23-10-2025

Month: February 2024

People across Pakistan observe Kashmir Solidarity Day

People across Pakistan are observing Kashmir Solidarity Day on Monday to express their wholehearted support for the struggle of their Kashmiri brothers and sisters for their struggle against human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs issued a press release, saying that all arrangements have been made to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day — being marked today — at home and abroad in a befitting manner.

According to the ministry, solidarity walks are being organised across the country and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, a rally was also held in Islamabad in solidarity with the Kashmiri people on Constitution Avenue.

A minute of silence was also observed at 9:30am to pay homage to the martyrs of Kashmir.

“Posters and billboards have been displayed around important Avenves, airports, and railway stations to highlight the plight of Kashmiri people,” said the statement.

Furthermore, the educational institutes have organised debate and declamation contests and essay writing competitions in connection with the day.

President Dr Arif Alvi has said that the right to self-determination is a cardinal principle of international law but regrettably, the Kashmiri people have not been able to exercise this inalienable right.

“The UN General Assembly annually adopts a resolution expressing unequivocal support for the realisation of the right to self-determination for people under foreign occupation,” the president said.

He said the people of the IIOJK had been struggling to realise their right to self-determination for the last 26 years.

“Today, IIOJK is one of the most militarised zones in the world. Kashmiris are living in an environment of fear and intimidation,” President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.

The president reiterated that on the Kashmir Solidarity Day, the government and people of Pakistan renewed their unflinching support for their just and legitimate struggle.

The president further reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue to lend unstinted moral, diplomatic and political support to the Kashmiri people till the realisation of their right to self-determination, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan will continue to support Kashmiris: PM Kakar

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said that the Kashmir Solidarity Day is annually observed on February 5 to express Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kashmiri people’s just struggle for the realisation of their right to self-determination.

Over the last 26 years, India has carried out a relentless campaign to intimidate and suppress the people of IIOJK, said the statement, adding that in IIOJK, the iron-fisted Indian approach frequently manifests itself in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions and custodial torture.

“India has muzzled the media and incarcerated the Kashmiri leadership and human rights defenders. These excesses have been well-documented by several human rights organisations and international media outlets. India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, in IIOJK were a blatant violation of international law including the UN Charter, Fourth Geneva Convention, and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” said the PM.

He said that Pakistan has consistently maintained that a lasting solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is possible only in accordance with the relevant UNSC Resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.

“Pakistan will continue to extend its unstinted moral, diplomatic and political support for this just cause,” added PM Kakar.

Army, CJCSC, services chiefs pay tribute to Kashmiris

Pakistan Armed Forces, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, and services chiefs have paid rich tributes to the people of Kashmir.

“Kashmir remains a long pending unresolved issue on the UN agenda since 1948,” said a message released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on the Kashmir Solidarity Day.

The armed forces, CJCSC and the services chiefs maintained the issue had to be resolved as per the aspirations of the people of Kashmir and in accordance with the UN Resolutions, providing for their right to self-determination.

It was noted that decades of atrocities by Indian occupation forces had failed to diminish the spirit of the Kashmiri people and their legitimate freedom struggle.

“The night is, indeed, the darkest before dawn, the heroic struggle for Azadi is destined to succeed, InshaAllah,” the ISPR said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif said that today is a day to “renew our firm commitment to continue supporting Kashmiris until their independence and to remind the world of our promise to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir for a referendum”.

“Without a solution to the Kashmir conflict, lasting peace in South Asia and the world cannot be guaranteed. Violation of the basic human rights of the people of Palestine and IIOJK has become a stain on the international community. We pay tribute to the people of IIOJK for their steadfastness and countless sacrifices,” said Shehbaz on X.

“Stand with Kashmir, Stand for Peace,” said the Pakistan Embassy in the United States.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that it resolved to continue its support for the Kashmiri struggle for freedom in line with the ideology of the late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto on the occasion of Kashmir Solidarity Day.

