Blog

  • ‘We don’t look at Israel as an enemy’: Saudi Crown prince reveals in rare interview

    ‘We don’t look at Israel as an enemy’: Saudi Crown prince reveals in rare interview

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Israel a “potential ally” of Riyadh, in an interview with a United States (US) monthly magazine, The Atlantic.

    “But we have to solve some issues before we get to that,” he added.

    “We don’t look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together,” the prince said. Talking about the Palestine-Israel issue, he said that Riyadh hopes that the conflict between them is solved.

    Interestingly, the prince also opened up about Iran, he said, “They are neighbours. Neighbours forever. We cannot get rid of them, and they can’t get rid of us.”

    “Hopefully, we can reach a position that’s good for both countries and is going to create a brighter future for them and Iran,” he added.

    About the assassination of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, the prince said that he was unfairly blamed for it.

    “Why would I do it?” he asked, saying that accusations that he ordered the killing “hurt me a lot”. He claimed that he never read a Khashoggi article in his life.

    “In any case, if that’s the way we did things, Khashoggi would not even be among the top 1,000 people on the list,” added the prince.

    The Kingdom does not have diplomatic relations with Israel but the two countries are believed to have ties. In 2020, Israel’s then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s secret visit to Saudi Arabia raised speculations.

    Under Mohammed bin Salman, a series of progressive developments have been made in Saudi Arabia, women were allowed to drive for the first time in 2018 in the Kingdom.

    In 2020, two Gulf countries— Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates normalised ties with Israel.

  • At least 57 dead and several injured in Peshawar’s mosque blast

    At least 57 dead and several injured in Peshawar’s mosque blast

    At least 57 people have lost their lives and more than 190 have been injured in an explosion that took place during Jumma (Friday) prayers at a mosque in Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar, one of the densely populated areas in the city.

    The injured have been moved to the Lady Reading Hospital. Police teams are at the site of the explosion and have sealed off the area.

    According to Capital City Police Peshawar, policemen on duty were shot at by the attackers.

    Officials are yet to confirm the nature of the explosion.

    This is a developing story.

  • ‘Great people’: Indians praise Pakistan Embassy for assisting their students in evacuation from Ukraine

    Pakistan has won the hearts of Indian citizens after assisting their students in evacuation from Ukraine.

    Indian students were left alone as they could not find any Indian embassy officials who could help them evacuate safely from war zone areas.

    According to media reports, Indian nationals have been facing discrimination in Ukraine since India abstained from the right to vote against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    When Indian students reached Lviv, a town 70 kilometers away from Poland, they did not find any Indian embassy officials to facilitate them.

    A Sweden-based Professor, Ashok Swain, shared a video in which a student has described the current situation sitting with other Pakistani nationals in a dining hall of a building at the Romanian border.

    He said, “Only four of us are Indian. The rest of them are Pakistanis. You can see. There were many people when we reached Lviv yesterday from Kharkiv. There were no officials from Indian Embassy. We have tried many times to find them.”

    Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also confirmed the news about the facilitation given to Indian students from Pakistan Embassy in Ukraine.

    He said that Pakistani embassy officials helped Indian students in Ukraine on humanitarian grounds as they were in distress.

    Indian Twitter user, Gaurav Sabnis, appreciated the gesture shown by the Pakistani Embassy staff.

    He said, “First with that vandalized temple reconstruction and now this, the Pakistani government is showing that it has a much better grasp on the concept that doing the right thing can actually be good for your public image too. That you can ‘win’ with generosity.”

    Another Indian has shared his experience of hospitality when some Pakistanis helped him in the United Kingdom.

  • MQM apologises for May 12 tragedy after 15 years

    MQM apologises for May 12 tragedy after 15 years

    Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui apologised for his party’s “misjudgement” during the May 12 tragedy that saw around 50 people lose their lives to riots back in 2007 in Karachi.

    “MQM should have tendered an apology and I apologise for that. And this apology is for making a wrong judgement,” said Siddiqui.

    “We had been used and we regret that but that was not our intention and this is not how we function as a party,” he insisted.

    Siddiqui admitted that MQM-P had a “slightly weakened ideologically”. However, he expressed hope that his party would again produce a new crop of young leaders who will “prove to be the future of the country”.

    “We were accused of hatching a conspiracy and holding a Jinnahpur map and we were also called traitors. If this was the reality, then why was the MQM not banned?” he asked.

    On May 12, 2007, overthrown Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, was scheduled to visit Karachi and take part in a function organised by the Sindh High Court Bar Association.

    Members of civil society, including lawyers, were not allowed to reach the airport to welcome the then chief justice, thus leading to clashes between the supporters of the judge and the then-MQM member. Nearly 50 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were wounded that day.

  • Sedition charges filed against Shireen Mazari’s daughter Imaan

    Sedition charges filed against Shireen Mazari’s daughter Imaan

    A first information report (FIR ) has been registered against Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, daughter of Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari. Imaan, who is a lawyer and a human rights activist, participated in Baloch students’ protest in Islamabad. In addition, Member of National Assembly (MNA) Mohsin Dawar and Baloch students have also been booked for “rebellion, rioting, and raising of anti-state slogans”, sources revealed to Geo News.

    A case has been registered at Kohsar police station.

    Imaan Hazir-Mazari tweeted: “In response to the FIR that has been registered against me: #ReleaseHafeezBaloch #EndEnforcedDisappearancesNOW #StopHarassingBalochStudents“

    Mohsin Dawar, while reacting to the FIR against him, said: “Instead of filing cases against the rouge elements involved in enforced disappearances, the state chooses to file fake cases against those who protest against enforced disappearances. Such as is the way of the martial law regime in Pakistan. We stand with the Baloch students.”

