Pakistan has signed a contract with Azerbaijan on Thursday to sell sophisticated JF-17 block three fighter jets, although prices and quantity of jets are unknown as of yet.
According to a Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) press release, the deal was part of Pakistan’s effort to enhance and boost defence cooperation with friendly countries and strengthen the air power capabilities of Azerbaijan.
ISPR added, “JF-17 Thunder Block-III is an AESA Radar and Long Range BVR equipped 4.5 generation Multi-Role fighter aircraft which is capable of undertaking a wide array of combat missions providing contemporary airpower employment options thus strengthening the National Security Paradigm of Azerbaijan.”
The aircraft is co-produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and developed jointly with China.
Pakistan is a key supporter of Turkiye, which supports Azerbaijan in its standoff with Armenia when clashes erupted between the two South Caucasus countries last year, resuming decades-old hostilities.
Iran’s army has so far found no evidence of suspicious activity in a helicopter crash that killed the country’s president Ebrahim Raisi and seven others, state media reported.
President Raisi, 63, along with his entourage died on Sunday after his helicopter went down in the country’s mountainous northwest while returning from a dam inauguration on the border with Azerbaijan.
“No bullet holes or similar impacts were observed on the helicopter wreckage,” said a preliminary report by the general staff of the armed forces published by the official IRNA news agency late on Thursday evening.
“The helicopter caught fire after hitting an elevated area,” it said, adding that “no suspicious content was observed during the communications between the watch tower and the flight crew”.
Raisi’s helicopter had been flying on a “pre-planned route and did not leave the designated flight path” before the crash.
The report said the wreckage of the helicopter had been found by Iranian drones early on Monday but the “complexity of the area, fog and low temperature” hindered the work of search and rescue teams.
The army said “more time is needed” to investigate the crash and that it would announce more details later.
Raisi was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday, concluding days of funeral ceremonies in major cities of Iran, including the capital, attended by throngs of mourners.
Among the people killed in the incident was Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who was also buried on Thursday, in the town of Shahre Ray, south of Tehran.
Azerbaijanis were voting in snap presidential elections on Wednesday, with a fifth term for Ilham Aliyev seen as a foregone conclusion after Baku’s historic victory over Armenian separatists.
A crackdown on independent media and the absence of any real opposition have boosted the certainty of an easy win for Aliyev, whose troops recaptured the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in September.
The oil-rich nation’s main opposition parties are boycotting the vote, which one opposition leader, Ali Kerimli of the National Front party, called an “imitation of democracy.”
“There are no conditions in the country for the conduct of free and fair elections,” he said.
The six other candidates who are running are little-known and have been busy praising Aliyev as a great statesman and a victorious commander-in-chief since he announced the elections in December, a year ahead of schedule.
The country’s Central Election Commission said turnout stood at 38.6 percent by noon, four hours after polls opened.
In a symbolic gesture, the president and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva went to Karabakh to cast their ballots in the region’s main city of Khankendi.
For the first time in Azerbaijan’s post-Soviet history, 26 polling stations opened in Karabakh, which has been largely deserted after its entire ethnic-Armenian population — more than 100,000 people — fled to Armenia after Baku’s takeover.
At a polling station in central Baku, pensioner Shalalya Abbasova, 68, said she cast her ballot for Aliyev because he “did what seemed impossible — accomplished our dream, liberated the occupied territories.”
‘Escalating crackdown’
But another Baku resident, 32-year-old IT specialist Ismet Bagirov, said he decided not to vote as “there is nobody to vote for, there are no alternative candidates”.
“I know many will vote for Aliyev today because he liberated Karabakh. I thank him for this, but there are fundamental issues in the country that remain unresolved.”
Last month, Aliyev called the Karabakh victory “an epochal event unparallelled in Azerbaijan’s history”.
“The elections will mark the beginning of a new era” for the country, he said, adding that the country would hold presidential elections on all its territory for the first time.
“The outcome of Wednesday’s elections in Azerbaijan is known beforehand, Aliyev is set to win,” said independent analyst Ghia Nodia of the Caucasus Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“There is no suspense whatsoever in these elections without a slightest sign of competitiveness.”
Supporters have praised Aliyev for turning a country once thought of as a Soviet backwater into a flourishing energy supplier to Europe.
But critics say he has crushed opposition groups and suffocated independent media.
“All fundamental rights are being violated in the country, opposition parties can’t function normally, freedom of assembly is restricted, media are under government pressure, and political dissent is being suppressed,” said Kerimli of the National Front.
In recent months, Azerbaijani authorities have intensified pressure on independent media outlets, arresting several critical journalists who have exposed graft at high levels.
“The escalating crackdown by Azerbaijani authorities ahead of the elections is not just an attack on individual rights, it’s a widespread, coordinated assault on civil society and the rule of law,” Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
Dynastic rule
Aliyev, 62, was first elected president in 2003 after the death of his father Heydar Aliyev, a former KGB officer who had ruled Azerbaijan since 1993.
He was re-elected in 2008, 2013 and in 2018, with 86 percent of the votes.
All the elections were denounced by opposition parties as rigged.
In 2009, Aliyev amended the country’s constitution so he could run for an unlimited number of presidential terms, a move criticised by rights advocates who say he could become president for life.
In 2016, Azerbaijan adopted controversial constitutional amendments that extended the president’s term in office to seven years from five.
Cementing the decades-long dynastic grip on power, the president has appointed his wife Mehriban Aliyeva as first vice president.
Around six million voters are registered for the election monitored by observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
In an effort to facilitate tourism and strengthen cultural ties, the government of Azerbaijan has launched a user-friendly online service for the issuance of e-visit visas to citizens from various countries, including Pakistan.
