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.

  • Timeline of military operations in Pakistan

    Timeline of military operations in Pakistan

    Ever since the War on Terror began, Pakistan has had to conduct multiple military operations to battle with militancy.

    In 2007, the first battle was fought in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Swat district between Pakistani security forces and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Parvez Musharraf was the army chief at that time. Following the failure of talks between army and TTP, Musharraf gave the go-ahead to start a military operation named Rah-e-Haq in KP’s Swat district.

    By mid-2007, an organization founded by Sunni Islamist cleric and militant Sufi Mohammad Khan, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah-Mohammadi, had taken over the majority of the district. 

    In November 2007, military forces started an operation to eradicate terrorist elements from Sawat Valley.

    In 2009, the security situation in Swat again became worse when Mullah Fazlullah appeared on the scene. The army started an operation called Rah-e-Rast, which lasted for three months.  

    According to the details of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during Operation Rah-e-Rast, the army killed 2635 militants, detained 254, and wounded 454 others.

    The tenure of former army chief Gen (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was full of military operations in tribal areas of the country as the armed forces conducted a military operation named Rah-e-Nijat in 2009 in South Waziristan.

      
    The aim of the operation was to wipe out TTP, including eliminating TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud from the area.

    Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched on June 15, 2014, under the leadership of former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif against multiple militant organization including TTP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, al-Qaeda, Jundallah and Lashkar-e-Islam in North Waziristan.

    Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad started in 2017. At that time, Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister and General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the army chief. The operation’s purpose was to root out terrorism from the entire country.

    Now, the Apex Committee on National Action Plan on June 22, 2024, approved a new operation with the name of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said today that operation Azm-e-Istehkam will be implemented in different areas of Balochistan and KP.

    The purpose of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ operation is to strengthen the government’s writ in certain areas.

  • PTI’s Gandapur wants to meet army, ISI chiefs for talks

    PTI’s Gandapur wants to meet army, ISI chiefs for talks

    Following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) expressing willingness to indulge in dialogue, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, after meeting incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan at Adiala jail, said on Monday during his media talk that he wanted to meet Army Chief Gen Asim Munir and Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Nadeem Anjum.

    CM Gandapur told journalists that Imran Khan hadn’t ever refused talks with other stakeholders, regretting that no one responded to Khan’s call for dialogues, confirming that the talks with the establishment or political parties have not yet started.

    He also stated that terms and conditions will not be changed for talks, adding that his party demanded recovery of its stolen mandate and a commission to investigate May 9 riots.

    “I want to meet the army chief and the DG ISI,” he said, clarifying that he met top military leadership on multiple occasions but those meetings were not one-on-one.

    The Chief Minister also criticized the newly launched Azm–e–Istehkam operation, confirming that the last apex committee meeting did not discuss military action.

  • I was in jail for more than a year; those whispering about deals should keep their mouths shut: Pervaiz Elahi

    I was in jail for more than a year; those whispering about deals should keep their mouths shut: Pervaiz Elahi

    President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has re-affirmed his support for Imran Khan, saying, “Those who talk about deals or leeway should keep their mouths shut.”

    Chaudhry talked with the media for the first time since he got out of jail, saying, “I spent more than a year in jail; I broke five ribs when I fell there. Allah saved my life for a purpose.”

    The former Chief Minister of Punjab stated, “I made no deal or dialogue involving me. Chaudhry Shujaat and his family regularly met with me in Camp Jail Lahore. If I wanted to make a deal, I would have done so back then.”

    Pervaiz Elahi further clarified that neither he nor Imran Khan have stepped back from their narrative.

  • PML-N’s Javed Latif wants re-polls in country

    PML-N’s Javed Latif wants re-polls in country

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif has demanded a commission to probe recent and 2018 elections, urging the government to hold new polls in the country, Geo News reported on Monday.

    During the Geo New programme, “Naya Pakistan”, Javed Latif said that the current government came into power through an arrangement to block the way of Nawaz Sharif’s two-third majority.

    The PML-N leader raised questions on the no-confidence motion, alleging that those who don’t want stability in the country create an atmosphere to reduce Nawaz Sharif’s popularity and boost the reputation of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
     
    In doing all this, Gen (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed were on the same page, Latif blamed.

  • Zardari recommends rehabilitating Kacha dacoits

    Zardari recommends rehabilitating Kacha dacoits

    President Asif Ali Zardari said on Monday that if the criminals of Sindh Kacha area, except for the most hardened ones, surrendered before the state, then they should gradually be brought into the national mainstream and rehabilitated to make them responsible and valued members of society.

    President Zardari asked that strict action be taken against high-risk criminals.  

    During a meeting on the law and order situation in Sindh, Zardari directed authorities to improve the condition of roads, health, and education infrastructure in Kacha areas of Sindh to upgrade the socio-economic condition of the people of that area.

