Tag: China

  • ‘Anyone who understood Afghanistan’s history would never have done what Americans did’: PM Khan

    ‘Anyone who understood Afghanistan’s history would never have done what Americans did’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has spoken about the invasion in Afghanistan by the United States (US) for the “war on terror”, which continued for 20 years, terming it as a failure.

    In an interview with the Director of the Advisory Committee of China Institute of Fudan University Dr Eric Li, PM Khan said, “Anyone who understood the history of Afghanistan would never have done what the Americans did.” He argued that after the killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, American forces didn’t know what they were doing there.

    “They [Americans] were never clear on what they were trying to achieve in Afghanistan. Was it nation-building; was it democracy; was it liberating the Afghan women? They had no clear aims,” the premier posed several questions during his interview.

    Since the ousting of the Ashraf Ghani-led government, the prime minister has been supporting to unfreeze the Taliban-run country’s assets.

    He said joining the “war on terror” and the corruption of the past rulers badly affected Pakistan. Furthermore, he highlighted that the country lost about 80,000 people and over $100 billion in the war.

    Talking about the recent treatment of Indian Muslims in India, the prime minister criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for marginalisation of minorities, including Muslims, and termed it a “tragedy” for the Indian nation.

  • PM Khan to become first Pakistani premier to visit Russia in 23 years

    PM Khan to become first Pakistani premier to visit Russia in 23 years

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will visit Russia this month, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Monday.

    FM Qureshi said that PM Imran Khan has been invited to Moscow by Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it “evidence” that bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia are witnessing a positive change.

    The foreign minister made the announcement about the Russian tour while giving a briefing about the prime minister’s recently concluded visit to China and its outcomes.

    “The joint statement is a visual manifestation of the success of the China tour,” FM Qureshi said while referring to the statement mutually issued by Pakistan and China about PM’s visit to China.

    PM Khan will become the first Pakistani premier to visit Russia in 23 years after former premier Nawaz Sharif, who visited Moscow in 1999.

  • ‘World should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India’: PM Khan

    ‘World should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, who is on a four-day visit to China, cited India’s aggressive behaviour and the prevailing Hindutva ideology as a threat to regional peace and a cause of lingering instability of the region.

    The premier’s remarks came in an exclusive session with the heads and representatives of leading Chinese think tanks, universities, and the Pakistan Study Centre in Beijing.

    “The atrocities of India are continuing in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IoK). The world should pay attention to the ongoing atrocities of India against Kashmiris,” said PM Khan.

    Referring to India’s aggressive behaviour and the prevailing Hindutva ideology, PM Khan said that the country was a threat to regional peace and a cause of lingering instability of the region.

    “In view of myriad global challenges, the world did not need another Cold War. Divisions could result in mounting suffering and prevent common benefits. Pakistan was, therefore, of the belief that the key driver in international politics should be cooperation, rather than confrontation,” said PM Khan.

    In his meeting with NDRC chairman and Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference vice-chairman, the prime minister said the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has a strategic significance for both countries and was delivering tangible benefits. PM Khan noted with satisfaction that CPEC’s early-harvest projects had transformed Pakistan’s economic landscape, thus laying a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth.

    Reaffirming the commitment of two sides to timely completion of CPEC and its high-quality development, the premier said both sides would continue to expedite efforts to achieve Gwadar’s potential as a hub of regional commerce and industry while also prioritising preparatory work on the railway’s Main Line-1 (ML-1) and key energy projects.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended the inauguration of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 at the national stadium.

    Chinese President Xi Jinping inaugurated the sports event that brought together around 3,000 athletes from 91 nations to compete across 109 medal games.

  • Man in China attempts suicide, ashamed son still single at 29

    Man in China attempts suicide, ashamed son still single at 29

    A man in China allegedly attempted suicide because of his unmarried son, reports Geo News. According media reports, the incident took place at Shanghai Railway Station on January 22 when an unidentified 55-year-old man suddenly fainted after handing over a piece of paper to a security guard.

    “People my age have become grandparents in the village but you are still not married, because of you I am living a very embarrassing life,” the note read.

    As per media reports, the man tried to commit suicide with pesticides. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was given immediate medical attention. The man is now out of danger.

