Tag: Kashmir

  • Crown Prince MBS coming to Pakistan after Eid

    Crown Prince MBS coming to Pakistan after Eid

    Prime Minister Imran Khan was warmly welcomed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his three-day visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Crown Prince is expected to visit Pakistan after Eid.

    In a joint statement issued by Riyadh and Islamabad, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the ties between the two countries. All facets of bilateral cooperation, regional and international issues of mutual interest were discussed by the two. Matters of strengthening and enhancing the economy and trade in light of the Kingdom’s 2030 vision and Pakistan’s development priorities emanating from a shift from geo-politics to geo-economics were also highlighted.

    Issues pertaining to the Islamic world were also discussed. The two leaders stressed the need for concerted efforts by the Muslim countries to confront extremism and violence, reject sectarianism, and strive to achieve international peace and security.

    The two sides reaffirmed their full support for all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, especially, their right to self-determination and establishment of their independent state, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions

    PM praised the role of Saudi Arabia for the resolution of crisis in Yemen, which aims at achieving peace and security in Yemen as it will result in prosperity and development of the region and its people.

    The Crown Prince acknowledged Pakistan’s facilitative role in the Afghan peace process. The two leaders agreed to continue mutual consultations on the Afghan peace process.

    The recent understanding reached between the military authorities of Pakistan and India regarding ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) was welcomed by the Crown Prince. The two sides emphasised the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve issues, especially Jammu and Kashmir dispute, to ensure peace and stability in the region.

    Premier congratulated the Saudi government for successfully organising and holding the G20 summit meetings and the positive decisions that resulted from it in economic, developmental, environmental, health, energy and other fields.

    Acknowledging the leading role of the Kingdom in addressing international issues, in particular the challenge posed by climate change, the two leaders welcomed each other’s efforts towards the cause.

    PM Imran appreciated the efforts of the Kingdom and its leadership in serving the Two Holy Mosques, their pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors despite the challenges posed by the Corona pandemic. He expressed gratitude and offered his best wishes. The Saudi Crown Prince warmly reciprocated with best wishes for health and wellbeing of the Prime Minister, and prayers for the progress and prosperity of the brotherly people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

  • Feroze Khan wants you to remember Kashmir while praying for India

    Feroze Khan wants you to remember Kashmir while praying for India

    As India battles a deadly second wave of COVID-19, Feroze Khan wants you to remember and pray for Kashmir, which has been out of oxygen “since God knows when”.

    “I am sure it’s a tough time in India and I pray for humanity everywhere. But just imagine what Kashmir has been going through and why?” wrote Khan on social media.

    When a user remarked that “this is a very wrong time to tweet this [and] most of the people suffering are innocent”, Feroze said: “What? Kashmir is out of oxygen since God knows when. They just are not nuclear power so we don’t talk much about it.”

    “They’ve been caged and killed dirty. Again I am praying for humanity in India and in Kashmir,” he added.

    When another social media user called out the actor for being “cold-hearted”, Khan said: “I have prayed for humanity there and everywhere but I would still don’t want to be quiet for a few likes and views.”

    “The drama could fail too and I would still not want innocent to be killed, suppressed and caged. Praying for everyone everywhere,” he continued.

    Responding to yet another user, Feroze said that he loves his fans “but if I bring them no real image what’s the point of this media handle?”

    Later, Feroze Khan also shared some statistics regarding the healthcare situation in Kashmir, asserting that he stands with Kashmir but is praying for everyone everywhere.

    Meanwhile, India’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse with doctors predicting that the worse is yet to come.

    “The situation is critical right now. This pandemic is the worst we have ever seen until now. The next two weeks are going to be hell for us,” Dr Shaarang Sachdev from the Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital told Sky News.

    In some of the worst-hit cities, including the capital Delhi, bodies were being burnt in makeshift facilities offering mass services.

    Twitter in Pakistan has been trending with hashtags showing solidarity with India. Prime Minister Imran Khan and other cabinet members also extended their prayers for India while Faisal Edhi wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering help in tackling COVID-19 in India.

  • ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    ‘Desire peaceful relations’ – Khan replies to Modi’s letter

    Prime Minister Khan has responded to the letter written by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Pakistan Day, telling Modi that the Pakistani people “also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India”. The letter is dated March 29, a week after PM Khan received the letter from Modi.

    PM Khan started the letter by saying, “I thank you for your letter conveying greetings on Pakistan Day. The people of Pakistan commemorate this Day by paying tribute to the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers in envisioning an independent, sovereign state where they could live in freedom and realise their full potential,” clearly stating that Pakistan is a place where people live in freedom.

    Letter written by Imran Khan to Narendra Modi

    PM Khan said Pakistan was convinced that “durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular the Jammu & Kashmir dispute” . He also added that the “creation of an enabling environment is imperative for a constructive and result-oriented dialogue.”

    “Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration,” PM Khan concluded, after conveying his best wishes to the Indian people in the fight against coronavirus.

