Let us rededicate ourselves to making Pakistan a prosperous country — PM Imran Khan

A general view of the Metropolitan building illuminated with national flag, ahead of Pakistan's Independence Day in Lahore, Pakistan, on August 13, 2019. (REUTERS/Mohsin Raza)
Updated 13 August 2019
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Let us rededicate ourselves to making Pakistan a prosperous country — PM Imran Khan

Message of Pakistan PM Imran Khan on Pakistan Independence Day 2019

I extend my heartiest felicitations to all Pakistanis, living within the country and abroad, on the occasion of our 73rd Independence Day.

The day reminds us of the unmatched sacrifices rendered by our forefathers to protect and safeguard our religious, cultural and social values. It also reminds us of the objectives that led to creation of an independent Muslim state.

This day reinvigorates our spirit to make Pakistan stand out in the comity of nations as a dignified country. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah envisioned a progressive Pakistan where one could lead one’s life in accordance with the golden tenets of Islam, a state where democratic norms could flourish and rule of law prevailed, and where compassion characterized the bonds between the state and citizens. To this end, the state of Madinah is our model.

Allah Almighty has bestowed our country with great bounties and huge resources, and a bright future awaits us. Quaid’s principles of unity, faith and discipline are beacons of light to overcome the challenges faced by the country. Let us today rededicate ourselves to making Pakistan a developed and prosperous country. Let me emphasize here the role of overseas Pakistanis, and I am sure they will continue making us proud with their concerted efforts for the greater good of their homeland.

On this occasion, I also pay tribute to those sons of the soil who sacrificed their lives while protecting the ideological and geographical boundaries of the motherland, and kept aloft the banner of its freedom.

While the Independence Day is an occasion to rejoice and celebrate, we feel saddened to see our Kashmiri brethren in Indian-occupied Kashmir being subjected to the worst kind of oppression and ruthless state terrorism. The tyranny unleashed against innocent civilians has crossed all limits in total disregard of the international norms and the values of humanity, and has endangered the peace of the region. Let me reassure our Kashmiri brethren that we stand by them, and Pakistan will continue to provide its political, moral and diplomatic support to their just struggle for self-determination. The recent events in IoK have reinforced the Two-Nation theory envisioned by our forefathers.

May Allah grant us the strength to develop Pakistan on the model of state of Madinah. May Allah grant us the ability to transform Pakistan in accordance with the vision of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. May Allah help us secure for our country its rightful place among the comity of nations.

Pakistan Paindabad.

 

Ancestors made tremendous sacrifices to achieve freedom

Dr. Arif Alvi, President of Pakistan

I congratulate all Pakistanis on the 73rd anniversary of independence for our homeland. Undoubtedly, freedom is a great blessing and our elders and ancestors made tremendous sacrifices to achieve a free Pakistan. As a result of their struggle, Pakistan emerged as an independent country on the world map on August 14, 1947.

Now it is our responsibility to present Pakistan as a dignified and prosperous country in the comity of nations, and mold this country according to the wishes of the founding leaders of Pakistan: Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Allama Mohammed Iqbal. Nature has bestowed Pakistan with immense resources and a key geostrategic location, hence we all have a duty to build our country.

It is a matter of satisfaction and encouragement for us that the new generation realizes the aims and objectives of the creation of Pakistan, and has a passion for patriotism along with a sincere desire for development.

On this occasion we assure our Kashmiri brethren, who are leading their just independence struggle, of our political, moral and diplomatic support.

The challenges, problems and difficulties that we face in Pakistan today require that we achieve harmony and unity for the achievement of the national goals of development and prosperity, and that all sections of society works for Pakistan beyond their personal and group adherences.

On the occasion of the anniversary of our independence I also extend my sincere tribute to all the officers and young men of the security agencies who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of our freedom.

Independence Day fosters our enthusiasm and patriotism to serve our homeland, and our aspiration for our green flag to fly high in the world. On this day, we renew our commitment to make Pakistan a more prosperous and developed country.

 

Saudi Arabia occupies special place in hearts of Pakistanis

Raja Ali Ejaz,  Ambassador of Pakistan

It gives me immense pleasure to extend congratulations to fellow Pakistanis, living at home and abroad, on the Independence Day of Pakistan. We are indeed happy to celebrate the occasion with our brothers in our second home, Saudi Arabia.

