Pakistan

US expresses concern over sentencing of 25 civilians by Pak military court

Expressing concern over the sentencing of 25 civilians by a military court in Pakistan, the United States on Monday said it lacked judicial independence, transparency and due process guarantees. The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. The United States continues to call on Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial and due process, as enshrined in Pakistan's constitution, he added. However, a close aide of President-elect Donald Trump described it as too little and too weak. You are late. And this is too little and too weak. Speak normally. Free Imran Khan, said Richard Grenell, who served as acting director of national intelligence under President Trump in 2020 and was the US ambassador to Germany from 2018 to

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Pak govt forms panel to negotiate with jailed ex-PM Imran Khan's party

The PTI welcomed the formation of the government committee for negotiations, calling it a "positive step"

16 soldiers killed in terrorist attack on South Waziristan post in Pakistan

The ISPR reported that on the night of December 19-20, security forces detected a group of terrorists attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from Afghanistan. Following an intense exchange of fire

Imran Khan's wife granted interim bail in cases related to Nov 26 protest

Among the cases is a murder case filed against Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, his wife and senior party leaders in connection with the deaths of paramilitary soldiers

French magazine exposes Pak's links to extremist network Jaish-e-Mohammed

The report highlights the resurgence of the Jaish e Mohammed (JeM), particularly in Bahawalpur area of Punjab province

Pakistan's missile programme is 'emerging threat', says top US official

Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer's surprise revelation underscored how far the once-close ties between Washington and Islamabad have deteriorated

Unfortunate, biased: Pak on US sanction on its missile programme entities

Pakistan on Thursday termed as unfortunate and biased the US decision to sanction its commercial entities for alleged involvement in ballistic missile programme. After the US designated its four entities for sanctions, a statement from the Foreign Office (FO) statement said the sanction defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries and claimed that double standards and discriminatory practices undermine the credibility of non-proliferation regimes. In light of the alleged continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States on Wednesday designated four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. These include the state-owned Islamabad-based flagship aerospace and defence agency National Development Complex (NDC), and three Karachi-based entities, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and

Pak security forces kill 11 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

Pakistani security forces gunned down 11 terrorists in three separate operations in the restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities have said. The operations took place in various regions of the province on December 17 and 18, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The first operation was conducted in the Tank district after receiving information about the presence of militants in the area. Seven terrorists were killed during the operation. The second operation took place in Datta Khel in the North Waziristan district where two terrorists were killed. Two more terrorists were killed in the Mohmand district. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the killed militants. The third quarter (July-September) of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities of terrorist violence and counter-terrorism campaigns in Pakistan, with a 90 per cent surge in violence, according to a report issued by the Centre f

US sanctions Pak's defence agency over long-range missile proliferation

The United States on Wednesday slapped sanctions on four Pakistani entities, including the state-owned flagship aerospace and defence agency -- National Development Complex (NDC) -- on charges of them contributing to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme. In light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan's long-range missile development, the United States is designating four entities for sanctions which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, the State Department said. In addition to the NDC, the three other entities are Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, Affiliates International and Rockside Enterprise. All three are based in Karachi, while the NDC is in Islamabad. The NDC has worked to acquire items in furtherance of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile programme -- including special vehicle chassis intended to be used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles and missile-testing equipment. The United States assesses

Can, but have not blocked any VPNs: Pakistan's telecommunication authority

Pakistan's telecom watchdog made it clear that no virtual private network (VPNs) was blocked in the country, nor it planned to do so in the future despite having the capability. It was announced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman Hafizur Rehman on Monday while addressing the launch of the regulator's 'Annual Report'. According to the Express Tribune, Rehman made it clear that so far, no VPN had been blocked and there was no such plan for the future. We have said it before, and I repeat it now: we could block VPNs, but we won't. To date, no VPNs have been blocked. The statement comes after news taking rounds for months that the regulator had initiated the process of registering the VPNs. The deadline for the registration was extended beyond November 30. However, a new deadline had not been announced for the VPN suspension. The government had expressed the apprehension that VPN use might be harmful for the people, while accessing immoral contents on social med

Pakistan PM Shehbaz, Army chief Munir discuss security issues in country

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir held a meeting to discuss the key security issues in the country, including a recent protest by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Islamabad in which several people were killed. The government did not officially share the details of the huddle held on Monday, but Dawn reported quoting a source privy to the meeting that they discussed the November 24 D-Chowk protest and vowed to spare nobody involved in violence and the killing of law enforcers. It was decided that no leniency will be shown for those who killed security personnel and destroyed state property, the source said. The meeting, attended by top security officials, also discussed a surge in terrorism, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. The huddle also took stock of a renewed threat by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur about another protest march to Islamabad if the government did not release PTI founder Khan from ...

