Tag: Ukraine

  • Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Bilawal blames PTI policies for TTP attacks

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari— who is currently in Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting— has spoken to Al Jazeera about the recently held conference in Geneva for Pakistan’s devasting flood losses, a looming economic crisis and the soaring threats of terrorism.

    In his interview, the 34-year-old minister blamed the previous government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its wrong approach and “policy of appeasement” towards the Taliban.

    He said, “I believe that the previous government had the wrong approach. Its policy of appeasement towards the Taliban has created problems for the people of Pakistan”, adding that this approach has been ended by the incumbent government.

    He said that recently the government also had a national security meeting and it was decided then that Pakistan would adopt a zero-tolerance policy against terrorist groups.

    Talking about the oppressive Taliban reign in Afghanistan, Bilawal urged the world to continue engaging with Afghanistan as it is the only solution. He said, “We [Pakistan] are neighbours, we couldn’t separate if we wanted to. The only way to enhance leverage on both sides is to continue to engage with them.”

    “I do not think turning our back and disengaging is an option. And it’s certainly not an option for Pakistan which shares such a long and porous border with Afghanistan”, he said, highlighting that both “Pakistanis and Afghanis are victims of terrorism”.

    About the economic and food crisis back home, the minister pointed out that Pakistan is not alone in facing the economic crisis as the world is also suffering and these all are the result of post-covid and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    However, he hoped that the situation will get better in the coming days. `

    Terming the Geneva conference “resilient”, he thanked the international community for pledging more than $9 billion for Pakistan’s flood rehabilitation and climate resilience building.

  • ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has said that he no longer “blames the United States (US)” for engineering the Vote of No Confidence that resulted in his government’s ouster, and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

    Referring to the alleged conspiracy which the former Prime Minister has insisted upon since April of this year, Khan said that “it was over”, in an interview with the Financial Times.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over; it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” he said.

    “Our relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we’ve been used like a hired gun. But for that I blame my own governments more than the US,” the former premier added.

    The former prime minister also termed his visit to Moscow on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as “embarrassing”. He, however, added that trip was organised months in advance.

    About the role of the military, he said the army could play a “constructive role” in his future plans for Pakistan.

    The former premier asserted that there should “be a balance” in civil-military ties as “you cannot have an elected government which has responsibility given by the people, while the authority lies somewhere else”.

  • Japan’s consumer inflation hits 8-year high

    Japan’s consumer inflation hits 8-year high

    According to official data released on Friday, Japan’s core consumer prices increased 3.0 per cent year over year in September, the highest level since 2014 as households were hard-hit by the weakening yen and rising energy prices.

    According to Reuters, the statistic raises inflation considerably above the Bank of Japan’s long-term 2.0 per cent target, even when volatile fresh food prices are excluded. The central bank’s claim that the present rises do not yet fulfil its criteria for persistent price growth is supported by the fact that the figure was only 1.8 per cent when energy costs were excluded.

    The most recent data was in line with market forecasts, but when similar data was last seen, a VAT increase had artificially inflated prices. The rate of inflation in September was the highest in nearly 31 years, excluding years when tax increases had an impact on the rate.

    “The bulk of the price increases at the moment are rises in raw material prices,” while service prices associated with wages have not seen meaningful increases, Taro Saito, an economist at NLI Research Institute, said in a note released before the data.

    He projected that stabilising inflation in Japan will take longer time to achieve due to pay rises and rising service costs.

    The BoJ believes the present price hikes are related to extraordinary occurrences like the conflict in Ukraine, whereas other central banks have chosen to raise interest rates to combat skyrocketing inflation.

    It has persisted in its ultra-loose monetary policy and refrained from raising rates, claiming that the third-largest economy in the world has not yet attained the inflation target of 2.0 per cent that it believes is required to accelerate growth.

    The yen has fallen, especially against the dollar, as a result of the widening gap between the bank’s policy and other rate increases. The yen dropped to 150 versus the dollar on Thursday, the lowest level since 1990.