    Why are Baloch students protesting?

    The students are protesting over the mysterious disappearance of one of their colleagues, Hafeez Baloch, three weeks ago from Khuzdar.

    Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has also extended her support for protesting students. “Our young people need political solutions to their problems, not repression,” Rehman wrote in a tweet,.

    People on social media are condemning the police action against Imaan Mazari-Hazir and other protesters:

  • ‘Come play in Pakistan,’ Fawad Chaudhry invites Indian cricket team

    ‘Come play in Pakistan,’ Fawad Chaudhry invites Indian cricket team

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said today (March 4) that the Indian cricket team should visit Pakistan and play cricket here.

    “Indians are still reeling from their loss to Pakistan in Dubai, they have not recovered yet,” said Fawad.

    Last year, Pakistan defeated India for the first time in a World Cup fixture by 10 wickets on October 24 at the ICC Cricket T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai.

    “The Indian cricket team should come to Pakistan and play cricket here. Instead of indulging in efforts to undermine and stop international cricket in Pakistan, India and Pakistan should support cricket in each other’s countries. I think we should leave aside our issues and instead sports should be prioritised,” said Fawad.

    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1499639038776688640

    Fawad Chaudhry said that he wants cooperation between India and Pakistan in cricket, music and films.

    “Some 65 per cent people did not vote for Modi. Why should they suffer due to Modi’s policies? We want more people-to-people contact between the two countries. I am sure there are voices in India that will denounce Modi’s extremism,” added Fawad Chaudhry.

    Last month, Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Commerce, Textile, Industry, and Production, and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that trade with India is the need of the hour and beneficial to both countries.

  • Step down in five days, Bilawal warns Khan

    Step down in five days, Bilawal warns Khan

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has given an ultimatum to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. The PPP leader said that the prime minister himself should decide about his fate within five days, otherwise “we will decide his fate”.

    “I want free and fair elections immediately. The PM has only two options: resign or face no-confidence move,” Bilawal told a charged crowd as he makes his way towards the federal capital.

    “Imran Khan’s presence is harmful to the country and the people, and the democratic process of a no-trust move has been adopted to remove him from the office,” said the PPP leader.

    “The people have shown their lack of confidence in this government. Now, it is time for the parliamentarians to show it too,” he added.

    “This is the last chance for the coalition partners to withdraw their support for the Imran Khan-led regime and absolve themselves of their three years of sin they had committed by supporting this incompetent and selected regime.”

    Bilawal reiterated, “It was because of the pressure of the march that the government had to bring the prices down.”

  • ‘Historic moment in Pakistan cricket,’ says PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain as Pakistan and Australia series kicks off

    ‘Historic moment in Pakistan cricket,’ says PCB CEO Faisal Hasnain as Pakistan and Australia series kicks off

    After 24 years, Pakistan and Australia are playing the first Test match of the PakvsAus series today (March 4) in Rawalpindi. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Team Australia arrived in Pakistan on Sunday (February 27) for their first tour since 1998 and will play three Tests, three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and a T20I.

    “The pitch looks nice so we’ll try to put runs on the board,” said Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. He also predicted that our spinners would play a key role in the first match of the three-Test series.

    Babar Azam and Pat Cummins are leading their sides in the first Test of the three-match Benaud-Qadir ICC World Test Championship series match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) CEO Faisal Hasnain said in a press conference today (Friday) that Pakistani cricket fans have waited 24 years for this moment. He expressed gratitude to the Australian Cricket Team for their tour to Pakistan.

     Naseem Shah has been included in the squad for the first Test against Australia after bowler Haris Rauf tested positive for Covid-19.

    Test squads for Rawalpindi match

    Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (c), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah

    Australia: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

    Test schedule:
    • 1st Test, Rawalpindi: March 4-8
    • 2nd Test, Karachi: March 12-16
    • 3rd Test, Lahore: March 21-25
  • Less than 1% Pakistani women divorced: Pulse Consultant

    Less than 1% Pakistani women divorced: Pulse Consultant

    Pulse Consultant has launched a series of statistical information about Pakistani women with the name of “Pink Pakistan”. As per the first part of the report, 98.4 per cent of women over the age of 10 are not active economically.

    As per the report, 68 per cent of female population is married and only 0.57 per cent are divorced.

    The report also revealed that every second woman in Pakistan is literate.

    Another report published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the year 2021 revealed a huge gender gap in social media users of Pakistan.

  • Oil companies warn govt of fuel shortage in Pakistan

    Oil companies warn govt of fuel shortage in Pakistan

    Oil marketing companies and refineries have reportedly expressed serious concerns and warned of a fuel crisis in the country after the government’s announcement of a relief package, according to Geo News.

    In a meeting between Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the petroleum division, several questions have been raised regarding petroleum prices. They argued that how can they sell petroleum products at cheaper prices when they are buying them at an expensive rate from the international market. They asked, “who will pay the price difference?”

    According to the secretary of petroleum, the government is preparing a price adjustment mechanism and the government will pay later. Till then, oil marketing companies and refineries should bear the price difference.

    In response to this, oil marketing companies and refineries said that the situation doesn’t seem to be sustainable as the country can face an interruption in the supply of petroleum products.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in an announcement on Monday, said that the government has slashed petrol, diesel prices by Rs10 per litre and electricity prices by Rs5 per unit as part of a series of measures to bring some relief to the public. He also promised that the government will not increase the prices of these commodities till the next budget, which will be announced in June.