ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army on Friday bade farewell to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Nadeem Raza, the Pakistani military said, in a transition of military leadership which put to rest widespread speculation earlier this week.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday picked Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the CJCSC and Lt Gen Asim Munir as the new chief of the country’s all-powerful army, ending uncertainty surrounding the high-profile appointment that caused months of political instability in Pakistan.
The office of the army chief is arguably the most influential position in Pakistan, given the country’s turbulent history of civil-military relations. Pakistan’s military has ruled the country for around half of its 75-year history and enjoys extensive powers even under civilian administrations.
To bid farewell to the outgoing CJCSC, a special ceremony was held at the Pakistani military’s Joint Staff Headquarters, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said in a statement. The ceremony was attended by former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and senior officials of the tri-services.
In his farewell address, General Raza thanked the Almighty for enabling him to discharge his duties to the best of his abilities and applauded the sacrifices rendered by the armed forces in the defense of Pakistan.
“[The] defense of the country is impregnable and gallant soldiers will not hesitate in making it even more formidable,” he was quoted as saying by the ISPR.
The outgoing CJCSC was also presented a ‘Guard of Honour’ by a smartly turned out tri-services contingent at the venue.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee works for coordination among the three branches of the military, while its chairman also serves as the principal military adviser to the prime minister.
CJCSC-designate Mirza will be taking over the office after the retirement of Gen Raza following his 41 years of military service. Mirza, who comes from the army’s Sindh Regiment, has had an illustrious career and has served in multiple leadership roles in the army.
He came into the spotlight after he became the director-general of military operations in the last two years of former army chief Raheel Sharif’s tenure.
Since his elevation to the rank of a three-star general, Mirza has served as the chief of general staff — the second-most powerful position in the army after the chief himself — and then the commander of the army’s 10th Corps.
In accordance with the constitutional procedures, President Arif Alvi ratified the appointments of the CJCSC and the army chief Thursday evening, with some experts expressing concerns Alvi might not immediately ratify the prime minister’s summary to prolong the process.
The fears were raised in the backdrop of ex-prime minister Imran Khan, a chief rival of Sharif, saying in an interview on Wednesday the president, a close aide and member of Khan’s party, was in contact with him and would consult him on the appointments on the top slots.
Pakistan’s army bid farewell to Gen Nadeem Raza in transition of military leadership
https://arab.news/wu2r9
Pakistan’s army bid farewell to Gen Nadeem Raza in transition of military leadership
- Raza will be succeeded by Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza as new head of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
- Mirza, who comes from Sindh Regiment, has had illustrious career and served in multiple leadership roles
Rain predicted in parts of Punjab in next 24 hours as heatwave eases
- Met Office said on June 10 heatwave in several parts of the country was expected to continue well into middle of the month
- Heat wave has begun to subside with rainfall in many areas of Punjab in the last 24 hours, disaster management officials say
ISLAMABAD: Light rain is forecast in several divisions of Pakistan’s Punjab province over the next 24 hours, provincial disaster management officials said on Monday, as a prolonged heat wave begins to ease in some areas.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on June 10 an ongoing heatwave in several parts of the country was expected to continue well into the middle of the month, with temperatures soaring above normal, disrupting daily life and raising health concerns.
However, the heat wave has begun to subside, a spokesperson for the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said in a situation report, and in the past 24 hours, Bahawalnagar recorded 8 millimeters of rain, Sahiwal 3 mm, and Toba Tek Singh up to 2 mm.
Rainfall was also reported in Multan, Sialkot, Jhang, Kasur, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi districts.
“Rain is predicted in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Gujranwala, D.G. Khan, and Sahiwal divisions in the next 24 hours,” the PDMA spokesperson said.
Five people were injured in a roof collapse caused by rain in Kasur district in the last 24 hours, the PDMA confirmed.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia “instructed to provide the best medical assistance to the injured” and urged residents to exercise caution during unstable weather.
“Citizens are requested to take precautionary measures in bad weather conditions,” Kathia said in the statement. “Stay in safe places in bad weather conditions. Never go out under the open sky during thunderstorms.”
Pakistan ranks among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change and has faced increasingly frequent extreme weather events in recent years, including deadly heat waves and floods.
