Tag: Raw

  • Man accused of murdering Indian spy critically wounded in attack

    Man accused of murdering Indian spy critically wounded in attack

    In 2013, Amir Sarfraz Tamba allegedly killed a convicted Indian Spy Sarabjit Singh in Kot Lakhpat prison, Lahore. Amir was at his residence in Lahore’s Islampura area when two armed men entered his home and shot him on April 14.

    Initially, media reports claimed that Amir succumbed to his injuries but Dawn confirmed that while he was indeed critically injured, he was still alive.

    The incident has raised serious concerns among authorities over foreign involvement.

    Interestingly, just a few days ago, The Guardian reported that the Indian government assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate “terrorists” living on foreign soil.

    A high-profile investigation has been launched to probe the motive behind the attack including finding out if there was Indian involvement.

    Amir Tamba and his accomplice were acquitted in 2018 after all witnesses retracted their statements. Sarabjit Singh was killed a few months after a Kashmiri freedom fighter Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail, Mumbai in 2013 for his role in the 2001 Indian parliament attack

    Sarabjit Singh was serving his death sentence awarded by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for his role in a series of bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in 1990.

  • India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    Syrus Qazi, foreign secretary, has said that it’s not surprising for Pakistan that the Indian government has been involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, in June this year.

    The statement of the foreign secretary came during a media briefing at the Pakistan mission in the UN on Wednesday, as Syrus Qazi is on a five-day visit with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session.

    “India’s terrorism in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” the top diplomat remarked.

    The foreign secretary said that the Canadian PM’s allegations are not unusual for Pakistan, as Pakistan had arrested serving Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan in March 2016.

    The Indian spy was later sentenced to death as he was the mastermind of multiple terror attacks all over the country.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed in an assembly session that the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh Leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

    “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, addressing the House of Commons about an “extremely serious matter,” after informing the opposition party leaders.

  • ‘Bilawal ko wazir-e-azam banana hai toh Karachi ko sath le kar chalna parega’: MQM-P unites against PPP

    ‘Bilawal ko wazir-e-azam banana hai toh Karachi ko sath le kar chalna parega’: MQM-P unites against PPP

    A few days before scheduled Local Government (LG) elections, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal let go of the past grievances as he announced merging his party into Muttahida Quami Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P).

    Addressing a joint press conference in Karachi, Kamal along with Dr Farooq Sattar, MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and others took a jibe at Pakistan People’s Pakistan (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for ruining Karachi in the past. During the important presser, all the leaders reiterated that they won’t let LG elections take place on January 15.

    Kamal said that Karachi was not liberated from Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) only for PPP Chairman Asif Ali Zardari to take over and “think of it as his”.

    He also claimed that Zardari wants his son—Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari— to become the Prime Minister. He said, “Bilawal ko wazir-e-azam banana hai toh Karachi ko sath le kar chalna parega” (If you want Bilawal as PM, you have to take Karachi along with you).

    He said that there are no personal fights with Altaf Hussain.

    MQM Revival Committee Head Farooq Sattar addressed the presser and announced rejoining MQM-P.

    He said that the people of Pakistan saw hope in the MQM. “We have kept aside all our differences. This is a message for the entire country. We are presenting a united MQM.”

    He said that if MQM was given a chance, the $10bn raised by Pakistan at a climate conference in Geneva, could be generated in Karachi.

    He said that the MQM had been separated from its past reputation to transform into a part of intellectuals and educated people. He noted that the country was increasingly polarised, saying that Karachi should be “given one chance”.

    Khalid Maqbool, meanwhile, said that all those sitting here wished to see Pakistan succeed despite the difficulties of the past five years. He also alleged that the MQM was defeated in the 2018 general elections through rigging.

    Talking about the local government polls, he said that the party would contest the elections if delimitation was carried out by tonight. “But if these aren’t fixed, then we will fight for our rights.”

    A day earlier, leaders of the Karachi-based party asked Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to tell them whether or not he was responsible for the situation of the port city and Hyderabad so that the party could accordingly decide about staying with or leaving the federal government.

  • India behind Johar Town bomb blast in Lahore: Rana Sanaullah

    India behind Johar Town bomb blast in Lahore: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has revealed that India was behind the Johar Town blast in Lahore— a powerful blast in 2021 near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, which resulted in three deaths.

    He held a joint press conference on Tuesday with Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General Imran Mehmood, during which he said that there is “clear evidence” of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.

