PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces acting on intelligence raided a militant hideout in the country’s northwest Monday, killing three militants who had allegedly been involved in targeted killings in the country, the military said.
The raid took place in the former tribal region of Lower Dir in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. It said troops also seized weapons and grenades from the militant hideout.
The slain militants until 2019 had allegedly been involved in targeted killings in northwestern Swat Valley, which was a Taliban stronghold until 2009 when the army said it cleared the region of militants.
The military provided no further details on Monday’s raid and it was unclear who were killed by the three men in the past.
Pakistani militants have in recent months stepped up attacks on security forces in the former tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, raising concerns that insurgents are regrouping in various former tribal regions.
Security forces kill three militants in raid — Pakistan army
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Security forces kill three militants in raid — Pakistan army
- The raid took place in the former tribal region of Lower Dir in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
- Pakistani militants have in recent months stepped up attacks on security forces in regions bordering Afghanistan
Pakistan condemns Israeli aggression against Lebanon after airstrikes kill over 500
- The Israeli military carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah on Monday which Lebanese authorities said killed 558 people
- Pakistan calls on international community to take urgent steps to hold Israel to account for ‘alarming adventurism’ in region
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday condemned Israel’s latest military actions against Lebanon, its foreign office said, a day after Israeli airstrikes killed more than 500 people.
After nearly 12 months of war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas.
The Israeli military carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah on Monday which Lebanese authorities said killed 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women. A further 1,835 were wounded, they said, and tens of thousands more have fled for safety.
“This act of aggression against the Republic of Lebanon is a grave violation of the UN Charter and international law,” Pakistan’ foreign office said in a statement. “It is a dangerous escalation that has further endangered peace and security in an already volatile region.”
The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has raised fears that the United States, Israel’s close ally, and regional power Iran, which has proxies across the Middle East — Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq — will be sucked into a wider war.
Hezbollah last week suffered heavy losses when thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded in the worst security breach in its history.
Pakistan stood in solidarity with the people of Lebanon and for their right to live in peace and security, the foreign office said, reaffirming Islamabad’s full support for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We call upon the international community to take urgent steps to hold Israel to account for its alarming adventurism in the region and its acts of aggression and genocide,” it added.
Pakistan election regulator indecisive over allocation of reserved seats to ex-PM Khan party
- In its detailed verdict, the top court observed election commission’s denial of recognition to Khan’s party infringed upon electorate’s rights
- Legal experts urge the election commission to ‘side with the constitution’ and implement the ruling to allocate reserved seats to the PTI party
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s election regulator has yet to decide about the allocation of reserved seats to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, ana election official said on Tuesday, despite the issuance of a detailed judgment by the Supreme Court on the subject.
The Supreme Court on July 12 declared Khan’s PTI party eligible for allocation of reserved parliamentary seats, months after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) forced the PTI candidates to contest the February 8 national election as independents. The ECP took the decision after the PTI lost its election symbol in the wake of a prolonged legal battle for not holding proper intra-party polls. Subsequently, the election body refused reserved seats to the PTI on technical grounds, saying they were only meant for political parties and not for independent candidates.
The Supreme Court overturned the ECP’s decision and said it had misconstrued an earlier verdict relating to election symbols by depriving the PTI of reserved seats. Instead of giving the seats to the party, however, the election body filed a petition to seek guidance on the matter and questioned the validity of the party’s organizational structure under the circumstances. The detailed judgment by the Supreme Court clarified that a party’s constitutional right to participate in elections was not impacted by the absence of an electoral symbol.
“The ECP held a sixth meeting at its headquarters in Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss the matter that remained inconclusive,” an ECP official told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media. “The ECP will have another meeting tomorrow [Wednesday] to reach a conclusion over the allocation of the reserved seats.”
The official said the ECP was consulting its legal team on the detailed judgment of the Supreme Court and the Elections Act that the ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, amended to bar independent lawmakers from joining a political party after a stipulated period. The National Assembly speaker and the Punjab Assembly have written separate letters to the ECP urging it to follow the parliamentary law over the Supreme Court ruling on the reserved seats.
“It is a complex issue and that’s why the election commission is taking into consideration all possible aspects of the constitution, laws and the court ruling before deciding on the matter,” the official said.
Legal experts have urged the election regulator to “side with the constitution” instead of the ruling coalition and implement the Supreme Court’s majority verdict that ordered allocation of reserved seats to the PTI in the National Assembly and all four provincial assemblies.
Justice (retired) Nasira Iqbal said the election regulator should have implemented the court’s short order shortly after it was announced on July 12 to avert speculations and conspiracies on the matter.
“The election commission is setting dangerous precedents by trying to frustrate the Supreme Court rulings through different delaying tactics,” she told Arab News. “The election commission should side with the constitution instead of trying to become a party in this matter.”
“The ruling coalition has taken a position over the constitutional matter and they want the fulfilment of their desire by getting the reserved seats,” Amanullah Kanrani, former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, told Arab News.
