KARACHI: Pakistan’s security forces thwarted an attempted cross-border incursion by militants allegedly facilitated by Afghan Taliban authorities, security sources said on Saturday after Afghanistan’s defense ministry claimed its forces targeted several locations in Pakistan in response to airstrikes earlier this week.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and has urged Afghan officials not to allow armed factions to use their soil to target neighboring states. Afghan authorities deny these allegations, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are its internal matter.
On Thursday, Afghan authorities reported airstrikes by Pakistan’s military in an eastern border town that they said had killed 46 people. The strikes came days after the TTP claimed responsibility for killing 16 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border.
“On the night of December 27-28, 20 to 25 khawarij [TTP militants], using Afghan Taliban border posts, attempted to infiltrate Pakistan at two locations in Kurram and North Waziristan,” Pakistani security sources said. “Pakistani forces acted promptly, thwarting the incursion.”
They reported yet another incursion in the morning, saying it was also repelled.
“In retaliation, khawarij and Afghan Taliban jointly opened unprovoked heavy fire on Pakistani posts,” they added.
Pakistan’s forces responded decisively, reportedly inflicting significant losses on the attackers.
“Initial reports indicate that over 15 khawarij and Afghan Taliban personnel were killed, with many others injured,” the sources said. “Effective counter-fire forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon six posts.”
No fatalities were reported on the Pakistani side, though three soldiers sustained injuries. Security sources also noted Afghanistan’s unwillingness to control TTP elements operating freely on its soil, saying it strained bilateral relations.
“Instead of curbing these terrorist elements, the Afghan Taliban persistently assist them,” the sources maintain. “TTP militants operate with impunity in Afghanistan, using its territory for anti-Pakistan activities.”
Pakistan repels Afghan-based militant incursion amid escalating tensions — security sources
https://arab.news/r3crr
Pakistan repels Afghan-based militant incursion amid escalating tensions — security sources
- Sources accuse Afghan Taliban of ‘persistently assisting’ armed militants instead of apprehending them
- They say no fatalities happened on Pakistan’s side, but over 15 militants and Afghan Taliban were killed
Peshawar’s iconic Sunehri Mosque sees surge of devotees in Ramadan
- Sunehri Masjid is famous for its many domes, tall minarets and Mughal architecture, foundation stone for mosque laid in 1946
- Worshippers frequent Sunehri Masjid, with capacity for 6,000 people, during Ramadan to offer prayers, recite Qur’an in large groups
PESHAWAR: The 128-feet tall minaret is the first thing that comes into view when one arrives close to the street in Peshawar’s main Saddar Bazaar where the majestic Sunehri Masjid is located.
Known for its considerable size, built over an impressive 18,000 square feet, and Mughal-style architecture, the Sunehri, or Golden, Mosque in the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of the most iconic masjids in the region. The mosque can accommodate at least 6,000 worshippers, making it ideal for the month of Ramadan when believers flock to mosques for Tarawih — special, voluntary prayers performed typically after the Isha night prayer and considered a highly recommended Sunnah, or practice of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The foundation stone of the mosque was laid by Habib Ur Rehman, a Peshawar resident, in 1946 but construction work experienced delays due unavailability of funds and security issues and was completed in 1992, primarily funded by public donations.
Rehman modeled the mosque after Lahore’s iconic Badshahi Mosque built by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the prayer leader at Sunehri Masjid, Maulana Muhammad Ismail, told Arab News.
“The foundation stone of our mosque was laid in 1946, but the situation deteriorated in Pakistan due to the wars [of 1965 and 1971], so work was stopped for a little time,” he said.
Explaining the architecture, Ismail said the central minaret, a hallmark of the mosque, was built at 128 feet so it could be visible even from far-flung areas in Peshawar at a time when there were few tall buildings in the city.
“The need for the construction of the 128-feet-high minaret at that time was that our organizers thought that the azaan [call to prayer] of the Sunehri Masjid should reach far-flung areas,” Ismail said.
The mosque is built with red bricks and famed for its signature white domes and intricate Mughal-style architecture that features arches and pointed cupolas atop the minarets.
In Ramadan, more worshippers than usual throng to the Sunehri Masjid, filling up its halls and prayer rooms as they seek to deepen their connection with Allah, earn rewards, and ask for forgiveness from sins.
Imran Khan, 38, is one such devotee who has been offering prayers at the mosque for the past 12 years.
