ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Davos, PM Kakar’s office said on Thursday, adding the two figures reviewed “regional developments” at the meeting.
The meeting between the Saudi foreign minister and PM Kakar took place on the sidelines of the 54th World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, according to PM Kakar’s office.
It occurred hours after Pakistan said it had targeted “terrorist hideouts” in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province after Tehran this week conducted an airstrike against alleged militants in Pakistan’s southwest.
“The Prime Minister underlined the strategic importance of close brotherly relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, rooted in common cultural heritage and shared interests. He emphasized that Pakistan’s desire to deepen bilateral engagement including through trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges,” PM Kakar’s office said in a statement.
“The two sides also reviewed regional developments. Prime Minister Kakar noted that close brotherly relations between the two countries were a factor of regional stability.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have deep cultural, defense and economic ties, deeply rooted in history and religion.
PM Kakar appreciated the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and underlined the highest esteem the people of Pakistan held for the leadership and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his office said.
The Pakistan premier arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 54th WEF summit, where he was scheduled to attend three thematic events, including ‘Preventing An Era of Global Conflict,’ ‘Restoring Faith in the Global System,’ and ‘Preventing Economic Fracture.’
But, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the prime minister had cut short his visit and would return to Islamabad by Thursday night.
“He has decided to cut short his visit in view of the ongoing developments,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a press briefing.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan and the neighboring Iran are both battling simmering insurgencies along their sparsely populated border regions.
The cross-border attacks add to multiple crises across the Middle East, with Israel waging a war against Hamas in Gaza and Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting
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Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting
- The meeting comes hours after Pakistan airstrikes targeted ‘terrorist hideouts’ inside Iran
- The cross-border attacks by Iran, Pakistan this week add to multiple crises across Middle East
KSrelief starts distributing relief items among 4,000 flood-affected families in Pakistan’s northwest
- Relief items distributed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan, Mansehra, Kohistan and Chitral districts
- Heavy rains from July to September killed 347 in Pakistan, out of which 99 casualties were reported in KP
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has started distributing relief items among four thousand flood-affected families in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, state-run media reported on Sunday.
Heavy monsoon rains from July to September killed at least 347 people in Pakistan and damaged thousands of homes in the South Asian country. At least 99 people were killed and 147 injured in KP province alone.
Pakistan is recognized as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries due to climate change effects where floods in 2022 killed over 1,700 people, damaged critical infrastructure and washed away large swathes of crops.
“King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has started distribution of shelters and relief items among four thousand flood affected families in five districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Radio Pakistan reported.
The state media said relief items include solar panels, plastic mats, blankets, water coolers, kitchen sets and anti-bacterial soaps, adding that these are being distributed in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan, Mansehra, Kohistan, Upper and Lower Chitral districts.
KSrelief has one of the largest humanitarian budgets available to any aid agency across the world, which has allowed its officials to undertake a wide variety of projects in more than 80 countries.
Pakistan is the fifth largest beneficiary of its aid and humanitarian activities and has greatly benefited from its assistance since last year’s monsoon floods.
Demoralized Pakistan look to reverse fortunes in first Test against England today
- Pakistan have not won the last 10 Test matches at home, with their last victory taking place in February 2021
- Green shirts have included Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Aamer Jamal and Abrar Ahmed in playing XI
ISLAMABAD: A demoralized Pakistan cricket team that has not won a single Test match on home soil since February 2021 will look to reverse its cricket fortunes when it locks horns with a strong England side during the first of the three-match series in Multan today, Monday.
The last three-and-a-half years for Test cricket have been brutal for Pakistan, with the green shirts remaining winless in their last 10 home Tests. To add insult to injury, Shan Masood’s side suffered a humiliating 2-0 home defeat to Bangladesh last month.
England skipper Ben Stokes, who led his team to an emphatic 3-0 Test series victory during the team’s last tour in 2022, has been ruled out of the first Test match due to injury.
“The first test match between Pakistan and England will begin at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Monday,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
On the eve of the first Test, Masood warned that even without Stokes, England were a dangerous side.
“England’s strength will not lessen with one individual (missing),” he warned. “They are still very competitive.
“If you look at their playing eleven then it’s very balanced with all-rounders, and they have two spinners and three fast bowlers with deep batting, so their loss is that of an individual.”