This day provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the ideals of our Quaid and to the aspirations of Dr. Allama Mohammed Iqbal, who wanted to see the Muslim community flourishing in a separate homeland without any fear of oppression, intolerance, inequality or injustice.

We are proud to have developed into a modern state in the comity of nations through untiring efforts by the people and visionary leadership. Pakistan, a country of 200 million people, is today a progressive Islamic state with an active parliament, independent judiciary, free media and vibrant civil society. The country is endowed with immense natural resources and, above all, highly industrious, enterprising and peace-loving people.

Saudi Arabia is revered and occupies a special place in the hearts of Pakistanis. This is manifested by the outstanding relations between the two countries. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have always stood by each other and the collaboration continues to grow.

We are grateful to Saudi Arabia for the warmth and hospitality it has extended to nearly 2.5 million Pakistanis, the largest overseas Pakistani community.

It is heartening to note the contributions made by our professionals and skilled and unskilled workers in the development of Saudi Arabia for the past many years are well acknowledged. 

I sincerely hope that cooperation in this arena will grow further under the auspices of Saudi Vision 2030. I urge the Pakistani diaspora to continue to work with zeal and uphold the dignity of our great country.

Let us today renew our pledge to make Pakistan the state envisioned by our forefathers and founders. I join my Pakistani brethren in praying that Pakistani-Saudi relations may grow and go from strength to strength for the benefit of Ummah and the people of the two countries.

May Allah bless Pakistan and Saudi Arabia with lasting peace and prosperity in the times ahead.

Long Live Pakistan. Long Live Saudi Arabia. Long Live Pakistani -Saudi friendship.

 

Makkah Route project eased Hajj pilgrims’ journey to KSA

Shahryar Akbar Khan, Consul General of Pakistan

 

I would like to extend my sincere wishes to all the Pakistani fraternity living in Saudi Arabia, on this auspicious occasion of the Independence Day of Pakistan. This day is a reminder of the struggle undertaken by the Muslims of the subcontinent, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, for a separate homeland where they could live their lives with freedom and dignity.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share common political, strategic and economic objectives. The relationship between the two countries is unique and deep-rooted in history. The presence of more than 2.5 million Pakistanis in the Kingdom is a source of strength for the friendship between the two countries. They are contributing to the economic development of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. They are acting as a bridge of friendship between the two brotherly countries.

Pakistan also fully supports the Vision 2030 of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hajj 2019 marked the initiation of Makkah Route project, under Vision 2030. It provided Pakistani pilgrims with the unique opportunity to use a pre-departure immigration facility at Islamabad airport, which simplified their journey to Saudi Arabia. 

We hope that this facility will be extended to more pilgrims and cities in future.

At the end of my official tenure in Jeddah, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my countrymen, the Saudi government and the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia, who have always lent their support and assistance in ensuring my work stay here in Saudi Arabia was smooth.

Working in Jeddah, the gateway of the Two Holy Lands, has been the experience of a lifetime, and I am blessed and honored to be part of this great fraternity who serve the pilgrims visiting Makkah and Madinah Munawarah. It gives me immense satisfaction to say that, during the course of my posting in Jeddah, I have endeavored to further the interests and the well-being of my countrymen during the various engagements and meetings held with scores of Saudi officials at various discourses and arenas.

We Pakistanis have an emotional link with Saudi Arabia and its leadership, who have always reciprocated by heartily facilitating and supporting our requests.

I would like to wish every Pakistani immense success in their endeavors and pray for the peace, progress and prosperity of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

Long live Pakistan. Long live Pakistani-Saudi Arabian friendship.

 

Carrying forward the legacy of Pakistan’s founding fathers

Adnan Nasir, principal of PISJ-ES

 In the vast history of Central Asia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in its exclusive sovereignty emerges so miraculously that it perplexes the minds of some apprehensive forces and lights the candle of hope for true freedom fighters across the globe. 

Aug. 14 marks the birth anniversary of Pakistan. It re-stimulates a sense of bravery and courage, aspirations and steadfastness, struggle and ownership of our ancestors to acquire an independent piece of land, a place that we proudly call home. 

