Month: January 2024

BAJAUR: At least five police officials were martyred and 22 were wounded Monday in a bomb explosion targeting a police vehicle in Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district,

Police said the cops were going to provide security to polio vaccination teams. More deaths were feared in the incident, they said.

The deceased and injured have been shifted to Khar hospital, where an emergency was declared, they added. Police said blood donation was sought by the hospital for treatment of the victims.

The police spokesperson said all the casualties were police personnel.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman condemned the attack on the police officials deployed for the security of the anti-polio team in Bajaur.

Taking to X, she said the PPP stands in solidarity with the families of the five personnel martyred in the explosion.

“Terrorists have attacked not only the police but also the health of our children. An attack on the security of the anti-polio team should not be tolerated under any circumstances, it is directly related to the health of our children,” she said.

Sherry said the miscreants did not want the complete eradication of polio from the country. The terrorists involved in the incident should be arrested immediately and punished severely, she demanded.

Caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Syed Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the blast and expressed grief over the loss of lives. He also condoled with the victims’ families.

Shah directed the district administration to immediately provide health facilities to the injured.

“Such cowardly attacks will not dampen the police’s spirit. KP Police have given numerous sacrifices for the protection of people’s lives and properties,” he said adding that the martyrs’ heirs would not be left alone and they would be assisted through every possible means.

On December 1 of last year, a policeman was killed when militants attacked a polio vaccination team, AFP had reported. The incident occurred in Malik Din Khel, part of the former tribal border region.

“Two gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire on policemen guarding a two-member polio vaccination team,” district police chief Saleem Khan Kulachi had told AFP.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic and vaccination teams are frequently targeted by militants.

All preparations have been made for the seven-day nationwide anti-polio campaign starting Monday (today).

Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Salim Rajput has directed polio workers to achieve a 100 per cent target in vaccinating children under five years of age with polio drops for at least the next five years. He stressed that unless every child receives these drops, the threat of the polio virus spread will persist.

Efforts have also been made to persuade parents who refuse vaccination for their children. Comprehensive plans are being made, and lists of children and their parents, along with reports on barriers to vaccination, have been prepared.

Those refusing vaccination have been identified, and field workers are actively involved to ensure no child is deprived of polio drops, said the commissioner. Meetings have been held with community mobilisers from over 450 areas in District East and District Central. They were reminded that achieving a 100 per cent target for vaccinating children against polio over the next five years across the country is crucial. The officials emphasised the necessity of parental cooperation to ensure no child misses out on polio drops.

Germany is ready to allow sales of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Sunday, having for years blocked arms deals with the Gulf kingdom.

Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain jointly build the jet and each can veto deals.

Berlin has blocked one deal, sought by London, since 2018.

“We do not see ourselves, as the German federal government, opposing British considerations on other Eurofighter (sales),” Baerbock told journalists on a trip to Israel, in which she highlighted the Saudi role in the Middle East security crisis since the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

Germany has blocked arms sales to Riyadh since the 2018 murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

That includes blocking a deal for 48 Eurofighter jets signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in London.

Baerbock noted that Saudi Arabia and Israel had “not renounced their policy of normalisation” since war broke out.

“The fact that Saudi Arabia is now intercepting missiles fired by the Huthis at Israel underlines this, and we are grateful for that,” she added.

“The fact that the Saudi air force also uses Eurofighters in this context is an open secret,” the minister continued.

“Saudi Arabia is a key contributor to Israel’s security, even these days, and is helping to stem the risk of a regional conflagration.”

AMMAN: Jordan’s king on Sunday urged the top US diplomat to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and end the humanitarian crisis brought by three months of war.

King Abdullah II made the remarks to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a Middle East tour aiming to ensure Israel’s war on Gaza does not spread.

 

He told Mr Blinken that Washington had a major role to play in pressuring Israel into an immediate ceasefire, and warned of the “catastrophic repercussions” of the continuation of war in Gaza, which began on Oct 7 after a Hamas raid on Israel.

Israel’s subsequent air and ground assault had killed 22,835 Palestinians by Sunday, according to Palestinian health officials, including at least 113 killed and 250 others injured over the past 24 hours.

 

An Israeli air strike on a car near Rafah in southern Gaza on Sunday claimed the lives of two Palestinian journalists who were out reporting, according to health officials in Gaza and the journalists’ union there.

In Amman, King Abdullah reiterated “the important role of the United States in bringing pressure for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, protection of civilians, and guaranteeing delivery” of medical and hum­anitarian aid, a statement from the royal palace said.