  • Putin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden, who disclosed top secret US surveillance

    Putin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden, who disclosed top secret US surveillance

    Edward Snowden, a former security expert who exposed top-secret American surveillance programmes and is still wanted by Washington on espionage charges, was granted citizenship by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

    In order to avoid punishment, Snowden, who considers himself a whistleblower, left the United States and has been residing in Russia since that country gave him refuge in 2013.

    In a decree that Putin signed, Snowden, 39, was one of 72 foreigners who received citizenship.

    His attorneys stated at the time that he was filing for a Russian passport without renunciating his American citizenship when he was given permanent status in 2020.

    The state-run news agency RIA Novosti was informed on Monday by Snowden’s attorney, Anatoly Kucherena, that Snowden’s wife, Lindsay Mills, is also in the process of seeking for Russian citizenship. In 2014, Mills accompanied Snowden to Moscow. In 2017, they got married, and now they have a son together.

    Additionally, Kucherena stated that because of Snowden’s lack of combat experience, he would not be subject to the partial military mobilisation that Putin ordered last week to support Russia’s waning war in Ukraine. Putin claimed that only individuals with prior experience would be called up for partial mobilisation, but there have been several stories of other people receiving summonses, including those detained during anti-mobilization protests.

    According to CNN, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to comment on Snowden’s new passport, and instead referred questions to the prosecutors seeking his extradition. “Soc, since I believe there have been criminal charges brought against him, we would point you to the Department of Justice for any specifics on this,” Jean-Pierre said.

    Snowden’s revelations were the largest security breach in American history as it exposed the top-secret NSA programme PRISM’s use of surveillance and the collection of a wide spectrum of digital data.

    Putin stated in a documentary directed by American Oliver Stone in 2017 that he did not view Snowden as a “traitor” for disclosing official information.

    “As an ex-KGB agent, you must have hated what Snowden did with every fiber of your being,” Stone says in the clip.

    “Snowden is not a traitor,” Putin said. “He did not betray the interests of his country. Nor did he transfer any information to any other country which would have been pernicious to his own country or to his own people. The only thing Snowden does, he does publicly.”

    Snowden justified his decision to submit a dual citizenship application in 2020.

    “After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That’s why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we’re applying for dual US-Russian citizenship,” Snowden wrote on Twitter at the time.

    “Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of America we love — including the freedom to speak his mind. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited,” Snowden added.

  • Loadshedding in Paris? Symbol of love Eiffel tower will go dark early every night

    Loadshedding in Paris? Symbol of love Eiffel tower will go dark early every night

    One of the best-known and most imitated monuments in the world— the Eiffel Tower— will shut down its lights earlier than usual due to the ongoing energy crisis in Europe.

    The decision was announced by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The government’s plan includes aiming to save 10 per cent of Paris’ energy consumption during winters. Not just the famed tower but all of the city’s municipal buildings will turn off their lights starting at 10pm. However, public lighting will remain switched on in the city for the safety of its citizens.

    The earlier shutting off of the Eiffel Tower lights will begin on September 21. All lights will be switched off at 11:45pm when visiting time has ended.

    It is pertinent to mention that the tower makes up about 4 per cent of the monument’s annual energy expenses.

    Earlier, it was usually illuminated in golden hues within less than 10 minutes of nightfall and has an hourly 5-minute show of dazzling sparkles until 1am.

    Other actions in the mayor’s plan include lowering temperatures in public buildings, reducing water temperature in swimming pools, and axing hot water in administrative buildings and some public buildings.

    Europe’s energy crisis is one of the many setbacks of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. When the war broke out in Ukraine, European nations overwhelmingly supported the young country in its defense against Russian forces. But, historical reliance on Russian energy exports has left the continent reeling under rising energy costs.

  • Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and wife face backlash for photoshoot during war

    Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and wife face backlash for photoshoot during war

    President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has posed with his wife Olena Zelenska for Vogue magazine. The magazine described the cover as a ‘portrait of bravery’.

    The photoshoot has received criticism from around the world. Some are criticising it for being out of time and glamourising war.

    In one of the photos, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olena Zelenska were holding hands with each other.

    In another photo, First Lady Olena Zelenska is seen posing with a broken vehicle with three Ukrainian soldiers standing guard.