    The minister further added that India’s footprints are seen in all terror activities carried out in Pakistan and New Delhi’s activities have gone “beyond that of an enemy state” just to hide its atrocities in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

    He said that Pakistan will raise this matter before the world. The minister also mentioned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had support from the foreign intelligence agency of India, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan.

    Mehmood also briefly explained who were the culprits behind the Johar Town blast.

    He said that in the initial 24 hours, CTD arrested three terrorists. However, Sami ul Haq — the main handler of RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan — was arrested a year later in April when he was trying to enter Pakistan via Balochistan

    According to Mehmood, his Red Warrants were issued through Interpol. Mehmood added that his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar, assisted Sami in terror activities and his Red Warrants were issued as well. CTD also got information about Naveed Akhtar — who did the surveillance and selected the target.

    “We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done through India to spread terrorism in Pakistan through different channels,” he revealed, adding that all the arrested persons have been sentenced to death three times by the court.

    Prior to this, days after the incident, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the mastermind of the attack was “an Indian citizen and he is associated with RAW”.

  • Food price hikes pushes weekly inflation to 3.38 per cent

    Food price hikes pushes weekly inflation to 3.38 per cent

    According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week ended June 16, 2022, surged by 3.38 per cent due to increases in the prices of food and non-food items.

    The year-over-year (YoY) trend indicates a 27.82 per cent rise, owing primarily to an increase in rates of following:

    Onions (135.31 per cent), diesel (132.61 per cent), tomatoes (117.27 per cent), petrol (110.16 per cent), vegetable ghee 1 kg (81.76 per cent), mustard oil (80.88 per cent), pulse Masoor (74.77 per cent), cooking oil 5 litre (71.52 per cent), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (68.47 per cent), LPG (60.97 per cent), garlic (57.72 per cent), washing soap (52.73 per cent), garlic (57.72 per cent (51.11 per cent).

    On the flip side, a considerable decrease was reported in prices of chilli powder (43.42 per cent), pulse Moong (18.06 per cent), sugar (10.79 per cent), bananas (0.83 per cent), gur (0.45 per cent).

    According to the most recent data, the SPI increased from 182.88 per cent to 189.07 per cent during the week ended June 9, 2022.

    The SPI increased by 2.85 per cent, 3.45 per cent, 3.10 per cent, 3.12 per cent, and 3.10 per cent for consumption groups up to Rs17,732 and Rs17,733 to Rs22,888, Rs22,889 to Rs29,517, and Rs29,518 to Rs44,175 and above Rs44,175 respectively.

    According to the PBS, out of 51 items, 36 (70.59 per cent) increased in price, 06 (11.76 per cent) decreased in price, and 09 (17.65 per cent) remained stable during the week.

    Increase: Vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (4.95 per cent), tea prepared (4.83 per cent), bread plain (4.37 per cent), toilet soap Lifebuoy (4.13 per cent), pulse Masoor (3.50 per cent), cooking oil Dalda 5 litre tin each (2.87 per cent), Sufi washing soap (2.33 per cent), mustard oil (2.24 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (1.93 per cent), pulse Mash (1.71 per cent), beef with bone (1.50 per cent), energy saver (1.04 per cent), curd (1.01 per cent), mutton (0.89 per cent), eggs (0.85 per cent), salt powdered (0.79 per cent), lawn printed Gul Ahmed/Al Karam (0.77 per cent), basmati broken (0.68 per cent), garlic (0.59 per cent), tomatoes (0.49 per cent), milk fresh (0.45 per cent), powdered milk Nido (0.41 per cent).

  • Banned Baloch organisations have the support of ISIS and TTP: Sheikh Rasheed

    Banned Baloch organisations have the support of ISIS and TTP: Sheikh Rasheed

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, while speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, said that there was a link between Baloch militant groups and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as well as other militant groups, to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan.

    Rasheed further said that the Afghan Taliban acted as a bridge for conversation with TTP.

    “The Taliban tried to converse with TTP and make them understands things but the result turned out differently. Instead of negotiations, we are witnessing an increase in terrorism.”

    Rasheed said, “The banned TTP has begun demanding extortion in Peshawar.” He also said that the TTP may have been involved in the Naushki and Panjgur attacks on security forces.

    The Interior Minister stated that the Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA) was not capable of carrying out the attacks in Naushki and Panjgur, but that TTP could be behind those attacks. He further added that this was his own analysis.

    Sheikh Rasheed said that terrorists have contacts in India and camps in Afghanistan.

