096 km of India-Bangladesh border-- are marked by long riverine, mountainous and marshy areas where it i

Pakistan's election commission receives petitions seeking delay of polls

Two separate petitions seeking the postponement of general elections in Pakistan on February 8 landed before the election commission, citing growing terror threats and inclement weather. The petitions, filed by individuals hailing from the restive Balochistan province, cited security issues and snowfall in several districts as reasons to seek the postponement of elections, the Dawn newspaper reported. One of the petitions filed by Meena Majeed, a general councillor from Mand tehsil of Kech district through Advocate Fatima Nazar, stated Balochistan was grappling with heightened security concerns. Specifically, the Mekran division has witnessed a surge in terrorist activities, ranging from target killings of innocent daily wage earners to alarming incidents such as IED blasts and women suicide bombing, it stated. The impact was most pronounced in districts such as Kech and Gwadar, where 61 acts of terrorism during the last three months alone claimed 32 lives, it read. According to t

Pak's ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's conviction reversed in two 2018 corruption cases

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday acquitted Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in two cases of corruption in which he was convicted in 2018. Sharif, 73, had challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) his sentences in the Avenfield property and Al-Azizia cases. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both sides. The former premier was convicted in July 2018 and handed 10 years in jail in the Avenfield properties corruption case about assets beyond known income in London. He was sentenced in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case to seven years in jail in December 2018. The cases were filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the national anti-corruption watchdog. He had filed an appeal against both convictions. Sharif went to London in 2019 and could not return and was declared a proclaimed offender in both cases in December 2020 by the IHC. He came bac

Confusion in Imran's party over his plan not to contest as chairman

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to conduct intra-party elections within the 20-day time frame set by the election commission to retain the 'bat' as its electoral symbol

Pakistan carried out 'widespread abuses' against Afghan refugees: Report

"Pakistani officials have created a coercive environment for Afghans to force them to return to life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan," said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch

UAE likely to invest upto $25 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan: Report

Pakistan and the UAE have inked several agreements under which the Gulf nation is likely to invest between USD 20-25 billion in the cash-strapped nation, according to a media report. The signing ceremony took place on Monday in Abu Dhabi after caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar's meeting with the UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) cover investment cooperation across various sectors, including energy, port operations, wastewater treatment, food security, logistics, mining, aviation, and banking and financial services. The exact worth of the MoUs was not shared by the authorities but sources said the UAE was expected to invest between USD 20-25 billion in cash-strapped Pakistan under the agreements. Pakistan's economy has been reeling under pressure for the last few years, and the country is battling an acute balance of payments crisis and falling foreign exchange reserves. Kakar

Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan's party to conduct intra-party polls within 20 days

Former jailed prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has agreed to conduct intra-party elections within the 20-day time frame set by the election commission to retain the bat' as its electoral symbol, according to a media report on Tuesday. The decision by the core committee of the PTI comes days after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that its intra-party polls were not transparent, ordering the party to hold new elections if it wishes to retain its election symbol. The party was asked by the ECP to hold fresh elections within 20 days in a reserved verdict announced on November 23. General elections are scheduled to be held in Pakistan on February 8. In the verdict, the ECP stated that the PTI failed to hold free and fair intra-party elections, adding that the polls were objectionable and controversial. PTI's intra-party elections cannot be accepted, stated the verdict, directing it to hold polls and submit the record within seven days. The part

PCB in deadlock with ACC on additional compensation for chartered flights

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was on Tuesday caught in a deadlock with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for demanding additional compensation on organising chartered flights between Pakistan and Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup, which it co-hosted in August-September. The Asia Cup 2023 was organised in a hybrid model in Pakistan and Sri Lanka after the ACC accepted PCB's hybrid model, with majority of the matches organised in the island nation. A reliable source in the PCB informed PTI that apart from seeking the tournament hosting fees around $250,000 as well as shares from ticketing and sponsorship fees, they have also demanded additional compensation. The source said, The additional money is for expenses incurred on renting chartered flights for teams between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and other extra expenses like additional hotel and transport fees, which were not included in the initial budget for the Asia Cup." The source, however, informed that the ACC is not willing to pay ...

Imran Khan not presented before court at Federal Judicial Complex

The cypher case is related to a diplomatic document that the federal investigation agency's charge sheet alleges was never returned by Imran Khan

Earthquake swarm strikes Pak, New Guinea, Xizang in early Tuesday hours

An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted Pakistan on Tuesday, as reported by the National Center for Seismology (NCS).According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 3:38 am (IST) today.The epicenter, with a depth of 10 km was determined to be at 34.66 degrees north latitude and 73.51 degrees east longitude."Earthquake of Magnitude: 4.2, Occurred on 28-11-2023, 03:38:03 IST, Lat: 34.66 & Long: 73.51, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Pakistan," the NCS said in a post on X.No casualties have been reported so far.Meanwhile, an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 hit Near N. Coast of New Guinea minutes before it struck Pakistan.According to the National Center for Seismology, the tremors were felt around 3:16 am and struck at a depth of 10km.Similarly, an earthquake of magnitude 5.0 on the Richter Scale struck Xizang at 3:45 am at a depth of 140 km.The three earthquakes in different countries occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.Earlier in September, an earthquake of magnitude 4.4 jolted Pakistan at

2 killed, 10 injured in suicide blast targeting security forces in Pakistan

At least one person was killed and 21, including 13 security personnel, injured in a suicide bombing by a TTP-splinter group targeting a security forces convoy in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. An explosives-laden tri-wheeler hit the security forces convoy on its way to Bannu from the North Waziristan district near the Azad Mandi in Bannu Cantonment on Sunday, police said. The bombing killed a pedestrian and injured 13 security personnel and eight civilians. Those injured were shifted to the Combined Military Hospital, Bannu. The condition of three security personnel is stated to be critical, according to the police. The Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. This comes after Pakistan's security forces killed eight terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the province on Sunday, according to the military's media wing.