Category: Politics

News stories of Politics, for the topics that matter the most to young professionals and college students, political news reported with a different angle.

  • PM Khan assures Chinese counterpart about thorough investigation in Dasu incident

    PM Khan assures Chinese counterpart about thorough investigation in Dasu incident

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured Chinese Premier Li Keqiang of making every effort into the Dasu bus incident, in which 12 people were killed, including nine Chinese nationals, reports Geo News.

    In a telephonic conversation, PM Khan offered his condolences over the death of the Chinese nationals.

    “All efforts will be made to investigate the incident,” PM said.

    He further added that the security and protection of Chinese citizens in Pakistan is the government’s top priority.

    Beijing, meanwhile, reacted sharply to the incident by postponing a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) scheduled for Friday. The meeting was to be held through a video link, reported Dawn.

    CPEC Authority Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Asim Bajwa announced the postponement of the meeting on Twitter. “JCC-10 meeting on #CPEC which was scheduled to be held on 16th July 21, has been postponed to a later date after Eid. The fresh date will be shared as finalized. Meanwhile, preparations continue,” he said.

    On Thursday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Initial investigations into Dassu incident have now confirmed traces of explosives, terrorism cannot be ruled out,” contradicting the statement by his party’s Foreign Minister.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally supervising all developments, in this regard Govt is in close coordination with the Chinese embassy we are committed to fighting the menace of terrorism together,” tweeted Fawad.

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, had expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side over the heavy Chinese casualties. He said that the preliminary investigation shows that the incident was “an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found”.

  • ISPR confirms abductions at mobile tower site in Kurram Tribal District

    ISPR confirms abductions at mobile tower site in Kurram Tribal District

    On June 26, 2021, more than 16 labourers, working at a mobile tower site in Kurram Tribal District, were abducted by unknown terrorists, said a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    On June 27, 10 out of 16 labourers were released and the body of one labourer was found. To rescue the remaining abducted labourers, security forces launched a series of Intelligence Based Operations on highly inhospitable terrain under extreme weather conditions, read the statement.

    Terrorists were continuously tracked and pursued.

    In an Intelligence Based Operation on July 13, 2021, three terrorists were killed and Captain Basit Ali and Sepoy Hazrat Bilal were killed during the rescue operation.

    Security forces continued the pursuit and on July 15, 2021, during another exchange of fire, successfully rescued five abducted labourers. The operation is still underway to apprehend/eliminate the remaining terrorists.

    “Security Forces are consistently endeavouring to ensure the security and well being of our innocent civilians who have been wholeheartedly supporting the security forces in fighting the menace of terrorism,” stated the ISPR.

    Earlier, there were speculations that telecom workers were held hostage by the alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISKP) leader in the region.

  • Shah Mahmood says Dasu incident ‘accident’, Fawad Chaudhry says ‘terrorism can’t be ruled out’

    Shah Mahmood says Dasu incident ‘accident’, Fawad Chaudhry says ‘terrorism can’t be ruled out’

    Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi that the initial investigation into the bus tragedy near Dasu hydropower project in the Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not a consequence of a terrorist attack, according to a statement on China’s foreign ministry website reports Dawn.

    Nine Chinese nationals and three Pakistanis lost their lives on Wednesday in a blast that took place on the bus that was taking them to their workplace. They were going there for an ongoing project, as per a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). 

    “The Chinese side is shocked by the serious Chinese casualties in Pakistan, hoping that the Pakistani side could quickly find out its cause, conduct rescue and treatment work at all costs, deal with the aftermath in time, and prevent similar incidents from happening again,” read the statement.

    “If it is a terrorist attack, the criminals must be immediately arrested and severely punished,” said the Chinese ministry.

    Qureshi, on behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, expressed sincere condolences to the Chinese side over the heavy Chinese casualties. He said that the preliminary investigation shows that the incident was “an accident and no background of terrorist attacks has been found.”

    However, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry took to Twitter and said, “Initial investigations into Dassu incident have now confirmed traces of explosives, terrorism cannot be ruled out,” contradicting the statement by his party’s Foreign Minister.

    “Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally supervising all developments, in this regard Govt is in close coordination with the Chinese embassy we are committed to fighting the menace of terrorism together,” read the tweet.

