US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region — DG ISPR

Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor addresses a press conference in Rawalpindi, April 17, 2017. (AP/File)
Updated 27 January 2019
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US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region — DG ISPR

  • Head of Pakistan army’s media wing gives wide-ranging, exclusive interview to Arab News
  • Says Pakistan has done its job of bringing insurgents to the negotiating table

RAWALPINDI: The United States should leave Afghanistan as a friend of the region and commit to rebuilding the country when it exits more than 17 years since American-led forces invaded, the head of the Pakistan army’s media wing said as Taliban officials and US negotiators agreed on the draft of a peace agreement that could potentially end the United States’ longest war.
This week, the Taliban resumed stalled peace talks with US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha, where the insurgents have long maintained an office. The dialogue, originally meant to run over two days, entered its sixth day on Saturday, raising hopes that the latest efforts to find a mechanism to end the 17-year Afghan war might be the most serious yet. 
Taliban sources told media on Saturday night that a draft peace deal decided between the Taliban and US official stipulated that troops would leave within 18 months of the agreement being signed.
“Afghanistan should not go into turmoil” when US forces leave, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the head of the army’s media wing, said in a wide-ranging interview to Arab News on Friday evening: “The US should leave Afghanistan as friends of the region, with a commitment to assist Afghanistan in becoming self-sustaining and help in socio-economic development.”
The US has long been pressuring Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban to bring them to the negotiating table. Last week, Khalilzad visited Pakistan to push the peace process forward amid media reports that the Taliban had refused to meet him in Islamabad, insisting that they preferred to hold talks in Qatar and did not want Pakistan, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia to be involved. 
“We are a facilitator” in the peace process, the military spokesman said. “We have done our job of bringing them to the negotiating table. What is discussed and how the process moves forward will depend on progress during every meeting.”
When asked if the Taliban had refused to meet Khalilzad in Islamabad, Ghafoor said: “There are so many factions and stakeholders involved in the process. Coordination takes time. One faction or party gets out of coordination, [which] can result in changes in schedule or place.”
He said Pakistan had pushed for the dialogue to restart but had “no preference for time or place.”
“Our intent is a peaceful Afghanistan, we have no other intent,” the general said. 
Taliban sources have told media the Doha talks have focused on a roadmap for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and a guarantee the country will not be used for hostile acts against the United States and its allies.
The Taliban have so far refused direct talks with the Kabul government, which it views as an illegitimate, foreign-appointed force. Ghafoor said there was as yet no certainty on whether the insurgents could be persuaded to engage with the Afghan government but added that progress from the meetings would determine all outcomes. 
Islamabad fears that increased turmoil in Afghanistan would mean more sanctuaries there for Pakistani Taliban [TTP] militants who have lost control of all territory in Pakistan since a major counter-terrorism operation was launched after a 2014 attack on an army school.
Pakistan has also fenced part of its porous 2,500 km border with Afghanistan to prevent incursions by the Pakistan Taliban who have waged a decade-long insurgency in the South Asian nation.
Ghafoor said the Afghan government did not currently have the capacity to eliminate all sanctuaries given that it was embroiled in fighting an insurgency, but once the Taliban entered the political mainstream, Kabul would be in a better position to tackle groups like the Pakistan Taliban and Daesh. 
“If there is peace in Afghanistan and greater control of the area by Afghan forces, it will be difficult for TTP to continue their sanctuaries there,” the military spokesman said. 
The general dismissed fears that the US would lose interest in Pakistan once it exited Afghanistan, or be free to take harsh actions when it no longer needed Islamabad’s help to end the conflict.
“Pakistan has always remained relevant and will continue to be relevant,” Ghafoor said. “And when the US leave Afghanistan, it will leave acknowledging Pakistan’s role in ending the conflict. Our relationship shall further strengthen.”
But as Pakistan’s ties with the US have soured in recent years over the war in Afghanistan, Islamabad has turned to neighboring China to fill the void. The countries are partners in a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) of infrastructure and energy projects that Beijing touts as the flagship program in its vast Belt and Road Initiative.
Responding to media reports that Pakistan was building military jets, weapons and other hardware with funds received under the CPEC umbrella, Ghafoor said the corridor was “purely an economic project.”
“We have separate defense cooperation with China but that has nothing to do with CPEC,” he said. “We had F-16 deals with the US That was our requirement. Later we have jointly made the JF-17 Thunder with China. Like any sovereign country, Pakistan takes decisions suiting its national interest.”
Speaking about a growing protest movement by Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtuns who want the army to remove land mines and check-posts from the country’s northwest where most Pashtuns live, and allege extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions and “disappearances” of young Pashtun men, which it vehemently denies, the army spokesman said: 
“Till such time that the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement [PTM] is peaceful and they stick to their genuine demands, which are natural in a post-conflict environment, the state is committed to take care of them.”
Responding to a question about PTM leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar who, along with the movement’s founder Manzoor Pashteen, have emerged as the strongest voices against alleged military high-handedness, Ghafoor said the demands of the Pahstun people were genuine and the state was committed to addressing them.
“But instigating people against institutions is neither within the law nor a public sentiment,” he said. “Once we have fulfilled the genuine demands which are already in the overall plan, then we see how to deal with anyone who still tries to exploit.”
The army’s media chief also said the movement was being exploited by Pakistan’s enemies, in a veiled reference possibly to arch-rival India and neighboring Afghanistan: “When there are fault lines, then enemies will always try to exploit them. So there is an effort to exploit PTM, whether with their connivance or not.”
The general warned that India needed to “stop using proxies against us,” adding that “just as we are concerned that an unstable Afghanistan is not in our interest, India should also know that an unstable Pakistan is not in its interest. They need to change their behavior.”
Responding to a question about an extension in military courts first set up by parliament in 2015, and decried for their lack of transparency, Ghafoor said the courts were a “national requirement” because the country’s civilian judicial infrastructure was ill-equipped to deal with terrorism cases.
Ghafoor said verdicts could be appealed at several levels, including in military appellate and civilian courts, and those on death row had the right to file mercy petitions with the army chief and the president of Pakistan. 
“Military courts proceed as per law; there is a laid down legal process with full transparency. Courts decide on evidence and not emotions,” the army’s media chief said. However, he added, “should parliament decide that military courts are not needed, then they will not be renewed.”


