Tag: Pakistan

  • Modi, Biden demand Pakistan should take the initiative to end ‘cross-border terrorism’

    Modi, Biden demand Pakistan should take the initiative to end ‘cross-border terrorism’

    United States (US) President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi have demanded that Pakistan should ensure that Pakistani land will not be used by terrorists.

    Indian premier is currently visiting the United States.

    The statement has been issued after a meeting between Biden and Modi.

    Both leaders have demanded action against terrorist groups allegedly based in Pakistan, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.

    “They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks,” the 58-point statement issued by the White House read.

    Both the leaders demanded action against perpetrators of attacks, including the Mumbai and Pathankot incidents.

    The leaders have also demanded that the Afghan Taliban should respect human rights, and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

  • ‘Protection of Muslim minority in Hindu majority India is worth mentioning’: Obama on Modi’s visit to US

    ‘Protection of Muslim minority in Hindu majority India is worth mentioning’: Obama on Modi’s visit to US

    In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Thursday, Former United States (US) president Barack Obama, spoke about the protection of the rights of ethnic minorities in India.

    “If the President meets with PM Modi, then the protection of Muslim minority in a Hindu majority India is something worth mentioning. By the way, if I were to have a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India, at some point, starts pulling apart. And we have seen what happens when you start getting into large internal conflicts… I think it is important to be able to talk about these things honestly.”

    While talking about the president of the United States meeting with leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi, Obama said, “It’s complicated. The POTUS has a lot of equities and when I was POTUS I would deal with figures, in some cases who were allies, who, if you would press me in private, run their governments and their political parties in ways that I would say aren’t ideally democratic.”

    “But you would have to do business with them because they are important for national security reasons, because they are a range of economic interests. I dealt with China and Modi to get the Paris Accords done because climate change transcends any momentary issues…it is a problem humanity has to deal with in the next several decades,” he added.

    “I do think it is necessary for the POTUS, where he or she can, to uphold those principles and to challenge, whether behind closed doors or in public, trends that are troubling. I am less concerned about labels than I’m concerned about specific practices,” said Obama.

    Modi is currently on a four day visit to the US.

  • Ghulam Sarwar quits PTI after arrest

    Ghulam Sarwar quits PTI after arrest

    Former Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar, has announced on Thrusday that he is not a part of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) anymore. The former minister made the announcement in a video released to the media after he was arrested by Islamabad police.
    In the video, the veteran politician said that his family is in politics since the last 50 years, adding that he has much respect for the armed forces.

    He has also stated that any attack on military installations and martyrs’ monuments is an attack on the country.
    He then added, as a ‘patriotic Pakistani’ he demands that the culprits of May 9 riots should be punished according to the law.
    Sarwar also said that he would part ways with PTI.

  • ‘Those who are creating issues over military courts have political motives’: Khawaja Asif

    ‘Those who are creating issues over military courts have political motives’: Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday that the people who have issues with military courts are politically motivated.

    He further said that to avoid conflicts, institutions should not trespass on each other’s boundaries.

    The defence minister remarked that it is very obvious that the people who have issues with military courts have political motives, adding that these types of crimes have not happened before in the country’s history. He has also said that the attackers involved in the May 9 riots are political activists.

    Mentioning that the attackers were brainwashed by their leaders to attack military installations, he further said that I would tell the judiciary to leave a legacy if they wanted to be remembered.

  • Rural areas in Pakistan are facing up to 10 hours of load shedding due to massive power shortfall

    Rural areas in Pakistan are facing up to 10 hours of load shedding due to massive power shortfall

    Amidst a severe heatwave sweeping across the nation, the persistent electricity crisis shows no signs of relenting, with a power shortfall of 6,000 megawatts being recorded. The demand for electricity stands at 28,500 megawatts, while the actual production amounts to 22,500 megawatts.

    Reports indicate that cities are currently enduring load shedding periods lasting from three to five hours. In rural areas, outages are even more prolonged, stretching from eight to 10 hours, whereas urban regions experience load shedding for approximately two to four hours, according to officials from the power division.

