ISLAMABAD: General Li Qiaoming, the ground force commander of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, on Monday discussed regional security, military training and bilateral defense cooperation with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, the Pakistani military said.
The meeting came against the backdrop of a deadly day of violence in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and a series of attacks by separatist militants who have battled the central government for independence for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s gas and mineral resources, and seeking the expulsion of China. The Pakistani government denies the allegations.
In the past, separatists, who usually attack security forces, have also targeted Chinese interests and citizens in Balochistan, where Beijing runs the strategic southern deep-water port of Gwadar as well as a gold and copper mines in its west.
While General Li and General Munir met on Monday at the Pakistan army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, the Pakistani military statement on the meeting made no mention of the latest attacks in Balochistan.
“The meeting afforded an opportunity for in-depth discussions on matters of mutual interest, regional security, military training, and measures to further augment bilateral defense cooperation,” the army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said on Monday.
“Munir underscored the robust relations between the Pakistan Army and the People’s Liberation Army, highlighting the ongoing bilateral military cooperation as a testament to the enduring brotherhood between the two nations.”
Balochistan, which borders both Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan’s largest province by size, but the least populated and remains largely underdeveloped, with high levels of poverty.
China has recently publicly raised with Pakistan the issue of the security of its workers and interests, especially since a March suicide attack in which five Chinese workers and their local driver were killed in northwest Pakistan.
Pakistan army chief discusses regional security with Chinese commander on day of deadly attacks
https://arab.news/gbwux
Pakistan army chief discusses regional security with Chinese commander on day of deadly attacks
- Meeting comes against backdrop of widespread separatist attacks in Balochistan province where China has invested billions
- As top Pakistani and Chinese military leaders meet, Pakistani military statement makes no mention of the latest attacks in Balochistan
Pakistan stocks rally after policy rate cut, positive developments on IMF front
- The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by more than 800 on Friday morning
- It declined in the afternoon session to close at 79,333, up by 315 points
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday rallied by more than 300 points, according to the PSX website, following a policy rate cut by the central bank and positive developments with regard to the country’s International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
The benchmark KSE-100 index rose by more than 800 on Friday morning, but declined in the afternoon trading session to close at 79,333, up by 315 points.
A day earlier, the central bank cut its key policy rate by 200 basis points to 17.5 percent — the third straight reduction since June as the country looks to spur growth as inflation eases.
“The MPC assessed the real interest rate to still be adequately positive to bring inflation down to the medium-term target of 5–7 percent and help ensure macroeconomic stability,” the State Bank of Pakistan’s Monetary Policy Committee said in a statement, announcing the cut.
“This would be essential to achieve sustainable economic growth over the medium term.”
Separately, the IMF said its board would meet at the end of this month to discuss Pakistan’s new $7 billion bailout program that was agreed in July.
“All matters with the IMF have been settled amicably,” Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in a statement on Thursday. “These matters will be finalized in the meeting of the IMF board this month.”
Pakistan’s sovereign dollar bonds also rallied on Thursday, with the 2031 maturity trading 1 cent higher to bid at 79.93 cents on the dollar, according to Tradeweb data.
Pakistan steps up health security at Karachi airports after fifth mpox case
- Border Health Services at Jinnah International screened 146,722 passengers during the month of August
- The airport authority disinfects immigration and lounge areas after international flights two to three times
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has bolstered health security measures at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, one of the busiest in the country, to prevent the spread of the mpox virus, an official statement said on Friday, following the confirmation of the fifth case of the disease earlier this week.
Mpox, a viral disease causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, has prompted global concern, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring it a public health emergency on August 14. A new strain of the virus, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has since spread to several countries, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures worldwide.
Pakistani health authorities have also maintained they have implemented stringent screening protocols at airports and border entry points to prevent the spread of the disease. However, local media reported this week the latest mpox case had gone undetected at Islamabad airport, and the patient on an international flight had continued to travel to the nearby province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The number of Border Health Services staff at Jinnah International has been increased,” the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), headquartered in Karachi, announced in its statement. “Two doctors will now be on duty instead of one.”
It said the number of medical assistants had also been increased from five, and at least eight to ten of them will be deployed for duty at the airport.
“During August, 146,722 passengers were screened at Jinnah International,” the statement added. “Since the monitoring began, only one passenger was found to be a suspect on August 31.”
