PESHAWAR: At least two policemen were killed on Friday when a convoy of local judges came under attack in northwestern Pakistan, a police official confirmed, as the country grapples with a surge in militant attacks, particularly in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan has faced deadly attacks by the banned militant conglomerate Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) since an uneasy truce between them collapsed in November 2022.
The network, whose leadership is reportedly based in neighboring Afghanistan, has targeted civilians and security forces with impunity since its inception in 2007, prompting the military to launch multiple operations to dislodge its fighters from the country’s northwestern tribal region.
This is not the first time the lives of district judges have been endangered by militants operating in KP. Last April, Judge Shakirullah Marwat was abducted by unidentified kidnappers near a village at the junction of Tank and Dera Ismail (DI) Khan districts but was recovered after a few days.
“Two policemen have been killed who were part of the judges’ security squad,” District Police Officer Abdul Salam Khalid told Arab News on Friday. “The attack on the convoy occurred at the junction of Tank and DI Khan.”
The police official said two judges were traveling in separate cars from Dera Ismail Khan to South Waziristan when their convoy was ambushed by unidentified militants. He added more details related to the incident would be shared after the investigation was completed.
Meanwhile, Regional Police Officer Nasir Mehmood said the attack was not aimed at the judges but was instead carried out to target the police personnel.
“Attacks on police and law enforcement agencies occur on and off in the region,” he added.
Reacting to the attack, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur described the targeting of judges and police as a “sad and condemnable” act, directing the authorities to submit a detailed report on the incident.
The province has witnessed a major increase in militant violence, with two policemen and a civilian killed this week in an attack on a police checkpoint in Khyber district.
Earlier in July, 10 soldiers and five civilians lost their lives in two separate attacks in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts of KP.
In the first attack, the army reported that a group of 10 militants attempted to enter the cantonment in Bannu in the early hours of July 15, while in the second attack, militants opened fire on rural health center staff.
In February, 10 policemen were killed and six others injured in an attack on the Chodwan police station in Dera Ismail Khan, a district that remains one of the most dangerous parts of KP due to frequent militant attacks.
Pakistan has blamed the recent surge in militant violence on the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, which it says facilitates groups like the TTP. Kabul denies allowing its territory to be used by armed militants and maintains that Pakistan’s security issues are a domestic matter.
Two policemen killed as judges’ convoy attacked by militants in northwestern Pakistan
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Two policemen killed as judges’ convoy attacked by militants in northwestern Pakistan
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- Both judges remain safe in the shooting incident at a junction between Tank and Dera Ismail Khan
- A senior police official in the area says the militants primarily wanted to target the police personnel
Politics in sport diagnosed as Pakistan cricket’s problem
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- Current PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has a second full-time job as interior minister in a nation grappling with a surge in militant attacks
- Since nineties, hand-picked favorites of the respective ruling regimes in the country have taken turns as PCB chairmen to run the game
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s dire recent performances in international cricket have sparked debate over the invasion of politics in sport, with claims nepotism at the top is sabotaging success on the field.
Pakistan last week fell to eighth, their worst Test ranking in nearly six decades, after a shock 2-0 home series defeat to Bangladesh.
It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for the cricket-crazy country and came after humiliating early exits from both the 50-over and T20 World Cups in the past year.
The current Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman is Mohsin Naqvi, who has a second full-time job as interior minister in a nation grappling with a surge in militant attacks.
In the past two years Pakistan cricket has plowed through four coaches, three board heads, three captains and numerous formats of the domestic competition — instability experts say rides on the whims of politicians.
“This has a knock-on effect on team performance,” said cricket journalist and former PCB media manager Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi.
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“When we have chaos and chronic instability within the management of the board it will reflect on-field performances,” he told AFP.
Cricket is by far Pakistan’s most popular sport with players celebrated as national heroes, endorsed by top brands and streets emptied during major events.
The sport cuts across all divides in society, giving the game enormous cultural and political cachet in the nation of over 240 million.
Former prime minister Imran Khan launched his political career off his success as an international player, after captaining the team to victory in the 1992 ODI World Cup.
He served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022 but is currently jailed on charges he claims were manufactured to prevent him contesting elections earlier this year.