“This is a beautiful mosque, I come here every Ramadan to worship and recite [the Qur’an],” Khan told Arab News. “I especially visit a lot in Ramadan when I get the chance.”
Khawar Rehman, a Peshawar resident who had come for Asr prayers at the mosque, said he frequented the place as he liked worshiping at a “famous mosque” like the Sunehri Masjid.
“This mosque has larger congregations and better rewards,” he said, “so I like to come here.”
Masked men take Pakistani journalist Waheed Murad from Islamabad home, family confirms
- According to Murad’s mother-in-law, the men claimed to be police but did not present any warrants
- International rights organizations have expressed concern over deteriorating press freedom in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani journalist Waheed Murad was taken away from his residence in Islamabad by masked men early Wednesday morning, his family said, as prominent members of the media community condemned the development and called for his immediate recovery.
Murad works with Urdu News, a digital media outlet catering to Urdu-speaking audiences in Pakistan and abroad. The incident with him follows a growing pattern of intimidation and harassment against journalists in the country, particularly those seen as critical of the establishment.
“My husband, @awaheedmurad, was taken away at 2 a.m. last night by masked men,” his wife, journalist Shinza Nawaz, wrote on social media platform X. “They kept asking repeatedly, ‘Where is his wife?’”
“My mother was also at home,” she continued. “They misbehaved with her as well — she was pushed. My mother is a heart patient. They took my mother’s phone, both of Waheed’s phones, and some documents.”
In a video clip circulated after the incident, Murad’s mother-in-law, Abida Nawaz, said the masked men who arrived at their residence identified themselves as police.
“There were three vehicles and around 15 to 20 people,” she continued. “They did not show any warrant or documents. They broke down the doors and dragged Waheed away.”
Murad’s disappearance comes just days after the disappearance of the brothers of exiled Pakistani journalist Ahmad Noorani.
On March 18, around midnight, approximately two dozen individuals identifying themselves as police forcibly entered Noorani’s family home in Islamabad, assaulted his two brothers and took them to an undisclosed location.
Two days later, on March 20, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested journalist Farhan Mallick in Karachi. Mallick, founder of the digital media platform Raftar, was detained on allegations of airing “anti-state” content on his YouTube channel.
International rights organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have expressed increasing concern over the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan.
CPJ and other advocacy groups have repeatedly urged the government to address such incidents and to ensure the safety of journalists operating in the country.
Pakistan, China in talks about security for Chinese nationals
- Pakistan’s envoy to China says it is his country’s ‘national responsibility’ to protect Chinese workers
- He says Pakistan has the capability to resolve, counter, combat and defeat the ‘terrorist forces’
BOAO, China: Pakistan and China’s discussions about security measures to protect Chinese nationals working in the South Asian country are a work in progress, Islamabad’s ambassador to Beijing said on Wednesday.
Chinese nationals have been in the crosshairs of separatist militants who believe Beijing is helping Pakistan exploit minerals in the underdeveloped southwestern province of Balochistan, where China has a strategic port and mining interests.
It is Pakistan’s “national responsibility” and the country is “doing everything possible,” Ambassador Khalil Hashmi told reporters at the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China’s Hainan province.
“I think our two countries work very closely in terms of information sharing, in terms of developing the standard operating procedures” to ensure Chinese nationals working in Pakistan are safe, he said.
“We keep our Chinese friends informed of the steps that we are taking, so it’s a work in progress.”
Beijing has been pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to provide protection to thousands of Chinese citizens working there, frustrated by the string of attacks on its citizens.
The push came after a bombing at the Karachi airport last October killed two Chinese engineers who were returning there to work at a power plant.
Hashmi said those talks are ongoing, with a high degree of trust between both countries.
“It’s a complex security environment,” he said. “We have the capability to resolve, to counter and combat and defeat these terrorist forces.”
Pakistan criticizes Israeli strikes in Syria, calls them ‘unacceptable’ breach of sovereignty
- Israel has intensified its military activity in Syria following the downfall of the Assad regime, citing security concerns
- Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad says Israel must cease its incursions and the UNSC must hold Tel Aviv accountable
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan described Israel’s continued airstrikes in Syria as “unacceptable” at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, saying they constituted a breach of Syrian sovereignty and must cease immediately, as the council met to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in the Arab state.
