Pakistani religious party chief meets Afghanistan’s PM to discuss regional security, refugees 

Afghanistan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund (center) meets Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman (first from right), leader of Pakistan's prominent religious party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (last from left), in Kabul, Pakistan, on January 8, 2024. (@juipakofficial/X)
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Updated 08 January 2024
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Pakistani religious party chief meets Afghanistan’s PM to discuss regional security, refugees 

  • Fazl arrived in Kabul on Sunday evening to hold talks with Afghan leadership amid strained Pakistan-Afghanistan ties
  • Purpose of our Afghanistan visit is to remove misunderstandings between the two countries, says Fazl-ur-Rehman 

ISLAMABAD: The leader of a prominent Pakistani religious political party, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, met Afghanistan’s Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund on Monday to discuss bilateral issues such including the repatriation of Afghan migrants from Pakistan, regional security and other matters, a statement from the party said. 

Rehman arrived in Pakistan on Sunday evening with a delegation to hold talks with the Afghan leadership. His visit comes at a time when ties between the two countries are strained due to rising militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan and Islamabad’s move to deport thousands of “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghan nationals, which it says are behind a surge in suicide attacks in the country. 

On Sunday, Rehman met Afghanistan’s deputy prime minister, Maulana Abdul Kabeer, in Kabul to discuss the regional situation and its impact on bilateral relations between the two countries. 

“The purpose of our Afghanistan visit is to remove the misunderstandings between the two countries,” Rehman was quoted as saying by his party, the Jamiat Ulama-e-Pakistan Fazl (JUI-F), in a statement. “To find ways to cooperate in political, economic, trade and matters of mutual interest between the two nations.”

Rehman regretted Pakistan’s move to deport Afghan migrants from the country, noting that his party had protested against the government’s decision to do so. 

“We consider this behavior wrong and declare it as the reason for problems between the two countries,” Rehman said. “We have brought a message of goodwill and hope this visit brings forth positive results.”

According to the JUI-F’s statement, Akhund said Pakistan and Afghanistan had a lot in common with each other due to which it was not possible to separate the two countries. 

“The Islamic Emirate does not intend to harm or create problems for any neighboring country, including Afghanistan,” Akhund was quoted as saying by the JUI-F. 




Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman (first from right), leader of Pakistan's prominent religious party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F), is pictured during a meeting with Afghanistan Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund in Kabul, Pakistan, on January 8, 2024. (@juipakofficial/X)

The statement said Akhund urged Pakistan not to stop their “cruel behavior” toward Afghan refugees, adding that such behavior causes differences and disappointment instead of solving problems. 

“Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi discussed, apart from the problems faced by Afghan refugees, the difficulties of the Afghan traders and the problems caused by Pakistani authorities in the transit trade route and exports which causes every year a heavy loss to Afghan traders,” the statement said. 

Fazl’s delegation included JUI-F leaders Maulana Abdul Wasay, Maulana Salahuddin, Maulana Jamaluddin, Maulana Saleemuddin Shamzai and others. Akhund’s delegation comprised Afghanistan’s Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other senior members of the government. 

Rehman enjoys close relations with the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan, as his party is known for its staunch advocacy of Islamic laws and values. The party wields considerable influence in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces both which border Afghanistan. 


Islamabad district commissioner denies reports of fuel shortages amid opposition protest

Updated 6 sec ago
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Islamabad district commissioner denies reports of fuel shortages amid opposition protest

  • Major roads and highways leading to the capital have been sealed off since last week when PTI party launched protest march on Sunday
  • Oil Tanker Contractors Association says closed routes had stalled the delivery of petrol to several parts of Punjab province and Islamabad

KARACHI: The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad on Tuesday rejected reports of fuel shortages after an oil tankers association said the supply of petrol to the federal capital and several cities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province had been “severely affected” due to a protest march being led by an opposition party.

Major roads and highways leading to the capital have been sealed off since last week when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of jailed former premier Imran Khan launched a protest ‘long march’ to Islamabad on Sunday. The city has been in complete lockdown since, with shipping containers used to block major roads and streets inside Islamabad also. 