Washington has twice exercised its veto at the United Nations Security Council over ceasefire calls, drawing outrage in the Arab world, and Mr Blinken has bypassed Congress to rush weapons to Israel.

‘US opposes forcible displacement’

During the meeting, the US secretary of state assured King Abdullah that Washington opposed the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the occupied West Bank, as he hoped to kickstart talks on Gaza’s future.

Mr Blinken “stressed US opposition to forcible displacement of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza and the critical need to protect Palestinian civilians in the West Bank from extremist settler violence,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

 

Blinken is touring the region amid heightened fears Israel’s offensive against Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza will spark a broader regional conflagration.

Mr Blinken arrived in Jordan late on Saturday and met King Abdullah on Sunday before travelling to Qatar. In Doha, Blinken will discuss efforts to free the more than 100 hostages still believed to be held by Hamas after an earlier agreement mediated by Qatar broke down, a senior State Department official said. Blinken was scheduled to end the day in the United Arab Emirates.

Eight Palestinians killed in West Bank

Meanwhile, an air strike, gunfire and explosives across the occupied West Bank killed eight Palestinians and two Israelis on Sunday, officials on both sides said as violence surges in the territory.

Seven Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike in the area of Jenin refugee camp, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israeli police said an officer was killed when her “vehicle… was hit by an explosive device” during a raid on the camp, adding that three other officers were wounded.

In a separate incident, a Palestinian man was killed by Israeli army fire in Abwein village north of Ramallah, said the health ministry.

Elsewhere in the Ramallah area, an Israeli civilian was shot dead, according to the army, which said forces were searching for the assailant.

The Israeli man was “killed adjacent to the British police junction” north of Ramallah, it said in a statement.

In a statement issued in Washington on Friday, the commission highlighted how India has repeatedly met the legal requirements for the designation that would increase pressure on New Delhi to treat its religious minorities properly.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken slapped this designation on Burma, China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan but spared India. The designation applies to a country that engages in or tolerates particularly severe violations of religious freedom, as India does.

Blinken also designated al-Shabab, Boko Haram, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Houthis, ISIS-Sahel, ISIS-West Africa, al-Qa’ida affiliate Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, and the Taliban as “Entities of Particular Concern.”

Demands congressional hearing on State Dept’s failure on the issue

USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper and Vice Chair Frederick A. Davie said in a joint statement that there was no justification as to why the State Department should spare India despite its own reporting and statements on religious violations in the country.

 

The USCIRF called on the US Congress to convene a public hearing on the failure of the State Department to follow their recommendations.

“In India, in addition to perpetrating egregious religious freedom violations within its borders, the government has increased its transnational repression activities targeting religious minorities abroad and those advocating on their behalf,” stated Cooper and Davie.

The USCIRF said since the issuance of its 2023 annual report, it had consistently shared its recommendations about India with the State Department and Congress.

In early December 2023, USCIRF officials met Secretary Blinken to reiterate those recommendations, highlighting their publications on India’s state-level anti-conversion laws and curbs on religious freedom.

The top USCIRF officials said the commission “rejects the State Department’s decision to omit India’s designation”.

They said the commission has had ‘many meetings’ with the State Department to sound the alarm about the country, but not all of their recommendations had been followed. “We will not be deterred and will continue our role as a congressionally mandated watchdog to ensure the US government prioritises religious freedom as a key component of its foreign policy,” the two USCIRF officials said.

Early last month, Canada accused agents of the Indian government of involvement in the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen of Indian descent who was shot dead by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.

On Dec 11, FBI chief Christopher Wray visited New Delhi for talks on an alleged Indian plot hatched to kill a Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

In its 2023 report, USCIRF observed that religious freedom conditions in India were taking a drastic turn downward, “with national and various state governments tolerating widespread harassment and violence against religious minorities,” particularly Muslims.

The report noted that the BJP-led government had enacted the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which provides a fast track to Indian citizenship only for non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan already residing in India. “This potentially exposes millions of Muslims to detention, deportation, and statelessness when the government completes its planned nationwide National Register of Citizens,” the commission warned.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday talked about the enlightenment brought by the development of China-US relations, saying that peace is the most fundamental cornerstone of the bilateral ties.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a reception commemorating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in Beijing.

Wang said China-US relations have gone through twists and turns, which has brought important lessons, adding that “no conflict or confrontation” between the two major countries is in itself the most important peace dividend for mankind.

Noting that cooperation is the most correct choice for China and the United States to get along, Wang said win-win cooperation is the most essential feature of China-US exchanges.

He said the high level of bilateral trade and two-way investment deeply reflects the highly complementary economic structure of the two countries and their deep connection in the global industrial chain and supply chain. Artificial decoupling and blocking incur more losses than gains.