PTI announces new intra-party polls schedule

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has released the official schedule for its intra-party elections, slated to be held on February 5 (Monday), the central media department of the party announced Thursday via a statement.

The party’s spokesperson Raoof Hasan has been appointed as the federal election commissioner.

“The PTI Federal Election Commission is pleased to announce the Election Schedule for the Intra-party Elections (IPE) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to elect the Chairman, Central and Provincial Organisations,” the statement read.

According to a statement released by PTI, all members of the party, registered till January 31, will be allowed to vote for their preferred panel or chairman candidate at designated locations across Pakistan. Party members can also record their vote through the ‘Raabta Application Intra Party Election Module’.

The details of all the panels participating in the intra-party election as well as the detailed procedure of the election are explained in the Election Rules, 2020, which will be available on the party’s official website and Raabta application.

The time for polling will begin at 10am and end at 4pm, while election venues and the date of the appellate tribunal will be announced on February 1, 2024.

The party announced that nomination papers for aspiring candidates can be obtained from February 1 to 2, 2024, from the PTI central secretariat or website.

The last date for submission of nomination papers will be February 2, 2024, till 10pm. Candidates can submit their nomination papers at central and provincial secretariats and also digitally through email.

The scrutiny of nomination papers of intra-party election candidates will take place on February 3, 2024. In case the papers are rejected, the time for submission of objections will be till February 3, 2024, at 10pm.

The lists of all the final panels participating in the intra-party election will be published on the website at 4pm on February 4.

The results of the intra-party election will be officially announced on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

Imran, Nawaz to see karmic turn of revenge-centric politics soon: Bilawal

Citing the latest turn of events on the political landscape ahead of the February 8 nationwide polls, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has warned his rivals — Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan — “will see the karmic turn of revenge-centric politics in this world soon”.

The PPP chief, in his address during an election rally in Malakand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Wednesday, urged politicians to put aside the traditional style of politics focused on sidelining their rivals.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz will see the discomforting twist of events for involving themselves in revengeful actions, predicted Bilawal.

He censured Nawaz for not taking any lesson after witnessing his daughter, Maryam, as becoming a victim of revengeful politics after trapping Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s daughter Benazir in fake cases.

Commenting on the Toshakhana verdict, Bilawal said that the PTI founder gave hope to the country’s youth to bring a change but he took U-turns. “I will not celebrate today’s judgement. However, I want to ask the PTI founder to seek repentance over his mistakes.”

The former foreign minister, whose party was a key coalition partner of the former Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government post-departure of the PTI rule, said that some people were still demanding a level-playing field ahead of the poll but they forgot the PPP has never gotten equal opportunities in any elections.

He lambasted the calls for the postponement of the general elections again, saying: “We will fight all challenges. They were arguing about bad weather and terrorism to delay the polls. I want to tell all politicians to refrain from playing with the national economy.”

He blamed the incarcerated ex-premier Khan’s decisions for the recent surge in terrorist attacks and promised to uproot the terrorism if his party is voted into power.

The politician appealed to the nation to carefully choose their ruler in the forthcoming elections as only the PPP has the potential to deal with all national crises successfully.

Bilawal, while reiterating his vows during electioneering, said that he would release all political prisoners on the first day of his rule. He also promised to provide relief to the common people and eliminate the perks of the elites.

The election campaigns of all political parties equipped with mollifying manifestos and promises are in full swing across the country ahead of the February 8 vote. PML-N and PPP are eyeing the premier’s office and desperately swaying voters to elect them to power.

China, US resume fentanyl talks in Beijing

China and the United States on Tuesday resumed talks on curbing the production of ingredients to make fentanyl, as the two powers seek to rebuild frayed channels of communication on hot-button issues.

The synthetic opioid, many times more powerful than heroin, has caused an epidemic of addiction in the United States — and is responsible for more than 70,000 overdose deaths a year, officials say.