“Reports of petroleum products crisis in the city are baseless and unfounded,” District Magistrate Irfan Nawaz Memon wrote on X. “There is a sufficient stock of petroleum products at petrol pumps.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Oil Tanker Contractors Association had said closed routes had stalled the delivery of petrol to several parts of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, and Islamabad. 

“Routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi and North Punjab are closed due to which supply from petrol tankers is severely affected,” association spokesperson Noman But said in a statement. “Thousands of tankers are waiting for the route to open.”

Butt said petrol had not been supplied to Gujranwala, Jhelum, Sialkot and Kharian districts in Punjab for the last three days, while supply to Islamabad, Kohala and the northern city of Gilgit was also affected. 

“Petrol has run out at pumps in many cities,” he added.

Khan’s party aims to pressure the government to release him from jail. He has been in prison since August 2023 on a slew of charges he says are politically motivated. The party is also protesting against what it says was rigging in the Feb. 8 general elections and calling on the government to roll back the recently passed 26th constitutional amendment, which the PTI says is an attack of judicial independence. The government denies this. 

PTI supporters broke through barricades and clashed with police as they marched on the capital late on Monday evening, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi saying three paramilitary troops and one policeman had been killed in clashes.

The PTI said in a statement two of its supporters were confirmed dead while over 30 were wounded. 


Pakistan rules out talks with protesters demanding ex-PM Khan’s release, six killed

Updated 35 min 1 sec ago
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Pakistan rules out talks with protesters demanding ex-PM Khan’s release, six killed

  • Topping demands of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is release of all its leaders, including Khan
  • Interior ministry says four troops killed in clashes with protesters, PTI says two supporters dead

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday ruled out talks with protesters who are holding a sit-in in Islamabad to demand the release of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan after four security officials and two demonstrators were killed in clashes. 

Hundreds of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday reached the D-Chowk public square in Islamabad’s heavily fortified red zone, home to parliament, key government installations, luxury hotels, embassies and the offices of foreign organizations. Protest leaders, including Khan’s wife Bushra Khan and Ali Amin Gandapur, who is the chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where the PTI is in power, have said this is a “do or die” sit-in that will go on until Khan is freed from prison. The former premier has been jailed since August last year and faces a slew of charges from corruption to terrorism that he says are politically motivated to keep him behind bars and away from politics. 

PTI supporters broke through barricades and clashed with police as they marched on the capital late on Monday evening, with Interior Minister Naqvi saying three paramilitary troops and one policeman had been killed in clashes. The PTI said in a statement two of its supporters were confirmed dead while over 30 were wounded, the worst political violence seen in months in the South Asian nation of 241 million people.

“In today’s meeting, the clear cut decision of the prime minister and others is that there will be no talks with these protesters,” Naqvi said after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met his cabinet and other top officials. 

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the government had agreed to offer the protesters a place on the outskirts of Islamabad to hold their protest and would have facilitated them in their activities. 

“But why do they want to go to D-Chowk?” the information minister asked. “Because they want to cause damage to the life and property of Islamabad’s citizens. They have among them Afghan nationals, terrorists, dacoits.” 

In a message shared with supporters from jail by his team, Khan, 72, urged his followers to stay peaceful but to stand firm til the end. 

“My message for my team is to fight until the last ball is bowled. We will not back down until our demands are met!”

LOCKDOWN

As thousands of rally goers left for Islamabad on Sunday in protest caravans, authorities shut down major highways leading to the capital and used shipping containers to block major roads and streets inside the city. Mobile Internet links and apps like WhatsApp have been down since the weekend and schools have been closed for several days in the capital and the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi. 

Last week, the district administration also banned public gatherings in Islamabad for two months, and on Monday, the interior ministry invoked Article 245, calling in the army to maintain law and order. 