Wang also put forward several propositions on implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state in San Francisco.

He called on both sides to adhere to mutual respect and establish correct understanding as soon as possible, stressing that China has no intention of replacing or overriding anyone, let alone seeking hegemony. China is committed to building stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relations on the basis of mutual respect.

Both sides should uphold peaceful coexistence, especially in effectively managing differences, Wang said, voicing opposition to practices of resorting to confrontation, sanction or engaging in power hegemony and zero-sum game just because of differences.

Wang said both sides should continue to make full use of the mechanisms restored or established in the fields of diplomacy, economy, finance, commerce and agriculture to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.

David Meale, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in China, addressed the reception. He extended on behalf of the U.S. side congratulations on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the U.S., saying that the US side is willing to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and promote the steady development of US-China relations.–Xinhua

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Dr Umar Saif hopes satellite communication entities like Starlink and Web1 may enter Pakistan after the approval of the National Space Policy, permitting private companies to use low-orbit satellites in the country

After the cabinet’s nod, international companies will now need a no-objection certificate from the defence ministry to launch satellite communication services in Pakistan.

Umar Saif said the companies would be able to utilise low-orbit satellites for swift internet services, contingent upon contributing 6% to research and development (R&D).

He said the IT ministry also had paved the way for routing freelancers’ remittances through third parties with PayPal’s assistance.

“In a short timeframe, we have achieved various initiatives, including laying the groundwork for launching 5G services in Pakistan, expected to be completed in the next financial year. We have fulfilled our responsibilities to the best of our abilities and will step down after the upcoming general elections. The incoming government will need to continue our efforts to achieve a digital Pakistan,” said Saif, during a discussion with a select group of reporters at his office.

The minister addressed several issues, including the establishment of an auction supervisory committee for the launch of 5G technologies, revealing that 300 MHz spectrum had been reserved. A consultant will be hired to determine the actual potential for the upcoming spectrum auction.

He highlighted a shift in the dynamics, as Telenor Pakistan’s acquisition by the PTCL has introduced the possibility of intense competition among the existing players. The consultant will also recommend whether payments for the auction should be made in US dollars or rupees, along with a specified mode and timeframe.

The minister declined to provide an assessment of the benchmark for the upcoming auction price, stating that the consultant would establish the benchmark based on the current market environment.

He mentioned that the ministry was prepared to launch several digital initiatives next week, including routing remittances through PayPal, offering smartphones to customers on easy installments, and conducting standardised quality tests for IT graduates to position Pakistan as a ‘TechDestination.’

Although, PayPal is not directly coming to Pakistan, an agreement has been reached to channel remittances from PayPal through a third party, with the formal launching ceremony scheduled for January 11.

Highlighting the government efforts to boost the IT and telecom sector exports, the minister stated that sector exports are currently $2.6 billion, but in reality, they reach around $5 billion.

This, he added, is because a significant portion is parked outside the country to cover the salaries of international employees and monthly expenses for cloud hosting, marketing and sales on platforms like Google, Amazon, LinkedIn, etc.

“We collaborated with the SIFC and State Bank of Pakistan to make a significant policy intervention, allowing IT companies to retain 50% of their export revenue in dollars in an account in Pakistan, enabling them to cover international expenses without restrictions. IT companies are now repatriating dollars, resulting in a 13% increase in export revenue in one month,” said the minister.

He mentioned the upcoming initiatives by telecom companies to provide the latest phone models in easy instalments, with Jazz planning to offer iPhones.

In case of instalment failure, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will use the Device Identification, Registration, and Blocking System (DIRBS) to block the handset.

NEW DELHI: An Indian Navy warship has been dispatched towards a hijacked vessel with at least 15 Indian crew members on board in the Arabian Sea, while an aircraft is closely monitoring the situation, the Indian navy said on Friday.

The Liberian-flagged MV Lila Norfolk was pirated near Somalia’s coast and the information about it was received Thursday evening, Indian news agency ANI reported, citing military officials.

The Indian navy said the affected ship informed the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations portal that five to six unidentified armed men had boarded the vessel on January 4 evening.

An Indian warship, the INS Chennai, was diverted and deployed to assist the vessel, the statement said, adding that a naval aircraft overflew the hijacked vessel on Friday and had established contact with it.

The Indian navy has increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.

Earlier this week, the navy said it had investigated a large number of fishing vessels and boarded vessels of interest in the North and Central Arabian Sea.

“India plays the role of a net security provider in the entire Indian Ocean region. We will ensure that maritime trade in this region rises from the sea to the heights of the sky,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said last month of the increased surveillance in the region.