    The photoshoot is receiving a lot of criticism. Have a look at some of the tweets:

    https://twitter.com/znik700/status/1552019830143782912?s=21&t=Bo55WxedBlW7JznavqvCNg

  • After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock tested positive for Covid-19, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    Earlier, Baerbock met her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. She has also cancelled all further dates of the trip, which also included stops in Greece and Turkey.

    Responding to the news, FM Bilawal wished Baerbock a quick recovery. He tweeted, “Building on our excellent talks today, I look forward to our continued engagement and future interactions to further solidify Pakistan and Germany partnership.”

    Baerbock reached Islamabad today (Tuesday) on a two-day visit.

    Baerbock and Bilawal held a joint presser in the capital. It has been reported that Pakistan will inaugurate its Consulate General in Munich soon.

    ‘We support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir’: FM Baerbock

    During the presser, Bilawal said, “If India fails to condemn the comments, then it’s a reflection that it’s not a secular India but rather a Hindu-superiority India. We would want to engage with India but with a rationale.”

    Talking about the Kashmir issue, Baerbock said, “The foundation of human rights is indivisible and this counts for every region in the world. This also counts for Kashmir, this counts for women’s rights. This counts for minority rights and religious rights Therefore, we support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir to ensure that all human rights are being guaranteed.”

    “We believe that constructive approaches and measures from both sides are the only way forward to improve the relationships between India and Pakistan. The bilateral agreement along the line of control last year was a positive step”, she added.

    ‘Pakistan had been Germany’s closest and most reliable partner‘: FM Baerbock

    About the Afghan situation, the German FM said, “It is not the mistake of the people that the Taliban overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society,” she said, promising that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid and support people who need it, especially women and girls.

    The diplomat highlighted that Pakistan had been Germany’s “closest and most reliable partner” in that regard, revealing that under this close cooperation between the two countries, 14,000 Afghans, who were at risk in the country, could travel to Germany via Pakistan and were able to start a new life in safety and without fear.

    ‘Pakistan does not want to be dragged in conflict’: FM Bilawal

    Bilawal also highlighted that Pakistan was playing an outside role in mitigating the economic crisis in Afghanistan. “This is the face of Pakistan. A modern Muslim country”, he said.

    While talking about the Ukraine crisis, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan “does not want to be dragged in conflict particularly given that we have just experienced decade after decade of conflict in Afghanistan”.

  • ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    ‘How the hell was I supposed to know?’, Khan defends Russia visit

    In an interview with Journalist Mark Austin on Sky News, former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan defended his visit to Russia and said that he didn’t know that Russia was going to invade Ukraine when he landed in Moscow. Khan visited Moscow on February 23, a trip that landed him directly into a hotbed of criticism in the international community.

    Khan during the interview said, “How the hell was I supposed to know, the day I landed in Moscow, Putin is going to attack Ukraine? My statement in Moscow was that I have never believed in military solutions so I never endorsed that [Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Ours was a bilateral meeting, it was planned long before. How could you have punished me like that?”

    “I am against all military operations. I was against Iraq War, the Americans going to Afghanistan consistently and I am against military solutions in Ukraine”, he replied when asked about Russia’s aggressive acts in Ukraine.

    Khan once again reiterated that he was removed by the United States (US) and he has a cipher to prove it. The former premier, talking about what was written in the cipher, said, “Unless you remove PM through no-confidence motion there will be consequences for Pakistan, and if you remove him all will be forgiven.”

    ‘I was not elected to correct all the wrongs in the world’: Khan

    During the interview, Khan was asked why he was on friendly terms with countries like China and Russia when they had committed alleged human rights violations. Khan replied and said, “I was elected by 220 million. My first priority was that there are 50 million people in Pakistan below the poverty line, I was not elected to correct all the wrongs that are going on in the world.”

    “My responsibility was to my country and so all my relationships, whether it was with China, with the US, with Russia, were for the benefits of our own people,” he added.

    He, further pointed out that there are atrocities going on in Kashmir, and 100,000 people in Kashmir have died. “Has anyone condemned India for that? No, because India is an ally, allow us to be neutral too so we can look after our people.”