A round of the federal capital by Arab News on Tuesday afternoon showed that all entry and exit points of the city had been sealed again with shipping containers shortly after protesters removed them to enter the city. The Srinagar Highway, the main artery connecting the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, was littered with stones that protesters had reportedly hurled at security personnel on their way to D-Chowk. 

Local residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad could be seen distributing food and water among protesters on the Srinagar Highway while helicopters hovered above. 

Protest leader Ali Amin Gandapur, whose caravan had still not reached D-Chowk by Tuesday evening, urged protesters to camp at the square and not advance further into the red zone. 

“D-Chowk means D-Chowk,” the chief minister told supporters from atop a truck en route to the public square. “Beyond that, as long as Imran Khan’s orders, Imran Khan’s instructions are not given, we will not go beyond that area and we will respect his instructions.”

Amnesty International called on the Pakistan government to protect and ensure the rights of protesters and “immediately rescind the ‘shoot-on-sight’ orders that provide undue and excessive powers to the military.”

“The severe restrictions on assembly, movement and mobile and Internet services as well as arbitrary detentions of thousands of protesters across Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad, are a grave violation of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, movement and expression,” the rights group said on X.


Pakistani conglomerate Descon announces local incorporation in Saudi Arabia

Updated 26 November 2024
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Pakistani conglomerate Descon announces local incorporation in Saudi Arabia

  • Pakistan’s Descon Engineering operates in the engineering, power and chemical sectors
  • It has a long-standing strategic partnership with the Olayan Saudi Holding Company 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Descon Engineering, which operates in the engineering, power and chemical sectors, on Tuesday announced the incorporation of Descon Engineering Arabia, a registered entity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in partnership with its long-standing strategic partner, Olayan Saudi Holding Company (OSHCO.)

OSHCO is a Saudi-based diversified business enterprise with commercial and industrial operations spread across Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East and North Africa regions. The company’s portfolio includes more than 25 companies operating in five sectors, namely, food and beverages, restaurants, health and personal care, information and communications technology (ICT), and energy.

Descon, a group of companies headquartered in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, is active in UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, and South Africa.

“This significant development reaffirms Descon’s continued commitment to the Kingdom and highlights its focus on localization within Saudi Arabia,” Descon said in a statement. 

“Through Descon Engineering Arabia, the company is further expanding its regional footprint, reinforcing its position as a trusted and established service provider dedicated to meeting the needs of customers across the Kingdom.”

The company said the “new chapter” had strengthened its resolve to make a broader global impact, ensuring enhanced value delivery to clients in Saudi Arabia, while supporting the development of local talent and capacity building.

“As we establish Descon Engineering Arabia in partnership with OSHCO, we reaffirm our commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its vision for sustainable growth. This step represents a deepening of our long-standing relationship with the region, enabling us to deliver tailored solutions while contributing to local talent development and capacity building,” Taimur Saeed, CEO of Descon Engineering, said. 

“We look forward to fostering stronger collaborations and continuing to serve the Kingdom with the reliability and expertise that have defined our journey for nearly five decades.”

Through Descon Engineering Arabia, Descon Engineering is positioned to deliver even greater value, continuing its “dedication to excellence and local growth” for customers in Saudi Arabia and the region, the company added. 


Ayub century helps Pakistan crush Zimbabwe, level series

Updated 26 November 2024
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Ayub century helps Pakistan crush Zimbabwe, level series

  • Ayub struck unbeaten 113 as Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to level one-day international series with one match to come
  • Zimbabwe were all out for 145 at Queens Sports Club as they sought a second victory over the tourists

ZIMBABWE: Saim Ayub struck an unbeaten 113 as Pakistan crushed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in Bulawayo on Tuesday to level a one-day international series with one match to come.

Zimbabwe were all out for 145 at Queens Sports Club as they sought a second victory over the tourists in three days having won by 80 runs in a rain-shortened tour opener.

Pakistan then atoned for a poor batting show on Sunday with Ayub and fellow opener Abdullah Shafique (32 not out) unstoppable as they reached their target in 18.2 overs.

Ayub struck 17 runs and three sixes off 62 balls in a 75-minute stand while Shafique claimed four fours in the southern city.