    He has claimed that he met his son in Shanghai before attempting suicide. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    PM Khan says treatment of Uighurs not true on ground
    
			
    PM Khan says treatment of Uighurs not true on ground
    
			
    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, prior to his upcoming trip to China from February 3 to February 5, during which the premier will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and meet Chinese leaders. He also spoke to journalists on various issues concerning both Pakistan and China.
    

    The premier reinforced that his visit will reinforce a strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries, and further advance the objective of building a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era.
    

    Appreciating China for how it developed over the years, PM Khan said the world should see how China helped the poor develop and eradicate poverty.
    

    Talking on China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) PM Khan said that the first phase of CPEC was connectivity and power generation. “Now the CPEC has moved into the next stage where it’s about the relocation of industry. We want to develop our industrial zones, our special economic zones. Then we want special help in agriculture to increase our productivity. In China, productivity is very high as compared to Pakistan. “
    

    When asked about how the West presented the picture of Chinese Muslims suffering in Uighur, PM Khan said, “There is a lot of criticism about the treatment of Uighur’s by China in the West. Our ambassador went there, Moin-ul-Haq, our ambassador in China went there. We had asked him, he went there and he sent us information and said this is actually not true on the ground.”
    

    “What we in Pakistan find it very difficult to swallow is that while they talk about Uighurs, they do not talk much in the West about Kashmir. Because in Kashmir the worst violations of human rights have taken place by India. And somehow there is selective silence about human rights in Kashmir,” said PM Khan.
    

    The premier further said, “Where there is something like nine million people, who are basically living in the worst conditions in almost open prison by these 800,000 Indian troops. So we find it very difficult that while on one side they talk about Xinjiang but on the other hand the silence about Kashmir is demeaning for us. And that double standard is what we in Pakistan find difficult.”
    

    The premier, talking about Afghanistan, said that is the foreign countries who turned have Afghanistan into a battleground and for 40 years the people have suffered. He further said that the people of Afghanistan have gotten a chance after 40 years to live in peace.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    ‘Jinnah se jo kare pyaar, wo Pakistan se kaise kare inkaar,’ BJP member accuses Akhilesh Yadav of being pro-Pakistani
    
			
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of showing his love to Pakistan and its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 
    

    

    “Jinnah se jo kare pyaar, wo Pakistan se kaise kare inkaar (Those who love Jinnah, how can they reject Pakistan),” said Patra on Monday.
    

    Opposition party chief Akhilesh Yadav recently shared his views on China’s investment in India during an interview with The Economic Times and said that China, not Pakistan was India’s real enemy.
    

    “Our real enemy is China. Pakistan is our political enemy. But BJP only targets Pakistan because of their vote politics,” said Yadav.
    

    He further added that China has intruded in the territory of India and its businesses.
    

    He commented, “The Indian government should think about this and consult opposition parties on how to deal with the situation.”
    

    Patra accused Yadav of “love” for Pakistan.
    

    

    

    

    

    

    Prior to this incident, BJP leaders also targeted Yadav over his remarks on Independence from the British rule last year at a public gathering. 
    

    He was accused by the ruling government that he gave credit to Jinnah for India’s independence from British rule. 
    

    Yadav apparently said in the video shared by BJP leaders, “Jinnah became a barrister after studying in the same institution. He obtained his education and served as a barrister in the same place. He got freedom for India. He did not back down from any struggle…”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    However, a fact-check by AltNews revealed that the clip was distorted and was actually a two-minute-long video.
    

    The Indian news agency, ANI, posted the complete video on Twitter on October 31, 2021. 
    

    Yadav said, “Sardar Patel used to make decisions keeping in mind the situation on the ground. He would only make decisions after gaining a proper understanding of what was happening at the grassroots level. That’s why he is known as the Iron Man of India. Sardar Patel, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and [Muhammad Ali] Jinnah became barristers after attending the same institution. They got freedom for India. They did not back down from any struggles. It was Iron Man of India Sardar Patel who imposed a ban on an ideology (RSS).”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Slow internet woes: Man sets fire to internet equipment, gets seven years in prison
    
			
    Slow internet woes: Man sets fire to internet equipment, gets seven years in prison
    
			
    Authorities in China have sentenced a man to seven years in prison for setting internet equipment on fire after becoming enraged by a slow internet connection.
    