He urged the ECP to follow the constitution and allocate the reserved seats to the PTI as per the court ruling. “We expect the ECP to act independently and follow the constitution to avert a new crisis,” Kanrani added.
Speaking about possible consequences for the ECP if it failed to implement the majority judgment, Kanrani said the top court bench could initiate contempt proceedings against the chief election commissioner and other members.
Pakistan’s army chief vows support for police during South Waziristan visit
- General Asim Munir received a briefing on security situation and development initiatives in the region
- He applauded the ‘pivotal role’ of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s residents in helping maintain the area’s peace
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir applauded the role of security forces and law enforcement agencies during his visit to Wana in South Waziristan district on Tuesday, saying the army would provide technical assistance to the province’s police for capacity building.
Militant factions operating in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, where South Waziristan is located, have targeted the police in recent months, leading to protests by law enforcement personnel against these killings.
The area’s security has mostly been dominated by the army, which has been fighting proscribed militant factions like Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban for about two decades, with the police seeking greater government support to empower them to deal with extremist violence.
The army chief received a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing security situation, ongoing counterterrorism operations and development initiatives in the northwestern region.
“COAS paid heartfelt tribute to the security forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) who have made ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty,” the army media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement. “He emphasized that Pakistan Army will continue to provide steadfast support and technical assistance to LEAs, particularly KPK Police, to enhance their capacity.”
The army chief acknowledged the “pivotal role” of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in maintaining peace and advancing various projects under the South Waziristan Integrated Development Plan.
He also expressed gratitude for the support of tribal elders in Wana who helped combat militancy and provided unwavering backing to the army.
15 killed in Pakistan sectarian tribal clashes
- Violence hit Kurram district near border with Afghanistan where same tribes fought in July
- The last clashes in July had killed 35 people and ended only after a jirga called a ceasefire
PESHAWAR: At least 15 people have been killed in clashes between two tribes in northwestern Pakistan, a local official said Tuesday, as a deadly feud over land is reignited.
With heavy weapons including mortar shells, the violence hit Kurram district near the border with Afghanistan where the same tribes fought in July.
“The conflict, initially over land, involves two tribes — one Sunni and the other Shia — which has turned the dispute into a sectarian clash,” a senior administrative official stationed in Kurram told AFP on condition of anonymity.
He said 15 people had been killed since Saturday.
The Associated Press of Pakistan, the official news agency, reported around twenty other people had been wounded.
The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area, has a history of bloody clashes between tribes belonging to the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
The last clashes in July killed 35 people and ended only after a jirga (tribal council) called a ceasefire, with officials attempting to broker a new truce.
Tribal and family feuds are common in Pakistan.
However, they can be particularly protracted and violent in the mountainous northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where communities abide by traditional tribal honor codes.
In Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, the Shiite community says they have long suffered discrimination and violence.
Pakistan’s finance minister optimistic about $7 billion IMF bailout approval today
- Muhammad Aurangzeb emphasizes the South Asian nation’s commitment to structural reforms
- Pakistan has struggled with boom-bust cycles for decades and secured 22 IMF bailouts since 1958
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday expressed optimism about the approval of Pakistan’s $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, when the board of the global lending agency meets on Wednesday.
The government reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF in July, though the approval for the 37-month program has been pending since.
Pakistan’s last $3 billion IMF program helped avert a sovereign default in 2023 amid a sharp decline in foreign exchange reserves, currency depreciation and record inflation.
“We have the IMF board meeting tomorrow in the US,” the minister said, while addressing a high-level private sector dialogue, ‘CPEC-II and the Region.’ “We are very hopeful that the board will approve the 37-month, $7 billion program under which we are very committed to do structural reforms.”
Assuring that the country would stay its current economic course, Aurangzeb pointed out that macroeconomic stability was the “basic foundation” of any economy.
“You have to grow and build from a stable base,” he added. “We have reached that level now. Now, we can say that we have a good foundation on which we can build from here.”
“Now we need to move forward and stay with the reform agenda whether it’s on the taxation or energy side [or] on the state-owned enterprises or privatization side.”
The finance minister said it was important that the KIBOR, or Karachi Interbank Offered Rate, used as a benchmark interest rate in Pakistan, was also coming down, which positively affects the industry. He added that the government was in “no desperation” to borrow money.
“If we want to borrow domestically, we will at our terms,” he said.
Aurangzeb said it was about time the banking sector started lending to the private sector.
Pakistan has struggled with boom-and-bust cycles for decades, leading to 22 IMF bailouts since 1958.
The latest economic crisis has been the most prolonged one, with the highest levels of inflation, pushing the country to the brink of a sovereign default last summer before the IMF loan.
The conditions of the IMF programs have become tougher in recent years, requiring the government to impose higher tariffs and remove subsidies. The latest bailout is aimed at cementing stability and inclusive growth in the crisis-plagued South Asian country, according to the IMF.
The latest IMF staff-level deal is subject to approval by its executive board and the confirmation of necessary financing assurances from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners.
