Pakistan’s ousted PM denies contact with government, says negotiating with ‘establishment’ for fair elections

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan addresses his supporters as he attends what they call 'a true freedom march', to pressure the government to announce new elections, in Lahore, Pakistan October 28, 2022. (REUTERS)
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Updated 30 October 2022
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Pakistan’s ousted PM denies contact with government, says negotiating with ‘establishment’ for fair elections

  • Imran Khan tells Indian media not to celebrate political turmoil in Pakistan since the nation continues to support the army
  • Khan says he wants a strong army to protect the freedom of his country, calls his recent statements ‘constructive criticism’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan said on Sunday he was only negotiating with the country’s powerful security establishment for free and fair elections, adding he had not reached out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who did not have much political power.

Khan, who is also the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was ousted from power in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April. He kicked off his “long march” to Islamabad from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk on Friday, hoping to mount pressure on the government and ultimately force it to announce a date for early elections.

His comment to the protest march earlier today was made in response to Sharif’s statement that the PTI chief had contacted him through a mutual acquaintance one month ago to suggest names of possible candidates who could be appointed as army chief.

“Sharif said I had sent him a message to sit down and discuss the army chief’s appointment,” Khan said while addressing the participants of his protest march to Islamabad near Muridke.

“Is there any point in talking to you,” he asked. “Do you have the power to give to me anything?”

However, Khan acknowledged he held negotiations with the establishment on the single-point agenda focusing on free and fair elections.

“I only spoke to them [the establishment] and demanded one thing which was to conduct fair and transparent elections in the country and did not say anything else,” he added. “I still say today that we want clean and transparent elections. We will accept whatever decision the people of Pakistan make.”

“Today I will ask the establishment: It was you who filed cases against these people [leaders of the current coalition government],” he continued. “You told us how corrupt they were. Your JIT [joint investigation team] proved how corrupt Nawaz Sharif was during his time. It was said how big a thief Asif Ali Zardari was. And now you have decided to support them?”

Addressing the notion that his rift with the army had been played up by the Indian media, Khan said the whole nation stood with the country’s military, adding that his criticism was only for the betterment of the institution.

“In India, the media is celebrating that Imran Khan and the army are at odds with each other,” he said. “There is no such thing. We stand with our army, but when we criticize it, it is constructive criticism.”

“I want my army to be strong and the whole nation stands with the army since the army is mine and the country is also mine and we need a strong army to protect the freedom of the country,” he added.

Khan told his protest march on Saturday the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, should take action against officials of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, who, he said, were allegedly involved in the custodial torture of his party leaders.

The PTI leader also maintained during an interview with an international news organization that a recent press conference held by the directors general of the military’s media wing, ISPR, and the ISI spy agency contained “lies and half-truths” against him.

According to his senior party leaders, Khan’s protest march is moving toward Islamabad at a glacial pace since thousands of his supporters are walking with his container.

They also maintain that their caravan will only continue its journey during daytime for “security reasons.”

Speaking to Arab News, Farrukh Habib, the central information secretary of Khan’s PTI party, said the march would travel from Muridke to Gujranwala where its participants would stay overnight.


Pakistan, Bahrain vow to boost security cooperation

Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan, Bahrain vow to boost security cooperation

  • Officials of the two countries held discussions in Manama on counter-terrorism, human trafficking and anti-narcotics
  • Pakistani interior minister calls enhancing cooperation in counter-narcotics, anti-human trafficking ‘need of the hour’

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain have resolved to further strengthen their security collaboration in various fields, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.

The consensus was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bahraini counterpart, General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, in Manama.

The two sides held discussions on bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism, combating human trafficking and anti-narcotics efforts as well as to make Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Security Committee more effective.

“Enhancing cooperation in counter-narcotics and anti-human trafficking efforts is the need of the hour,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster.

The Bahraini interior minister said his country valued Pakistan’s cooperation in security and other fields.

Bahrain is one of the important countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and a favorite destination for the Pakistani workforce since the early 1970s, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

Both countries have a Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) at the level of the foreign ministers and a trade volume that has ranged between $500 million and $1 billion in recent years.