The PAA informed that disinfectant spraying is carried out two to three times in the immigration and lounge areas after every international flight.
It added that additional cabins have also been installed for the screening and isolation of suspected passengers.
“Awareness stands have been placed in the international arrivals walkway area at Jinnah International,” the statement said, adding that additional mpox awareness sessions have also been introduced at the airport’s resource center.
Speaking to Arab News earlier this week, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s health ministry, Sajid Hussain Shah, said the country’s Border Health Services were fully equipped to screen mpox patients.
“Four of five mpox cases were detected by health officials after screening suspects at different airports,” he said, adding it usually takes ten to twelve days to develop symptoms, making it possible for a patient to occasionally slip through the scanning process and develop symptoms later.
“Our Border Health Services officials have been following WHO guidelines at all airports and borders to screen and scan passengers for the disease,” he added.
Military-opposition standoff threatens Pakistan’s stability
- Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has been sparring with the military since Khan was deposed two years ago
- The confrontation come to a head after the former cricket star’s first arrest on graft charges in May 2023
ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan police stormed parliament’s premises to arrest several opposition lawmakers on terrorism charges, analysts say a standoff between former prime minister Imran Khan’s party and the country’s powerful military threatens to reduce politics to a clash between the two sides.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party staged a rare demonstration in the capital Islamabad this week, the largest since the former cricketer was jailed last year.
Shortly after the rally, police cut power to the parliament compound and plainclothes officers forced their way in, where PTI lawmakers were taking refuge to avoid possible arrest.
“It is increasingly becoming a clash between the opposition and the military,” political analyst Zahid Hussain told AFP.
“The way lawmakers were arrested will further escalate the politics of confrontation... it will further polarize the country,” he added.
“This approach is creating a dangerously unstable situation.”
PTI has been sparring with the military since Khan was deposed two years ago.
The confrontation come to a head after the former cricket star’s first arrest on corruption charges in May 2023.
His supporters waged days of sometimes violent protests and attacked military installations, sparking a sweeping crackdown on the PTI led by the army — Pakistan’s most powerful institution.
But the clampdown failed to diminish Khan’s popularity and candidates backed by the former premier won the most seats in 2024 polls — marred by allegations of widespread rigging.
A coalition government was cobbled together at the eleventh hour to stop PTI from returning to power, with the army-backed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) taking control of the nation of over 240 million people.
The standoff has birthed an unprecedented backlash against the military, particularly among Pakistan’s social media-savvy youth who overwhelmingly support Khan.
“This is a particularly nasty confrontation in the sense that Khan has been unusually withering and personal in his criticism of the army,” said Michael Kugelman, a Pakistan specialist at the US-based Wilson Center.
Khan rose to power in 2018 with military support but was removed in 2022 after a fallout with the generals.
He was banned from the February elections, and while three of his convictions have been partially overturned on appeal, remains in prison on other charges.
The military “is unable to dissipate the anger the anxiety among people and reduce support for Khan,” military analyst and author Ayesha Siddiqa told AFP.
“There is nothing to indicate the situation will improve.”
Analysts say the military — which has ruled the nation for nearly half its history and pulls the strings even when not governing — barred several social media platforms to restrict pro-Khan messaging ahead of the elections.
Social media platform X has been banned since the polls when it was used to air allegations of rigging, and Internet disruptions have been ongoing for the past month.
Authorities in July also raided PTI’s headquarters in Islamabad over alleged “anti-state digital campaigns.” The military said it is battling so-called “digital terrorism.”
Kugelman said that while the military has imprisoned Khan and his allies — tactics it has employed successfully against past opponents — widespread Internet availability and soaring social media usage in Pakistan means “it’s not as easy for the army as it used to be.”
There are online “bastions of dissent,” where Khan’s supporters continue their standoff with the military.
An ongoing economic crisis has sent prices soaring and the government running to the International Monetary Fund for assistance, while militant groups have made a resurgence, meaning Pakistan is stretched in several directions.
“One of the most practical consequences of this ongoing confrontation is that other policy challenges, urgent policy challenges are being overlooked,” Kugelman said.
However, analysts say Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lacks the capacity to initiate dialogue with Khan, who has accused the coalition government of operating with a stolen mandate.
“It’s a political existential issue,” political analyst Rasul Baksh Rais told AFP.
“The government’s political survival lies in its current actions, while the PTI’s survival depends on its resistance.”
