Month: November 2024

Richard Grenell, President-elect Donald Trump’s loyalist and his former intelligence chief, has called for release of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan amid ongoing “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad.

“Release Imran Khan,” Grenell — who served as Trump’s ambassador to Germany and was acting director of national intelligence during Trump’s 2017-2021 term — wrote on X while reposting a Bloomberg report about the PTI’s protest.

Following Imran’s removal from prime minister office through a vote of no-confidence, the PTI founder — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — had previously alleged that the US was behind his ouster in 2022, citing a purported cipher linked with the US diplomat Donald Lu.

It is pertinent to mention here that the former premier has good relations with Trump, when he was the president, and held several meetings with the President-elect, including at the White House.

Thousands of PTI protesters marched on Islamabad this week, defying all the obstacles and clashing with police, in response to incarcerated former prime minister’s call for a protest.

The former ruling party staged protest against the “illegal” incarceration of PTI founder, other party leaders and workers, “stolen mandate” in February 8 general elections and 26th Constitutional Amendment.

Authorities have enforced a security lockdown to block the protesters while highways into the city were barricaded.

Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have pushed back the marching protesters from Islamabad’s D-Chowk — the venue of the party’s much-touted power show.

Geo News correspondent, who is present at the spot, reported that PTI protesters began retreating from the site following the heavy teargas shelling and action by the authorities.

The Imran Khan-founded party, in recent months, has marched on the federal capital on multiple occasions which has seen its workers clashing with the law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko on Tuesday emphasised the importance of advancing political dialogue and strengthening inter-parliamentary relations.

They also focused on expanding trade and economic cooperation, adopting a collaborative approach to regional economic integration and connectivity and enhancing the legal framework to facilitate bilateral collaboration, according to a joint statement between Pakistan and Belarus.

President Lukashenko had arrived on an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at the invitation of Premier Shehbaz.

During the visit, the two leaders comprehensively reviewed the full range of bilateral relations and reaffirmed their mutual commitment to deepening friendly ties between the two countries across political, trade, economic, cultural, social, and other areas.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Belarus. Both sides acknowledged that their relationship had grown into a durable, broad-based, and comprehensive partnership of increasing significance.

Pakistan congratulated Belarus on its full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), with Belarus noting Pakistan’s early support for its accession.

The prime minister appreciated the active participation of the prime minister of Belarus in the SCO Council of Heads of Governments meeting, hosted by Pakistan in October 2024. The two sides agreed to work closely within this important forum to further strengthen their cooperation.

Recognising Belarus’ advanced agricultural manufacturing capabilities and the needs of Pakistan’s agriculture-based economy, the two sides agreed to promote the establishment of joint ventures in the agriculture and industrial sectors, including for the production of high-tech and large-scale agricultural machinery.

Both sides also agreed to collaborate in sales, manufacturing and servicing of vehicles, including through partnerships between private and public organisations of both countries.

This initiative aimed to leverage the strengths of both countries in automotive manufacturing and technology, boosting industrial growth and innovation.

Both sides also agreed to cooperate in expanding the network of sales and services of Belarusian agricultural machinery in various Pakistani cities, including through partnerships with Pakistani private and public organisations.

Additionally, they considered initiating educational programs in the sphere of agricultural machine manufacturing.

During the visit, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), in collaboration with the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI), organised a Belarus-Pakistan Business Forum.

The event saw participation from over thirty Belarusian companies and nearly one hundred Pakistani counterparts from various sectors, fostering valuable interactions and potential business opportunities.

The two leaders expressed their satisfaction at the successful organisation of the forum.

They also agreed to encourage both government and private sectors to collaborate and organise series of seminars on “Doing Business with Each Other” aiming to reduce trade barriers and facilitate market access.

To enhance trade linkages, both sides welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the National Logistics Corporation (NLC) and Beltamozhservice and agreed to encourage other stakeholders, including logistics companies, to develop optimal maritime and land routes for efficiently delivering goods to each other’s markets.

This initiative aims to streamline transportation, reduce costs, and improve the overall efficiency of trade between the two countries.

Recognising the immense potential for expanding collaboration in science and technology, and noting the progress made over the past decade, both sides agreed to establish stronger ties between their scientific communities.

The two sides plan to focus on joint scientific and technical projects under the umbrella of the Joint Commission on Science and Technology. During the visit, two agreements in this domain were signed to formalise and promote this enhanced collaboration.

Both sides emphasised the importance of enhancing bilateral trade in pharmaceutical products, medical devices, health-related items, and over-the-counter products.

Both parties agreed to develop strategies aimed at improving trade facilitation by identifying and addressing trade barriers, particularly regulatory challenges, to streamline market access.

Additionally, the sides committed to exploring and implementing policies that enhance mutual market access for these sectors, ensuring compliance with national regulations, while promoting growth and cooperation, the joint statement said.

The two sides underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of education and culture, including the promotion of cultural exchange programmes and boosting people-to-people contacts through art, music, literature, and other cultural activities.

Both countries also committed themselves to enhancing academic collaboration, facilitating student exchanges, and supporting joint research projects between universities in the two countries.

During the visit, the two sides signed 15 important agreements and MoUs, including the “Roadmap for Comprehensive Cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Belarus for the period 2025-2027.”

This roadmap focused on enhancing bilateral economic cooperation through various initiatives, such as high-level meetings, timely meetings of inter-governmental commissions, and promoting collaboration in key sectors of mutual interest.

