Tag: politics

  • A step towards restoring friendship: Iran’s foreign minister to visit soon

    A step towards restoring friendship: Iran’s foreign minister to visit soon

    Following Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar, Pakistan and Iran have mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries will return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024 and the Iranian Foreign Minister is going to visit on January 29, 2024.

    In a joint statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Office said that at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian will undertake a visit to Pakistan on January 29.

    In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu said he was “so delighted that leaderships of both Pakistan and Iran so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track”.

    Along with that the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian would visit Pakistan on January 29.

    The visit comes days after tensions escalated between the two countries following an Iranian air strike in Pakistan, leading Islamabad to strike terrorist hideouts in the neighbouring country’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.

    “Following the telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has been mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries may return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024,” the FO said in a statement.

    The FO said that the Iranian foreign minister would travel to Pakistan on Jan 29 at the invitation of FM Jilani.

    Previously, Pakistan has targeted terrorist hideouts inside Iran in response to the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that killed two children and injured three girls.

    Hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck in an intelligence based operation, code name ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, ISPR has stated in a recently released statement.

    According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’. Meanwhile, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that nine people, including seven “non-Iranian nationals”, were killed in the strike targeting a village near the city of Saravan.

    The Khorasan Diary reported, that “7 BLF millitants involved in attacks in Pakistan have been killed/injured in Pakistan’s strikes in Iran.”

    In a video posted, it can be seen the damage caused by Pakistani Strikes in approximately 200 kilometres away from PAK-Iran border.

    Publication The Khorasan Diary also claimed that Jaishul Adal, the same militant group, Iran claimed to have targeted has taken the responsibility for the attack on Saravan Corps of Sistan Wa Baluchistan province, Colonel Hossein Ali Javadanfar, adding that the security official was assassinated along with two of his guards.”

    Previously, The Iranian strikes were part of a series of attacks carried out by the country in recent days in Syria and Iraq as a response to recent terrorist attacks on its territory. They have heightened concerns about regional stability, particularly amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

    Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, says the official statement released by the Foreign Office of Pakistan.

    “Last night’s unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement on Wednesday.

    A context to the response by the Foreign Office

    Foreign Ofiice of Pakistan provided a detailed context to Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar.

    “Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists. However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so called Sarmachars,” the statement read.

    The Foreign Office described the action as a part of its resolve to “defend its national security against all threats.” Moreover it mainatianed that “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”

    Strict monitoring of Air Space

    Geo News’ Azaz Syed quotes Civil Aviation Authority that amid the escalation of tensions in Islamabad-Tehran ties, Pakistan has started strict monitoring of all flights from the West including Iran.

    Meeting of Foreign Minister with Iranian Counterpart

    Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani Wednesday told his Irani counterpart that no country should follow its path of launching an attack on a neighbouring nation’s soil against the menace of terrorism unilaterally.

    “No country in the region should tread this perilous path,” Jilani told Iran’s FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a telephone call hours after Tehran claimed it had targeted “terrorists” in Pakistan.

    Iranian response

    There is a group called Jaishal Adal, which is an Iranian terrorist group that have taken refuge on Pakistan-Iran border. Several times we have talked to Pakistani security officials that this group killed our security personnel and we responded by killing Iranian terrorist on Pakistani soil. I have spoken to my Pakistani counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, we do respect the sovereignty of Pakistan but we don’t allow our national security be compromised and be played with. We have no hesitations when it comes to our national interest and those terrorist groups inside Pakistan and those affiliated with Israel” the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said while speaking in Davos at The World Economic Forum.

    India
    India in a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence.”

    China

    China, close partners of Iran and Pakistan, urged restraint, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying both should “avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension”.

    United States of America

    The United States, meanwhile, condemned the Iranian strikes in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller saying Tehran had violated the “sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days”.

    To read more: Pakistan expels Iranian ambassador from Pakistan, suspends all high level visits in response to Iranian attack on Pakistan

  • Latif Khosa no more part of Imran Khan’s legal team

    Latif Khosa no more part of Imran Khan’s legal team

    In a significant development, former Prime Minister and founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has made changes to his legal team handling National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases, expressing dissatisfaction during consultations last week.

    As per We News, Imran Khan voiced uncertainty about the effectiveness of his current legal team and directed Barrister Ali Zafar and Sikander Zulqarnain to take charge of NAB cases.

    Particularly raising concerns about the performance of senior lawyer Latif Khosa in handling NAB cases, Khan remarked that he was not confident in the actions taken by the legal team and specifically questioned Khosa’s preparedness in dealing with legal matters.

    Journalist Murtaza Ali Shah took to X (former Twitter) and wrote, “Imran Khan has removed Latif Khosa from his legal team saying he appears before judges without doing proper homework. Imran Khan accepts his legal team was not prepared, behind the loss of BAT symbol. The video below explains.”