    It should be noted that in Modi’s letter to Khan, the same phrase was used to end the letter.

    In the letter that Modi wrote to Khan, Modi stated that, “an environment of trust, devoid of terror and hostility” was necessary if both countries were to move forward.

    Social media was abuzz after the news of the letter broke, with details emerging that Pakistan and India were going to resume trade.

    Others were hopeful that maybe this time Pakistan and India might commit to a new peace.

    While some are apprehensive.

    A separate message was also sent by President Ram Nath Kovind to his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi. Indian government officials have told the Indian press that it is a routine letter sent every year.

  • Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Army chief cites unresolved disputes as reasons behind regional debt, poverty

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday said unresolved disputes in South Asia were dragging the entire region into debt and poverty, in a veiled reference to the Kashmir issue.

    Addressing a gathering on the final day of the Islamabad Security Dialogue, COAS Bajwa said the national security encompassed more than just matters and affairs related to strengthening the country’s security forces.

    “It included development and human security as well,” he said.

    “We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward,” he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India.

    “Our neighbour will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”

    “The world has seen the ravages of the world wars and the Cold War, wherein polarisation and neglect of virtues blighted the future and brought catastrophic consequences for humanity,” he said.

    “Today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy and technology. However, one issue that remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation. Frayed relations between various powers centres of the globe and boomeranging of competing alliances can bring nothing but another stint of Cold War.”

    Congratulating the National Security Division on organising the dialogue, Gen Bajwa stated that the contemporary concept of national security was not just about protecting countries from an external and internal threat.

    It is also about providing a conducive environment for ensuring human security, national progress and development, he said.

    The army chief’s comments come a a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that India would have to make the first move to normalise ties with Pakistan.

    “We are trying, but India would have to take the first step and unless it does that we cannot move ahead,” the prime minister had said while inaugurating the Islamabad Security Dialogue.

  • ‘India has to take the first step’: PM Imran at Islamabad Security Dialogue

    ‘India has to take the first step’: PM Imran at Islamabad Security Dialogue

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday launched the first Policy Advisory Portal at the inaugural session of the Islamabad Security Dialogue. The portal has been developed by the National Security Division (NSD) to engage over hundred think tanks and academia in policy making, said the Prime Minister’s Office.

    PM Khan said that when his government came to power, he tried to resolve issues with India.

    “We just have one issue, which is Kashmir,” said the premier, adding that August 5 happened, which “led to a total breakdown between both countries.”

    PM Khan said he hopes that the right of self-determination given to the Kashmiris as per UN Security Council resolution would be given to the Kashmiris.

    “It would benefit India if there is a resolution on the Kashmir issue. If we achieve peace through dialogue, it will change the entire landscape of the region. There is a lot of poverty in India. Our trading and economic ties should be strong, which will increase regional connectivity. It will help India that it can have regional connectivity up to Central Asia. India has to take the first step after August 5, otherwise, we cannot move forward.”

    While inaugurating the Advisory Portal, Prime Imran Khan appreciated the initiative and said that Pakistan has immense young talent in this country.  “This is a step in the right direction”, he said.

    The advisory portal will be a dedicated and integrated platform through which major think tanks and universities working on the subject of comprehensive national security will be able to share policy recommendations directly with the national leadership.

    “The aim of the portal is to bridge the gap between intellectuals and policymakers,” said SAPM on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr Moeed Yusuf who conceived the portal. 

    Islamabad Security Dialogue is a two-day international conference. Two sessions of the Islamabad Security Dialogue were held on Wednesday, while three sessions will take place on Thursday. Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa will inaugurate the second day. 

    Being held mostly in a virtual format, the Dialogue is being attended by officials, global and regional experts and media. The main theme of the Islamabad Security Dialogue is Comprehensive Security Framework that will enable the country to unfold its untapped potential in becoming a hub of global and regional development.

    The NSD plans to make the Islamabad Security Dialogue an annual event to parallel the world’s leading security dialogues.

  • After pigeons, India arrests Pakistani balloon

    Indian police in occupied Kashmir have taken into custody a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane-shaped balloon. According to Indian news agency ANI, the balloon landed in Sotra Chak village of Hiranagar on March 9.

    While the detention of balloon with the logo of Pakistan’s national carrier seems silly, the incident was not the first of its kind. Indian security personnel have taken several pigeons and balloons into custody for their alleged links with Pakistan. A Pakistani villager had last year appealed to India to release his pigeon which was being held for spying after it crossed the border between the nuclear rivals.

    Meanwhile, on Twitter:

  • Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Azad Kashmir elections: PPP leaders oppose alliance with ‘rival’ PML-N

    Even though the opposition parties have decided to contest Senate election on a joint platform, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Azad Kashmir chapter, has refused to enter an alliance with its “main rival” — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) — ahead of the elections in Kashmir.

    According to reports, the local PPP leadership has said that the PML-N is its main opponent in the region and it was not possible to field candidates under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — a 10-party anti-government alliance — due to the very same reason.