Pakistan plans to launch transshipment operations between Gwadar and Gulf region

Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan plans to launch transshipment operations between Gwadar and Gulf region

  • The country has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment
  • Islamabad also seeks to cut container dwell time at ports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness, ease congestion

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government is actively engaging private shipping liners to commence transshipment operations between Gwadar and the Gulf region, Pakistani state media reported on Friday. 

The statement came from officials at a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Gwadar Port operationalization, which was presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

Maritime officials informed the participants that initial cargo categories will include minerals, dates, seafood, and cement, targeting sectors such as mining, fisheries, and processing industries.

Iqbal said Gwadar’s geostrategic position as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia highlighted the port’s potential as a regional transshipment hub, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“Iqbal emphasized the need to showcase Gwadar Port in international road-shows as a strategic trade hub linking the Gulf and Central Asia,” the report read. “He directed stakeholders to promote the port’s cost-effective trade routes and available incentives for international businesses.”

Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.

Pakistan, slowly recovering from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal, has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment for a sustainable economic recovery.

The country plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while it last month reduced port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the country’s second biggest Port Qasim.


Three million Afghans likely to return this year after Pakistan, Iran introduce new policies

Updated 12 July 2025
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Three million Afghans likely to return this year after Pakistan, Iran introduce new policies

  • Over 1.6 million Afghans have already returned from Pakistan and Iran this year
  • The figure already exceeds the UNHCR’s initial forecasts of 1.4 million for 2025

UNITED NATIONS: Three million Afghans could return to their country this year, a UN refugee official said Friday, warning that the repatriation flow is placing intense pressure on an already major humanitarian crisis.

Iran and Pakistan have introduced new policies affecting displaced Afghans, with Tehran already having given four million “illegal” Afghans until July 6 to leave Iranian territory.

“What we are seeing is the undignified, disorganized and massive exodus of Afghans from both countries, which is generating enormous pressures on the homeland that is willing to receive them and yet utterly unprepared to do so,” the

UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, said during a video press conference from Kabul.

“Of concern to us is this scale, the intensity and the manner in which returns are occurring.”

Over 1.6 million Afghans have already returned from Pakistan and Iran this year, the large majority from Iran, Jamal added. The figure already exceeds the UNHCR’s initial forecasts of 1.4 million for 2025.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees now estimates three million coming into Afghanistan this year, Jamal said.

The UN agency said over 30,000 people per day have streamed across the Islam Qala border into Afghanistan, with 50,000 crossing on July 4 alone.

“Many of these returnees are arriving having been abruptly uprooted and having undergone an arduous, exhausting and degrading journey. They arrive tired, disoriented, brutalized and often in despair,” Jamal said.

The United Nations has taken emergency measures to reinforce water and sanitation systems intended to serve 7,000 to 10,000 people per day, as well as vaccinations and nutrition services.

Many who have crossed the border have reported pressure from Iranian authorities, including arrests and expulsions.


Pakistan issues flood warning for multiple provinces till July 17

Updated 12 July 2025
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Pakistan issues flood warning for multiple provinces till July 17

  • The development came after nationwide death toll from rains, floods rose to 90 since late June
  • Relief efforts continue in several areas, with tents, ration and blankets distributed among affectees

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a fresh alert and warned of potential flood and flash flood risks in various regions of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan provinces from July 12 till July 17, with at least 90 people killed in rain-related incidents since late June.

In Punjab, widespread rainfall is expected across districts including Jhelum, Chakwal, Talagang, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Lahore, Narowal, DG Khan, Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan.

This weather activity may result in medium to high flows in torrents of DG Khan and Rajanpur, while nullahs originating from the Pir Panjal range in northeastern Punjab may experience a significant rise in water levels.

Rainfall is expected in KP’s Dir, Swat, Besham, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Karak, Kohat, Kohistan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Mardan, Malakand, Charsadda, Bannu, Buner, Swabi, and Waziristan. This may lead to increased flows in the

Kabul River and its tributaries, including Swat, Panjkora, and Kalpani nullahs. River Swat and Panjkora, along with their associated streams, may swell due to rainfall in their catchments. River Kabul at Nowshera is expected to reach low flood levels.

