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Posts published in “Pakistan”

Pakistan seeks Kabul’s consulate in Chaman to ease visa process:

By Saleem Shahid in Dawn, October 9th, 2023QUETTA: Pakistan has suggested the interim Afghanistan government establish a sub-consulate in Chaman, as efforts are underway to devise a mechanism for the issuance of an on-arrival visa to Afghan citizens at the border town on the basis of their identification documents. The authorities concerned would also approach the federal government seeking the installation of a passport reader in the border town. These issues were taken up during…

Political engineering now worse than ever: Scholar Prof Dr Hassan Askari

by Rizwan Shehzad in The Express Tribune, Oct 9, 2023ISLAMABAD: As the country approaches the January general elections, concerns about political engineering are mounting with PTI leaders’ scripted interviews, their post-release re-arrests, almost one-sided media trials and a TV ban on mentioning deposed premier Imran Khan’s name as they all contribute to growing doubts over the fairness of the upcoming polls. Although the ‘powerful circles’ have routinely asserted themselves in the country over the years,…

Economy, my first and last priority: Nawaz

report in The Express Tribune, Oct 9, 2023LONDON: In what appears to be a softening of his stance, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has declared that his foremost and ultimate priority upon his return to Pakistan is the country’s economic revival. He stated, “The journey of progress will resume from where it was interrupted, and we are committed to ensuring that the nation overcomes economic challenges, inflation, and unemployment.” The PML-N supreme leader, scheduled to…

Fresh bid by PTI leaders to ‘rescue’ Imran

report in The News, Oct 8, 2023ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leaders have recorded video statements on oath, testifying that former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan never gave them any instructions before or after May 9 to attack and vandalize any state institution and military installation. The PTI leadership preemptively recorded their video statements on Saturday as a proof to foil a ‘nefarious plan’ in case they get arrested, tortured and blackmailed to…

Fazl, Bilawal have ‘no problem with PTI being on the ballot’ sans May 9 rioters

Report in Dawn, Oct 8, 2023PESHAWAR / JACOBABAD: With elections due in just a few months, two major political parties have ostensibly demanded a level playing field for all stakeholders, including the PTI, except for those elements who were involved in riots on May 9 incited by the arrest of party chief Imran Khan. JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman did not name Imran Khan, but said it was not fitting for him (Fazl) to make…

Surge in Afghan transit cargo raises smuggling concerns

by Mubarak Zeb Khan in Dawn, Oct 8th, 2023• Transit cargo grows in the second year of Taliban rule• Cargo flow jumps 39pc, number of containers up from 74,316 last year to 102,886 in FY23• Cargo value soars from $4bn to $6.7bn, up 67pc • Smuggling-prone items surge 63pc to $3.7bnISLAMABAD: In a significant development since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, the flow of Afghan transit cargoes has witnessed a substantial surge in one year.…

Pakistan must consider risks to returning Afghans, say UN agencies

by Amin Ahmed | Manzoor Ali in Dawn, October 8th, 2023ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR: The international humanitarian community has called on Pakistan to continue extending protection to all vulnerable Afghans who have sought safety in the country, as they could be at imminent risk if forced to return to Afghanistan. This concern was also echoed by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, who said that refugees’ right to shelter, healthcare and legal counsel must be protected…

Aimal questions govt action against Afghans

Report in Dawn, October 8th, 2023CHARSADDA: Awami National Party provincial president Aimal Wali Khan came down hard on Pervez Khattak, the chief of newly-formed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), insisting he was the most known turncoat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s politics. He was speaking at a party’s workers’ convention in PK-65 constituency here on Saturday. ANP district president Shakeel Bashir Khan Umarzai, candidate for PK-65 Shahzaduddin, and member of the party’s central committee Qasim Ali Khan also…

Pak-Iran border committee resolves to combat terrorism

by Saleem Shahid in Dawn, Oct 8th, 2023QUETTA: The seventh meeting of the Pak-Iran border committee, held in the Iranian border town of Mir-Javeh on Saturday, has decided to jointly combat terrorist groups, outlaws and drug smugglers on both sides of the border and extend mutual assistance and cooperation. It was also decided to take steps to stop Iranian oil smuggling. The Pakistani delegation was led by Additional Secretary Home for Balochistan Abdul Salam Khan…

Zartaj, Shabbir Qureshi post videos in Imran’s support

Report in Dawn, October 8th, 2023DERA GHAZI KHAN/MUZAFFARGARH: As the PTI leaders have started releasing a series of videos in the support of the PTI and the party chief Imran Khan, former federal ministers Zartaj Gul and Shabbir Ahmed Qureshi have also posted similar video statements on social media on Saturday. In Dera Ghazi Khan, former federal minister for environment Zartaj Gul who had gone underground during the crackdown on the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) after…

Pakistan’s Move to Expel Afghan Refugees Sparks Reactions:

Report in TOLOnews Online, Oct 6, 2023 at 8:21 PMMumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson of Pakistan’s foreign ministry, in an interview with Pakistani media said the caretaker government’s decision to expel refugees is not limited to Afghan nationals and all undocumented refugees in Pakistan will be subject to the policy. Baloch added that the United Nations and the international community have the responsibility to provide better conditions of living in Afghanistan so that Afghan refugees can…