“These arrangements are expected to open new prospects for the continued development of bilateral relations, based on the principles of mutually beneficial friendship,” it was added.

The two sides also discussed important regional and international issues. The Pakistani side briefed the Belarusian side on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Both sides underlined the need for the resolution of all international disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions.

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly condemned the incident on Srinagar Highway, where Rangers and police personnel were reportedly mowed down by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers.

Expressing their deep grief over the martyrdom of Rangers personnel in the incident, they prayed for the elevation of the martyrs’ ranks in the hereafter and strength for the bereaved families to bear the loss.

The prime minister, in his statement, directed the authorities concerned to identify the perpetrators and take them to task and extend the best possible medical treatment to the injured security personnel.

“Attacking the police and Rangers in the name of so-called peaceful protests is condemnable,” the premier mentioned.

The “anarchist group”, he said, is deliberately targeting the law enforcement agencies who are deployed to maintain peace in the city.

They have destroyed the lives of the families of the martyred security personnel, the prime minister said.

He said that the anarchist group was accountable to the innocent children and families of the security personnel martyred on the day as well as on Monday.

“The anarchist group does not want revolution, but bloodshed. This is not a peaceful protest, it is extremism. Pakistan cannot afford any chaos and bloodshed.”

“Bloodshed for nefarious political purposes is unacceptable and highly condemnable,” he remarked.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that the entire nation paid tribute to the martyred Rangers and police personnel.

Amid escalating violence during the PTI’s protest in Islamabad, the federal government has deployed the army in the capital.

The Interior Ministry issued a notification invoking Article 245, allowing the military to assist in maintaining order and deal with the miscreants with an iron hand. The notification also grants the army authority to impose curfew wherever necessary to curb lawlessness.

Sources indicate that security forces have also been authorised to shoot miscreants and troublemakers on sight.

The decision follows a tragic incident on Srinagar Highway, where PTI miscreants reportedly drove a vehicle into Rangers personnel, resulting in the martyrdom of four Rangers and injuries to five others, along with two police officers.

According to security officials, the attacks on law enforcement have so far claimed the lives of four Rangers and two police officers.

Over 100 police personnel have sustained injuries, many of whom are in critical condition, underscoring the gravity of the ongoing violence.

KARACHI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has categorically denied lies claiming that the country was not issuing visas to Pakistanis.

“A lie has been propagated for two years that the UAE was not issuing visas to Pakistanis,” said UAE Consul General Dr Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi while speaking during an event in the port city.

“Whoever wants to get a visa should come to the UAE visa centre,” added the envoy.

Reaffirming the Emirate’s support for Islamabad, Remeithi said that they had orders from the government to stand with Pakistan.

 

Underscoring that investments were being made, the consul general said that there would be a major positive development in this regard in one to two months.

The UAE official’s remarks come after Pakistan’s Embassy, last week, rejected media reports, claiming that the UAE government shared a document citing reasons for imposing visa restrictions on Pakistani nationals.

The rebuttal followed after media reports claimed a visa ban on Pakistani nationals was proposed during a cabinet meeting of the UAE government.

Consul General Remeithi’s assurance against a visa ban is not the first one as the country has previously rebuked such rumours back in August.

Back then, speaking to “Geo Pakistan” the diplomat had warned Pakistani expats living there against spreading propaganda against their country, institutions, or politicians.

“Regardless of which social media platform you use either in Pakistan or UAE, whatever you share or like leaves a digital footprint […] whether you share, liked something good or bad [….] these things will lead to your ban [or visa rejection],” he noted.

Amid the ongoing violent clashes between the tribal groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, 12 more people were killed over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 30, police said on Saturday.

At least 20 others sustained injuries during the fierce armed clashes between the rival tribes that took place in densely populated Bagan and Alizai areas of Lower Kurram.

The fresh violence came two days after gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys travelling with police escort in Kurram, killing 45 people.

At least 75 people have been killed over the past three days in the ongoing gun battles between different tribes, according to police.

 

Following the fresh clashes, around 300 families left their homes and shifted to safe places, according to reports.

“Approximately 300 families have relocated to Hangu and Peshawar since this morning in search of safety,” a senior official told AFP, adding that more families were preparing to leave the violence-hit district.

It is pertinent to mention here that tribal and family feuds are common in the area.

Last month, at least 16 people, including three women and two children, were killed in a clash in Kurram.

Previous clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only after a jirga, or tribal council, called a ceasefire. HRCP said 79 people died between July and October in clashes.

Several hundred people demonstrated against the violence on Friday in Lahore and Karachi.

In Parachinar, the main town of Kurram district, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims of Thursday’s attack.

The latest violence drew condemnation from officials and human rights groups.

The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged authorities this month to pay “urgent attention” to the “alarming frequency of clashes” in the region, warning that the situation has escalated to “the proportions of a humanitarian crisis.”

KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has vowed to utilise all available options to restore peace in valance-hit Kurram district.

He made the remarks while chairing a meeting to discuss the situation in Kurram via a video link. The chief minister said that the incident of armed attack on vehicles was “extremely regrettable and condemnable”. The CM shared the grief of the bereaved families.

During the meeting, the government’s delegation — who visited the tribal elders in the day — presented its initial report to the CM.

“The legitimate demands of the parties must be fulfilled,” the chief minister said, adding that ceasefire was inevitable for heading towards a solution to the conflict.

He urged the tribal elders to cooperate with the government’s delegation and the local administration. The CM said that he himself was monitoring the situation in the area. The government was making efforts to resolve the conflict.