Born from the ideology of Islam, its existence does not endorse prejudices, racism and feelings of superiority at any level; but sincerely propagates the principles of equality, human rights, tolerance and empathy, in quest of the global peace and harmony. 

For more than seven decades, Pakistan, with its social and religious values, mutual congeniality, profound ethics and rich cultural diversity, has been a heaven for minorities, a sanctuary for the majority and a bastion of faith.

In the same context, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah said in his historic address to the Constituent Assembly on Aug. 11, 1947: “We are members of the brotherhood of Islam in which all are equal in rights, dignity and self-respect. Consequently, we have a special and a very deep sense of unity. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the state. With faith, discipline and selfless devotion to duty, there is nothing worthwhile that you cannot achieve.”

Carrying forward the legacy of our predecessors, the prevalent conditions worldwide in general and Pakistan in particular demand that we make serious efforts to work toward the progress and prosperity of human race at large. 

Alongside the advancement in science and technology, trade and commerce, now is the time to stir in ourselves the attributes of kindness and compassion, while keeping our integrity and not being judgmental.

Being the true heirs of our homeland and real architects of this country, our youths and students must pay attention to education and work toward realizing the dreams of our ancestors while celebrating their achievements. 

Today is the day to renew our pledge to fulfill our responsibilities with full sincerity and cause a ripple effect of positive change by setting examples of excellence. 

On this special day, while extending my heartfelt felicitation to all Pakistanis across the globe, I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their commitment to keeping the bond of our Pakistani-Saudi relationship strong. 

May Allah Almighty enable us to protect both the countries and guide us to work toward their progress and prosperity.

 

Time to work hard to make Pakistan invincible

Aamir Shahzad,, SMC Chairman, PISJ-Azizia:

We are proud to be Pakistanis. Let every one of us pledge on this Independence Day to make our country the most competent in the foreseeable future. This day reminds us of the sacrifices made for the creation of Pakistan.

Aug. 14 commemorates the formation of Pakistan, and, we at Pakistan International School Jeddah in Azizia (PISJ-Azizia) celebrate the 72 years of independence with great enthusiasm. 

We relish the spirit of the day by thanking Almighty Allah for blessing us with an independent state in which we can spend our lives according to our own culture and Islamic principles.

We are also proud of our forefathers who fought for this day. They sacrificed their lives for the great mission of achieving independence from the British rule and it is now time to work hard to make it stronger and invincible.

PISJ-Azizia is a prodigious institute established half a century ago. Under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Education and the Pakistani Embassy, I have been given the responsibility as the chairman of the School Management Committee (SMC) and I want to say that the aim of the members of our committee is only to further the interests of this institute and the Pakistani community. 

With another year of excellent results, PISJ-Azizia continues its tradition of progress and development on the academic front.

All students passed the matriculation and intermediate examinations with flying colors under the Federal Board of Education (FBISE) Pakistan. Congratulations to our students and teachers. Together, they have set new standards with an excellent results, inching another step closer to their personal and professional development. 

The students in this institute are our future and the SMC aims to prepare students for practical challenges in life and to become an effective part of society. 

To the SMC members, principal of the school, Pakistani Embassy staff, students, and the Pakistani community living in the Kingdom, I wish you all a happy and blessed Independence Day. 

 

 


Under tariff threat, US wholesaler warns: ‘People will pay’

Updated 9 sec ago
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Under tariff threat, US wholesaler warns: ‘People will pay’

  • No matter what happens in January, retailer Melquiades Flores says he has no option but to keep importing produce from Mexico
  • The tomato-growing season in California lasts four months. The rest of the year, he gets the produce from Mexico

The tomato-growing season in California lasts four months; the rest of the year, he gets the produce from Mexico