Pakistan forms task force against Islamabad protesters as Imran Khan’s party seeks action against ministers

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan forms task force against Islamabad protesters as Imran Khan’s party seeks action against ministers

  • Task force will be headed by the interior minister and will identify those who ‘spread violence’ in the capital
  • PTI’s information secretary shares 12 names, saying the party has evidence they were killed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday formed a task force to identify and prosecute individuals involved in last week’s protest in Islamabad, as the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed 12 supporters were killed in clashes and demanded police cases against top government ministers.
The PTI protest began on November 24 as the party supporters demanded the release of jailed leader, former premier Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated for over a year.
The government had warned against demonstrations in the federal capital, but protesters gathered in defiance, resulting in a crackdown against them. While PTI accuses the government of using live ammunition to kill and seriously injure demonstrators, officials claim PTI activists fired on security forces, killing five personnel.
The task force, headed by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, was announced as Sharif chaired a high-level security meeting, with Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir in attendance, in Islamabad.
“The task force will ensure those responsible for spreading chaos and violence on November 24 are identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law,” the PM Office said in the statement.
Meanwhile, PTI’s Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram, speaking at a news conference in Peshawar, alleged that the government had indiscriminately targeted protesters, sharing names of 12 individuals the party said were killed.
He said videos and evidence from the protest site near the parliament building in Islamabad corroborated the party claims, adding that the actual death toll could be higher as many were missing or critically injured.
“We strongly demand police complaints be lodged against the prime minister, the interior minister and information minister,” he said. “Without this, public unrest will continue to grow.”
“We urge the judiciary to step forward and ensure these killers are brought to justice,” he added.
The government has also announced plans to create a federal riot control force, saying it would be equipped with international-standard resources and skills to prevent such protests in the future.


Pakistan, China hold joint military drill amid Beijing’s concerns over attacks on nationals

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan, China hold joint military drill amid Beijing’s concerns over attacks on nationals

  • Warrior VIII, which began on November 19, aims to bolster counterterrorism capabilities
  • Pakistan’s army chief interacted with the participants of the exercise and praised their morale

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Friday visited the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) in Pabbi, located in the Gujrat division of Punjab province, to observe a joint counterterrorism exercise between the Pakistan Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, said an official statement.
The three-week “Warrior VIII” exercise, which began on November 19, is the eighth iteration of bilateral training aimed at bolstering counterterrorism capabilities and enhancing military cooperation.
The exercise comes as China’s security concerns in Pakistan have grown following a spate of attacks targeting Chinese nationals working on dozens of lucrative projects in the country.
“The COAS was briefed on the scope and conduct of the exercise,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said. “He also interacted with the participants of the exercise.”
Thousands of Chinese nationals have been working on the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for nearly a decade, with several of them being targeted by different militant groups operating in Pakistan.
Earlier this year, in March, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy near Besham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing five Chinese engineers. A few months later, in October, a bombing near Karachi airport targeted Chinese workers ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Islamabad.
Beijing has voiced concerns over the safety of its citizens working in Pakistan and has reportedly proposed a joint security mechanism.
However, the foreign office said this month the two countries have a “robust dialogue and cooperation” on a range of issues, including counterterrorism and the security of Chinese nationals in the country.
It also expressed the government’s resolve to work with Chinese authorities to ensure the safety and security of their nationals, as well as their projects and investments.
According to Voice of America, Warrior VIII is the first joint counterterrorism exercise between the two countries in five years.
The ISPR said General Munir also praised the professionalism and high morale of the officers and soldiers participating in the joint military exercise.