    It is worth noting that on Friday, proceedings related to a £190 million NAB reference were postponed until January 24. The action related to the individual case was halted until the mentioned date.

    Imran Khan’s decision to replace his legal team has led to the postponement of the proceedings, with the court granting time for the new legal team, consisting of Barrister Ali Zafar and Sikander Zulqarnain, to prepare for the upcoming hearings. The next hearing is expected to feature appearances by Barrister Ali Zafar, Sikander Zulqarnain, and Osman Gul on behalf of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra BiBi.

  • Nawaz’s birthday cake thief given party ticket for elections

    Nawaz’s birthday cake thief given party ticket for elections

    Umar Farooq Dar, accused of stealing the birthday cake of party leader Nawaz Sharif in Gujranwala has now been given party tickets to contest the upcoming elections.

    Umar Farooq Dar took to Twitter and expressed hope to win the elections under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz. He is going to contest the elections from PP-64.

    Journalist Majid Nizami shared the news by posting on X that Umar Farooq Dar, who collected Nawaz Sharif’s birthday cake from the bakery for free, has been issued MPA ticket by PML-N from Gujranwala. He also took a jibe at the politician that his devotees have collected cakes that were not theirs.

    Read more: Nawaz Sharif ki salgirah ka cake chori, case registered

  • Turkey detains 34 suspected of spying for Israel

    Turkey detains 34 suspected of spying for Israel

    Istanbul (AFP) – Turkey announced on Tuesday it had detained 34 people suspected of planning abductions and spying on behalf of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

    The raids came just weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of “serious consequences” should Israel try to target figures from Hamas living or working in Turkey.

    Unlike Israel, Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist organisation and has hosted the Islamic group’s political leaders for much of the past decade.

    A Turkish security source told AFP that most of the 34 people detained were foreign nationals whom Mossad recruited for “operations targeting Palestinians and their family members”.

    “We are determined to ensure that absolutely no foreign intelligence agency can operate on Turkish soil without proper authorisation,” the security source said.

    Turkish government released video footage showing armed security service agents breaking down doors and handcuffing suspects in their homes.

    The Istanbul public prosecutor’s office said 12 additional suspects remained at large.

    “There is an insidious operation and sabotage attempts being made against Turkey and its interests,” Erdogan said after the raids were announced.

    Breakdown in ties

    Relations between Turkey and Israel imploded following the outbreak of the war in Gaza nearly three months ago.

    Erdogan has turned into one of the world’s harshest critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    The Turkish leader last week compared Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler and demanded that Israel’s Western allies drop their support for the “terrorism” being conducted by Israeli troops in Gaza.

    Erdogan has also recalled Ankara’s envoy to Tel Aviv, and pushed for the trial of Israeli commanders and political leaders at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

    The president’s ruling Islamic, conservative AKP party also led tens of thousands of protesters out on the streets of Istanbul on Monday for one of Turkey’s biggest rallies against the Israeli government of the entire war.

    The war in Gaza has put an end to a gradual thawing in Turkish-Israeli relations that culminated with the reappointment of ambassadors in 2022.

    Israel and Turkey resumed long-stalled talks about a major Mediterranean Sea natural gas pipeline project that could have reshaped geopolitical alliances across parts of the Middle East.

    Turkey won words of gratitude from Israel in 2022 for detaining a group of Turkish and Iranian nationals were allegedly planning to murder and kidnap Israeli tourists in Istanbul.

    Erdogan and Netanyahu met briefly on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in New York in September and were discussing holding a formal summit this year.

    Periodic raids

    The Turkish MIT intelligence service conducts periodic raids against suspected Israel operatives working in major cities such as Ankara and Istanbul.

    Most are accused of conducting surveillance work on Palestinians living in Turkey.

    Istanbul served as one of Hamas’s foreign political offices until the outbreak of the Gaza war.

    Turkey informally asked Hamas leaders to leave, days after militants conducted raids into southern Israel on October 7.

    The Gaza health ministry says Israel’s relentless military campaign targeting Hamas has killed around 22,000 people in Gaza since October 7 – mostly women and children.

    UN agencies have voiced alarm over a spiralling humanitarian crisis facing Gaza’s 2.4 million people.

    Most have seen their homes destroyed and now face dire shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine, and are surviving in tents and shelters amid the rubble.

  • South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck, expected to undergo surgery

    South Korean opposition leader stabbed in neck, expected to undergo surgery

    South Korean opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday by a man who pushed through a crowd pretending to be his supporter.

    Lee was surrounded by journalists and supporters at a construction site in the southern port city of Busan when a man lunged and struck him in the neck, South Korean television channels showed.

    He was bleeding but conscious as he was rushed to a local hospital, the Yonhap news agency reported, before being flown to the capital Seoul for surgery, according to an official from his party.