England’s stand-in skipper Ollie Pope said though Pakistan had remained winless at home for quite a while, the visitors will be wary of them.
“They’ve obviously not had their strongest run recently, but we still see them as a highly skilled side,” he said at a press conference on Sunday. “They are a team we don’t take lightly.”
Pakistan named their team with a bowling attack of two fast bowlers in Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, medium-pacer Aamer Jamal and frontline spinner Abrar Ahmed.
The second match is also in Multan, from Oct. 15, with the final Test in Rawalpindi beginning Oct. 24.
Squads
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmad
England: Ollie Pope (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes
China says two nationals killed, one injured in ‘terrorist attack’ in southern Pakistan
- Chinese staff of Port Qasim Electric Power Company were attacked near Karachi airport, says Chinese Embassy in Pakistan
- Separatist Balochistan Liberation Army, which specifically targets Chinese interests in Pakistan, claims responsibility for attack
KARACHI: Two Chinese nationals were killed while at least 10 others were injured last night in a blast that took place near the Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, the Chinese embassy and local authorities confirmed on Monday, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack.”
On Sunday night, residents from various parts of the city such as the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), North Nazimabad and Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS) areas reported hearing a loud explosion near the airport. This was followed by a series of videos that went viral on social media, showing a massive blaze and several vehicles on fire.
The outlawed Baloch separatist outfit Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had targeted a convoy of “Chinese engineers and investors” arriving in Pakistan’s largest city and its commercial hub. In a statement sent via email, the BLA said the attack was executed by its Majeed Brigade unit that had targeted a high-profile convoy of Chinese personnel.
Speaking to ARY, a local news channel on Sunday night, Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar said authorities were investigating the incident. He said four police officers and two personnel of the paramilitary Rangers force were also among the injured.
“At around 11 p.m. on October 6th, a convoy carrying Chinese staff of the Port Qasim Electric Power Company (Private) Limited was attacked near the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, which caused two Chinese died, one Chinese injured and some local casualties,” the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.
An initial report from the Airport Police Station said an unknown vehicle collided with a car carrying Chinese nationals near the airport’s outer gate, triggering the explosion. The injured Chinese national was subsequently transported to a local hospital.
“The nature of the explosion will be determined by the bomb disposal team,” a copy of the report seen by Arab News said.
The Chinese embassy said it was making every effort to handle the “aftermath” of the attack with Pakistani authorities.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan strongly condemn this terrorist attack, express deep condolences to the innocent victims of both countries and sincere sympathies to the injured and families, and are making every effort to handle the aftermath together with the Pakistani side,” it added.
The statement said the Chinese embassy and its consulates in Pakistan have launched “an emergency plan” and requested the Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators. It urged Islamabad to take necessary measures to protect Chinese citizens, institutions and projects in the South Asian country.
“The Chinese Embassy and Consulates General in Pakistan remind Chinese citizens, enterprises and projects in Pakistan to be vigilant, pay close attention to the security situation, strengthen security measures, and make every effort to take safety precautions,” the statement concluded.
Dr. Summayia Syed, a police surgeon in Karachi, said 10 people including a child were being treated at the Jinnah Hospital for injuries.
“One of the injured is in critical condition,” she told Arab News, adding that all the victims were Pakistani citizens.
The BLA is a separatist outfit that wants independence for Pakistan’s gas-and-mineral-rich Balochistan province, which has been the scene of a low-lying insurgency for the past two decades and shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan. Separatist Baloch militants blame Pakistan’s state for exploiting the province’s resources, a charge the Pakistani state denies vehemently.
In August, the banned outfit launched a series of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, killing over 70 people. It has claimed attacks in Balochistan in the past, including the killing of seven barbers hailing from Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province in the port city of Gwadar in May.
The militant outfit targets Chinese interests in Pakistan, including the Gwadar port located on the Arabian Sea. It has previously killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi as well.
China is a major ally and investor in Pakistan that has pledged over $65 billion in investment in road, infrastructure and development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The CPEC is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, a massive China-led infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe.
