Islamabad: Pakistan has reported 111 new deaths due to the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, government data showed on Thursday, the highest tally since the last week of June.
According to the ministry of health’s COVID-19 portal, Pakistan recorded 2,256 new infections in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of cases to 465,070, with 9,668 deaths.
After a peak of more than 6,800 daily infections in June, the numbers fell to as low as 213 in August as a second wave of the virus has swept Pakistan since last month.
Out of the total reported infections, 417,134 people have recovered while 2,361 are in critical condition. The number of active coronavirus patients was 38,268 on Thursday.
Last month, the government announced new guidelines, including mandatory face masks in public places and banning indoor dining at restaurants. Schools across the country have also been shut down, or have switched to online classes, until mid-January.
Earlier this month, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan ruled out a complete lockdown and decided to continue its smart lockdown policy with strict implementation of safety rules. Khan has repeatedly said Pakistan’s economy cannot afford a complete lockdown and citizens would have to “live with” strict health guidelines.
The country’s last comprehensive lockdown was lifted in May.
Pakistan records highest single-day COVID-19 deaths in nearly six months
https://arab.news/mya37
Pakistan records highest single-day COVID-19 deaths in nearly six months
- Pakistan has reported 111 new deaths due to the coronavirus in the last 24 hours
- The total number of cases so far is 465,070, with 9,668 deaths
Pakistan plans international case against India, prepares dossiers to dispatch to world capitals
- Pakistan government takes delegation of local, foreign journalists to de facto border with India in Kashmir
- New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists
MUZAFFARABAD: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Monday Islamabad would refute India’s “baseless” allegations it was involved in an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month by preparing dossiers that Pakistani delegations would send to various capitals worldwide.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have surged to alarming levels over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Apr. 22 that killed 26 tourists. New Delhi has accused Islamabad of backing the perpetrators, an allegation Pakistan has vehemently denied and called for a credible, international probe to ascertain facts.
The information minister took a delegation of local and international journalists to the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border separating the two parts of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, to dismiss Indian allegations of the presence of militant camps in the area.
“We are sending our delegations with full preparation to most capitals of the world, to international fora,” Tarar told Arab News. “These delegations will have parliamentarians, will have diplomats, will have former diplomats. So we will go to every forum, we will go to the capitals of the world and we will tell the world that India has leveled baseless accusations.”
Pakistan’s foreign office said on Sunday Islamabad intends to brief the UN Security Council about India’s” aggressive actions, provocations and inflammatory statements.” It said Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has tasked the country’s envoy to the UN to take measures to summon a Security Council meeting for a briefing on Pakistan’s heightened tensions with India.
“I think we are preparing a lot of documents and you see we’ve moved the UNSC,” Tarar said. “But we will be sending dossiers to different capitals of the world and you will see that Pakistan will present its case in a very effective manner.”
The Pakistani minister criticized New Delhi for failing to provide evidence to support its accusations that Islamabad was involved in the attack. He reiterated that Pakistan is fully capable of defending itself if India launched a military action against it.
“And if there is any aggression on part of India, they will have a decisive response,” Tarar vowed.
He said the Pakistani government had arranged local and international journalists to visit the LoC to demonstrate that there are no “terrorist camps” in the area, contrary to India’s claims.
“So, I think we’ve come here to show you that life goes on as usual near the Line of Control,” Tarar said. “Our people are going about their usual business and our people are peaceful.”
Tarar pointed out that India has not responded to Pakistan’s demand for a transparent and impartial investigation into the Pahalgam attack.
“So I think it’s a security and intel failure which they’re blaming on Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan and India have both taken several measures against each other since the Apr. 22 attack. The nuclear-armed rivals have expelled each other’s diplomats and citizens, ordered their land border shut and closed their airspace to their countries. New Delhi has also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad, amid reports of skirmishes along their de facto border in Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have fought two out of three wars since 1947 over the disputed Kashmir territory. Both countries claim the region in full but administer only parts of it. Pakistan accuses India of suppressing the rights of the Muslim-majority region while New Delhi accuses Islamabad of arming and funding separatists in Kashmir. Both deny each other’s allegations.
