ISLAMABAD: The top commanders of the Pakistan army met on Thursday and discussed ‘serious concerns’ about cross-border attacks they said were orchestrated by militants using safe havens in neighboring Afghanistan, as well as the use of social media by “politically motivated” internal actors to sow discord between the military and the public.
The views were expressed at the 83rd Formation Commanders Conference held at the military’s GHQ headquarters in Rawalpindi and attended by Army Chief General Asim Munir, all corps commanders, principal staff officers and formation commanders of the Pakistan army.
In a press conference held earlier this month, Pakistan’s military had said a suicide bombing in March that killed five Chinese engineers was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was an Afghan national. Previously also, the government and army have blamed militants harboring in Afghanistan for a surge in attacks in Pakistan.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have soured in recent months as Islamabad says Kabul is not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan. In March, Pakistan also carried out airstrikes targeting militants on Afghan territory. The Taliban have rejected Islamabad’s accusations, saying Pakistan is responsible for its own security challenges.
Since late last year, Pakistan has expelled almost half a million undocumented Afghan nationals, saying the majority of suicide attacks against its security forces were carried out by Afghans, a charge Kabul rejects.
“The forum expressed serious concerns over continued cross-border violations from Afghanistan and terrorism being orchestrated using Afghan soil, noting that Pakistan’s adversaries were using Afghanistan to target Security Forces and innocent civilians inside Pakistan,” a statement from the army said after the corp commanders’ meeting on Thursday.
Talking about internal challenges, the statement, in a veiled reference to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said “politically motivated and vested digital terrorism” had been unleashed by “conspirators duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state institutions.”
“[It] is clearly meant to try to induce despondency in the Pakistani nation, to sow discord among national institutions, especially the Armed Forces, and the people of Pakistan by peddling blatant lies, fake news, and propaganda,” the statement said.
“However, the nation is fully cognizant of their ugly and ulterior motives and surely the designs of these nefarious forces will be comprehensively defeated.”
The military remains the country’s most powerful institution and has for decades had a huge role in making and breaking governments. Khan accuses the military of a crackdown on him and his party, which the army denies.
Although Khan is widely believed to have been brought to power in 2018 with the backing of the army, he fell out with top generals and by April 2022 was ousted from the PM’s office in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence. He has since led a defiant campaign against the army, which he accuses of working with his political rivals to unseat him.
Tensions between Khan and the army reached a crescendo on May 9 last year when alleged supporters of the PTI attacked and damaged government and military installations. Hundreds of PTI supporters and leaders were arrested following the riots and some continue to remain behind bars as they await trial. The army has also initiated military court trials of at least 103 people accused of involvement in the violence. Many close Khan aides have since deserted him, due to what is widely believed to be pressure from the army, which denies interfering in politics.
“The planners, perpetrators, abettors, and facilitators of 9th May need to be brought to justice for the collective good of the country, and that without swift and transparent dispensation of justice to the culprits and establishing the rule of law, stability in the country will ever remain hostage to the machinations of such elements,” the army statement concluded.
Khan and the PTI say the May riots have been used as a ruse by political rivals and the military to crack down on the party, which is arguably the most popular in Pakistan. Khan has also been indicted under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism law in connection with the violence. A section of Pakistan’s 1997 anti-terrorism act prescribes the death penalty as maximum punishment. Khan has denied the charges, saying he was in detention when the violence took place.
Khan was also handed four court convictions ahead of Feb. 8 general elections, which ruled him out of the polls as convicted individuals cannot run for public office under Pakistani law. Khan says all the cases are motivated to keep him away from politics.
Pakistan army top commanders decry cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, ‘digital terrorism’
https://arab.news/6e9ne
Pakistan army top commanders decry cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, ‘digital terrorism’
- Army says adversaries are using Afghanistan to target security forces and civilians inside Pakistan
- In veiled reference to ex-PM Khan and his party, army says will defeat “politically motivated digital terrorism”
Poor visibility delays toss in Pakistan-West Indies Test in Multan
- Pakistan regularly suffers from winter smog which has dire health consequences
- Air quality in Multan was ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ and set to rise during the day
MULTAN, Pakistan: Toss in the first Test between Pakistan and the West Indies in Multan on Friday was delayed because of poor visibility, as air quality monitors recorded high levels of pollution.
Pakistan regularly suffers from winter smog which has dire health consequences.
“The visibility has been affected due to fog so the toss has been delayed,” Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement.
“Once the visibility improves the two umpires will inspect the conditions.”
A pitch inspection was due at 9:30 am (0430 GMT).
The air quality in Multan was “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and set to rise throughout the day, according to monitoring site IQAir.