Israel has intensified its military activity in Syria following the downfall of Bashar Assad’s regime in late 2024, citing security concerns over the alleged presence of hostile elements near its borders. The Israeli government has also declared an open-ended military presence in the area, framing it as necessary to and to secure its northern frontier.
In parallel, Israel has also reaffirmed and expanded its hold over the Golan Heights, a territory it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed, a move unrecognized by much of the international community. Its recent plans to double the settler population in the Golan have drawn criticism, with various international players warning that Israel’s actions risk further destabilizing an already volatile region.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative-designate to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, condemned what he called Israel’s “military escalation” in Syria, urging the Security Council to hold Tel Aviv accountable.
“Israel’s repeated and continuing incursions and airstrikes into Syrian territory, continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, and its declared intent for an ‘indefinite’ presence and ‘full demilitarization of southern Syria’ are unacceptable, constitute blatant violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermine international law and regional stability,” Ahmad said during his comments.
He maintained that Israel’s actions were in direct contravention of the council’s March 14 Presidential Statement, which reaffirmed Syria’s sovereignty and called on all states to refrain from interference that could further destabilize the country.
“Israel must cease its incursions forthwith and this council must hold Israel to its obligations,” he added.
Addressing the broader situation in Syria, Ahmad said the Arab state’s multifaceted challenges — political, economic, security and humanitarian — required a “holistic and coordinated response.”
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, calling it key to achieving lasting peace.
Welcoming Syria’s new interim Constitution as a “critical step” toward restoring the rule of law, Ahmad also described last month’s National Dialogue Conference as a “positive development.”
He expressed hope that the forthcoming appointment of an interim government, legislative council, and constitutional committee would reflect Syria’s diversity and promote inclusive governance.
Ahmad warned that Syria’s economic crisis — marked by cash shortages, fuel deficits, and rising prices — was worsening the humanitarian situation.
He called for robust international support for the UN’s transitional action plan focused on poverty reduction, refugee reintegration and institutional capacity-building.
“In this regard, lifting of unilateral sanctions is imperative to facilitating reconstruction and aid efforts,” he said, adding that a reassessment and drawdown of the UN sanctions regime was also warranted to ensure that vital economic and humanitarian initiatives were not obstructed.
IMF reaches staff-level agreement with Pakistan on first review of $7 billion bailout
- Review will ensure “total access over the 28 months of around $1.3 billion,” the IMF said
- Islamabad secured the $7 billion EFF last summer to help claw its way out of economic crisis
KARACHI: IMF staff and Pakistani authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the first review under Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and on a new arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the IMF said on Tuesday.
Islamabad secured the $7 billion EFF last summer to help claw its way out of an economic crisis, with an immediate disbursement of about $1 billion.
“The strong implementation of the EFF-supported program continues, and the authorities remain committed to advancing a gradual fiscal consolidation to sustainably reduce public debt, maintaining a sufficiently tight monetary policy to keep inflation low, accelerating cost-reducing energy sector reforms to enhance its viability, and implementing Pakistan’s reform agenda to accelerate growth, while strengthening social protection and health and education spending,” the IMF said in a statement as it announced the staff-level agreement.
The agreement comes after an IMF team led by Nathan Porter held discussions from February 24-March 14 in Karachi and Islamabad.
The review will ensure “total access over the 28 months of around $1.3 billion,” the IMF said.
“The staff-level agreement is subject to approval of the IMF’s Executive Board. Upon approval, Pakistan will have access to about $1.0 billion (SDR 760 million) under the EFF, bringing total disbursements under the program to about $2.0 billion.”
Porter said over the past 18 months, Pakistan had made significant progress in restoring macroeconomic stability and rebuilding confidence despite a challenging global environment.
“While economic growth remains moderate, inflation has declined to its lowest level since 2015, financial conditions have improved, sovereign spreads have narrowed significantly, and external balances are stronger,” the statement said.
Porter said it was critical to entrench the progress achieved over the past one and a half years, building resilience by further strengthening public finances, ensuring price stability, rebuilding external buffers and eliminating distortions in support of stronger, inclusive and sustained private sector-led growth.
The IMF program has played a key role in stabilizing Pakistan’s economy and the government has said the country is on course for a long-term recovery.
Meanwhile, the RSF will support Pakistan’s efforts in building resilience to natural disasters, enhancing budget and investment planning to promote climate adaptation, improving the efficient and productive use of water, strengthening the climate information architecture to improve disclosure of climate risks, and aligning energy sector reforms with mitigation targets.