Washington’s allegations that Beijing is complicit in the trade have long been yet another source of contention between the United States and China, at loggerheads in recent years over everything from trade to human rights and the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

At a summit in November, presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden agreed to do more to cooperate on tackling companies that manufacture the precursor chemicals to make fentanyl and on cutting financing for the trade.

On Tuesday, a Washington delegation led by Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Jen Daskal arrived in Beijing for the inaugural meeting of a counter-narcotics cooperation working group.

She is accompanied by high-level US officials from the State Department, Treasury, Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department.

Calling the meetings “a good start” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters there is still “a lot more work to be done.”

“The goal here is to create concrete, measurable actions that lead to a reduction of the precursor chemicals that are killing so many Americans,” he said.

Chinese Minister for Public Security Wang Xiaohong, who greeted the US delegation at Beijing’s Diaoyutai guesthouse, said establishment of the China-US working group represented an “important common understanding” reached by the presidents last year.

“Our cooperation once again shows that the China-US relationship gains from cooperation and loses from confrontation,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Wang said he hoped future meetings would see two sides “accommodating each other’s concerns to enhance and expand cooperation to provide more positive energy for stable, sound and sustainable China-US relations”.

Daskal in turn characterised Washington’s sending the high-level delegation as a signal of its intent at a “whole-of-government approach to tackling the global challenge”.

 

The United States says it hopes the talks will “provide a platform to facilitate ongoing coordination designed to tackle the illicit production, financing, and distribution of illicit drugs”.

Xi pledged during his summit with Biden in November to clamp down on the trade.

He also said that China “deeply sympathises” with victims of fentanyl.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has previously described China as “the main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States”.

And in October, the US Justice Department slapped sanctions on more than two dozen China-based entities and individuals alleged to be the “source of supply” for many US-based narcotics traffickers, dark web vendors, virtual currency money launderers and Mexico-based criminal organisations.

Beijing has denied complicity in the deadly trade, touting its “zero tolerance” drug policies and insisting the roots of the addiction crisis lie in the United States.

Since the summit China has shut down one company, blocked some international payments and resumed sharing information on shipments and trafficking, a US official said last week.

The Houthi movement in Yemen says it has struck a US merchant ship in the Red Sea in a fresh attack targeting commercial shipping.

It named the ship as the KOI, which it said was US-operated.

Maritime security firm Ambrey said a vessel operating south of Yemen’s port of Aden had reported an explosion on board but it did not name the ship.

Meanwhile, the US has launched new air strikes in Yemen, targeting 10 drones reportedly being set up to launch.

According to Reuters news agency, the KOI is a Liberian-flagged container ship operated by UK-based Oceonix Services. The same company’s fleet includes the oil tanker Marlin Luanda, which was damaged by a missile on Saturday.

The Houthis regard all Israeli, US and British ships as legitimate targets following Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, and US and British targeting of Houthi missile positions in what the two countries say are efforts to protect commerce.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Wednesday that the movement’s armed forces had targeted an American merchant ship named KOI with “several appropriate naval missiles”.

The ship, he said, had been heading to “the ports of occupied Palestine”, a phrase which is sometimes used to mean Israel.

Yemen, he added, would “not hesitate” to retaliate against “British-American escalation”.

“All American and British ships in the Red and Arabian Seas are legitimate targets for the Yemeni Armed Forces as long as the American-British aggression against our country continues,” the Houthi spokesman said.

US Central Command said the 10 drones being prepared for launch in Yemen had posed a threat to merchant vessels and US warships in the region.

All 10 were destroyed along with a Houthi drone ground control station, it said.

The US added that one of its warships had shot down three Iranian drones and a Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden.

Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have slowed down international trade, raising fears of supply bottlenecks.

On 7 October, hundreds of Palestinian gunmen from Gaza infiltrated southern Israel, where they killed around 1,300 people – mostly civilians – and took 250 others hostage.

Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 26,900 people – most of them women and children – have been killed, according to the health ministry there which is controlled by the Hamas group.