    Minister for Interior Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Member of the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Assembly Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah, Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Minister for Planning and Development Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Minister for Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Zia ul Hassan Lanjar, Additional Chief Secretary Sindh Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Inspector General of Police Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon, Director General Rangers Sindh Major General Azhar Waqas, GOC 16 Division Pano Aqil Garrison Major General Aamer Amin and senior officials of the federal and provincial governments attended the huddle in Nawabshah.

  • Punjab govt distributes lunch boxes, water to prisoners

    Punjab govt distributes lunch boxes, water to prisoners

    To accelerate Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s jail reforms agenda, concerned authorities distributed meal boxes and water among prisoners today before they appeared in courts.

    Almost 7000 inmates were provided lunch boxes and cold water in 43 jails of the province.

    Furthermore, flour-grinding machines and tractors are being placed in jails to cultivate jail land.

    Dunya News reported that the jails’ authorities are dedicated to cultivating fresh vegetables and wheat for healthy meals for inmates, adding that the Punjab government also takes care of the people behind bars.

  • PPP, PML-N to run Punjab together

    PPP, PML-N to run Punjab together

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Ali Haider Gillani has said on Sunday that the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government accepted all the demands of his party related to development funds and shares in governmental committees in Punjab.

    The young MPA confirmed that the government will give development funds to the PPP and obliged his party by giving it key administrative positions.

    Earlier, the PPP has asked the government for development fund allocation and party’s representation in administrative committees including market committees, zakat committees and Baitul Maal committees.

    The negotiating committees of both parties met in the federal capital on Sunday. Raja Parvez Ashraf, Ali Haider Gilani and Hassan Murtaza were representing PPP while Malik Ahmed Khan, Rana Sanaullah, and Khawaja Saad Rafique joined the huddle from the PML-N side.

  • National Assembly, Islamic Ideology Council unite in condemning Swat mob lynching incident

    National Assembly, Islamic Ideology Council unite in condemning Swat mob lynching incident

    The National Assembly of Pakistan on Sunday passed a resolution condemning the recent Swat mob lynching incident, demanding action against the culprits.

    The resolution, presented by Federal Law Minister Nazir Tarar, was approved by a majority vote.

    “Action must be taken against the perpetrators of such heinous acts,” stated the resolution.

    It further underscored the need for both federal and provincial governments to ensure the protection of minorities.

    “Although we may have our differences, we must unite on certain fundamental issues. Any incident akin to the one in Swat, regardless of where it occurs in the country, should prompt immediate and decisive action by the respective governments,” stated the law minister.

    Furthermore, the Chairman of the Islamic Ideological Council (IIC), Dr Allama Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, also strongly condemned the incident, saying, “No individual or group is allowed to punish anyone legally, morally, or according to Sharia.”

    He further said that the accused should be identified through forensic and mobile geo-location in the Swat case and punished according to the law.

    Chairman IIC also said that in Islam, burning a person’s body is a great sin; there is an intense punishment for this act.

    On June 20, an unfortunate incident took place when a man accused of blasphemy was lynched and burned by a violent mob in Swat district.

  • Is Pakistan considering striking TTP in Afghanistan under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam?

    Is Pakistan considering striking TTP in Afghanistan under Operation Azm-e-Istehkam?

    The Khorasan Diary has posted an alert on X (formerly Twitter) on June 23 that a high-ranking official from the government told the outlet that the government may start surgical strikes against the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) inside Afghanistan.

    The post read, “A high-ranking Pakistani official has revealed that the government may authorise cross-border operations against Pakistani Taliban hideouts as part of the newly announced nationwide operation against militant outfits.”

    It further elaborated, “Pakistani government will not hesitate to pursue and neutralise terrorist targets across the border,” the official stated on condition of anonymity.”

    In recent years, terrorism in Pakistan has seen a surge as it accuses neighbouring Afghanistan of inaction against the TTP.

    Pakistan also conducted cross-border strikes against the terrorists inside Afghanistan this year as the Afghan authorities shifted the blame on Pakistan that dealing with TTP is Pakistan’s own responsibility.

  • Govt, opposition not on same page about new military operation, Azm-e-Istehkam

    Govt, opposition not on same page about new military operation, Azm-e-Istehkam

    During Sunday’s turbulent National Assembly (NA) session, the government and opposition were contentious over the matter of a new military operation, Azm-e-Istehkam, to eliminate terrorism from the country.

    Lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) voiced concerns during the session that they were not taken into confidence about the new operation.

    After this, PTI walked out of the session and returned after an hour, leading to the PTI MNAs’ address. Opposition party leaders chanted slogans during the session, including “End the operation” and “We want peace.”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had announced a fresh military operation, named Azm-e-Istehkam, on Saturday to eradicate militants from the country.

    The Central Apex Committee on National Action Plan (NAP) consist of top authorities from all the provinces, approved the new anti-terrorism operation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur was also part of the decision-making committee after increasing terrorist attacks in the country, especially in KP and Balochistan.