ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Tuesday approved bail for Raoof Hasan, the information secretary of former Prime Minister’s Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who was arrested last month.
Dozens of policemen surrounded the party’s Islamabad secretariat on July 22 and then led away Hasan, who was later charged with terror financing along with another PTI media manager, Ahmed Waqas Janjua, who is also in jail. Both deny the charges.
The PTI says the legal cases against its leaders and members are part of a state-backed crackdown, which has included bans on holding rallies and arrests of party leaders and supporters. The government denies persecuting opposition parties.
“ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra approved the PTI politician’s bail petition against surety bonds worth Rs200,000,” Pakistan’s Geo News reported about Hasan’s bail, which was widely reported by the country’s print and electronic media.
It was unclear when Hasan would be released.
Last month, the Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed new charges against Janjua under the country’s cybercrime law. A police report quoted Janjua as saying during interrogation that “we [social media team of Khan’s party] have been damaging the country daily with the help of internal and external forces, and for it, an anti-state narrative is built daily on social media to damage the country’s sovereignty, integrity and freedom.”
While it was unclear under what conditions Janjua provided the so-called confession, Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, ex-PM Khan’s key adviser on media, said this was a “fake confession” and could not work in a court of law.
The federal government also last month formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe individuals accused of “spreading chaos” in the country through a “malicious social media campaign.” The development came after a Pakistani military spokesman, in a veiled reference to the PTI party, accused “digital terrorists” of making the military’s anti-militancy efforts controversial on social media platforms.
Khan came to power in 2018 and was ousted in 2022 after what is widely believed to be a falling out with Pakistan’s powerful military, which had helped propel him into office. The army denies political interference.
Since his ouster, the PTI founder and his party have faced a crackdown and Khan himself has been in jail since August last year, though all four convictions handed down to him ahead of a parliamentary election in February have either been suspended or overturned but he remains in jail on new charges.
Khan says all legal cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics and dent the popularity of the PTI.
Pakistan court grants bail to ex-PM Khan’s information secretary in terror funding case
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Pakistan court grants bail to ex-PM Khan’s information secretary in terror funding case
- Raoof Hasan was arrested last month and charged with terror financing along with PTI media manager Ahmed Janjua
- PTI says the legal cases against its leaders and members are politically motivated and part of a state-backed crackdown
Pakistan PM congratulates Saudi Arabia on winning 2034 bid to host FIFA World Cup
- Saudi Arabia was named FIFA 2034 host in a FIFA extraordinary meeting on Wednesday
- Shehbaz Sharif says achievement recognition of Kingdom’s growing influence in global sports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday congratulated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Kingdom on winning the 2034 bid to host the FIFA World Cup tournament, describing the feat as a “landmark achievement.”
FIFA, the world governing body of football, on Wednesday officially named Saudi Arabia as the host nation of the FIFA World Cup 2034.
The Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting also confirmed Morocco, Spain and Portugal as co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup.
“Heartiest congratulations to my brother HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman & the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on winning the right to host FIFA World Cup 2034!” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.
“This landmark achievement is befitting recognition of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global sports & its commitment to Vision 2030.”
Football is arguably the most popular sport across the globe. Uruguay held the first football World Cup in 1930 while Argentina and Spain have also hosted the tournament.
Portugal, Paraguay and Morocco will all be first-time hosts.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia will be the second Middle Eastern nation to host the tournament after Qatar staged it in 2022.
Pakistan stresses turning existing goodwill with Bangladesh into ‘tangible cooperation’
- Bangladesh’s outgoing high commissioner to Pakistan meets PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad
- Pakistan’s relations with Bangladesh have seen a thaw following ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s ouster
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for translating existing goodwill between Islamabad and Dhaka into “tangible cooperation,” his office said, as both countries move toward closer ties following the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina.
Established together as one independent nation in 1947, Bangladesh won liberation from then-West Pakistan in 1971. Relations between the two countries continued to deteriorate during Hasina’s administration, which prosecuted several members of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party for war crimes relating to the 1971 conflict.
However, relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have improved since Hasina was ousted in a bloody student-led protest in August. Islamabad’s ties with Dhaka have also improved as Bangladesh’s relations with India, where Hasina has sought refuge, have deteriorated.
Bangladesh’s outgoing high commissioner to Pakistan, Ambassador Muhammad Ruhul Alam Siddique, paid a farewell call on Sharif in Islamabad at the end of his four-year tenure on Wednesday.
“While conveying his warm wishes to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Prime Minister remarked that the existing goodwill between Pakistan and Bangladesh needed to be translated into tangible cooperation,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Sharif acknowledged Siddique for promoting Pakistan-Bangladesh ties, stressing that Pakistan “greatly valued” its relations with Bangladesh rooted in shared history, common faith and cultural similarities.
“The High Commissioner thanked the Prime Minister for the facilitation, courtesies and privileges extended to him during his stay in Pakistan,” the PMO added.
