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Posts published in “Pakistan”

Donald Blome discusses relocation of Afghans to US with Jilani

Report in Dawn, November 1st, 2023ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador in Pakistan Donald Blome met caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Tuesday to discuss a broad range of bilateral issues, including the safe and efficient processing of Afghan citizens eligible for relocation or resettlement in the United States. According to US Mission spokesperson Jonathan Lalley, the ambassador highlighted the two countries’ mutual interest in ensuring the safety and security of refugees and asylum seekers, and the…

Govt tightens noose around migrants as ‘refoulement’ commences

by Iftikhar A. Khan in Dawn, November 1st, 2023ISLAMABAD / QUETTA: Although the government-mandated deadline for foreigners illegally residing in Pakistan to leave the country, voluntarily, technically expired at Tuesday midnight, officials across the country suggested that action against those who refused to leave would begin in earnest within the next 24 hours. Talking to reporters in the cap­ital, caretaker Interior Minis­ter Sarfraz Bugti said on Tuesday that the government’s crackdown against stragglers would begin…

Undocumented immigrants expulsion starts Thursday

Reuters report, Nov 1, 2023ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will start rounding up and expelling undocumented immigrants, including hundreds of thousands of people from neighbouring Afghanistan, on Thursday, the caretaker government’s interior minister said. Islamabad announced the plan earlier this month, saying Afghan nationals had been behind attacks, smuggling and other crimes in its territory. Kabul dismissed the accusations and rights groups protested, asking Pakistan to reconsider. “Only two days are left for a voluntary return,” Sarfraz Bugti…

Fazl accuses ‘authorities’ of forcing ‘legal Afghans’ to exit country

report in The Expres Tribune, Nov 1, 2023As the deadline for illegal immigrants to leave Pakistan draws to a close, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), issued a statement on Tuesday expressing concerns about the treatment of Afghan refugees with legal documents. He accused authorities of pressuring these refugees to depart and reported cases of property usurpation, Express News reported. Fazl opined that the deportation of Afghan refugees was a bilateral issue…

MQM-P, PML-N discuss next elections

report in The Express Tribune, Oct 31st, 2023.KARACHI: The return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has sparked conversations between the PML-N and the MQM-P to explore the possibilities of collaboration as political parties jockey for power ahead of the elections. MQM-P Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced on Monday that his party’s delegation is scheduled to meet with Nawaz Sharif and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in the near future. The formal contacts between Dr…

Illegal Nikah case: Imran’s plea for early hearing put off on his lawyers’ request:

By Khalid Iqbal in The News, October 31, 2023ISLAMABAD: Civil Judge Qudratullah Monday adjourned till Nov 4 Imran Khan’s plea for early hearing of his illegal marriage case on the request of his own lawyers. He issued a written order on the application, filed for early hearing of the case. The PTI chairman had filed the application through his lawyers and requested for early hearing of the case. The judge, in his written order, said…

Nawaz Sharif takes front seat again

by Rizwan Shehzad in The Express Tribune, Oct 31st, 2023.ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif started on Monday formally calling the shots as he summoned a high-level meeting of the party to deliberate on the ongoing political situation, upcoming general elections and resumption of his political activities after returning to Pakistan. Party officials revealed that the three-time former premier will hold a PML-N meeting on October 31 (today) in Pakistan after a gap…

Ceasefire fails to end Kurram clashes:

Report in Dawn, October 31st, 2023KURRAM: A peace agreement brokered by local clerics and tribal elders between the warring factions of Kurram district a day earlier fell flat on Monday with renewed clashes leaving an unspecified number of people dead and wounded. No official statement has been issued about the number of casualties since the fighting erupted about a week ago. The local administration is tight-lipped fearing that details of the clashes and resultant casualties,…

Two soldiers martyred in Awaran, says ISPR

Saleem Shahid in Dawn, October 31st, 2023QUETTA: Two alleged terrorists were killed, and two others were injured in a heavy exchange of fire during an operation in the Khoro area of Awaran district. During the heavy gunfire, two security personnel were martyred. The media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces, ISPR, said that security forces launched an operation against the terrorists in the Khoro area of Awaran, leading to a heavy gun battle. “Two terrorists…

ECP delaying decision on electoral symbol: PTI

By Mumtaz Alvi in The News, October 31, 2023ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Core Committee Monday aired serious reservations about the state’s ‘ongoing planned attempts to pollute the election environment by creating uneven playing field ahead of the elections, using coercive tactics against PTI leaders and workers’. The forum also referred to ‘delaying the issuance’ of PTI’s electoral symbol ‘bat’ unnecessarily. In its meeting, the core committee urged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should…

Polls date still up in the air:

Report in The News, October 31, 2023LAHORE: As the general elections are being gossiped to be held in the last week of January next year, the announcement of election date is still a mystery with Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar Monday saying that the previous parliament had passed a law in which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was mandated to announce an election date. On the other hand, the ECP head says polls will…