ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy to the United States, Ambassador Masood Khan, highlighted the need for small arms and other sophisticated equipment at an annual conference in Washington focusing on his country this week, as authorities in Islamabad announced plans to launch a comprehensive operation against militant outfits.
Pakistan’s top national security forum said last week it was going to launch Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, or Resolute Stability, amid growing concerns over militant violence and its negative implications for the government’s attempt to put the national economy back on track.
Pakistani officials have expressed concerns in the past over an armed network, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), using American military equipment which was left behind in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of international forces in 2021.
These concerns specifically mentioned advanced items like automatic assault rifles and night vision devices, which significantly enhance the capabilities of these groups and pose security challenges to civilians and security forces in Pakistan.
The government asserts TTP leaders have taken sanctuary in neighboring Afghanistan, which facilitates the network’s attacks inside Pakistan, although Afghan authorities have denied this.
“We have launched a news operation — Azm-e-Istehkam or Resolute Stability — to opposed and dismantle terrorist networks,” Khan said while addressing Annual Pakistan Conference at the Wilson Center on Wednesday. “For that, we need sophisticated small arms and communication equipment.”
He noted it was also important for regional security while pointing out that militant violence was also a threat to US interests.
Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif hinted at the possibility of launching cross-border attacks against TTP militants in Afghanistan in a recent interview with Voice of America.
Khan emphasized the US and Pakistan could collaborate in Afghanistan once again.
“The US should make Pakistan a partner for a diplomatic comeback in Kabul, if that is what is being planned, and work with Pakistan in an inclusive setting, on counterterrorism and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan,” he said.
“We should continue to invest in the reset of our relationship, maintain strong security links, enhance intelligence cooperation, resume sales of advanced military platforms and sustainment of Pakistan’s US-origin defense equipment,” he added.
The Pakistani ambassador also spoke about his country’s efforts to generate foreign investment, saying that Pakistan had remained a lucratic and attractive market for American companies.
Pakistan’s envoy to US says country needs small arms amid government’s plan for anti-militant operation
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Pakistan’s envoy to US says country needs small arms amid government’s plan for anti-militant operation
- Pakistani officials have expressed concerns in the past over TTP using US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan
- Masood Khan tells Washington conference ‘US should make Pakistan a partner for a diplomatic comeback in Kabul’
PIA slashes Umrah fares to Madinah until July 15
- The round-trip Umrah fare from Karachi to the Saudi holy city will be Rs76,000 without taxes
- Umrah pilgrims flying from other Pakistani airports will pay Rs86,000 excluding relevant taxes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national air carrier announced a reduction in Umrah fares for pilgrims traveling to Madinah in a statement issued on Sunday, saying the discounted rates would be implemented immediately.
Thousands of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia each month to visit the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah, making the kingdom a lucrative destination for the financially struggling Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Earlier this month, PIA also disclosed plans to operate 171 flights to bring about 35,000 Hajj pilgrims back to Pakistan by July 21.
“PIA announces reduction in Umrah fares,” the airline announced in a statement. “Umrah pilgrims traveling from Pakistan to Madinah will benefit from discounted fares.”
“The round-trip Umrah fare from Karachi to Madinah will be Rs76,000 excluding taxes,” it continued. “From Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan and Sialkot to Madinah, the round-trip fare has been set at 86,000 excluding taxes.”
The statement added the facility to travel from Pakistan at discounted fares would remain effective until July 15.
Fears mount of new deportation wave as Afghan refugees’ registration cards expire on June 30
- Pakistan extended the POR cards for two months in April after expelling more than 540,000 Afghan nationals
- Government launched the deportation drive against ‘illegal immigrants’ in November, citing security concerns
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may resume its deportation drive against Afghan refugees from Monday after their Proof of Registration (POR) cards expire today, June 30.
POR cards are identification documents issued by Pakistani authorities to Afghan refugees that serve as official recognition of their legal status in the country, allowing them access to various services such as education, health care and banking.
The government extends these cards on a periodic basis, often depending on the political and security situations involving both countries.
It decided to extend these cards for two months in April amid rising international concerns of more Afghans being expelled after over 540,000 of them were sent home in the first deportation phase launched amid security concerns last November.
While the government has not yet issued a statement addressing the future of these refugees, the situation has once again stirred concern about Afghan nationals needing “international protection.”
“They’re refugees. They’re not involved in terrorist activities. They’re just people who fled and who need protection,” Philippa Candler, an Afghan refugee agency official in Pakistan, was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
Pakistan began its deportation drive against “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghan nationals, after a surge of deadly suicide bombings which officials in Islamabad blamed on militants based in Afghanistan.
The authorities also blamed the Afghan administration in Kabul for facilitating these militants, a charge denied by Taliban officials, while blaming Afghan nationals in Pakistan for carrying out 14 out of 24 suicide attacks in the country.
Pakistani officials also warned that they would expel registered Afghan refugees from the country.