    These officials further emphasise that the duration of load shedding is extended on feeders where there are reports of theft and outstanding recovery of line losses.

    As reported by the power division officials, the electricity production breakdown is as follows: 6,900 megawatts from hydroelectric sources, 10,800 megawatts from private power plants, 1,500 megawatts from thermal sources, and 2,300 megawatts from wind, solar, and nuclear plants.

  • HEC withdraws notification banning Holi

    The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has withdrawn a controversial ban on Holi celebrations in universities.

    A notification issued by HEC on Thursday stated that the commission is respectful of faith, religions, beliefs and the festivals associated with them.

    “Considering that the message inferred from the communication has regrettably led to misinterpretation, HEC is pleased to inform the same,” the notification added.

    On Tuesday, the Commission caused outrage when it banned Holi celebrations in educational institutes throughout the country, citing a deviation from the sociocultural values and Islamic identity of Pakistan.

    The notification read that students are prohibited from observing the festival to uphold sociocultural values.

    On Wednesday night, Salman Sufi, the head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reform Unit, said in a tweet that HEC has been asked to withdraw the notification about banning Holi in universities.

    He wrote that he had spoken to Rana Tanveer Hussain, adding that he has asked HEC them to withdraw it.

    The decision came a few days after Holi celebrations were held on June 12 by students at Quaid-i-Azam University.

  • PM Shehbaz urges IMF to release stalled funds, assures compliance with conditions

    PM Shehbaz urges IMF to release stalled funds, assures compliance with conditions

    On Thursday, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif had a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he urged the lender to release the stalled funds for Pakistan. He assured the IMF of Pakistan’s compliance with all the conditions set by the lender.

    The meeting took place during the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris, emphasising Pakistan’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.

    During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the ongoing programmes and cooperation between Pakistan and the IMF. The prime minister briefed Georgieva on Pakistan’s economic outlook, highlighting the government’s efforts for economic growth and stability.

    He emphasised that all the necessary actions for the 9th review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) had been completed, and Pakistan was fully dedicated to meeting its obligations as agreed with the IMF.

    The prime minister expressed his hope for the timely release of the funds allocated under the EFF, as it would contribute to Pakistan’s ongoing efforts in economic stabilisation and provide relief to the people.

    Georgieva shared the IMF’s perspective on the ongoing review process and acknowledged the meeting as an opportunity to assess the progress made in that context.

    It is crucial to note that Pakistan’s currency reserves are currently sufficient to cover only one month’s worth of imports. The country had expected $1.1 billion of the funds to be released in November, but the IMF has imposed certain conditions before making further disbursements.

    With only one IMF board review remaining before the end of the $6.5 billion EFF programme, Pakistan is expected to present a budget aligned with the programme objectives, restore proper functioning of the foreign exchange market, and bridge the $6 billion gap before the board review.

  • ‘Stop’: Twitter in no mood to accept Kanwal Aftab’s justifications of domestic violence statement

    ‘Stop’: Twitter in no mood to accept Kanwal Aftab’s justifications of domestic violence statement

    Tiktoker and Instagram influencer Kanwal Aftab was slammed by social media yesterday when during a Q & A on Instagram, the social media star was asked about advice regarding women coping with domestic violence, to which she had responded by saying more women should try to save their marriages and console their husbands rather than seek divorce.

    Founder of Soul Sisters, Kanwal Ahmed, criticised Aftab for encouraging women to fix their abusive husbands by laying the blame of a broken marriage on them.

    After backlash to her statement, Aftab had now uploaded a video where she explained that she was not trying to tell women to endure domestic violence, but was encouraging them to try and work through anger rather than begin demanding divorces.

    After this video, Aftab wrote in an Instagram story that she was deleting the reel, stating she was not promoting or supporting domestic violence.

    Twitter users shared the video on the platform, and criticised the Tiktok star for not understanding the difference between an argument and domestic violence. Couples can have small arguments, and it is perfectly okay to encourage people to work through misunderstandings to overcome them. But domestic violence is a completely different issue, and no woman needs to stick around to endure it to keep her marriage inta

    ‘There is a huge, huge difference between domestic violence and badtameezi,” one user pointed out.