Pakistan observes Palestine Solidarity Day today to mark one year of Israeli invasion
- Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders
- PM Shehbaz Sharif will also host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is observing Palestine Solidarity Day today, Monday, to mark one year of relentless Israeli strikes on Gaza that have killed more than 41,800 Palestinians, Pakistani state media reported.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took the decision to observe the day during a meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Jamaat-e-Islami chief Naeem-ur-Rehman in Islamabad.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths nearly 1,200 people, according to official Israeli figures. Israel launched a blistering military campaign in Gaza that has since killed 41,825 people, the Palestinian health ministry says.
The nationwide day of solidarity is being observed to express solidarity with the innocent Palestinians facing the worst Israeli brutalities, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also host an All Parties Conference to raise a voice against the ongoing oppression of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and to support the Palestinian brothers and sisters,” the report read.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s war on Gaza on various international forums, calling for an immediate ceasefire and accountability for Israel’s “war crimes.”
On Sunday, thousands rallied on Sunday in the country’s commercial capital of Karachi to protest the ongoing “genocide” of the Palestinians in Gaza, ahead of the anniversary of one year of Israeli invasion of the Palestinian territory.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other multilateral platforms and demanded international powers and bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The South Asian country has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Top official of ex-PM Khan party resurfaces in provincial assembly session after going missing in Islamabad
- Ali Amin Gandapur, who heads the government of Khan's party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, went missing after leading thousands of Khan supporters to Islamabad
- In a surprise turn of events, CM Gandapur resurfaced during a session of the KP assembly on Sunday evening amid cheers and applause from members of House
ISLAMABAD: Ali Amin Gandapur, a key official of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party, resurfaced during a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial assembly on Sunday, after having gone missing during his party’s protest in Islamabad a day ago.
Gandapur, who heads the government of Khan’s party in KP, went missing after leading thousands of Khan supporters to the Pakistani capital to protest the government’s proposed constitutional amendments that the PTI claims are aimed at curtailing the independence of the judiciary, the government denies this. The PTI also aimed to mount pressure for the release of its leader who is in jail since August last year.
Mystery continued to surround the whereabouts of Gandapur on Sunday as the PTI protest entered its third day, with at least one policeman killed in clashes and almost 900 demonstrators arrested. The PTI alleged that CM Gandapur had been “kidnapped,” while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denied the PTI’s claims that the KP chief minister had been abducted by the Islamabad police or intelligence agencies.
In a surprise turn of events, Chief Minister Gandapur resurfaced during a session of the KP assembly on Sunday evening, amid cheers and applause from members of the House. Shortly afterward, he launched into a fiery speech in which he criticized the federal authorities for the road blockades and “torture” to prevent Khan supporters from entering Islamabad.
“We were protesting peacefully, they blocked the roads and tortured the workers,” he said. “Worst violence and shelling was done in Pathargarh, Burhan and other places. They used to say that we could not reach the D-Chowk [in Islamabad], but we reached there. Our protest was not a sit-in, we recorded the protest successfully.”
The KP chief minister accused the Islamabad Inspector-General Ali Nasir Rizvi of “attacking” the KP House, the provincial administration office in Islamabad where Gandapur had arrived on Saturday, with the help of police and paramilitary Rangers.
“When I reached KP House, IG Islamabad entered the KP House with police and Rangers. KP House is part of the KP province, the attack on it was an attack on the province,” he said. “IG Islamabad broke the windows of government vehicles and damaged property. He must be made accountable for damaging KP government property.”
Clashes erupted in Islamabad and nearby cities on Friday and Saturday as police tried to prevent Khan supporters protesters from entering the Pakistani capital, with federal officials accusing protesters accompanying Gandapur of firing tear gas at police. They said Gandapur was accompanied by serving police officers as well as heavy machinery to remove road blockades.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Naqvi said CM Gandapur was on the run and the Islamabad police would “deal with him as per law as they are definitely searching for him.”
Pakistan’s federal government has also constituted an inquiry committee to probe the use of resources of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provincial government for this week’s protest in Islamabad by Khan’s party, the Pakistani interior ministry said on Sunday.
Khan’s party says it is facing an over-year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the PTI attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023, after the former premier’s brief arrest the same day in a land graft case.
Hundreds of PTI followers and leaders were arrested following the riots and many remain behind bars as they await trial. The military, which says Khan and his party were behind the attacks, has also initiated army court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence.
Khan, who has been in jail since last August, was ousted from the PM’s office in 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which denies being involved in politics.