This week he issued a statement from jail recording a litany of complaints about his detention and describing the ills of cricket as a result of the same political machinations he says are hindering him.
“Favourites have been imposed to run a technical sport like cricket. What are Mohsin Naqvi’s qualifications?” he asked, claiming Naqvi had “annihilated” the team.
“Nations are destroyed when corrupt and incompetent people are placed into positions of power in state institutions,” he claimed.
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Nepotism and patronage are endemic in Pakistan. Khan campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket but then rose to power with the help of the powerful military establishment, analysts say.
The national team’s downward spiral also overlapped with the former superstar’s time in office, when he selected his own favored PCB chief and intervened in the game’s domestic format as well.
Najam Sethi, a journalist selected three times to run the PCB, said the role had become a “sinecure” designed to burnish reputations.
“Generals, judges and bureaucrats, just for a love of the game — but no knowledge of the game — have been appointed,” he said.
“Also, the cricketers with knowledge of the game but no managerial experience have been appointed.”
Pakistan’s last major triumph was the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. They have not won a Test match at home since February 2021.
Their last notable performance saw them reach the T20 World Cup final in 2022. However, in the 2024 event they exited in the first round after shock losses to the United States and Ireland.
The defeat to Bangladesh has seen Naqvi — and the system installing him — come under increased scrutiny in parliament and in the press, with calls for his resignation.
“Since 1998, hand-picked favorites of the respective ruling regimes in the country have taken turns as PCB chairmen to run the game in their own clueless manner, only to ruin it,” the Express Tribune said.
“They are busy working on their own respective agendas, which primarily relate to saving their own skin and seat, or making good money at the expense of the country’s cricket.”
The incongruity of Naqvi’s twin appointments was highlighted when he hosted a recent press conference discussing both a mass-casualty militant attack and the game of cricket.
Rana Sanaullah Khan, a close aide to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, appeared this week to hint support for the PCB chief was waning at the top.
“It is his choice” whether to continue, he told local news channel ARY. “These two jobs are full-time roles.”
Pakistan’s newly commissioned warship visits Saudi Arabia on maiden voyage
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- PNS Hunain is equipped with electronic warfare systems and designed for multi-purpose operations
- The navy regularly participates in bilateral and multilateral exercises for collective maritime security
ISLAMABAD: A newly commissioned Pakistani warship, PNS Hunain, visited Jeddah on its first international voyage and conducted a bilateral exercise with the kingdom’s naval forces, Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia said on Sunday.
PNS Hunain, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), was commissioned into the Pakistan Navy in July this year during a ceremony held at Constanta Port in Romania.
The vessel is equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems and is designed for multi-purpose operations, including anti-ship and anti-air warfare.
It also supports search and rescue missions, maritime security operations and can embark helicopters for extended operations.
“The newly commissioned PNS Hunain visited #Jeddah on its maiden voyage,” the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh informed in a social media post. “Also conducted bilateral exercise with #RSNF Ship Al Riyadh.”
The Pakistan Navy regularly participates in both bilateral and multilateral exercises, particularly with regional countries, to enhance interoperability and ensure collective maritime security.
It is also actively involved in addressing non-traditional threats such as piracy, contributing to the safe passage of trade through critical sea lanes, particularly in the Indian Ocean.
Pakistani forces kill eight Afghan Taliban in border clash after ‘unprovoked firing’ — state media
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- The two countries have previously witnessed similar skirmishes, leading to the closure of border crossings
- Pakistani officials blame Afghan Taliban for sheltering and facilitating banned militant networks like the TTP
ISLAMABAD: Security forces in Pakistan killed eight Afghan Taliban fighters in a border clash, state-owned media reported on Sunday, following “unprovoked firing” from the other side on Pakistani checkpoints.
This is not the first such skirmish along the border between the two neighboring countries.
Previous clashes have led to the closure of key crossings like Torkham and Chaman, severely disrupting trade and halting the movement of people between the two states.
Last month, the Torkham border was shut down for three days after the Afghan Taliban announced they were investigating reports of Pakistani fighter jets allegedly violating Afghan airspace to patrol Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
“Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked firing with heavy weapons yesterday from inside Afghanistan, targeting Pakistani check posts,” Radio Pakistan said.
