Page 5 - Pakistani Terrorism

About 10 mn people at risk of slipping into poverty in Pakistan: World Bank

The World Bank has painted a grim economic picture of Pakistan in its biannual report, cautioning that over 10 million more people are at risk of descending into poverty in the cash-strapped country. The Washington-based lender's apprehension comes from a sluggish economic growth rate of 1.8 per cent coupled with soaring inflation, a staggering 26 per cent in the current fiscal year. The World Bank's biannual Pakistan Development Outlook report indicated that the country is set to miss almost all major macroeconomic targets. The international lender said the country is anticipated to fall short of its primary budget target, remaining in deficit for three consecutive years, contrary to the International Monetary Fund's stipulations mandating a surplus. Sayed Murtaza Muzaffari, lead author of the report, said despite a board-based yet nascent economic recovery, poverty alleviation efforts remain insufficient. The economic growth is projected to stagnate at a paltry 1.8 per cent whil

2 Pakistan soldiers killed as armed men open fire on security personnel

Unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a Pakistan Army bomb disposal team near the port city of Gwadar in the restive Balochistan province, killing two soldiers and injuring four others. The bomb disposal team of the Pakistan Army was busy clearing landmines in the Ankara Dam area of Gwadar district when gunmen opened fire on them on Sunday, the Dawn newspaper reported on Monday. Two security personnel were killed and four others injured in the attack in the Ankara Dam area on Sunday, officials said. The firing incident took place some 25km from the port city [Gwadar], which claimed two lives and injured four others, said Gwadar SSP Mohsin Zohaib, adding that after the incident, the bodies and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area to trace the attackers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has, in the past, claimed most of the attack

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Three injured in blast in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Three persons were injured when an explosive device planted on a motorbike detonated in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, police said. The incident occurred at Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan district. The blast originated from a motorbike laden with explosives that was parked in front of a hotel. The explosion resulted in injuries to three passersby in the vicinity, police said, adding that one of the injured persons is in critical condition. Heavy contingents of police rushed to the site and cordoned off the entire area following the blast.

Pakistan increases telecom towers in PoK to help terror groups: Report

The project for boosting telecom signals has been completely handed over to the Special Communication Organization (SCO) led by Pakistani army officer Maj Gen Umar Ahmad Shah, it said

Delay in poll results due to 'lack of communication': Pak interior ministry

The unusual delay in announcing the results of the just-concluded election in Pakistan was due to a "lack of communication", which was a result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security, the interior ministry said on Friday. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the first results of the 2024 polls in the early hours of Friday, more than 10 hours after voting ended amid allegations of rigging, sporadic violence and a countrywide mobile phone shutdown. The delay in election results is due to "lack of communication, which was a result of preventive measures taken to ensure foolproof security, the ministry said in a post on X. The ministry added that the media and the public's concerns about the late processing of the results have been reviewed. The delay was assessed and the situation is now satisfactory, it said.

Two sides of political Islam

Depending on one's viewpoint, global political Islam is either at its strongest or weakest. But the real unwinnable wars are between Islamic states

Anti-terrorist search operation in J-K's Poonch along LoC enters second day

An anti-terrorist search operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Mendhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district entered the second day on Saturday, officials said. The operation was launched in nearly a dozen forward villages in the forest area of Mankote and Mendhar on Friday following reports of suspicious movement, they said. Intermittent gunfire was reported from Uchhad forest but it was later clarified that security forces had opened fire while clearing a natural cave, the officials said. The search operation was underway when the last reports were received, they said.

Party backed by LeT chief Hafiz Saeed fields candidates in Pak elections

A new political front organisation of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed has fielded candidates for most of the national and provincial assembly constituencies across Pakistan for the February 8 general elections, saying it wants to make the country an Islamic welfare state. Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been in jail since 2019 after being convicted for several years in multiple terror finance cases along with some other leaders of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). The Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) party - set up by Saeed - says it is a political party. The electoral symbol for the PMML is 'chair'. In a video message, PMML President Khalid Masood Sindhu said that his party is contesting on most of the national and provincial assembly seats. "We want to come to power not for corruption but to serve the people and make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state," he said. Sindhu is a candidate for NA-130 Lahore, from which Pakistan Muslim ...

Correspondent's house raided for reports on PTI leaders in Pakistan

Following the incident, senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said that journalism is becoming "very difficult" in Pakistan

Police headquarter comes under attack in Pakistan; 2 policemen killed

At least two policemen were killed and as many as injured after militants attacked a regional police headquarters in a former Taliban stronghold in northwest Pakistan on Friday, three days after terrorists killed 23 soldiers in the same region. The attack occurred at the Police Lines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Tank district, the Dawn newspaper reported. A terrorist blew himself up in a suicide bomb and that the huge attack was thwarted, the newspaper quoted Tank District Police Officer Iftikhar Shah as saying. He said that all contingents present in the Police Lines were evacuated safely and that a search operation was underway after alerts of the presence of more militants in the area. The attack was claimed by a new militant group, Ansarul Jihad. The attack comes days after at least 23 soldiers were killed and more than 30 others injured after militants belonging to the Tehreek-i-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), a newly formed militant group that is an affiliate of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliba

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

Instability disrupted economic growth; structural reforms needed: Pak FM

Pakistan's caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar has said that political instability over the period of time has greatly disrupted the cash-strapped country's economic growth, which has to be backed by structural reforms. Addressing the Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) here on Thursday, the minister said macroeconomic stability has become more difficult in the last decade because of delays in structural reforms, protracted actions and exogenous shocks. The vulnerability of the economy has increased due to global economic shocks such as the increase in international commodity prices and tighter liquidity conditions, with Pakistan effectively priced out of the international credit markets, the Business Recorder newspaper quoted Akhtar as saying. "Vulnerability has increased due to the unsustainable debt position... Large fiscal and trade deficits over two decades have weakened the debt position, with the cost of servicing debt rising to 74 per cent of the FBR revenue in .

FATF: West backs India's call to prosecute Pakistan-based terrorists

India's call at FATF for investigation and prosecution of 30 terrorist leaders in Pakistan was strongly backed by the Western nations, a news report said

Pak witnesses 24% increase in militant attacks in April: Think tank

Militants carried out 34 attacks in April, killing 55 people, including 34 security forces personnel: Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies

There are states 'clearly guilty' of supporting terrorism: India at UN

First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Rajesh Parihar said India has been a victim of cross border terrorism for over three decades

US blocks $63 million in funds of global terrorist groups in 2019: Report

The US blocked $63 million in funds of designated terrorist groups, including Pakistan-based outfits, in 2019 as part of its crackdown on foreign terrorist organisations

NIA summons Mirwaiz, Geelani's son for questioning in terror financing case

The NIA had on February 26 carried out searches at premises of separatist leaders, including the Mirwaiz, in connection with the case related to financing of terrorist and separatist groups in Jammu a

Chinese shipping firm MD killed by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan

According to police, Chen was shot in the head, while a 30-year-old passer-by was shot in the leg

Why can't govt, army take action against JeM, JuD chiefs: Pakistani daily

The editorial came after a Pakistani journalist's report on a rift between the army and civilian govt over the former's support for militants