    According to NDTV, a man by the name of Lan in China said in a statement that the internet was so slow that he retaliated by destroying a public box containing optical fiber network cables.
    

    In a court statement, details statated that “the man used a lighter to set a napkin he had on him on fire, then burned down a telecommunications box at a traffic intersection”.
    

    Nearly 4,000 households and offices, including a public hospital, lost internet access for 28 to 50 hours as a result of the fire.
    

    “After the incident, public security officials seized Lan’s instrument of crime — a lighter,” according to the court in Cenxi.
    

    Lan was sentenced to seven years in prison for “disrupting public telecommunications facilities.”
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    Pakistan decides to make cryptocurrency illegal
    
			
    Pakistan decides to make cryptocurrency illegal
    
			
    

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the federal government have come together to make a decision to ban the usage of all types of cryptocurrencies.
    

    The 38-page report has been submitted by the SBP Deputy Governor Seema Kamil to the Sindh High Court to declare it illegal.
    

    On October 20, 2021, the provincial high court directed the government to form a committee presided by the federal secretary of finance to determine cryptocurrency’s legal status and submit a detailed report.
    

    The submitted report has stated that digital currency is based on virtual business that could be used for terrorism financing and money laundering.
    

    It also listed eleven countries that banned digital currency including Saudi Arabia and China and urged the court to impose high penalties over unauthorised usage as these countries have implemented.
    

    The court ordered that the report should be submitted to the finance and law ministries for a final decision on its legal status. They will decide if a ban would be within constitutional jurisdiction.
    

    The hearing was heard by the two-bench judge headed by Justice Karim Khan Agha. The next hearing will be held on April 12 this year.
    

    Meanwhile, a TV host and crypto entrepreneur, Waqar Zaka pleaded to make digital currency legal. In his view, it would benefit the economy of the country.
    

    It was reported previously that Pakistanis have lost almost 18 crores in a cryptocurrency-related scam. Almost 55,000 people have become victims of the scam. In total, 11 mobile applications have been identified as part of the fraud.
    

    As per FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Sindh chief Imran Riaz, the applications that are involved include, MCX, HFC, HTFOX, FXCOPY, OKIMINI, BB001, AVG86C, BX66, UG, TASKTOK, 91fp.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    PM Khan likely to attend Beijing Olympics 2022 in China next month
    
			
    PM Khan likely to attend Beijing Olympics 2022 in China next month
    
			
    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan could well be one of the leading dignitaries watching the Winter Olympics, which start in Beijing on February 4.
    

     The government of China and China Sports Authority are looking forward to Pakistan’s PM Khan’s attending the opening or the closing ceremony or attending during the event. The invite was sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board, reports The News. 
    

     “Yes, we are in contact with the Chinese authorities and have received a communication. We have forwarded that to the foreign ministry through the official channel,” said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official. 
    

    The United States, Britain, Australia, and Canada have announced a diplomatic boycott of the event, while North Korea was the latest country to pull out, citing the pandemic.
    

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Khalid Mansoor, a couple of days back, had revealed the prime minister’s plan to visit Beijing early next month.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
    World powers unanimously declare nuclear war unwinnable
    
			
    World powers unanimously declare nuclear war unwinnable
    
			
    The countries widely considered world powers (China, Russia, Britain, the United States, and France) have unanimously agreed to refrain from a nuclear arms race, according to a joint statement by the five nuclear powers published by the Kremlin on Monday.
    

    These five countries being members of the United Nations Security Council shoulder the responsibility to keep away from war. 
    

    “We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” the English-language version of the statement read.
    

    “As nuclear use would have far-reaching consequences, we also affirm that nuclear weapons — for as long as they continue to exist — should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war.”
    

    The statement from the so-called P5 group comes as bilateral relations between the United States and Moscow have fallen to their lowest since the end of the Cold War, while relations between Washington and China are also at a low over a range of disagreements.
    

    The western countries have shown consternation on massive build-up at Ukraine’s border by Russia.
    

    As Russian forces build at the Ukraine border, last Thursday US President Joe Biden told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that a possible move on Ukraine will draw sanctions and an increased US presence in Europe.