Posts published in “Day: April 14, 2016”

LAHORE: At least three policemen were killed, several others injured and 25 personnel were allegedly held hostage by the Chotoo gang on Wednesday when security forces tried to enter a forest in an island in Indus River area between Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan. Fierce clashes erupted shortly after some policemen tried to enter the island being used by criminals as a hideout, a senior police official told Dawn. He said the outlaws had claimed…

PEOPLE have been making the crossing at Torkham for centuries. However, in this age of transnational security threats, some sort of border management is essential. As demonstrated by the tragedy on Tuesday, border crossings between Afghanistan and Pakistan at this spot are anything but orderly. After authorities tightened verification procedures, an Afghan woman and a child lost their lives reportedly due to suffocation at the border crossing. Chaotic scenes at this location are nothing new,…

There seems to be an ever-present ruthlessness when it comes to the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Nearly 1,900 people — over 300 families — were forced to leave the Torkham area this week after being given a four-day deadline by the political administration of Khyber Agency to vacate the area. After the four-day notice lapsed, homes in the area were razed to the ground by bulldozers. A majority of the residents here carry…

A provincial council member has been killed as clash erupted among the ex-Jihadi commanders in northeastern Takhar province of Afghanistan. The local security officials have confirmed that clashes erupted among Mullah Perum Qul and Ainuddin Rustaqi supporters earlier this evening. The officials further added that Mullah Qul was also a former Afghan lawmaker in the parliament and his supporters have killed Rustaqi during the gun battle. At least two others have also lost their lives…

The draft agreement for Chabahar strategic port was finalized between Afghanistan, Iran and India on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said. A statement by MoFA said the draft agreement is ready for the signing to create transportation and transit corridor in Chabahar port. The draft agreement was finalized during a meeting organized in Ministry of External Affairs of India, MoFA said, adding that Afghanistan was represented by representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs,…

LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of Afghan citizens remained stranded on the second day on the Afghan side of the Torkham border as the authorities did not allow them to enter Pakistan without valid travel documents, officials and eyewitnesses said on Wednesday. However, the Political Tehsildar of Torkham, Shakeel Umarzai, told The News that the border controls were relaxed after a flag meeting was held with the Afghan border officials. Quoting the Commandant of Khyber Rifles, Colonel Tariq…

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is lobbying to get a role in the Islamic Organisation for Food Security. According to officials, Minister for National Food Security and Research, Sikander Hayat Khan Boson during his meeting with the Ambassador of Kazakhstan Bakhitbek Shabarbayev on Wednesday discussed prospects of the upcoming international events. In the meeting, the upcoming OIC Ministers’ conference in Astana was discussed along with the Agriculture Ministers’ conference. The first session of General Assembly of the…

ISLAMABAD:  The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Wednesday stressed the need for a dialogue between arch rivals Pakistan and India to resolve all their outstanding issues including the Kashmir dispute. This demand was made during a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir held on the sidelines of 13th OIC summit in Istanbul. According to the Foreign Office, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz led the Pakistan delegation…

NEW DELHI: The Islamic State intends to use its fighters in Pakistan and Bangladesh to mount “guerrilla attacks inside India” and create fear and chaos by working with local mujahideen, the head of the terror group in Bangladesh has said. Shaykh Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif, the Ameer of IS fighters in Bangladesh, made the remarks in a lengthy interview to the group’s online magazine Dabiq that was released on Wednesday.Bangladesh, referred to by the IS as…

SIALKOT: A special team of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday night claimed to have arrested the district emir of a banned militant organisation from Mundeyki Goraya village, Daska during a raid. Senior CTD officials told Dawn that Arshad Ali of the Jaish-i-Mohammad was wanted by the department in a terrorism case registered with them. Ali is also a former chairman of the Daska Municipality. The CTD has sent him behind bars for further interrogation.…