Seven killed, 10 injured in road collision in Pakistan’s Karachi amid heavy port traffic
- The incident took place on Mauripur Road, which is notorious for traffic jams due to heavy vehicles
- The top police surgeon in Karachi says three people involved in the accident are in critical condition
KARACHI: Seven people were killed and ten injured after a road accident occurred between a coaster and a trailer in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi on Sunday.
The incident took place on the central Mauripur Road, notorious for traffic jams due to the heavy flow of trawlers and trucks carrying goods to and from the city’s port facilities.
Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, is a major hub for import and export, benefiting from a bustling harbor that provides access to global sea lanes.
“We received seven bodies, one male and six females,” said Karachi’s top police surgeon, Dr. Summaiya Syed, while speaking to Arab News.
She informed that among the 10 injured people, four were male while six were female, with three of them in critical condition.
Road accidents are common in Pakistan, where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads are often in poor condition.
Karachi, the largest and most densely populated Pakistani metropolis, experiences a heavy load of traffic on nearly every artery of the city.
According to media reports, the speeding coaster rammed into the trailer and overturned as the latter’s driver was trying to take a U-turn.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah expressed grief over the incident, saying the licenses of all reckless drivers should be suspended.
Twenty inmates stage jailbreak in Azad Kashmir, one killed – officials
- The incident took place at the Poonch district jail in Rawalakot city where the inmates used a revolver to hold a sentry hostage
- A search operation is underway to locate the escapees, some of whom were held on serious charges including terrorism
MUZAFFARABAD: Twenty detainees, some accused of terrorism, staged a prison break in Azad Kashmir on Sunday, officials told AFP, adding that one was “killed in the crossfire” during the escape.
“The inmates had a revolver that they used to hold a sentry hostage,” said Badar Munir, an official with the regional ministry of interior.
“It is unclear whether they seized it (the weapon) from jail officials or if it was brought in from outside,” Munir added.
The incident took place at the Poonch district jail in Rawalakot city, about 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir.
“In total, 20 people escaped from the prison. One was killed in the crossfire, while 19 others remain at large,” the inspector general of Kashmir prisons, Waheed Ali Gillani, told AFP.
A senior local police official, Riaz Mughal, told AFP that police had blocked the entry and exit points of Rawalakot, and a search operation was currently under way to locate the escapees.
Prisons in Pakistan are notorious for overcrowding, poor conditions, corruption and human rights violations. Additionally, slow judicial processes contribute to prolonged stays for prisoners.
Militant groups have organized several mass jailbreaks in Pakistan in the past, including one in the northwestern town of Bannu in 2012 that sprung 400 prisoners.
Seven dead in torrential rains in southwest Pakistan amid warnings of more pre-monsoon showers
- Provincial Disaster Management Authority calls Dera Bugti the most highly affected area due to the rainfall
- Balochistan also bore a significant brunt of the devastation caused by heavy monsoon rains two years ago
QUETTA: Torrential rains killed seven people, including two children, and injured at least 25 in southwest Pakistan, a Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) official in Balochistan said on Sunday, adding that Dera Bugti district, about 360 kilometers from Quetta, was the most affected area.
Pakistan’s struggle with natural disasters intensified in 2022, as unprecedented monsoon rains wreaked havoc nationwide, claiming 1,700 lives and resulting in an estimated $35 billion in financial losses.
The country’s southern belt, including Balochistan, bore a significant brunt of the devastation.
Pakistan contributes less than one percent to global carbon emissions, though it ranks among the top ten nations most vulnerable to climate change.
“Relief operation is underway, and we have provided food items and tents to the affected,” Muhammad Younus, who supervises the PDMA emergency cell, told Arab News while confirming the number of fatalities. “Officials are doing the damage assessment survey.”
Younus informed the province expected pre-monsoon rainfall early next month, starting from July 7.
“Relevant departments have been asked to clear the water channels before any disaster,” he added.
Speaking to Arab News, Riaz Ali, a resident of Sajjo Colony in Sui, a town in Dera Bugti district, said he lost his 17-year-old son a day earlier when the roof of a local restaurant collapsed due to heavy rain.
“It was 4 or 5 PM when the heavy rainstorm began and lasted for 30 minutes,” he recalled. “In the evening, I received a call from my neighbor, who works at a hospital, to tell me that my son had died. I went to the hospital to receive his body. He had been injured in his head.”
The current situation has reminded the residents of the province of the catastrophe two years ago when heavy rains led to flash floods that destroyed houses, agricultural fields and public infrastructure in the province.
Sannaullah Panezai, an associate professor of geography at the University of Balochistan, noted the rise in erratic weather patterns in Pakistan.
“Such rains mostly began by the end of July and lasted till September in the past,” he said, pointing out the region did not receive much rain in 2023. “Climate change has been affecting rainfall and causing flash floods.”
The recent rains in Balochistan have also caused concern for agricultural production in the area.
“Our garden of apples has been partially affected,” Fazal Deen, who has his own fields in Ziarat, told Arab News. “We have also planted vegetables on 10 acres of land that have been completely destroyed.”