    An official from Pusan National University Hospital, where Lee received emergency treatment and CT scans before his transfer to Seoul, said the injury was not life-threatening.

    Police were seen wrestling the assailant, who wore a hat with a pro-Lee slogan, to the ground. He was arrested at the scene, Yonhap reported.

    Lee was “walking to his car while talking to reporters when the attacker asked for his autograph”, a witness told local broadcaster YTN, adding that Lee was then struck with what “looked like a knife”.

    The 59-year-old was seen collapsing to the ground as people rushed to aid him, one of whom pressed a handkerchief on Lee’s neck before emergency responders carried him to an ambulance.

    “This is an act of terror against Lee and a serious threat to democracy that should never occur under any circumstances,” Kwon Chil-seung, an MP from Lee’s Democratic Party, told reporters outside the hospital in Busan.

    Lee was later flown to the capital, where Kwon said he would undergo surgery at the Seoul National University Hospital.

    Police in Busan said Lee suffered a “one-centimetre laceration on his neck” and that he “remains conscious and bleeding is minor”, according to South Korean news outlet Chosun Ilbo.

    The attacker has not stated his motive, according to police officials cited by Yonhap.

    Presidential contender

    Lee lost in 2022 to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol in the tightest presidential race in South Korea’s history.

    Yoon expressed “deep concern over the safety of Lee Jae-myung upon hearing of the attack”, his spokeswoman Kim Soo-kyung said.

    “Yoon emphasised our society should never tolerate this kind of act of violence under any circumstances.”

    A former child factory worker who suffered an industrial accident as a teenage school drop-out, Lee rose to political stardom partly by playing up his rags-to-riches tale.

    He is widely expected to run for president again in 2027, and recent polls have indicated that he remains a strong contender.

    But Lee’s bid for the top office has been overshadowed by a string of scandals.

    He avoided arrest in September when a court dismissed a request from the prosecution for him to be taken into custody pending trial on various corruption charges.

    Lee still faces trial on charges of bribery in connection with a firm that is suspected of illicitly transferring $8 million to North Korea.

    He is also accused of breaching his duties, allegedly resulting in a loss of 20 billion won ($15 million) for a company owned by Seongnam city during his term as its mayor.

    Lee has denied all allegations against him.

    In August last year, he launched a hunger strike against what he called the Yoon government’s “incompetent and violent” policies.

    He was hospitalised because of fasting-related ailments after not eating for 19 days.

  • ‘Social media is being used to create environment of chaos,’ says General Asim Munir

    ‘Social media is being used to create environment of chaos,’ says General Asim Munir

    In a recent address at the National Farmers Convention in Islamabad, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir expressed concern over the rampant spread of fabricated claims against the state of Pakistan on social media.

    “Social media is being used to create an environment of chaos, despair, and panic. Through fake news, an impression is being created that the state is losing its [writ],” the army chief said in an address to the National Farmers Convention in Islamabad on Friday.

    Pakistan, like many other nations, is grappling with the challenge of fake news on social media, where unfounded reports fueled by emotional appeals are spreading rapidly and contributing to societal divisions. A detailed report earlier this year by EU DisinfoLab revealed that Indian media outlets were involved in a smear campaign against Pakistan, quoting non-existent organizations, journalists, and bloggers.

    COAS Munir highlighted that such smear campaigns are not limited to external actors, as investigations have revealed the involvement of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in using state resources to spread false propaganda against state institutions.

    Addressing the farmers, COAS Munir addressed the rumors and negative impressions being spread about Pakistan. He emphasized the historical significance of Pakistan, stating that it is founded on the principles of the Kalima, with divine backing for the country.

    COAS Munir reminded the audience of Pakistan’s abundant resources, including glaciers, rivers, mountains, and fertile land producing world-class rice, fruits, and valuable minerals like granite, gold, and copper.

    He lamented that Pakistan, once one of the fastest-growing countries in Asia in the 1960s, witnessed a decline due to forgetting the golden principles of faith, unity, and discipline advocated by the Quaid-i-Azam.

    Moving forward, COAS Munir discussed the Green Pakistan Initiative, highlighting its focus on boosting agriculture. He assured that a major chunk of the initiative’s income will go to the provinces, while the rest will be kept for farmers and agricultural research, he said, noting that the “role of the army in this is only to serve the people and farmers”.

    COAS Munir pledged to ensure easy agricultural credit, a cold storage chain, climate change-resistant seeds, and genetically engineered livestock for farmers.

  • ‘I am more experienced than Barrister Gohar,’ Latif Khosa

    ‘I am more experienced than Barrister Gohar,’ Latif Khosa

    In a recent interview on Geo News’ program ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath,’ senior vice president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Latif Khosa, took a swipe at the party’s newly appointed chairman Barrister Gohar.