Several countries around the world including the US, China, Saudi Arabia, UK, Iran, Turkiye and others have called on both India and Pakistan to show restraint and avoid a military confrontation.
Pakistan says 98 percent of pilgrims under government scheme issued Hajj visas
- Remaining 2 percent could not be granted Hajj visas due to biometric verification, particularly for pilgrims from remote areas, says official
- Says Pakistan Hajj Mission has so far received approximately 14,670 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah, who arrived via 60 flights from various airlines
ISLAMABAD: Ninety-eight percent of Pakistani pilgrims under the government scheme have been issued Hajj visas so far, state-run media reported, adding that the remaining two percent could not be granted the travel permit due to a biometric data issue.
Pakistan launched its Hajj flight operations on Apr. 29 which will continue till May 31. Pilgrims will continue to leave for Madinah during the first 15 days of the operation and afterwards will land in Jeddah and travel directly to Makkah.
This year’s annual pilgrimage will take place in June, with nearly 89,000 Pakistanis expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme and 23,620 Pakistanis through private tour operators. The total quota granted to Pakistan was 179,210, which could not be met.
“Hajj visas have been issued to 98 percent of intending Pakistani pilgrims so far, while the remaining cases are expected to be cleared shortly,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Sunday.
Quoting religious affairs ministry spokesperson Muhammad Umer Butt, APP said the remaining two percent of visas could not be granted due to a biometric data issue, particularly for pilgrims residing in remote areas of the country.
“The Ministry of Religious Affairs is actively pursuing the pending visa cases, and the process will be completed soon,” Butt was quoted as saying.
He said the religious affairs ministry’s Hajj IT cell is in constant contact with pilgrims to facilitate the process. Butt said pilgrims who were unable to travel to Saudi Arabia due to visa delays or personal issues would be accommodated on alternative flights.
The official said Hajj camps set up by the ministry are operating seven days a week to assist pilgrims.
According to Butt, the Pakistan Hajj Mission has so far received approximately 14,670 Pakistani pilgrims in Madinah by Sunday. They arrived through 60 flights operated by various airlines from Pakistan’s major cities under the government scheme.
“As many as 11 flights, carrying 2,500 more pilgrims are scheduled to arrive in the holy city of Madinah on Monday,” Butt was quoted as saying.
Butt said the first group of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims who completed their eight-day stay in Madinah will depart for Makkah on May 7.
Pilgrims from across the world are converging in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, which begins on the 8th of Dhu Al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.
Russia says willing to help resolve India-Pakistan differences over Kashmir
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks to Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar amid regional tensions
- Russia has been India’s largest weapons provider for decades, with both enjoying close ties since Soviet times
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke to his Pakistani counterpart on Sunday and offered Russia’s help in resolving tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, the Foreign Ministry said.
“Particular attention was paid to the significant rise in tension between New Delhi and Islamabad,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to Lavrov’s conversation with Ishaq Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister.
“It was stressed that Russia is ready to act for a political settlement of the situation resulting from the act of terrorism of April 22 in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley, in the event of a mutual desire on the part of Islamabad and New Delhi,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Lavrov’s conversation with Dar took place two days after he spoke with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and also called for a settlement of differences between the two neighboring countries.
Suspected militants killed at least 26 people in last week’s attack on a mountain tourist destination in the Pahalgam area of the Kashmir valley.
Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed by both countries and has been the focus of several wars, an insurgency and diplomatic standoffs.
Russia has been India’s largest weapons provider for decades and New Delhi and Moscow have had close ties since Soviet times.