Biden top official to meet Wednesday with Netanyahu ally

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is to meet with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Washington on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The source confirmed reports by the Axios outlet, which added the talks would cover Israel’s plans for after the conflict with Hamas ends. A Sunday meeting of US, Israeli, Egyptian and Qatari officials produced a proposed framework for a new truce and hostage release.

Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “laughing” at an Iceland supermarket worker who is struggling to pay his mortgage.

The Labour leader said Phil, from Warrington, “told me that his mortgage is going up by a staggering £1,000 a month”, at Prime Minister’s Questions.

He said the PM “just doesn’t get how hard it is for millions of people across the country like Phil”.

Mr Sunak said help was available for people coming off fixed rate mortgages.

And he said inflation had halved thanks to actions taken by the government and workers across the country were benefitting from National Insurance cuts.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle started this week’s PMQs by urging both sides to exercise “self-restraint”.

But he was still forced to step in several times to calm MPs down.

At one point Sir Keir – who was being heckled by Conservative MPs – told the Commons: “Laughing at an employee at Iceland who is struggling with his mortgage – shame.”

‘Politics of envy’

He later accused Mr Sunak himself of laughing at Phil – as he continued his recent campaign to portray the PM as being out of touch with the lives of ordinary voters.

He said higher mortgage payments were a direct result of the Conservatives “crashing” the economy – and he mocked the PM over Tory MP George Freeman saying he had quit as a minister because he was struggling to pay his mortgage.

“He [Mr Sunak] says everything is fine, people are better off, but when people see their mortgages going up, their council tax going up, food prices still going up, who does he expect them to believe, his boasts or their bank accounts?” said the Labour leader.

Labour ‘shameful’ for not backing end of bank bonus cap – SNP’s Stephen Flynn

In a swipe at Mr Sunak’s personal wealth, he said a mortgage rise “might not sound much” to the prime minister, but that “most people don’t have that sort of money”.

Mr Sunak hit back by accusing the Labour leader of resorting to “the politics of envy”.

He then turned his fire on Labour’s pledge to borrow to invest £28bn a year on green policies, arguing that it would have to be funded by higher taxes.

‘Rates will vary’

There are disagreements within Labour about whether to scale back or impose new conditions on the plan. While they decide what to do, Mr Sunak took pleasure in highlighting the issue repeatedly.

The PM also said he was “genuinely surprised” to see shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves say Labour would not reinstate a cap on bonuses for bankers.

He told Sir Keir: “I don’t know if he mentioned that to Phil when he was having a chat with him.

“I can tell him that trust and economic credibility come from sticking to a plan, but it’s becoming clear that you cannot trust a word that he says.”

The SNP’s leader at Westminster. Stephen Flynn, called Labour’s position on bankers’ bonuses “shameful” and accused Sir Keir’s party of joining the government in being “completely out of touch with public opinion”.

But the session was dominated by claim and counter-claim about higher mortgage rates when fixed-rate deals expire, with the PM talking up government support he said was available.

“As a result of the ability to extend their mortgage term or switch to a six-month interest-only mortgage they will be able to save hundreds of pounds,” said the PM.

If you put the example the prime minister gave into a mortgage calculator it is clear that extending the term can reduce the monthly payments by hundreds of pounds, but it also significantly increases the total amount paid over the lifetime of the mortgage, so it is not an overall saving.

And Mr Sunak claimed “Phil and millions of workers – not just at Iceland but across the country – are benefitting this month in their pay packets from a tax cut worth hundreds of pounds for someone on an average salary”.

Sir Keir disputed this, saying: “For every £2 he says he’s giving people back, he’s taking £10 out of their back pocket in higher tax.”

The claim is based on forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), but as BBC Verify has pointed out they are for 2028-29, so it is misleading to apply them to the present day.

Challenged on the PM’s claims that people coming off fixed rate mortgages could essentially be paying the same amount, when this is only true for a small number, Downing Street said: “Rates will vary depending on circumstances.

“What’s important is through halving inflation you’re starting to see signs that mortgage rates are coming down. We have introduced a raft of support.”

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