    He added that Daesh (ISIS) and other militant organisations are also increasing terrorism in the country.

    When asked by anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada how the Afghan Taliban were allowing all the contacts between Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and these militant groups, which were posing a threat to the security in Pakistan, Sheikh Rasheed said: “These groups are connected through phones. We have given a high alert. There is a great increase in terrorism and the situation can go to any side.”

    The interior minister said that TTP now has the latest weapons, all of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) weapons are with them. Those weapons are also being sold, smuggled in Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan as well.

    Rasheed said that terrorists enter from Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Pakistan and go back, as happened recently in two major attacks on security forces; terrorists went back to Afghanistan after conducting attacks.

    On February 3, it was reported that two separate terrorist attacks have been successfully repulsed by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan’s Panjgur and Noshki areas.

    In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “both attacks have been successfully repulsed while inflicting heavy casualties to terrorists”.

    According to the ISPR, terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan. They said that after the Taliban’s takeover, we were told that attacks from the war-torn neighbour will stop but they have increased.

  • Ex-ISI chief was working for India’s RAW?

    Ex-ISI chief was working for India’s RAW?

    The Ministry of Defence has opposed a request seeking removal of former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general (DG) Lt Gen (r) Asad Durrani’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL), saying he had been “interacting with hostile elements” including Indian intelligence agency RAW since 2008 and was likely to be involved in future publications against the interest of Pakistan, Dawn reported.

    The spymaster had landed in trouble after co-authoring a book, “The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace”, with Amarjit Singh Dulat, the former head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in 2018.

    After the book’s publication, the Military Intelligence (MI) had written to the interior ministry to put Durrani’s name on the ECL and the same was done in May 2018. The former spymaster challenged the move in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in 2019.

    In its para-wise comments submitted in response to Durrani’s petition in the IHC on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry said the ex-ISI chief’s name was placed on the no-fly list for “his involvement in anti-state activities”. It said a perusal of the book The Spy Chronicles revealed that it contained “certain contents concerning [the] national security of Pakistan, being in contravention of the provisions of the Official Secrets Acts, 1923”.

    “It is further highlighted that there are [a] number of such publications on the way, supported by hostile elements which contain content to create misperception, confusions, question marks against the top leadership circles at country level and to target the common people,” reads the ministry’s response.

    It added that Durrani had been “affiliated/interacting with hostile elements especially Indian RAW since 2008”, saying although he had submitted an affidavit “committing to refrain from such activities” to the government, the same had still not been seen “in tangible terms”.

    According to the ministry’s reply, Rule 2(c) of the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Rules, 2010, authorised the federal government to prohibit a person from exiting Pakistan for a foreign destination if the said person is involved in “‘acts of terrorism or its conspiracy’, ‘heinous crimes’ and ‘threatening national security’”.

    Moreover, it said Articles 15 and 19 of the Constitution clearly stated that the “freedom of movement and freedom of speech are subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by [the] law in the public interest and integrity, security or defence of Pakistan”.

    It said Durrani’s name could not be removed from ECL “at this stage” because inquiries being conducted against him were being finalised. It said the former ISI chief wanted to travel abroad with the intention of participating in international conferences, forums and talks which will have “serious national security implications as evident from the recently published book ‘Honour Among Spies’” — which was also authored by Durrani and published “through Indian publishers/RAW supported elements”, according to the defence ministry.

    “Moreover, the petitioner also appeared on social media on October 12 and 13, 2020, and expressed his views which of course cannot be well received by any patriotic citizen,” the ministry stated, continuing to defend the placement of Durrani’s name on ECL.

    The ex-ISI chief’s petition is expected to be taken up again by the IHC next month.

  • In a first since Kashmir’s 2019 siege, Imran’s national security aide gets interviewed by Indian journalist

    In a first since Kashmir’s 2019 siege, Imran’s national security aide gets interviewed by Indian journalist

    In a first, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf has been interviewed by an Indian journalist.

    During his interview with Karan Thapar, Yusuf set five pre-conditions for the resumption of “meaningful dialogue” with India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the longstanding dispute of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK).

    While he said that Pakistan desired peaceful ties with India and wanted to resolve all issues through dialogue, Yusuf asserted that for any meaningful dialogue to take place between the two neighbours, India has to release all political prisoners in Kashmir, end inhuman blockade and restrictions, rescind domicile law that allows non-Kashmiris to settle in the disputed territory, stop human rights abuses and end state terrorism in Pakistan.