    Geo News reported that the PPP leaders gave this answer after PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari sought recommendations from PPP Azad Kashmir on the upcoming elections. 

    “PPP Azad Kashmir’s stance is that how can the party contest the elections jointly with the PML-N when it is its main rival there?” the media outlet reported.

    The PPP, however, said there was a possibility of entering an alliance with the PML-N on 12 out of 33 total seats. 

    The central leadership of the party will make a final decision in this regard.

    Last week, after a six-hour-long meeting, PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced that the opposition parties will contest the upcoming Senate elections on a joint platform.

    He had said that the parties decided to contest the Senate elections together and would not go against each other’s candidates. “Our candidates will be jointly decided,” he had told reporters after the meeting.

    The elections in Azad Kashmir will be held later this year, with the current assembly completing its term in July.

  • Time to extend hand of peace in all directions, says Gen Bajwa

    Time to extend hand of peace in all directions, says Gen Bajwa

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan is fully committed to the ideals of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence as it is a peace-loving country.

    He was addressing the graduation ceremony of 144th GD (P), 90th Engineering Course, and 100th AD courses held at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy Asghar Khan, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The country has rendered great sacrifices for regional and global peace, said Gen Bajwa, adding that it is time to extend “hand of peace in all directions”.

    The army chief also talked about the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict. Pakistan and India should also resolve the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a dignified and peaceful manner as per the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir and bring this human tragedy to its logical conclusion, the army chief emphasised.

    “However, we will not allow anybody or any entity to misinterpret our desire for peace as a sign of weakness,” he added.

    The army chief said that the armed forces were fully prepared to thwart any threat. The coordination and harmony displayed by all the three services in operations against the enemies of Pakistan had brought great improvement in the internal security environment, he said.

  • Indian pilot dead after helicopter crashes in occupied Kashmir

    Indian pilot dead after helicopter crashes in occupied Kashmir

    An Indian pilot was killed while another received critical injuries after an army helicopter crashed in the occupied Kashmir’s Kathua district on Monday, reported Indian media.

    Both pilots were rushed to a hospital after the crash that occurred due to a technical error. According to media reports, the chopper was coming from Pathankot when it was forced to make a crash-landing in an army area in the Lakhanpur belt of the district.

    Two pilots of the helicopter were injured in the incident, he said, adding that they were rushed to a military base hospital. “Tragic news coming in. We have one pilot fatal casualty,” a defence spokesperson was quoted by the media as saying.

    In October 2019 a Dhruv helicopter of the Indian Army carrying the then chief of the force’s Northern Command Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh and other officers had made an emergency landing following a technical glitch in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

  • Kashmir Committee chief Shehryar Afridi ditches Kashmiris on UAE trip: report

    Kashmir Committee chief Shehryar Afridi ditches Kashmiris on UAE trip: report

    Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir Chairperson Shehryar Afridi ditched Kashmiris on his recent trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as he did not meet any Kashmiris living there and neither was the Kashmir issue mentioned in the press statement released by the Pakistan diplomatic mission in Dubai, it has emerged.

    According to a report by The News, Afridi visited the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai on Sunday but Kashmiris were not invited. Pakistan Consul-General to Dubai Ahmed Amjad Ali briefed Afridi about the consular services provided to Pakistanis and the COVID-19 operations for repatriation of Pakistanis.

    Kashmiri leaders, namely Sardar Shabbir, former adviser to the Azad Kashmir government Sardar Javed Yaqub, Azad Kashmir Assembly candidate Farooq Baniya among others, also raised the issue of Afridi’s inactiveness in meeting Kashmiris and discussing the region’s problems.

    They said Afridi heads the Kashmir committee, but unfortunately did not bother to meet or invite the “Kashmiri people”. 

    As the chief of the Pakistan Kashmir committee, Afridi could have informed the community and taken them in confidence about the efforts the government has been taking to resolve the Kashmir issue, the report quoted Shabbir as saying.

    Other Kashmiri leaders said many of their relatives had been living on the Line of Control (LoC) and facing unwarranted cross-border aggression by Indian forces. “We wanted to inform Afridi of this.”

    When asked about Afridi’s visit to the consulate and Kashmiris, Press Counsellor Shazia Siraj initially declined to comment. She later said if Kashmiris had shown interest to have a meeting with Afridi, the consulate could have arranged it.

    Siraj, however, did not comment on why Kashmir issue was missing in the consulate’s press statement.

    Afridi was appointed as the chief of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir in May 2020. The committee that comprises senior members of the National Assembly and the Senate, monitors human rights violations and atrocities being committed by Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir besides raising the same in all necessary forms.

    Other objectives of the committee include increasing awareness within as well as outside the country about the Kashmir issue, mobilisation of world opinion in support of the cause of right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir as well as the principle stand of Pakistan, and provision of political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in accordance with the United Nations (UN) resolutions.