  • Afghanistan may seek India’s military assistance if talks with Taliban fail: Afghan ambassador

    Afghanistan may seek India’s military assistance if talks with Taliban fail: Afghan ambassador

    The government of Afghanistan may, at some point in the future, seek India’s military assistance if talks with the Taliban fail amid the withdrawal of US troops from there, Afghan Ambassador to India, Farid Mamundzay, has said in an interview to NDTV.

    “Should we not get to a stage in the peace process with the Taliban, then maybe a time (will come) where we would be seeking India’s military assistance, more military assistance in the years ahead,” said Farid.

    “We are not seeking India’s assistance with sending troops to Afghanistan. Their footprint in Afghanistan to fight our war would not be needed at this stage,” he clarified.

    The current situation in Afghanistan is “very dire” and “very problematic”, with the government forces actively fighting the Taliban in around 150 of the 376 districts, the Ambassador said.

    In another interview given to The Indian Express, Farid said, “We are faced with economic hardship,” reports Khaleej Times.

    “The Covid-19-induced lockdowns and the crisis had made deteriorating life even more jeopardised for the general public. We are going through a very difficult time,” he added.

    “Messages that India would continue to support Afghanistan should Taliban become part of the mainstream society again,” he explained. “India would continue to assist Afghanistan in education, politically, diplomatically. Those would go a long way I hope with the Taliban,” added Farid.

    Mamundzay avoided responding to queries related to tensions between India and Pakistan and its spillover in Afghanistan. He said Afghans were to a large extent independent and they decided for themselves.

    “But Pakistan holds a considerable amount of influence and leverage with the Taliban, who again is part of Afghan society,” explained the diplomat.

    “And our requests to Pakistan have always been to use, and productively utilise their influence to bring Taliban to the negotiating table, to make them agree to a process which would make this region prosper. We understand that Pakistan may not fully control the Taliban, but they have a good influence over them. And that influence should be used for, at least, on making this region peaceful and prosperous.”

  • Taliban snatch three billion Pakistani rupees from Afghan forces

    Taliban snatch three billion Pakistani rupees from Afghan forces

    The Taliban have snatched three billion Pakistani rupees that they found at checkposts of Afghan security forces along a Pak-Afghan border crossing, reports Geo News.

     A statement released by the Afghan Taliban said that around Rs3 billion in Pakistani currency was found from the checkposts of the Afghan forces in the Spin Boldak area of ​​Kandahar, which was evacuated by the Afghan security forces.

    “The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement.

    Read More: ‘No smoking, shaving’: Afghan Taliban’s first orders

    “With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak and Chaman and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”

    Pakistan security forces confirmed the Taliban had captured the crossing. The Afghan defense ministry said it was checking developments.

    Analysts say the Rs3 billion amount was reportedly given by smugglers as a bribe to the Afghan forces. They say the Afghan intelligence agency, NDS, used the money to pay terrorists to plan attacks in Pakistan.

  • Pakistan denied US the chance to demand air bases: Moeed Yusuf

    Pakistan denied US the chance to demand air bases: Moeed Yusuf

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan has not given a chance to the United States (US) to demand airbases after withdrawal from Afghanistan, reports The News.

    In an interview with a private news channel, Moeed Yusuf said it was quite understandable that the US would be in search of airbases after leaving Afghanistan.

    He said an article appeared in New York Times about the issue at hand and Pakistan had to clarify its position.

    Yusuf said Pakistan’s position is that it cannot provide airbases to the US.

    In an interview with Jonathan Swan of HBO Axios, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated Pakistan’s stance on the use of military bases and categorically stated that Pakistan will “absolutely not” allow the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use bases on its soil for cross-border counter-terrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan.

    Moeed said the New York Times story was not a coincidence as it created an atmosphere and Pakistan had to clarify its position on the issue.

    The NSA said the world should not consider Pakistan ‘free for all’.

    However, earlier this week, a senior western diplomat said that the US has “at no stage or at any level even asked” Pakistan for military bases, as its forces depart from Afghanistan.

    “Nobody in the entire US administration asked for bases, and yet there is so much focus on the issue in Pakistan,” said the official.