    ‘I am not a spokesperson for Taliban’: Khan

    Answering a question about the concerning situation of women in Taliban-led Afghanistan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman said Pakistan has never supported the Taliban. He stated: “I am not responsible or a spokesman for the Taliban, if there was any other solution after 20 years of war, you should have found some solution.”

    Twitterati praised Khan for his interview.

  • Fighter-jet gifting businessman Mohammad Zahoor and a 1990s scandal

    Fighter-jet gifting businessman Mohammad Zahoor and a 1990s scandal

    Pakistani-British businessman and former Kyiv Post owner Mohammad Zahoor has made headlines again, with his decision to buy fighter jets for Ukraine. But this is not the only time Zahoor was the talk of the town. Earlier in the 1990s he was also probed for fraud and misappropriation of funds and later, his name appeared in the Panama Papers pertaining to Ukraine. In 2015, Ukraine’s weekly magazine, Focus had marked Zahoor’s net worth at $500 million. 

    On May 18th 2020, news broke in the cybersphere that Mohammad Zahoor had bought two fighter jets for Ukraine, to help in their war against Russia. On Wednesday Ukraine’s TSN reported that Zahoor’s wife, Ukrainian singer Kamaliya Zahoor appeared in the program ‘Morning with Ukraine’ and announced that her husband gave two fighter jets to Ukraine to help fight the war with Russia which has now entered its 12th week. 

    Formerly, Zahoor was a formidable figure in the Ukranian media. Born in 1955, at the age of 19 he first headed to Ukraine on a Pakistan steel mills scholarship to study metallurgy after which he returned back to his homeland only to go back when the Iron Curtain fell in 1991.The same year, he invested in steel and set up ISTIL Group – originally a producer and trader of steel and steel products, ISTIL has now diversified its portfolio, holding investments in growth industries and sectors across the world.

    However, back in 1998, Mohammad Zahoor turned up as a principal target of an investigation linking Ukrainian politicians to a fraud investigation involving the United Energy Systems of Ukraine, which has been long drawn out for almost 15 years now. During the investigation it was discovered that two companies owned by Zahoor appeared to have a documentary trail connecting them to the fraudulent Ukrainian politicians. This was extensively reported by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). 

    One of these companies, Metalsrussia Group Ltd, was later renamed to ISTIL Group. And the authorized capital of the company as per a certificate of incumbency attached here was $5 million. Another one of his companies South East Asia Metal Limited owned a majority stake in one of the oldest metallurgic enterprises in southeastern Ukraine, the Donetsk metallurgical plant. 

    Eventually the police case against him was dropped for a lack of evidence but Zahoor’s name was listed among two dozen individuals related to Ukraine who were revealed in the hoard of documents called the Panama Papers in 2016.

    He was also involved in mobilizing funds for the aid and resettlement of Ukrainian refugees and is also currently constructing a £1m housing project in Germany. 

  • Bilawal Bhutto defends ex-PM Imran Khan’s visit to Russia

    Bilawal Bhutto defends ex-PM Imran Khan’s visit to Russia

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday strongly defended Imran Khan’s Moscow visit, saying there was no way for the former prime minister to know that Russia would invade Ukraine on the day he landed in the Russian capital.

    “As far the former prime minister’s trip to Russia, I would absolutely defend the former prime minister of Pakistan. He conducted that trip as part of his foreign policy and without knowing that — no one is psychic, no one has a sixth sense — there’s no way we could have possibly known that that would be the time [when] the current conflict will start,” Bilawal said.

    https://twitter.com/MediaCellPPP/status/1527401668916256770?s=20&t=KZ4uVQyjDUUPrLQdo_hRgA

    “And I believe it is very unfair to punish Pakistan for such an innocent action.”

    Pakistan, he said, was absolutely clear that it has to stand by the principles of the United Nations, including that of non-use of force, on this issue.

    “We are not part of any conflict. We do not wish to be part of any conflict. In fact, we would continue to emphasise the importance of peace,” he said.

    “We would continue to emphasise the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve this conflict as soon as possible. And we will certainly not take any side or take the side of any aggressor within this context.”

    Twitterati praised FM Bilawal Bhutto for the way he defended not only the formal premier but Pakistan as well. Netizens did not spare this chance to compare Bilawal with Khan.