    Khosa expressed confidence in assuming a leadership role after Imran Khan.

    Directing criticism at Barrister Gohar, Khosa stated that the lawyer lacks the experience that he possesses. He emphasized his role as the senior vice president within PTI, positioning himself as a contender for leadership after Imran Khan.

    During the conversation, Khosa emphasized that, unlike the situation with Nawaz Sharif, the judiciary was not biased in favor of PTI.

    He highlighted the trial without jurisdiction in the Toshakhana case, stating that the punishment given was incorrect and could be rectified through a review order.

    Khosa asserted that the subsequent disqualification of Imran Khan by the Election Commission as a consequence of delaying the sentence was rushed, occurring within three days instead of the stipulated 30 days.

    He further stated that the basic rights of Imran Khan were being apprehended by the courts.

    Khosa mentioned that the situation is leading to uncertainty and keeping PTI out of elections means that the elections are not free and fair.

  • 23 soldiers martyred in a terrorist attack in DI Khan: ISPR

    23 soldiers martyred in a terrorist attack in DI Khan: ISPR

    At least 23 soldiers of the Pakistan army were martyred after militants attacked a checkpost with an explosive-laden truck in Khyber-Paktunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.

    The ISPR added that the terrorists rammed the truck after their attempts to gain entry were “effectively thwarted”.
    “The attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted which forced the terrorists to ram an explosive laden vehicle into the post, followed by a suicide bombing attack.

    “The resulting blasts led to the collapse of the building, causing multiple casualties; 23 brave soldiers embraced shahadat, while all six terrorists were effectively engaged and sent to hell,” the ISPR said.

    It added that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area. “Security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthens our resolve,” the ISPR said.
    Separately, 17 terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation in the Darazinda area of Dera Ismail Khan.

    “During the conduct of the operation, terrorists’ hideout was busted and 17 terrorists were sent to hell,” the military’s media affairs wing said.

    ️ The ISPR further stated that two soldiers embraced martyrdom while four more terrorists were neutralised in another IBO in the Kulachi area.

    “️ The killed terrorists were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well as killing of innocent civilians. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered during the operations,” it added.

    This is the military’s highest single-day death toll from terrorist attacks reported this year. Before this, 12 soldiers were martyred in separate military operations in the Zhob and Sui areas of Balochistan in July.

  • Zardari accuses Jemima of paying UK bloggers to support Khan

    Zardari accuses Jemima of paying UK bloggers to support Khan

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari has accused Jemima Goldsmith, the ex-wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, of paying vloggers while sitting abroad.

    In an interview on Aaj News with Asma Shirazi, the former president stated that a lobby with “multiple interests” has been funding and backing vloggers.

    The former president further added that it was a conspiracy to bring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ex-Chairman Imran Khan into power, adding that some people wanted to extend his rule until 2035.

    “He [Khan] would have sold Pakistan, and the country would have defaulted if I had not ousted that person… Sometimes a puppet does not know what its handler is doing to it.”

    Asif Ali Zardari also said that “I can be a candidate for prime ministership and Bilawal too. Even Khursheed Shah can be the candidate.”

    On the other hand, PTI supporters are showing support to Jemima on X (previously Twitter), with #StayStrongJemimaKhan trending on the platform.

  • Manzoor Pashteen to be exiled from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following arrest

    Manzoor Pashteen to be exiled from Balochistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following arrest

    Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen was arrested by the police in Chaman, Balochistan on Monday. Consequently, the Interior Ministry has decided to shift him to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With this, Pashteen has been banned from Balochistan, Caretaker Information Minister Balochistan Jan Achakzai has said.

    Pashteen was arrested yesterday from Chaman when he was going to speak to a massive sit-in, protesting against the alleged murder of a Baloch student at the hands of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), in Turbat.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Chaman has claimed that Pashteen was arrested after armed men from his vehicle allegedly opened fire at a police vehicle. PTM leaders have accused law enforcement officers of initiating the gunfire, saying that Pashteen emerged unharmed from the shooting incident. In a video released by PTM on Youtube, member central committee Haji Abdul Samad Khan can be seen relating the incident where people inside their vehicle were also injured, including a woman.

    Jan Achakzai stated that Pashteen had addressed the Chaman sit-in without the approval of the administration, referring to PTM as “an anti-state organisation”, reports Express Tribune.

    He also stated that an FIR had been lodged against Pashteen by police in Chaman, noting that four people were injured as the PTM chief’s guards opened fire on them.

    Renowned Journalist Azaz Syed criticised the arrest as a move against the freedom of speech.

    Fellow PTM leader Ali Wazir reasserted his determination to the cause they stand for in face of the oppression of the state.

    Salma Khan, member of the PTM, called out the state for using disruptive tactics to create chaos.

    v

    Anchor and Journalist Sanna Ejaz condemned the attack and arrest.