  • Pakistan’s Covid positivity rate crosses 5 per cent

    Pakistan’s Covid positivity rate crossed 5 per cent for the first time after nearly two months.

    The current infection rate stands at 5.2 per cent with a continuous spike in the cases.

    National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) data from Thursday shows that 48,910 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours and 2,545 of them came back positive for coronavirus.

    With 47 new fatalities from the virus, the national death tally soared to 22,689.

    NCOC chief Asad Umar warned: “Indian variant has caused devastation in countries in the region.”

    Umar asked everyone to follow the directives necessary in relevance to Covid protocol and said, “Do not risk your own and others lives.”

  • ‘Those who have not read a book in their life will now decide the future of children in Punjab’: Fawad Chaudhry

    ‘Those who have not read a book in their life will now decide the future of children in Punjab’: Fawad Chaudhry

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ on Tuesday said, ” I am amazed that those who have not read a book in their life will decide the future of children in Punjab.”

    Fawad expressed concerns over the news that the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB) confiscated an Oxford University Press (OUP) Social Studies book for grade 7 on Monday for including Malala Yousufzai’s picture. He said that when he looked into the matter, he came to know that the Punjab Assembly has formed a board to look into such matters.

    The minister said removing Malala’s image is not a problem of a political party, instead, it is a reflection of the division in society.

    “It is quite unfortunate that this division exists,” he added.

    “Political parties are not the issue,” said Chaudhry. “Every political party has some conservative voices that have a negative approach owing to the prevalent syllabus being taught in the country,” he added.

    Highlighting the Punjab government’s decision to remove a chapter on reproduction, Chaudhry said that in this way, we will mentally impair the next generation.

    “We already have many conservative individuals around us. And in the future, if we don’t pay attention to our curriculum and teachers, social problems will increase,” said Fawad. He further added, “Extremism is already high in Pakistan.”

    Reacting to the removal of Malala’s book from Peshawar University during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) last tenure, Fawad stressed that governments should not submit to pressure.

    “This depends on individuals and their mindsets, as conservative mindsets lead to extremist trends,” added the minister.

     Fawad said that such conservative decisions by individuals will make Pakistan lose the position it has created for itself while fighting the war on terror.

  • Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    Chaman border is now closed after reports of the Taliban capturing the crossing on the Afghan side

    The Afghan Taliban have claimed that they have captured the important Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, reports Geo News.

    “The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” a statement was given by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

    “With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak, Chaman, and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”

    “The Taliban have taken control of the Afghan side of the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing,” a Pakistani security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

    “They have raised their flag and removed the Afghan flag.”

    “The Pak-Afghan border at Chaman is on high alert,” said Levies officials. “Additional security has been deployed at the gate.” Pakistan has also suspended activities at the Chaman crossing point.

    “We are in contact with the local leadership of the Taliban on resuming trade and movement of people,” said Levies officials.

    Earlier this week, after seizing about one-third of Afghanistan’s districts, the Taliban swept through the northeastern Badakhshan province, reaching the mountainous border with China’s Xinjiang region.

  • We are most affected by the ‘wife’ clause, says PPP’s Naveed Qamar

    We are most affected by the ‘wife’ clause, says PPP’s Naveed Qamar

    The Parliamentary Committee on Legislative Business witnessed objections over a clause of the Electoral Reforms Bill, which calls for disclosing the number of wives with parliamentarians saying they will take it up in the relevant Senate Committee for necessary amendments, reports The Express Tribune.

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who was part of the parliamentary meeting, questioned: “We are asked how many wives you have. What is this? What have wives got to do with this?”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ayaz Sadiq, and Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Naveed Qamar, too, raised questions over the Electoral Reforms Bill.

    Naveed Qamar said that the PPP was the most affected by the wives’ clause.

    A committee had been set up by Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri to approve the bills. A no-confidence motion against the deputy speaker was moved by the Opposition after which Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser formed a committee to review the bills.

    Ayaz Sadiq said that if the House is to be run, the bills should be brought to the committee. “We should create terms of reference, important legislation should be made in this committee. If the minister or member has introduced the bill, he can withdraw it in the House.”

    Abbasi said, “Twenty-one days have passed and according to the law, we cannot change it.”