Pakistan court suspends physical remand of opposition party MPs arrested after rally
- PTI last week held a rally in Islamabad to demand the release of Khan, imprisoned since August last year
- Police later arrested and booked nearly a dozen PTI lawmakers for violating a new law on public gatherings
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party lawmakers who were arrested earlier this week on charges of violating a new law to regulate public gatherings, the PTI said on Friday.
The PTI held a rally in Islamabad on Sunday to demand the release of Khan, the party’s founder and former Pakistani prime minister who has been in prison since August last year on a slew of charges. The Islamabad administration had allowed the PTI to hold Sunday’s rally from 4pm till 7pm, but it went on until around 11pm. Though the gathering was mostly peaceful, a policeman was injured in clashes between police and PTI supporters en route to the rally.
The following day, police arrested nearly a dozen PTI lawmakers from inside the parliament building and charged them with violating the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, which allows authorities to set time limits and designate special areas for public gatherings in the federal capital.
“The IHC has suspended the physical remand of PTI’s leadership issued by the anti-terrorism court,” the party said in a statement shared with reporters on Friday. “They will be transferred to the prison whereas bail applications will be moved.”
The PTI legislators had been remanded in police custody for eight days on Tuesday by an anti-terrorism court.
The arrests drew criticism from government and opposition members alike and prompted the National Assembly speaker to order an inquiry as under Pakistani law, legislators cannot be detained from within the precincts of parliament without the speaker’s permission.
On the speaker’s orders, the lawmakers were also produced at the National Assembly on Thursday, with the lower house of parliament also adopting a unanimous resolution to constitute an 18-member committee to resolve issues related to the House.
The working of the committee, however, was put in jeopardy on Friday after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, a close aide of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recused himself from the body, saying the PTI was using it to “promote their narrative.”
“I protested over this and I don’t want to be a part of that committee anymore,” he said, addressing a National Assembly session. “I’ve informed my party leadership too.”
Asif said the committee was formed to protect the sanctity of the National Assembly and its constitutional role and not for pandering political narratives.
The PTI says it has faced an over a year-long crackdown since protesters allegedly linked to the party attacked and damaged government and military installations on May 9, 2023 after Khan’s brief arrest that 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 is 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.
Since his removal, Khan and his party have waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the military and now the PTI is aiming to mobilize the public through rallies to call for their leader’s release from jail in “politically motivated” cases.
The party’s next rally is planned for Sept. 22 in the eastern city of Lahore.
Summit of the Future: Pakistan says plight of Gazans ‘mockery’ of international community
- The statement comes days after Israeli strikes on a Gaza school-turned-shelter killed 18 people, including six UNRWA staff
- Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said the plight of the Gazans was a “mockery” of the international community and in stark contrast to the idea of global unity and justice days after Israeli forces killed another 18 people in strikes on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza.
The Pakistan prime minister said this while addressing the first virtual session of the Summit of the Future at the United Nations (UN) in New York, where he spoke about the ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza.
The statement came after an Israeli attack flattened part of the UN-run Al-Jawni school in Nuseirat on Wednesday. UNRWA said six of its staff were killed in two Israeli strikes on the school, drawing global condemnation.
“Today, in times of unprecedented global challenges and escalating conflicts, we are at risk of permanently damaging the notion of we,” PM Sharif said in his virtual address. “A collective we that requires a degree of justice. The plight of the people of Gaza is a mockery of this we.”
Israel launched a war on Gaza on Oct. 7 after Hamas fighters stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israeli military campaign has since demolished swathes of the besieged enclave, killed more than 40,500 people, displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people multiple times, and given rise to deadly hunger and disease.
Pakistan does not recognize the state of 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, the South Asian country has repeatedly raised the issue at the UN and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions. Pakistan has also dispatched several aid consignments for the Palestinians.
Speaking further, Sharif warned the prevailing global issues could undermine the sense of unity between countries, saying the world was facing significant problems that were straining international relations and cooperation.
“This we becomes marred amidst rising debt burdens for the poor, increasing poverty, growing inequality, intolerance, terrorist violence, illegal foreign occupation and a skewed approach to climate adaptation,” he added.
He called for significant reforms in the international financial framework to achieve sustainable developmental goals for economically weak nations. This required enhanced concessional financing, increased official development assistance, and greater lending from multilateral development banks, he added.