The two-match Test series is part of the World Test Championship’s third cycle (2023-2025) in which Pakistan are eighth and the West Indies ninth and last.
The second Test starts from January 25, also in Multan.
Pakistan court expected to announce verdict today in land bribe case against ex-PM Khan
- Khan, wife are accused of receiving land worth millions of dollars as a bribe from real estate tycoon
- The announcement of the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case has already been postponed thrice before
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Pakistan is expected to announce a much-anticipated verdict today, Friday, in a case in which former prime minister Imran Khan is accused of receiving land as a bribe by misusing his office during his premiership.
The announcement of the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case has already been postponed thrice before, drawing criticism from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The case involves a charitable trust set up by Khan and his third wife Bushra Khan in 2018 when he was still in office.
Pakistani authorities say the trust was a front for the couple to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistan’s richest and most powerful businessmen. Hussain, like Khan and Bushra, denies any wrongdoing.
After the third postponement of the verdict on Jan. 13, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had accused Khan of using “delaying tactics” in the case and not showing up at the court for the announcement of the verdict, while
Khan’s party said the delay raised questions on merits of the trial.
“Imran Khan is being tried for establishing Al-Qadir University, which seems to scare the current regime, as they feel threatened by the very notion of an enlightened nation, equipped to determine right from wrong,” the PTI said in an X post on Friday.
Senator Talal Chaudhry, a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, said on Jan. 13 the Al-Qadir Trust case was an “open-and-shut case” and there was no possibility of a deal in it.
“Whether the decision is made today or tomorrow, it is a clear verdict, [this is] an open-and-shut case,” he said. “This is about Pakistan and there is no possibility of a pardon.”
Gohar Ali Khan, the PTI chairman and one of Khan’s lawyers, told reporters on Jan. 13 that his party had nothing to do with the postponement of the verdict.
“When decisions are based on political considerations or to put pressure, then everyone can see the writing on the wall,” Gohar said.
“We came prepared that the verdict would be released today but the judge has postponed it of his own accord.”
Authorities say the Al-Qadir Trust scheme originated with 190 million pounds repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 by Britain after Hussain forfeited cash and assets to settle a British probe into whether they were proceeds of crime. Instead of putting it in Pakistan’s treasury, Khan’s government is accused of using the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 and faces a slew of legal cases, says all charges against him are politically motivated and being backed by his political rivals led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s all-powerful military. Both deny the allegations.
Pakistan central bank says UAE has confirmed rollover of $2 billion deposits
- The development comes ahead of a review of Pakistan’s $7 billion IMF program, expected in Feb.
- The UAE has rolled over deposits with Pakistan since 2023, helping it shore up its foreign reserves
ISLAMABAD: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has confirmed a rollover of $2 billion deposits with Pakistan, the Pakistani central bank said on Thursday.
The Gulf country has rolled over the deposits with Pakistan’s central bank since 2023, helping the South Asian country shore up its foreign exchange reserves, strengthen its currency and secure financial bailouts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pakistan’s $350 billion economy has struggled for decades with boom-and-bust cycles and the South Asian country secured a $7 billion, 37-month loan program from the IMF in Sept. last year. The next review of the program is expected in February.
“UAE has confirmed rollover of its two deposits of $1.0 billion each placed with State Bank of Pakistan for another one year, which were maturing in January 2025,” the Pakistani central bank said in a statement.
The development comes more than a week after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in the Pakistani city of Rahim Yar Khan. Sharif later told his cabinet that the UAE president had agreed to roll over the $2 billion loan, which was due to mature this month.
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States (US), and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE foreign ministry. It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates, who are one of the major sources of remittances to the South Asian country.
In January last year, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure, a Pakistani official said, amid Pakistani caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s visit to Davos, Switzerland to attend 54th summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $16.45 billion as of January 10, with SBP-held reserves at $11.73 billion, according to the central bank.
In the past, Pakistan has also secured external financing, a key condition for IMF bailouts, from longtime allies Saudi Arabia and China.
Pakistani airline says ad showing plane flying toward Eiffel Tower never meant to evoke 9/11
- The illustration showed a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the landmark, with the words ‘Paris, we’re coming today’
- The advert was posted on X by Pakistan International Airlines, or PIA, on Jan. 10, the day that the company resumed flights to European Union
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national airline said Thursday that an advertisement showing a plane heading toward the Eiffel Tower was never intended to evoke the memories of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The illustration, not in video format, shows a plane superimposed over the French flag and tilted toward the Paris landmark, with the words “Paris, we’re coming today.”
The ad was posted on X by Pakistan International Airlines, or PIA, on Jan. 10, the day that the company resumed flights to European Union countries after a four-year ban by the bloc’s aviation safety agency.