Pakistan’s foreign office said in September that Islamabad sought “robust, multifaceted, friendly relations” with Bangladesh to ensure peace and stability in the region.
Sharif met Dr. Yunus in New York in September at a ceremony hosted by the Bangladeshi leader to mark the completion of 50 years of Bangladesh’s membership in the United Nations.
Both sides agreed to forge stronger ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields during their meeting.
Japan donates $3.1 million to eradicate polio in Pakistan amid alarming surge
- Pakistan, with Afghanistan, remains last polio-endemic country
- Pakistan has so far this year reported 59 polio cases countrywide
PESHAWAR: Japan has donated $3.1 million to eradicate polio in Pakistan and ensure millions of children remain safe from the crippling disease, the Pakistan Polio Programme said on Wednesday, as Islamabad desperately looks to grapple with an alarming surge in cases of the infection this year.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. The country has so far reported 59 cases of the infection this year.
The nation’s polio eradication campaign has hit serious problems with a spike in reported cases this year that have prompted officials to review their approach to stopping the crippling disease.
“Today, the Government of Japan reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts by supporting the program with a generous donation of $3.1 million,” the Pakistan Polio Programme said in a press release.
“This funding will ensure millions of children are protected from this crippling disease in 2025, leading us closer to a polio-free Pakistan.”
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication Ayesha Farooq expressed her gratitude to the Japanese government and highlighted the decades-long partnership between both nations in the “critical fight.”
“This generous grant reflects not only financial support but also the profound bond between our nations, rooted in a shared commitment to health equity and safeguarding of future generations,” she said.
“A heartfelt thanks to the Government and people of Japan, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), and UNICEF for their enduring commitment to this life-saving cause. Together, we will achieve our goal of ensuring no child is left behind.”
Charge d’ Affairs ad interim of Japan Takano Shuichi, JICA Chief Representative Miyata Naoaki, UNICEF representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil and other officials from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Pakistan Polio Program team were in attendance during the grant ceremony, the statement added.
Of the 59 cases reported in 2024, 26 are from Balochistan province, 16 from KP, 15 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad, the federal capital.
Poliovirus, which can cause crippling paralysis, particularly in young children, is incurable and remains a threat to human health as long as it has not been eradicated. Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain.
In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners, who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams.
Sindh launches ‘Senior Citizen Card’ to provide better health care, travel facilities for elderly
- Persons aged 60 and above entitled to Senior Citizen Card, says national database registration authority
- Sindh first province in country to issue dedicated senior citizen card, says provincial minister for social welfare
KARACHI: Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Sindh government have joined hands to introduce a Senior Citizen Card for persons aged 60 and above in the southern province, allowing them to avail better access to health care facilities and travel, NADRA said on Wednesday.
The Sindh High Court had ordered the provincial government in 2021 to issue what was then known as the “Azadi Card” for Sindh’s citizens falling in the age bracket of 60 years and above. As per the Sindh Senior Citizens Welfare Act, 2014, the cards would fulfill elderly citizens’ social security needs and provide them benefits.
NADRA said in its press release that the cards, now named Senior Citizen Card, will provide 3.7 million Sindh residents aged 60 and above enhanced access to health care and travel facilities. The agreement to issue the cards was signed between NADRA and the Sindh Social Welfare Department in a ceremony on Wednesday.
“Social Welfare Department Sindh in collaboration with NADRA has launched the Sindh Senior Citizen Card,” NADRA said.
“The program is set to benefit 3.7 million citizens aged 60 and above, providing improved access to health care, travel facilities, and various civic services.”
Sindh Social Welfare Minister Mir Tarique Ali Khan Talpur highlighted that Sindh was the first province in the country to issue a dedicated Senior Citizen Card.
“This initiative underscores our commitment to honoring and caring for this important segment of society,” he said.
One soldier, seven militants killed in security operations in northwest Pakistan — army
- Both operations were conducted in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district bordering Afghanistan
- Pakistan blames Afghanistan for providing sanctuary to militants, a charge that Kabul denies
ISLAMABAD: One soldier was killed while seven militants were gunned down in northwestern Pakistan this week during separate intelligence-based operations, the army’s media wing said on Wednesday.
Both operations took place in the restive North Waziristan district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan between Dec. 10-11, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Four militants were killed in the first operation in Miran Shah, North Waziristan, while three others were gunned down in the second operation in Spinwam area in the same district.
“However, during the intense fire exchange, one brave son of soil, Lance Naik Muhammad Amin (age: 34 years, resident of District Faisalabad), having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat,” the ISPR said.
It said that a sanitization operation was being conducted in the district to eliminate any other militants found in the area.
“Security Forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in its northwestern KP and southwestern Balochistan provinces since November 2022, when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and the state broke down.
The Pakistani Taliban have since then increased attacks against Pakistan’s security forces, souring Islamabad’s ties with Kabul, whom it accuses of providing sanctuary to militants.
Afghanistan denies Pakistan’s allegations and has asked Islamabad to resolve its security challenges internally.