LOS ANGELES: While most of Los Angeles sleeps, 58-year-old Melquiades Flores starts his day at 1 a.m., supervising the unloading of produce at M&M Tomatoes and Chile Company, the wholesaler he started in 2019.
But the business that Flores hopes to pass to his children one day is bracing for a disruption.
US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Mexico and Canada when he takes office on Jan. 20, plus an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods.
“Produce of Mexico” is stamped on almost all the boxes of tomatoes and chilies that arrive at Flores’ downtown warehouse, destined for homes, hotels and restaurant kitchens across the city.
“People will have to pay a higher price. Whatever they charge us, we will pass on to the consumer,” Flores said from his section of the larger complex, the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.
No matter what happens in January, Flores says he has no option but to keep importing produce from Mexico. The tomato-growing season in California lasts four months, from August to November, he says. The rest of the year, he gets the produce from the Mexican states of Sinaloa, Baja California and Sonora.
His team stacks boxes upon boxes of tomatoes in every size and shade of red, plus some shiny green ones for making zesty tomatillo sauce.
“Any tariff is an added tax that impacts all of us, including those who buy a pound, two pounds, or a thousand or 10,000 pounds,” said Flores, who has lived in Los Angeles for 40 years and is originally from the Mexican state of Morelos.
Trump has pronounced his love of tariffs, presumably for raising revenue and protecting US industries against imports, but he avoids speaking about the inflationary effect or the impact of potential retaliation from the United States’ top three trading partners.
Officials from Mexico, Canada and China and major industry groups have warned that the tariffs Trump proposes would harm the economies of all involved, cause inflation to spike and damage job markets.
“The president should have first seen how much this will impact everyone before speaking,” Flores said.


Biden readies $725 million arms aid package for Ukraine, sources say

Updated 20 min 46 sec ago
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Biden readies $725 million arms aid package for Ukraine, sources say

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s administration is preparing a $725 million weapons package for Ukraine, two US officials said on Wednesday, as the outgoing president seeks to bolster the government in Kyiv before leaving office in January.
According to an official familiar with the plan, the Biden administration plans to provide a variety of anti-tank weapons from US stocks to blunt Russia’s advancing troops, including land mines, drones, Stinger missiles, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
The package is also expected to include cluster munitions, which are typically found in Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets fired by HIMARS launchers, according to the notification, seen by Reuters.
The formal notification to Congress of the weapons package could come as soon as Monday, one official said.
The contents and size of the package could change in the coming days ahead of Biden’s expected signature.
It marks a steep uptick in size from Biden’s recent use of so-called Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the US to draw from current weapons stocks to help allies in an emergency.
Recent PDA announcements have typically ranged from $125 million to $250 million. Biden has an estimated $4 billion to $5 billion in PDA already authorized by Congress that he is expected to use before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
The United States has not exported land mines in decades, and their use is controversial because of the potential harm to civilians. Although more than 160 countries have signed a treaty banning their use, Kyiv has been asking for them since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in early 2022 and Russian forces have used them on the front lines.
Russian forces currently are making gains in Ukraine at the fastest rate since the early days of the 2022 invasion, taking an area half the size of London over the past month, analysts and war bloggers said this week.
The United States expects Ukraine to use the mines in its own territory, though it has committed not to use them in areas populated with its own civilians.
Trump on Wednesday tapped Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general who presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, to serve as special envoy for the conflict. Quickly winding down the Ukraine war was one of Trump’s central campaign promises, though he has avoided discussing how he would do so. 


Tariff plan would hurt both the US and Mexico, Sheinbaum tells Trump

Updated 28 min 13 sec ago
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Tariff plan would hurt both the US and Mexico, Sheinbaum tells Trump

  • Mexico says Trump tariffs would kill 400,000 US jobs and drive up prices for US consumers
  • Sheinbaum also warned that Mexico would retaliate if Trump makes good his tariff plan

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s president discussed migration and drug trafficking with US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday — two issues he had raised as justification for raising import tariffs on America’s southern neighbor.
Claudia Sheinbaum said she had had “an excellent conversation” with Trump, just hours after her economy minister warned that the cost to US companies of Trump’s tariffs would be “huge.”
“We discussed Mexico’s strategy regarding the phenomenon of migration,” Sheinbaum said on X, adding she had told Trump that caravans of migrants “are not arriving at the northern border because they are being attended to in Mexico.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Sheinbaum said  Mexico would retaliate if US President-elect Donald Trump followed through with his proposed 25 percent across-the-board tariff, a move her government warned could kill 400,000 US jobs and drive up prices for US consumers.
“If there are US tariffs, Mexico would also raise tariffs,” Sheinbaum said during a press conference, in her clearest statement yet that the country was preparing possible retaliatory trade measures against its top trade partner.

Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, speaking alongside Sheinbaum, called for more regional cooperation and integration instead of a war of retaliatory import taxes.
“It’s a shot in the foot,” Ebrard said of Trump’s proposed tariffs, which appear to violate the USMCA trade deal between Mexico, Canada and the US.

Discussion with Trump

In her talks with Trump later, she said they discussed “strengthening collaboration on security issues” as well as “the campaign we are conducting in the country to prevent the consumption of fentanyl.”
Trump on Monday said he would impose tariffs of 25 percent on Mexican and Canadian imports and 10 percent on goods from China.
“This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
The Republican, who won an election in which illegal migration was a top issue, has vowed to declare a national emergency on border security and use the US military to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented migrants.
Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday some “400,000 jobs will be lost” in the United States if Trump followed through on his threat. He cited a study based on figures from US carmakers that manufacture in Mexico.

Tariff impact

Ebrard said the tariffs would also hit US consumers hard, citing the US market for pickup trucks — most of which are manufactured in Mexico. The tariffs, the minister said, would add $3,000 to the cost of a new vehicle.
“The impact of this measure will chiefly be felt by consumers in the United States... That is why we say that it would be a shot in the foot,” Ebrard told reporters, speaking alongside Sheinbaum at her regular morning conference.

The proposed tariffs would hit the automotive sector’s top cross-border exporters especially hard, Ebrard added, namely Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.
Ebrard noted that 88 percent of pickup trucks sold in the US are made in Mexico and would see a price increase. These vehicles are popular in rural areas that overwhelmingly voted for Trump.
Mexico and China have been particularly vociferous in their opposition to Trump’s threats of a trade war from day one of his second presidential term, which begins on January 20.
Sheinbaum has declared the threats “unacceptable” and pointed out that Mexico’s drug cartels exist mainly to serve drug use in the United States.
China has warned that “no one will win a trade war.”
During his first term as president, Trump launched full-blown trade hostilities with Beijing, imposing significant tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods.
China responded with retaliatory tariffs on American products, particularly affecting US farmers.
The United States, Mexico and Canada are tied to a three-decade-old largely duty-free trade agreement, called the USMCA, that was renegotiated under Trump after he complained that US businesses, especially automakers, were losing out.

Many analysts regard Trump’s tariff threats as more of a negotiating tactic than trade policy.
“The lack of a clear link between this threat and questions related to trade suggests the new president plans to use tariffs as a negotiating strategy to achieve goals largely unrelated to trade,” said David Kohl, chief economist at Julius Baer.

Profit wiped out
Mexico’s automotive industry is the country’s most important manufacturing sector, exporting predominantly to the United States. It represents nearly 25 percent of all North American vehicle production.
Analysts at Barclays said they estimate the proposed tariffs “could wipe out effectively all profits” from the Detroit Three automakers.
“While it’s generally understood that a blanket 25 percent tariff on any vehicles or content from Mexico or Canada could be disruptive, investors under-appreciate how disruptive this could be,” they wrote in a note on Tuesday.
Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, said the tariffs would protect US manufacturers and workers from “unfair practices of foreign companies and foreign markets.”
Hughes said Trump would implement policies to make life affordable and more prosperous for his country.
GM and Stellantis declined to comment. Ford did not comment on how the threatened tariffs would affect its business but said it manufactures more vehicles in the United States than most major automakers.
Mexico’s automotive industry group AMIA said it would prepare for any possibility and wait to see what formal actions are taken.
The Institute of International Finance, a trade group for the global financial services industry, warned Mexico-US relations would be challenging going forward.
“The imposition of tariffs, eventually leading to increased protectionism, and other policies affecting exchange rates and commodity prices could have significant implications for the region,” it said in a note.
The USMCA is up for review in 2026.
Katia Goya, director of international economics at Grupo Financiero Banorte, said it was likely the three USMCA countries would seek wholesale renegotiation of the pact rather than just rubber-stamp it to continue in its current form.
“The effect of a trade-conflict situation is that it will mean lower economic growth in the United States, higher unemployment and higher inflation,” Goya said.
Ebrard said USMCA trade amounted to $1.78 trillion in the first nine months of this year.
“We can fragment and divide with tariffs,” Ebrard said. “Mexico does not want conflicts and divisions, but to build a stronger region.”