In Balochistan, an active weather system is likely to trigger isolated rains and thunderstorms from July 13 till July 17 in Ziarat, Quetta, Mastung, Kalat, Surab, Zhob, Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Awaran, Khuzdar, Dera Bugti and surrounding areas, with a possibility of flash flooding in local streams and nullahs, particularly in the torrents originating from the Kirthar Range, according to the NDMA.

“Authorities are advised to ensure the readiness of emergency teams, availability of machinery, and clearance of drainage systems. Tourists should avoid high-altitude areas, while residents in vulnerable zones must secure valuables, vehicles, and livestock, and keep essential supplies,” the NDMA said in its alert issued late Friday.

“District administrations, especially in northeastern and central Punjab, should deploy dewatering equipment to manage urban flooding. Citizens are urged to avoid flooded roads, low bridges, and causeways.”

The death toll from monsoon downpours in Pakistan rose to 90 on Friday after three children died in rain-related incidents in the eastern Punjab province, according to the NDMA.

Punjab has reported 32 deaths, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 30 deaths, Sindh with 16 deaths, Balochistan with 11 fatalities and one man lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile, relief operations continue in affected areas, with authorities distributing tents, ration bags, blankets, sandbags, quilts, gas cylinders, mattresses, kitchen sets, mosquito nets, plastic mats, hygiene kits and food packets to affected families. Pakistan has also rolled out a location-based SMS alert system to warn citizens living in flood-prone areas about imminent weather threats.

Pakistan, home to over 240 million people, is consistently ranked among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacier melt triggered catastrophic floods that affected 33 million people and killed more than 1,700.


US appeals court scraps 9/11 mastermind’s plea deal

Updated 12 July 2025
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US appeals court scraps 9/11 mastermind’s plea deal

  • Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was regarded as one of bin Laden’s most trusted lieutenants
  • He had spent three years in secret CIA prisons before arriving at Guantanamo in 2006

WASHINGTON: A US appeals court on Friday scrapped 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s plea agreement that would have taken the death penalty off the table and helped conclude the long-running legal saga surrounding his case.

The agreement had sparked anger among some relatives of victims of the 2001 attacks, and then-US defense secretary Lloyd Austin moved to cancel it last year, saying that both they and the American public deserved to see the defendants stand trial.

Austin “acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment,” judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao wrote.

Plea deals with Mohammed as well as two alleged accomplices — Walid bin Attash and Mustafa Al-Hawsawi — were announced in late July last year.

The decision appeared to have moved their cases toward resolution after years of being bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings while the defendants remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.

But Austin withdrew the agreements two days after they were announced, saying the decision should be up to him, given its significance.

He subsequently said that “the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case.”

A military judge ruled in November that the deals were valid and binding, but the government appealed that decision.

The appeals court judges on Friday vacated “the military judge’s order of November 6, 2024, preventing the secretary of defense’s withdrawal from the pretrial agreements.”

And they prohibited the military judge “from conducting hearings in which respondents would enter guilty pleas or take any other action pursuant to the withdrawn pretrial agreements.”

Much of the legal jousting surrounding the 9/11 defendants’ cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone torture at the hands of the CIA — a thorny issue that the plea agreements would have avoided.

Mohammed was regarded as one of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s most trusted lieutenants before his March 2003 capture in Pakistan. He then spent three years in secret CIA prisons before arriving at Guantanamo in 2006.

The trained engineer — who has said he masterminded the 9/11 attacks “from A to Z” — was involved in a string of major plots against the United States, where he attended university.

The United States used Guantanamo, an isolated naval base, to hold militants captured during the “War on Terror” that followed the September 11 attacks in a bid to keep the defendants from claiming rights under US law.

The facility held roughly 800 prisoners at its peak, but they have since slowly been sent to other countries. A small fraction of that number remains.