Temperatures in the upper parts of the country including parts of Punjab, Islamabad, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern regions of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan remained 5°C to 7°C above normal this past week. Temperatures in the southern Sindh, eastern Punjab and southwestern Balochistan provinces stayed 4°C to 6°C above normal.
Five militants with suspected India links killed in Pakistan’s northwest — army
- Four militants killed in a raid in Peshawar district late on Sunday
- Another was shot dead during separate operation in North Waziristan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed five suspected militants in two separate intelligence-based operations in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Monday, alleging the insurgents had links to India.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said four militants were killed in a raid in Peshawar district late Sunday, while another was shot dead during a separate operation in North Waziristan.
The army described the militants as being “Indian proxies.”
The military said troops “skillfully surrounded and effectively engaged the Indian-sponsored Khwarij location,” and after an “intense fire exchange, four Indian-sponsored Khwarij, including Kharji Haris and Kharji Baseer, were sent to hell.”
A search operation in North Waziristan led to the killing of another suspected militant, the statement added. Troops recovered weapons, ammunition and explosives at both sites.
Pakistan has long accused its neighbor India of backing separatist and other militants to destabilize its territory, a charge New Delhi strongly denies.
Militant violence has surged in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since 2021, when a fragile ceasefire with the Pakistani Taliban collapsed. Attacks by separatists have also spiked in southwestern Balochistan. Islamabad claims that militants receive sanctuary and funding from foreign states like India, Afghanistan and Iran. All three deny the accusations.
There was no immediate response from India’s foreign ministry to the latest allegations.
Pakistan set to hold policy rate as Israel-Iran conflict overshadows growth push
- Eleven of 14 respondents in a snap poll expected central bank to leave the benchmark rate unchanged at 11 percent
- Central bank paused its easing cycle in March after cumulative cuts of 1,000 basis points from a record high of 22 percent
KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank is expected to hold its policy rate today, Monday, a Reuters poll showed, as many analysts shifted their previous view of a cut in the wake of Israel’s military strike on Iran, citing inflation risks from rising global commodity prices.
Israel said on Friday it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders in a “preemptive strike” to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Several brokerages had initially expected a cut but revised their forecasts after the Israeli strikes sparked fears of a broader conflict.
The escalating hostilities triggered a sharp spike in oil prices — a worry for Pakistan given the broader impact on imported inflation from a potentially prolonged conflict and tightening of crude supplies.
Eleven of 14 respondents in a snap poll expected the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to leave the benchmark rate unchanged at 11 percent. Two forecast a 100 basis-point cut and one predicted a 50 bps cut.
“There remains an upside risk of a rise in global commodity prices in light of geopolitical tensions which could mark a return to inflationary pressures,” said Ahmad Mobeen, senior economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
“The resultant higher import bill could also threaten external sector performance and bring pressure to the exchange rate.”
Inflation in the South Asian country has been declining for several months after it soared to around 40 percent in May 2023.
Last month, however, inflation picked up to 3.5 percent, above the finance ministry’s projection of up to 2 percent, partly due to the fading of the year-go base effects. The SBP expects average inflation between 5.5 percent and 7.5 percent for the fiscal year ending June.
The central bank paused its easing cycle in March after cumulative cuts of 1,000 basis points from a record high of 22 percent, and resumed it with a 100-basis-point reduction in May.
The policy meeting follows the release a tight annual budget, which saw Pakistan raise defense spending by 20 percent but overall expenditure was reduced by 7 percent, with GDP growth forecast at 4.2 percent.
Pakistan says its $350 billion economy has stabilized under a $7 billion IMF bailout that had helped it staved a default threat.
Some analysts are skeptical of the government’s ability to reach the growth target amid fiscal and external challenges.
Abdul Azeem, head of research at Al Habib Capital Markets, which forecast a 50-bp cut, said a lower rate could “support the GDP target of 4.2 percent and reduce the debt financing burden.”
Pakistanis rally to demand Muslim solidarity with Iran as conflict with Israel deepens
- Israel’s surprise attack on targets across Iran on Friday has been followed by four days of escalating strikes
- Israeli attacks in Iran have killed over 220 people, mostly civilians, since Friday, 23 dead from Iran’s retaliatory strikes
LAHORE: Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday to protest Israel’s military strikes on Iran, calling for unity among Muslim nations and stronger action against what they described as Israeli aggression.