Many social media users immediately decried the ad, and Pakistan’s prime minister called for an inquiry. On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar described the ad as an act of “stupidity.”
PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said Thursday that the ad, which hasn’t been deleted and has more than 21.2 million views, was only ever meant to celebrate that the airline was resuming flights to Europe, and never intended to harm 9/11 survivors or victims’ families.
Hafeez told The Associated Press that he was surprised over the criticism. But he said that “we apologize to those who feel the advertisement hurt them.
“We want to make it clear that we had no intention to hurt the feelings of anyone,” Hafeez said.
He said that the Eifel Tower was shown in the ad because it’s one of the best places in the world.
Curbs on PIA had been imposed in 2020 after 97 people died when a PIA plane crashed in Karachi in southern Pakistan. Then Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that an investigation into the crash found that nearly a third of
Pakistani pilots had cheated on their pilot’s exams. A government investigation later concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error.
The ban caused a loss of nearly $150 million a year in revenue for PIA, officials say.
Pakistan has some connections to the Sept. 11 attacks. One of the 9/11 masterminds, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was detained in the country in 2003. In 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in a US special forces raid in Pakistan.
‘Tremendous response’: Pakistani companies say several MoUs signed with Saudi firms at minerals summit
- Future Minerals Forum, world’s premier platform for minerals, was held in Riyadh from Jan.14-16
- Pakistan in recent months has intensified efforts to attract foreign investment in its mining sector
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani companies signed several agreements and joint ventures with Saudi firms during this week’s three-day Future Minerals Forum (FMF) summit in Riyadh, members of the delegation confirmed on Thursday, praising the “tremendous response” that the Pakistan Pavilion received at the Kingdom’s capital.
The Future Minerals Forum (FMF), the world’s premier platform for minerals, was held in Riyadh from Jan. 14-16. It brought together governments, international organizations and key stakeholders to collectively shape the future of the global minerals industry. With 14,000 participants from 178 countries, including 75 government representatives, FMF says it serves as a catalyst for global collaboration.
Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Dr. Musadik Malik led a delegation of Pakistani companies and businesspersons at the summit. Pakistan set up a pavilion at the FMF where 12 leading companies, including the Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mari Petroleum Company, Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Bolan Mining Enterprises, HTMA Mining and Wah Nobel Group, showcased their potential in the country’s mining sector.
“Pakistan Pavilion received a tremendous response during three days at FMF and many deals, joint ventures, and MoUs were signed with different Saudi firms,” Syed Mahmood ul Hassan, the general manager of Pakistan’s premier natural gas supplier PPL, and focal person of the country’s pavilion at the FMF summit, told Arab News over the phone from Riyadh.
He said around 35 Saudi firms from across the Kingdom actively engaged with Pakistani companies at the forum.
“About four MoUs have been signed by us and it has been very helpful in seeking collaboration, joint ventures and investments,” Hassan said. “We hope that in the future we will continue to materialize whatever talks we have conducted.”
Arslan Younus, business development manager at Wah Nobel Group, a Pakistani company engaged in producing a wide range of commercial explosives, detonators and drilling and blasting accessories, said the company signed four MoUs with Saudi firms during the FMF Summit.
“We have signed four MOUs with Saudi mining companies to offer our drilling and blasting services for their upcoming mining and mineral projects in the Kingdom,” he told Arab News.
Younus said these agreements were signed with the Saudi Gold Refinery, the Kingdom’s largest mining company, the Saudi Mining Company, a Saudi incubation firm and AMAK mining company.
With numerous projects emerging in the Kingdom, particularly under Saudi Vision 2030 in the mining and mineral sectors, Younus expressed hope for more collaborations.
“Now we are entering the Saudi market through joint ventures and are optimistic about establishing strong collaborations,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s Mining Minister Bandar Alkhorayef told Reuters on Wednesday that mining company Manara Minerals was looking at investing in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine, saying that the Saudi Development Fund could contribute over $100 million to Pakistan’s mining infrastructure.
Located in the country’s southwest, Reko Diq is considered one of the world’s largest underdeveloped copper-gold areas by global mining company Barrick Gold Corp.
Saudi Arabia has offered Pakistan a 15 percent investment stake in the copper and gold mine project, Pakistan’s state media reported in September 2024.
Muhammad Yousaf, the focal person for mines and minerals at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, said the South Asian country offered highly attractive investment opportunities for Saudi investors, which is why leading Pakistani companies participated in the summit to capitalize on the opportunities offered by Riyadh.
“All of these companies are big names in mines and minerals exploration,” Yousaf told Arab News.
He said the Pakistani delegation had “very good discussions” with Saudi company Manara Minerals, hoping the investment would realize “soon.”