“The Pakistan security forces responded effectively and killed eight Afghan Taliban, including key commanders Khalil and Jan Muhammad,” it continued. “Sixteen Afghan Taliban were also injured in the firing.”
Quoting unnamed sources, Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper reported that the incident took place along the Pak-Afghan border near the Kurram district in the northwest.
However, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has not released an official statement on the matter.
Pakistani officials have previously accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering and facilitating the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
They have also urged the Kabul administration not to allow such armed factions to use Afghan territory to launch attacks in the region.
The Afghan authorities, however, deny these allegations, maintaining that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal issue for Islamabad.
Deputy PM Dar seeks increased investment, trade in talks with British-Pakistani lawmakers
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- Ishaq Dar briefs these lawmakers on government’s roadmap for the country’s economic revival
- He says young British-Pakistanis should stay connected with their roots by visiting the country
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar discussed the prospects of increasing investment from the United Kingdom, along with expanding bilateral trade volume, during a detailed interaction with a group of British-Pakistani members of parliament in London, according to an official statement released on Sunday.
Dar embarked on his first five-day official visit to Britain last week following the change of government in the UK, where the Labour Party won the general elections in July and returned to power after 14 years.
He addressed a wide range of issues with senior administration officials in London, including the resumption of Pakistan International Airlines flights to the UK, which he emphasized as a “major priority” for the government.
The last elections in the UK also saw 15 members of Pakistani heritage elected to parliament, many of whom met the deputy prime minister at a dinner hosted by Pakistan’s High Commissioner, Dr. Muhammad Faisal, at the diplomatic facility.
“The Deputy Prime Minister congratulated the newly elected British-Pakistani Members of Parliament,” said the statement released by his office, adding their success in the elections reflected the strength of British democracy and success of its citizens of Pakistani origin.
“The Deputy Prime Minister asked the Members of Parliament for suggestions on how the government could draw more British foreign direct investment in Pakistan and increase the bilateral trade volume,” it added.
He briefed the British-Pakistani lawmakers on his government’s roadmap for the economic revival of the country, acknowledging that security issues over the past several years had caused significant challenges for Pakistan.
However, he emphasized that the government was committed to steering Pakistan back toward economic growth and development. Dar explained the Pakistani administration had to implement politically unpopular measures, noting that they were gradually starting to yield positive results.
He mentioned that inflation had been reduced to single digits and the current account deficit had been brought under control, along with stabilizing the currency.
Dar also highlighted the widespread institutional support for economic reforms and noted that the Special Investment Facilitation Council, established by the government last year, was attracting foreign investors to Pakistan’s energy, mining, information technology and agriculture sectors.
The deputy prime minister further stressed the importance of young British-Pakistanis staying connected with their roots and noted that the Pakistani government had introduced a new visa-free policy to encourage Pakistani expatriates to visit the country.
Pakistan to hold next month’s England Tests in Multan and Rawalpindi — report
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- Reports earlier said schedule for next month’s series can be altered due to construction at proposed grounds
- England are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on October 2, with the first Test match starting on October 7
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be holding a three-Test series between Pakistan and England in Pakistan, an international cricket website reported on Sunday, citing a spokesperson of PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
England last week sought clarity from the PCB over their upcoming Test tour of Pakistan following reports that matches could be moved to another country.
The development came amid ongoing construction work as Pakistan prepares to bring its stadiums at par with international standards before Champions Trophy next year.
“The ECB [England and Wales Cricket Board] has given the go-ahead to hold the series in Multan and Rawalpindi,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Naqvi’s spokesperson Mohammad Rafiullah as saying.
The ECB is satisfied with the venues, Rafiullah added.
England are scheduled to play the first Test in Multan from October 7, followed by matches in Karachi and Rawalpindi, but renovations ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy appear to be causing issues at the latter two venues.
However, there has been no official comment from the PCB and the board has yet to officially finalize venues for each of the three Test matches for the series, according to the report.
England coach Brendon McCullum addressed the issue on Thursday while speaking to reporters at The Oval ahead of the third Test against Sri Lanka.
“We don’t really know (what is happening in Pakistan) but we can’t pick a team until we know where we’re going to play,” he said. “It would be nice if, over the next couple of days, we found out.”
England are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on October 2, with the first Test starting on October 7.