  • Zaka Ashraf, likely new PCB Chairman, rejects hybrid model approved by ACC

    Zaka Ashraf, likely new PCB Chairman, rejects hybrid model approved by ACC

    Zaka Ashraf, the probable future Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has rejected the Asia Cup Hybrid Model proposed by Najam Sethi and approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) with some amendments.

    All the controversies surrounding the matter of the Asia Cup appeared to have been resolved. However, Zaka Ashraf, likely the upcoming Chairman of the PCB, issued a statement on Wednesday while speaking to media in Islamabad, stating that the Hybrid Model is unfair to Pakistan and he has rejected it.

    “The first point is that I had rejected the hybrid model [for the Asia Cup] from the beginning because I disagree with it. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) board had decided that the tournament should be held entirely in Pakistan. However, major matches are being held elsewhere, and only minor teams like Nepal will play in Pakistan. Injustice has been done to Pakistan,” said Zaka during a media interaction.

    “As the hosts, the entire event [Asia Cup] should take place in Pakistan.”

    Zaka Ashraf’s election to the top position in the PCB is expected since Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appointed him as a member of the PCB Board of Governors. However, the election itself is yet to take place.

    “If weak teams like Nepal and Afghanistan are the only ones playing their matches in Pakistan, then I firmly believe that the Hybrid Model is disadvantageous for Pakistan. I will make changes to the Hybrid Model accordingly,” he added.

    “I am unaware of the decisions made by the previous management as I don’t have access to that information. I will go and see, and try to act in the best interest of Pakistan as quickly as possible,” he said.

    “There are many pending issues, but I am not delving deep into them since I haven’t officially taken over,” he added, expressing his intention to engage with the Indian leadership.

    As per reports cited in Indian media outlets, a senior board member of ACC ridiculed Zaka Ashraf’s statement while talking to Press Trust of India.
    “He is a free man (Zaka Ashraf) and can say whatever he wants. The statement shows his mentality. ACC approved Hybrid Model for Asia Cup and it will be held as per schedule. No further changes and amendments will take place further on this matter, the file is closed.”

    Previously, the management led by Najam Sethi was negotiating with the Secretary of the Indian board and ACC Chairman Jay Shah regarding the hosting rights of the Asia Cup 2023, which officially belonged to Pakistan. However, due to security concerns, BCCI and the Indian government dif not allow their team to travel to Pakistan. PCB then proposed two Hybrid Models. The first one was immediately rejected by broadcasters and the Indian Cricket Board. This model suggested that the Indian cricket team would play their matches at a neutral venue, which would be decided by the PCB, while the rest of the tournament would take place in Pakistan. The second Hybrid Model, proposed during the second meeting with official broadcasters (Star Sports) and Pankaj Khimji, Vice President of ACC, stated that the first four matches, excluding India’s matches, would be held in Pakistan, while the remainder of the tournament would be shifted to Dubai.

    However, the other cricket boards rejected Dubai or the UAE as the neutral venue, and a decision was made for Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament with Pakistan.

  • PTI issues notice to Khattak over ‘inciting’ members to leave the party

    PTI issues notice to Khattak over ‘inciting’ members to leave the party

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has issued a notice to former Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervaiz Khattak over allegedly asking party members to leave the party.
    Omar Ayub Khan, newly appointed General Secretary of PTI, issued a notice to Khattak to explain his position in writing within seven days.

    The show-cause notice reads, “It has come to the notice of the party leadership that you are contacting party members and inciting them to leave the party. In view of these reported activities, you are hereby called to explain yourself in writing within seven days of this notice.”

    It is also mentioned in the notice that if Khattak’s reply is found unsatisfactory or he doesn’t respond, further action will be taken according to party policy.

    Earlier, Asad Umar, former secretary-general of PTI, stirred a hornet’s nest by stating in an interview with ARY’s Kashif Abbasi that he does not agree with party Chairman Imran Khan’s strategies.