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Tag: Pakistan

  • 2,000 Pakistani workers secured jobs in Korea through EPS, says Korean ambassador

    2,000 Pakistani workers secured jobs in Korea through EPS, says Korean ambassador

    The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan, Suh Sangpyo, announced on Monday that during the year 2022, approximately 2,000 workers from Pakistan secured employment in Korea through the Employment Permit System (E9).

    As per a news release issued by the embassy, the Ambassador expressed his appreciation for the increasing employment opportunities being provided to Pakistani workers through the Employment Permit System (EPS) in Korea. He also pledged to extend his embassy’s full cooperation to further expand the EPS project in the future.

    The Embassy extended its support to the Employment Permit System (E9) project by donating five units of computer equipment, namely scanners, to the sending country (OEC) free of charge. The scanners can be utilised for multiple purposes, including passport scanning.

  • Gen Bajwa personally recorded conversations with Imran Khan, claims Aftab Iqbal

    Gen Bajwa personally recorded conversations with Imran Khan, claims Aftab Iqbal

    Television personality and anchorperson Aftab Iqbal has claimed that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa recorded conversations with former Prime Minister Imran Khan when they used to meet.

    “General Bajwa told me that he has audio recordings of Imran Khan praising me for trapping Nawaz Sharif [in court cases and removing him from power]. He [Khan] used to come to me and share ideas of what more I should do with Nawaz Sharif,” reveals Iqbal.

    Iqbal said that Gen Bajwa claimed that he himself recorded the conversations and that former Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Chief Faiz Hameed also didn’t know about it.

    “Securing Faiz, Gen Bajwa said that he will reveal all information that he has on Khan,” said Iqbal.

    On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has yet again come up with another narrative regarding his version of ‘regime change’. The former Prime Minister said that Gen Bajwa told the United States (US) that Khan is anti-America, which resulted in his ouster.

    In an interview with Voice of America, aired on Saturday, Khan said, “As things unfolded, it wasn’t the US who told Pakistan, it was unfortunately, from what evidences have now come out, it was General Bajwa who actually somehow managed to tell the Americans that I was anti-America and so it was not imported from there actually it was exported from here to there.”

  • Police arrest 60 suspects in Nankana Sahib lynching case

    Police arrest 60 suspects in Nankana Sahib lynching case

     The Nankana Sahib police arrested 60 suspects involved in the lynching of a man outside the police station on Saturday morning, reports Dawn.

    Several police teams launched a massive crackdown at the residences, business points, and other places to round up the suspects.

    Sheikhupura Regional Police Officer (RPO) Babar Sarfraz Alpa said that the police were very clear in its action against the attackers whether they were from any religious organsation or a political party.

    Mob storms police station, kills man accused of blasphemy

    A violent mob stormed a police station in Nankana Sahib on Saturday, dragging out a man accused of committing blasphemy before burning him to death.

    The man had been accused of desecrating the Holy Quran.

    Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police, Dr Usman Anwar, suspended Nankana Sahib Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Waraq and Warburton Station House Officer (SHO) Feroz Bhatti. The SHO and other police personnel allegedly ran away from the mob, trying to save their own lives.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif also took notice of the incident.

    “Why didn’t the police stop the violent mob? The rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,” he was quoted as saying in a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has condemned the incident, saying killing and burning someone accused of blasphemy is a cruel act.

    This is not the first time that a mob has burnt a man to death on the suspicion of blasphemy. In 2021, Sri Lan­kan engineer Piryantha Kumara was burned to death on the alleged charges of blasphemy by his own factory workers in Sialkot. In 2017, Mashal Khan, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University was lynched by his peers within the premises of the institution on the same accusations.

  • VIP protocol for Maryam Nawaz in Islamabad

    VIP protocol for Maryam Nawaz in Islamabad

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz was given VIP protocol upon her arrival in Islamabad, Dunya News reported on Friday.