British police launch new investigation into people linked to late Harrods boss Al-Fayed

Updated 59 min 27 sec ago
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British police launch new investigation into people linked to late Harrods boss Al-Fayed

  • The BBC documentary said Harrods failed to intervene and helped cover up abuse allegations during his ownership

LONDON: British police said they had launched an investigation into whether people linked to the late Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed helped enable his alleged rape and other sexual abuse of female staff at his London department store Harrods and elsewhere.
A BBC documentary reported in September that Al-Fayed, who died last year aged 94, had sexually abused female staff, forced them to have medical screenings and threatened consequences if they tried to complain.
Al-Fayed always denied similar accusations before his death.
“This investigation is about giving survivors a voice, despite the fact that Mohamed Al-Fayed is no longer alive to face prosecution,” Commander Stephen Clayman from London’s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement on Wednesday.
“However, we are now pursuing any individuals suspected to have been complicit in his offending, and we are committed to seeking justice.”
He did not say how many people were under investigation.
Lawyers representing victims have said the abuse took place not just at Harrods but also in other locations linked to Al-Fayed’s business empire, such as Fulham Football Club, the Ritz Paris hotel and his estate in Surrey, saying more than 400 people had come forward.
The BBC documentary said Harrods failed to intervene and helped cover up abuse allegations during his ownership.
Harrods has apologized and said it is “appalled” by the allegations. It has launched a process for any current or former Harrods employees who wished to claim compensation, although the plan has been criticized by victims’ lawyers.
The MPS said 90 victims had come forward over the last two months.
Earlier this month, the MPS referred itself to the police watchdog over its handling of two complaints against Al-Fayed in 2008 and 2013. The MPS said it would review all historical reports made against Al-Fayed.


US sanctions Venezuela security chiefs for crackdown

Updated 28 November 2024
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US sanctions Venezuela security chiefs for crackdown

WASHINGTON: The United States slapped sanctions on 21 top Venezuelan security and cabinet officials Wednesday, accusing them of a campaign of repression after President Nicolas Maduro’s bitterly contested July reelection.
The fresh measures — which Venezuela rejected as a “desperate act” against “patriots” — come after Washington and the G7 said they recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as president-elect, amid accusations of fraud against Maduro.
“Maduro and his representatives’ repressive actions in the wake of the Venezuelan presidential election are a desperate attempt to silence the voices of its citizens,” Bradley Smith, the acting under secretary of the Treasury Department, said in a statement.
Fifteen leaders of the Venezuelan security apparatus are among those hit by an asset freeze, including the heads of the intelligence service, military counterintelligence service, the national guard and the police.
The sanctions also target the Venezuelan communications minister and the head of the prison service.
“All of these entities are part of Maduro’s security apparatus and are responsible for violently repressing peaceful protesters and carrying out arbitrary detention,” a senior US administration official told reporters.
A Venezuelan foreign ministry statement said the country “rejects with the utmost firmness” the latest sanctions of the “outgoing US government against the Venezuelan people and, in particular, a group of patriots who have dedicated themselves to safeguarding peace, stability, economic recovery and national unity in the face of fascist violence.”
The US Treasury said Venezuelan security forces had also issued an “unjustified arrest warrant” for Urrutia, forcing him to flee to Spain.
At the same time, the US State Department said it was expanding visa restrictions on Maduro’s allies.
“Maduro’s security apparatus has engaged in widespread abuses, including killings, repression, and mass detention of protesters,” the State Department said in a statement.
In September, the United States announced sanctions against 16 Venezuelan officials over alleged election fraud.
They included senior figures in the Venezuelan electoral council and Supreme Court, with the US Treasury saying at the time that they “impeded a transparent electoral process and the release of accurate election results.”
Maduro claimed victory in the election and defied intense domestic and international pressure to release detailed polling numbers to back up the assertion.
Amid an outcry at home and abroad, the former bus driver handpicked by the late authoritarian strongman Hugo Chavez is now serving his third term.
But the oil-rich country’s economy is in shambles, as Venezuelans endure acute shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods.
Maduro is accused of leading a harshly repressive leftist regime, with a systematic crackdown on the opposition.