Pakistan's central bank cuts key policy rate by 200 basis points to 13%

Pakistan's central bank on Monday further reduced the key policy rate by 200 basis points (bps) to 13 per cent from 15 per cent amid improvement in inflation. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced that its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to cut the policy rate by 200 bps to 13 per cent, effective from December 17, 2024. It said that the decision was helped by the continued decline in food inflation as well as the phasing out of the impact of the hike in gas tariffs in November 2023. However, it added that core inflation, which stood at 9.7 per cent, was proving to be sticky, whereas inflation expectations of consumers and businesses remain volatile. The MPC also noted that the current account had remained in surplus for the third consecutive month in October 2024, which, amidst weak financial inflows and substantial official debt repayments, helped increase the foreign exchange of the central bank to around $12 billion. The committee also said global prices had remaine

Pakistan's week-long polio eradication campaign begins amid tight security

A week-long polio eradication campaign across Pakistan began on Monday amid tight security to ensure its smooth sailing against the crippling disease that saw a surge this year with 63 cases reported so far. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where the paralysing virus is still rampant. During the campaign, more than 44.7 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated. The campaign has started across 143 districts of the country to prevent the resurgence of the polio virus. A target has been set to vaccinate 23.3 million children in Punjab's 36 districts, 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 36 districts, 10.6 million in Sindh's 30 districts and 2.6 million in Balochistan's 36 districts. Additionally, more than 800,000 children will be vaccinated in Islamabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and five districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, 54,000 security personnel, including police

Pak made progress in countering terrorist financing: US state dept report

Pakistan has made substantial progress in countering terrorist financing and addressing regional extremist networks, a US State Department report states while also highlighting significant security challenges, including a sharp rise in terrorist attacks in 2023. The Dawn newspaper said that the report released this week commends Pakistan for completing its updated National Risk Assessment (NRA) on money laundering and terrorist financing in 2023. This assessment evaluated 87 terrorist organisations, conducted sectoral vulnerability analysis and identified donations and extortion as key funding sources for terrorism. According to the assessment, 41 groups remain active in Pakistan, leveraging cash couriers and illegal money transfer services. The report flagged porous borders with Afghanistan as critical vulnerabilities facilitating illicit financial flows. The report notes that consistent with its commitment to relevant UN resolutions, Pakistan prosecutes its returning citizens who

Pakistan reports four new cases of polio, year's tally rises to 63

Pakistan has reported four new polio cases, bringing the crippling disease's total in the country for the year to 63 more than a ten-fold increase from last year's tally of just 6 cases. Despite repeated countrywide polio vaccination campaigns, two new cases were detected on Friday in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces each, the Dawn newspaper reported, citing a statement from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC). On Friday, December 13, the lab confirmed one polio case each from Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Jacobabad, where female children are affected, and Sukkur, where a male child is affected, the statement said. "This is the ninth polio case from Dera Ismail Khan, third from Tank and Jacobabad and first from Sukkur this year, it said. Of the 63 cases reported in the country so far this year, 26 were from Balochistan, 18 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 from Sindh and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Last year, Pakistan reported six polio cases, a sharp declin

China keen to invest $1 billion in Pakistan to establish medical city

A Chinese business delegation has met with President Asif Ali Zardari here and expressed interest in investing USD 1 billion to establish a medical city in Pakistan, according to a media report. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China which has supported it through many investments and development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project which was termed as a lifeline for the country's economy. The delegation of Chinese investors during a meeting with Zardari on Thursday outlined their plans to invest USD 1 billion into creating the medical city in Karachi's Dhabeji Economic Zone which is outside Pakistan's biggest city and financial hub. The medical city would be Pakistan's first fully integrated pharmaceutical and medical ecosystem. Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) which is tasked with the running of the Dhabeji Economic Zone said in a statement that the pledge by the Chinese investors is an example of the growing economic ties

Half of PIA's fleet grounded due to shortage of essential components

A shortage of essential components and spare parts has grounded 17 of the Pakistan International Airlines' 34 aircraft, leaving them out of service, according to sources. The position is that 17 aircraft of the PIA fleet remain out of service, a source in the airlines said. At present, seven out of 12 planes in the airline's Boeing 777 fleet are grounded. Additionally, seven out of 17 Airbus A320 planes are also non-operational. The airline's smaller ATR aircraft have not been spared, with only two of the five aircraft currently active. The grounded planes have been affected by a lack of essential components, including engines, landing gear, Auxiliary Power Units (APUs), and other vital parts. Sources in the airlines said that shortage of funds and due clearance from relevant ministries were the primary reasons for the shortage. This has severely affected the operational efficiency of the country's national flag carrier, which is set to resume flights to Europe on January 10 afte

BS In-Depth: Why is Pakistan always in an economic crisis?

Good ties with Pakistan possible, but terror must stop first: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Lok Sabha that India seeks good ties with Pakistan but stressed they must be free of terrorism, adding the ball is in Pakistan's court