Iranian FM arrives in Pakistan to strengthen bilateral ties, discuss regional developments
- Iran has offered to mediate amid tensions between India, Pakistan over Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir
- Seyyed Abbas Araghchi to meet Pakistan’s president, prime minister and deputy prime minister, says foreign office
ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Monday, the Pakistani foreign office said, with his visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and discussing regional developments amid Islamabad’s soaring tensions with New Delhi.
Pakistan and Iran enjoy close ties and have signed several pacts in trade, energy and security in recent years. The two countries have also been at odds over instability on their shared porous border, but have quickly moved to ease tensions each time.
Araghchi’s visit comes in the background of surging tensions between India and Pakistan after the Apr. 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in which 26 tourists were killed. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge which Islamabad strongly denies. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors who have announced a raft of punitive measures against each other, while their forces have exchanged fire along their de facto border in Kashmir for 10 consecutive days.
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on an official visit,” the Pakistani foreign office said, adding that he was received by Additional Secretary West Asia Syed Asad Gillani, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan and other senior officials.
“He will hold important meetings with the Pakistani leadership including the president, prime minister and the deputy prime minister.”
In an earlier statement on Sunday, the foreign office said Araghchi’s visit reflects both countries’ commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation. It said that the two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments.
Iran has offered to mediate the crisis between Pakistan and India, with Araghchi saying his country is “ready to use its good offices” to resolve the standoff. The offer came amid fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan. A Pakistani minister said last week that Islamabad has “credible intelligence” India is planning to attack Pakistan within days.
Pakistani leaders, who have already reached out to foreign capitals over India’s aggressive posturing since the Kashmir attack, are expected to discuss with Araghchi the latest crisis with New Delhi.
Pakistan says wants peace, promises ‘befitting reply’ in case of any aggression by India
- Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists
- There have been fears that New Delhi may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan, leading to a wider conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan wants peace in the region, but it will give a “befitting reply” if a war was imposed by India, security sources said on Sunday, citing a Pakistani military spokesman.
The statement came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town that killed 26 tourists on April 22. New Delhi has blamed the assault on Pakistan, Islamabad denies involvement and calls for a credible international probe into it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth” and there have been fears that India may carry out limited airstrikes or special forces raids near the border with Pakistan. A Pakistani minister said this week Islamabad had “credible intelligence” India was planning to attack Pakistan.
Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry held a closed-door meeting with Pakistani political leaders on Monday, wherein the participants pondered over national security affairs in view of the “Pahalgam false flag operation,” according to security sources.
“Pakistan is a peaceful country and wants peace in the region,” the sources quoted Lt. Gen. Chaudhry as telling the participants. “But if aggression is imposed on Pakistan, then the Pakistani forces are ready to give a befitting reply to the enemy.”
During the meeting, Information Minister Tarar informed the participants about the government’s diplomatic measures after India’s accusations, while Lt. Gen. Chaudhry gave a briefing about the Pakistan’s preparations to thwart any possible Indian military action.
Top Pakistani leaders have reached out to foreign capitals and senior officials in China, United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other countries, amid fears that India’s possible action over the April 22 attack may lead to a wider conflict in the region.
On Monday, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, spoke with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and apprised him of the recent regional developments.
“He [Dar] rejected India’s baseless allegations and inflammatory rhetoric against Pakistan, and condemned India’s unilateral & illegal move to hold the IWT [Indus Waters Treaty] in abeyance which is a violation of its international obligations,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“DPM/FM emphasized that Pakistan would resolutely safeguard its sovereignty and national interests.”
India suspended the 1960 World Bank-mediated treaty a day after the Pahalgam attack, saying the suspension would last until “Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.” Pakistan has described the suspension of treat as an “act of war.”
There have been reports of skirmishes between Pakistani and Indian troops along their de facto border in Kashmir since the April 22 attack. The disputed region is split between India and Pakistan and claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two wars and one limited conflict over the Himalayan territory.
“FM Lavrov expressed concern over the situation and stressed the importance of diplomacy to resolve issues. He emphasized that both sides should exercise restraint and avoid escalation,” the Pakistani foreign ministry added.