    This is the first time Pakistan put forward its pre-conditions for resumption of talks with India since the Modi government revoked the special status of IoK.

    Interestingly, he did not mention the restoration of the special status of Kashmir as one of the pre-conditions for restarting talks with India, which Pakistan has been condemning since August 5, 2019, when New Delhi had revoked Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution to rob the troubled valley of its autonomy.

    “Pakistan would be ready for dialogue with India if Modi government accepts those preconditions,” Yusuf said and also spoke of the involvement of Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW), in terrorism in Pakistan.

    “Pakistan had evidence that the mastermind of December 2014 APS terrorist attack in Peshawar was in contact with RAW,” he said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The SAPM added that India used its missions in one of the neighbouring countries of Pakistan to facilitate and sponsor terrorist attacks at a five-star Hotel in Gwadar, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi and the Pakistan Stock Exchange.

    He maintained that Islamabad, under the leadership of PM Imran Khan, wanted a peaceful neighbourhood but India’s Hindutva policies were obstructing the path to attain regional peace.

  • VIDEO: Ex-RAW officer says Dawood Ibrahim murdered Sushant Singh

    VIDEO: Ex-RAW officer says Dawood Ibrahim murdered Sushant Singh

    Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case has become a mystery with various theories being linked to it.

    Amid speculations regarding sudden death of the actor, a former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — India’s foreign intelligence agency — has claimed that Sushant was “murdered by [notorious Indian crime boss and drug dealer] Dawood Ibrahim”.

    According to NK Sood, Sushant was murdered by Dawood with a “foolproof plan”. In a widely-shared video, the ex-RAW officer stated that though Dawood doesn’t live in Mumbai now but still has a strong hold over the city and Bollywood.

    “Many B-town celebrities participate in the events organised by Dawood’s team abroad and help the gangster earn money which is used for funding terrorism. The celebrities also receive a huge sum of money in return,” said Sood.

    Sushant was reportedly getting death threats over the phone before his demise, and thus the actor had even changed his SIM almost 50 times. The actor was so scared for his life that he had even slept in his car at a remote place fearing that someone might kill him at his house.

    Sood claimed that Sushant was murdered by professional criminals and that was why the CCTV cameras at his apartment complex were shut off a day before his demise and the duplicate keys of his room were also misplaced.

    All this evidence is enough to conclude that the actor was murdered, said the ex-RAW officer and added that Sushant’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, his close friend Sandeep Singh and his domestic help were well aware of the trouble brewing in Sushant’s life.

    “But they chose to stay away from it and leave the actor alone.”

    He also alleged that the police were trying to put up a show that they were probing the case sincerely, but in reality, they were trying to save the culprit.

  • Jadhav refuses Pakistan’s offer to challenge conviction in IHC

    Jadhav refuses Pakistan’s offer to challenge conviction in IHC

    While refusing Pakistan’s offer to file an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his conviction, Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav has decided to apply for a mercy petition, the Foreign Office (FO) has said.

    Jadhav alias Hussein Mubarak Patel — a serving commander of the Indian Navy associated with Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan while attempting to crossover into Pakistan through the country’s border with Iran. Subsequently, in April 2017, a Field General Court Martial (FGCM) handed him death sentence on charges of espionage and terrorism.

    In a press conference in Islamabad on Wednesday, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Ahmed Irfan and Director General (DG) (South Asia & SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry said that an ordinance was promulgated by the government on May 20, which allowed the Indian government, Jadhav and his legal representative to file a review petition in IHC within 60 days, which expire on July 19.

    According to Dawn, they said Indian authorities had requested to appoint an Indian lawyer to advocate for Jadhav but if an appeal is filed in the IHC, only a lawyer that holds a license of the respective court would be able to represent the spy. Therefore, an Indian lawyer cannot advocate for the convicted spy but they may be allowed to assist Jadhav’s counsel.

    The Pakistani government had allowed consular access to Jadhav twice in the past and has offered to do so again, the officials said. Authorities have also offered to arrange Jadhav’s meeting with his father and wife, they added. The AAG and DG (South Asia & SAARC) expressed hope that the Indian government will respond positively to this offer.

    Both officials recalled that Pakistan had earlier allowed Jadhav’s mother and wife to meet him and said that the government had complied with the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) passed last year.

    They said Pakistan had provided evidence of Indian state terrorism to the international community multiple times and will continue to do so.