This exciting development launches in November 2023, providing Pakistani tourists a hassle-free entry into Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan visit visa fee November 2023:
• Standard Category: For a single-entry 30-day electronic visit visa, Pakistani tourists can avail of the standard category at a fee of $69. The processing time for visa applications in this category ranges from 3 to 5 days
• Urgent Category: In the urgent category, the visit visa for Pakistan nationals costs $119. This option offers a swift consideration period, with visa applications processed within three to five hours
On the other hand, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, Nationality, Passport, and Residence Affairs (NPRA) has unveiled an efficient and convenient online visa application system for Pakistani nationals, offering three distinct types of visit visas.
This new initiative aims to enhance travel experiences for visitors from Pakistan, whether they are planning a two-week vacation or a more extended stay in Bahrain.
Visa types and application process:
Pakistani travelers seeking to explore Bahrain’s tourism or business opportunities can now choose from the following visit visa options:
Visit Visa – 2 Weeks Single Entry
Visit Visa – Three Months Multiple Entry
Visit Visa – One-Year Multiple Entry
Application process
Visit the official website and click on the “Apply for Visa” link on the homepage
Fill out the eligibility page and proceed to view the available visa types and their respective conditions
Select the desired visa type and click “Apply now”
Complete the online application form as prompted, following the subsequent steps
Attach the required documents, and if you are applying for multiple visas with the same credit card, use the “Submit another application” button to repeat the process
Make the initial payment for the application fee using a credit card through a secure payment gateway, and keep note of the Application Reference Number(s) provided
NPRA will process your application, and once approved, an email notification and a PIN will be sent to you
Visit the Visa homepage and select “Pay for Application.” Provide the necessary information and enter the PIN to access your applications
Should your application not be approved, you will receive an email containing instructions on contacting the relevant Embassy or NPRA.
Required documents
To complete your visa application, ensure you have the following documents:
• A copy of your passport, including the family page and any additional information pages
• A copy of a confirmed return air ticket
• A copy of your hotel booking in Bahrain. If you plan to stay with a relative or friend, provide a copy of their ID reader’s printout
• A copy of a bank statement under your name, covering the last three months with a balance of not less than the equivalent of USD 1000
Visa fee information
The total fee for applying for a two week long visit visa is nine Bahraini Dinar.
Pakistan has secured over $10.5 billion in pledges from international creditors at the one-day International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva, which will help the cash-strapped country recover from last year’s devastating floods.
By the end of the first plenary session, Pakistan had received pledges totaling $8.57 billion, and in the second session, it had secured more than $2 billion.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to help Pakistan build climate-resilient infrastructure and to grant access to the knowledge and resources needed to survive future catastrophes.
The delegations recalled their support for the emergency relief operations during the conference and reaffirmed their commitment to Pakistan’s people in support of a strong recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
All donations pledged at the Geneva conference
Islamic Development Bank: $4.2 billion
World Bank: $2 billion
Asian Development Bank: $1.5 billion
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: $1 billion
Saudi Arabia: $1 billion
France: $384 million
China: $100 million
United States: $100 million
EU: $93 million
Germany: $88 million
Japan: $77 million
United Kingdom: $10 million
Azerbaijan: $2 million
The attendees voiced their solidarity and pledged financial support for the ongoing humanitarian activities as well as the achievement of the goals and key areas. The meeting was co-hosted by Pakistan and the UN.
The World Bank has pledged $2 billion, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has pledged $1 billion, and the Islamic Development Bank Group has pledged $4.2 billion over three years.
Furthermore, Asian Development Bank has pledged $1.5 billion, while the European Union has offered $93 million, Germany has pledged $88 million, China has pledged $100 million, Japan has pledged $77 million, and so on. The French government has committed $345 million, and the United States Agency for International Development has offered $100 million.
Saudi Arabia has also committed $1 billion to assist Pakistan in reconstruction efforts.
In order to meet domestic demand, Pakistan will import an additional 20,000 tonnes of gas from Azerbaijan in the next two months, according to Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik.
The Russian Petroleum Minister will visit Pakistan next month to strike a deal for the purchase of Russian crude oil, the minister said in a statement. The state minister was confident that Russia will deliver discounted crude oil to Pakistan.
According to him, the government is working on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project to import 1,300 billion MF of gas from Azerbaijan per year to address the country’s gas shortfall.
Malik had before claimed that Russia will give Pakistan a discount on the purchase of its crude oil.
Musadiq Malik stated during a news briefing in Islamabad on Friday that Russian authorities had made it clear they will offer Pakistan cheap crude oil.
The State for Petroleum Musadik Malik stated, “We are taking talks [with Russia on crude oil] forward,” noting that two of Russia’s eight sorts of crude oil might be utilised in Pakistani refineries.
He continued by saying that Pakistan was also developing a framework for an LNG cargo arrangement with Azerbaijan.
Pakistan has refuted “irresponsible” reports claiming that Pakistan Army is fighting alongside Azerbaijani forces against Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
According to reports, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the reports were “speculative and baseless”.
“Pakistan is deeply concerned over the deteriorating security situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Chaudhri said while reiterating Pakistan’s position on the conflict.
The spokesperson also said that intensive shelling by Armenian forces on the civilian populations of Azerbaijan is reprehensible and most unfortunate.
“This could compromise peace and security of the entire region. Armenia must stop its military action to avoid further escalation,” the spokesperson said.
Chaudhri said that Pakistan supports Azerbaijan’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that the position was in line with the “several unanimously adopted United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions”.
The statement comes as tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan forces continued to heighten despite the world’s calls for ceasefire.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a simmering conflict for decades over the region and new fighting that erupted on Sunday has been the heaviest in decades. Nearly 200 people, including 30 civilians, have died amid fears of a multi-front war that could suck in regional powers Turkey and Russia.