Israel’s surprise attack on targets across Iran on Friday has been followed by four days of escalating strikes, as both sides have threatened more devastation in the biggest ever confrontation between the longstanding enemies.
Clutching banners and chanting slogans, protesters in Lahore urged Muslim countries to stand with Iran and resist Israel’s actions.
“The only solution to this is that the atrocity and barbarism that Israel started is put to an end by getting together with Iran,” said Nida Fatima, a student who joined the rally. “For every Muslim, every proud Muslim, every proud individual in any Muslim nation, it is their duty to stand up for Palestine with Iran.”
Hussnain Zaidi, a local marketing manager in his 50s, demanded immediate international pressure on Israel.
“The oppression and brutality that Israel has committed against Iran must end, and the international community must propose a punishment for it so that it does not attempt to destroy any country in the future like Israel did with Gaza,” he told AFP.
The death toll in Iran since Friday has reached at least 224, with 90 percent of the casualties reported to be civilians, an Iranian health ministry spokesperson said. At least 23 fatalities have been reported in Israel, including in Tel Aviv and Haifa, as per Israel’s national emergency services/.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office has condemned Israeli missile strikes on Iran as a “grave violation of international law” and urged the United Nations to take immediate steps to halt the aggression and hold Israel accountable.
Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, has for decades called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The Lahore demonstration reflects growing domestic pressure on the Pakistani government to take a stronger stance against Israel as the conflict deepens and oil prices rise, potentially squeezing Pakistan’s economy and foreign exchange reserves.
Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran, its fiercest enemy, from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Since the rise of the Islamic Republic at the end of the 1970s, Iran’s rulers have repeatedly pledged to destroy Israel.
Military-linked Fauji Fertilizer to bid for stake in Pakistan’s PIA
- Islamabad is trying to offload 51-100 percent stakes in PIA under $7 billion IMF program to overhaul state-owned firms
- 2024 auction drew only one offer of $36 million, far below government’s $305-million floor price, and was rejected
ISLAMABAD: Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd. (FFC), a unit of the Pakistan army-run Fauji Foundation, said on Monday its board had approved submitting an expression of interest to acquire a stake in loss-making national carrier PIA, according to a filing with the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).
Islamabad is trying to offload a controlling stake of 51-100 percent in PIA under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program aimed at overhauling state-owned firms. Authorities last month pushed back the deadline for expressions of interest to June 19.
“The board … has approved submission of an expression of interest and pre-qualification documents to the Privatization Commission … and undertaking a comprehensive due-diligence exercise,” FFC said in the filing.
FFC is Pakistan’s biggest fertilizer maker and has diversified interests in energy, food and finance. Any deal on PIA would expand the military group’s footprint into aviation, though final terms will hinge on the government’s privatization process and regulatory approvals.
FFC’s move marks Pakistan’s second attempt to sell PIA.
A 2024 auction drew only one offer – Rs10 billion ($36 million) for 60 percent of the airline from real-estate developer Blue World City – far below the government’s Rs85 billion ($305 million) floor price and was rejected.
Pakistan had offloaded nearly 80 percent of the airline’s legacy debt and shifted it to government books ahead of the privatization attempt. The rest of the debt was also cleaned out of the airline’s accounts after the failed sale attempt to make it more attractive to potential buyers, according to the country’s privatization ministry.
In April, PIA posted an operating profit of Rs9.3 billion ($33.1 million) for 2024, its first in 21 years.
The airline has for years survived on government bailouts as its operational earnings were eaten up by debt servicing costs.
Officials say offloading the debt burden and recent reforms like shedding staff, exiting unprofitable routes and other cost-cutting measures led to the profitable year.
Ahead of the attempt to sell the airline last year, PIA had faced threats of being shut down, with planes impounded at international airports over its failure to pay bills and flights canceled due to a shortage of funds to pay for fuel or spare parts.
The state carrier’s 34-plane fleet commands only 23 percent of Pakistan’s domestic market, while Middle Eastern rivals take about 60 percent of overall traffic, thanks to wider route networks and direct connections.