European aviation safety agency lifts Pakistan airline ban — minister

Updated 29 November 2024
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European aviation safety agency lifts Pakistan airline ban — minister

  • The development will revive PIA’s flights to Europe, strengthen the government’s privatization drive
  • Pakistan’s Airblue has secured Third Country Operator authorization to fly to European destinations

KARACHI: The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted a ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights after a span of four years, Defense and Aviation Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif announced Friday, commending all the relevant officials who made the breakthrough possible.
The ban on PIA flights was imposed in 2020 after a crash in Karachi killed 97 people, followed by a former Pakistani aviation minister’s statement claiming that nearly 40 percent of local pilots held “dubious” licenses.
This statement raised global concerns about safety oversight, leading to the grounding of PIA’s European operations.
The suspension added to PIA’s financial troubles, as the debt-ridden national carrier continued to incur losses amid its struggle to recover from a tarnished reputation. The government also faced difficulties privatizing the airline, a condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during recent loan negotiations, due to its precarious financial situation.
“It is a momentous day to announce that the European Commission and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted the suspension on PIA flights to Europe,” the aviation minister wrote in a social media post.

He also announced that the decision granted Third Country Operator (TCO) authorization to another Pakistani airline, Airblue, marking a significant development for the aviation sector.
TCO authorization granted by EASA allows non-European airlines to operate commercial flights into, within or out of European Union airspace.
Airblue, Pakistan’s second-largest airline, operates domestic and regional routes and is expected to explore European operations following the TCO authorization.
Responding to the development, PIA lauded the lifting of the ban as a testament to its adherence to international safety standards.
“This milestone ensures that the entire nation can once again travel directly to European destinations with their national airline,” the airline said in a statement, adding it had worked tirelessly over the past four years to meet EASA’s safety requirements.

“The PIA administration will remain fully compliant with EASA and its rules and regulations,” it added.
Asif credited the lifting of the suspension to reforms in Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), which he said were aimed at aligning the regulator with international standards.
“I am grateful to the European Commission and EASA for conducting a transparent process and our commitment to ensuring aviation safety in Pakistan,” he said in the social media message.
The development is expected to help revive PIA’s European operations and strengthen the government’s privatization efforts by improving the airline’s appeal to potential investors.


Pakistan receives 38,000 Hajj applications in 10 days

Updated 29 November 2024
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Pakistan receives 38,000 Hajj applications in 10 days

  • Total number of applications received so far is 11,000 more than during the corresponding period last year
  • Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210, evenly split between the government and private tour operators

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs said on Friday that 38,000 Hajj applications had been received in the first 10 days of the submission period, 11,000 more than during the same period last year.
The surge comes as Pakistan prepares to send 179,210 pilgrims for the annual Islamic pilgrimage in 2025, under a quota evenly divided between government and private Hajj schemes.
“By the tenth day, 38,000 Hajj applications have been received,” a ministry said in a statement, adding that designated banks would continue accepting applications over the weekend. The final deadline for submissions is Dec. 3.
Pilgrims under the regular Hajj scheme can secure their booking with an initial payment of Rs200,000 ($719), according to the statement.
Pakistan has steadily improved facilities for pilgrims in recent years.
One key initiative is the Makkah Route Initiative, which streamlines immigration processes by enabling pilgrims to complete formalities at their departure airports.
Initially tested in Islamabad in 2019, the program was later expanded to Karachi, benefitting tens of thousands of travelers.
Efforts have also included the launch of a mobile application, Pak Hajj 2025, to provide pilgrims with essential updates, flight details and navigation assistance in Saudi Arabia.
Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, attracts millions of Muslims annually to Makkah, with Pakistan consistently being among the largest contributors of pilgrims.


ICC talks continue on fate of Pakistan Champions Trophy

Updated 29 November 2024
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ICC talks continue on fate of Pakistan Champions Trophy

  • Event’s fate has been hanging in the balance since India declined to visit Pakistan
  • ICC meeting adjourned without a decision but will reconvene ‘in the next few days’

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) said talks were continuing to settle uncertainty around next year’s Champions Trophy, sources told AFP, after India refused to travel to host nation Pakistan.
The event’s fate has been hanging in the balance since earlier this month, when the ICC said India had declined to visit Pakistan for the eight-team tournament.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
A meeting by the Dubai-headquartered ICC was held briefly on Friday but adjourned without a decision, according to several sources with knowledge of the talks who were not authorized to speak to media.
“All parties continue to work toward a positive resolution,” said one source, adding that “it is expected that the board will reconvene in the next few days.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board has previously ruled out proposals allowing India to play in a neutral third country, insisting the full schedule from February 19 to March 9 must be staged on their turf.
Another source said the “Pakistani stance remains the same” following Friday’s brief meeting.