Ayub reached his century off 53 balls — the second fastest in an ODI international by a Pakistani after Shahid Afridi.

Zimbabwe, seeking a first ODI series win over Pakistan, utilized five bowlers, but none made an impression with Brandon Mavuta, who conceded 47 runs in four overs, particularly expensive.

After winning the toss, Zimbabwe were quickly in trouble with openers Joylord Gumbie (five) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (four) back in the pavilion with less than four overs bowled.

Only Dion Myers, who struck six fours in his 33, and veteran Sean Williams, who posted 31 before being trapped leg before by Ayub, impressed for the home team.

Pakistan-born all-rounder Sikandar Raza, often the batting savior for Zimbabwe, made just 17 before becoming one of three victims of Salman Ali Agha.

Abrar Ahmed took four wickets and Ali Agha three for Pakistan, who arrived in southern Africa after a 3-0 ODI series loss in Australia.

The Zimbabwe ODI series decider is set for Thursday, followed by three Twenty20 internationals from Sunday, also in Bulawayo. Pakistan then visit South Africa for an all-format tour.


VPN demand increased 253% in Pakistan between Nov. 24-26 — Top10VPN

Updated 26 November 2024
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VPN demand increased 253% in Pakistan between Nov. 24-26 — Top10VPN

  • Pakistani authorities have suspended mobile Internet services and blocked several VPNs amid a protest by PTI opposition party
  • Social media platform X has been blocked since February and the government is also moving to implement a national firewall

ISLAMABAD: Top10VPN, an independent VPN review company, said this week VPN demand had more than tripled in Pakistan following the tightening of social media restrictions between Nov. 24-26, days that coincide with the launch of a protest movement by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Pakistani authorities have suspended mobile Internet services and blocked several VPNs amid a protest launched by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 on a spate of charges from corruption to terrorism. 

The government has been cracking down on VPN use for weeks, with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announcing that businesses and freelancers would be able to legally use VPNs by registering with the government, but unregistered VPNs will be blocked in Pakistan after Nov. 30. Authorities say the measures are meant to deter militants and other suspects who use VPNs to conceal their identities and spread “anti-state propaganda” and promote “blasphemous” or other illegal content online.

Digital rights activists say the move is part of government attempts to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid a wave of digital crackdowns, particularly as the use of VPNs has sharply risen in Pakistan since February this year when the government banned X. 

“Demand for VPN services initially increased by 102 percent in Pakistan on November 24 compared to the daily average over the 28 days prior,” Top10VPN said in a report. 

The PTI had launched its ‘long march’ protest to the federal capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 24. 

“VPN demand intensified the next day [Monday], at 253 percent above the baseline on November 25 and continues to remain elevated,” the website added. “The surge followed reports that WhatsApp had been targeted by the authorities, preventing media sharing.”

The federal government is also moving to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content, protect government networks from attacks, and allow the government to identify IP addresses associated with what it calls “anti-state propaganda” and terror attacks. Internet speeds have dropped by up to 30-40 percent over the past few months due to the firewall, according to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).

In August, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the national firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.” The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), the country’s top representative body for the IT sector, warned last week Internet slowdowns and the restriction of VPN services could lead to financial losses and closures and increase operational costs for the industry by up to $150 million annually.

Pakistan’s IT and ITeS exports have been growing at an average of 30 percent per year, and are on the way to achieve over $15 billion in the next 5 years, according to industry data, provided the government ensures continuity in export, fiscal, financial, SME, infrastructure and IT policies.

“If the VPNs are blocked, most of IT companies, Call Centers, BPO [business process outsourcing] organizations of Pakistan will lose all the major Fortune 500 clients, as well as others – as data protection and cybersecurity are of paramount importance to our clients, and connecting to client systems through VPN is a global norm and standard, and is a basic requirement and expectation of clients around the world,” P@SHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed said in a statement released last Tuesday.

“Additionally, no international company of any size tolerates any intrusion into their security protocols by any private or public institution.”