    According to media reports, the security plan was designed under the supervision of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Parliament Lodges through which 16 security personnel, including police and FC, were appointed outside the are where Maryam Nawaz was staying.

    Security personnel were strictly prohibited from using their mobile phones during duty hours. The Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) was also tasked with managing parking and traffic flow outside Parliament Lodges during Maryam Nawaz’s stay.

    On January 3, Maryam was appointed as the party’s “Chief Organiser” and “Senior Vice President”. Later, she returned to the country from London, to take charge of her new responsibilities after a three-month absence.

  • Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Maryam Nawaz stops Safdar from speaking on behalf of party

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz has reportedly stopped her husband—Captain (retired) Safdar—from delivering any ‘policy statement’ after he criticised the party’s leadership in an exclusive interview with ARY News.

    According to media reports, the senior vice president made it clear that no party leader, including her husband, should give any statement that goes against the party’s policy.

    She also warned the party that strict action would be taken against those who deviate from the directives.

    ‘Don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future’: Capt Safdar

    Earlier, Safdar said that he doesn’t see his wife becoming the Prime Minister (PM) of Pakistan in the near future.

    He said, “I don’t see Maryam Nawaz becoming PM in near future”, adding that if PM Shehbaz Sharif gets elected in 2025, the country will prosper.

    He said the ‘vote ko izzat do‘ narrative of the party was buried on the day when PML-N decided to vote in parliament in favour of an extension to the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa. Safdar said he thinks whoever voted for Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension except for Pervaiz Rasheed, are “criminals”.

    Replying to a question about Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) dissident leaders, Safdar said the parliamentarians should not change their loyalties. “It is not right to win elections on PTI’s tickets and later change your loyalties for power,” he maintained.

    Safdar was of the view that elections in Punjab and KP shouldn’t be held now and went on to say to hold general elections in 2025 after the recovery of the economy.

    In a turn of events, he also regretted his personal attacks on his party rival, Imran Khan, and said that political rivalry should remain political, not personal.

    Talking about PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi—who recently resigned from his position as the party’s vice president after Maryam’s elevation— Safdar said that Shahid doesn’t need a position and praised him.

    On January 3, Maryam was appointed as the party’s “Chief Organiser” and “Senior Vice President”. Later, she returned to the country to take charge of her new responsibilities after a three-month absence.

  • Gen Bajwa ‘denies’ Javed Chaudhry’s assertion that he called Imran Khan dangerous for Pakistan

    Gen Bajwa ‘denies’ Javed Chaudhry’s assertion that he called Imran Khan dangerous for Pakistan

    Former retired Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has denied calling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan “dangerous for Pakistan”.

    Javed Chaudhry, in a column published in Express News, had written that he questioned Bajwa how his decision of not saving Khan’s government was right. Chaudhry then quotes Bajwa’s response, “Our reading was that they [PTI] were dangerous for Pakistan. If they stayed [in power] the country would not be able to function.”

    Senoir journalist Mansoor Ali Khan in his vlog discussed Gen Bajwa’s denial. Mansoor, quoting the retired army chief, said that he got a call from him [Gen Bajwa] where he told Mansoor that he had not said anything of the kind to Javed Chaudhry. “Gen Bajwa said he has never said such a thing to Chaudhry and never had any understanding of the sort Chaudhry has written about,” said Mansoor.

    He further stated that Gen Bajwa has directly denied this one statement written in the column. However, Mansoor did say that the other information mentioned in the column by Chaudhry is almost 99 per cent accurate.

    Gen Bajwa has also sent his point of view to Javed Chaudhry so that the columnist may rectify his words.

  • Najam Sethi wants Wahab Riaz to take oath as Punjab sports minister after PSL

    Najam Sethi wants Wahab Riaz to take oath as Punjab sports minister after PSL

    Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi has called Punjab caretaker Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi to request him to delay the oath-taking ceremony of left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz as the caretaker Sports Minister of Punjab.

    The chairman was of the view that Riaz needs concentration as he is the only bowler to complete a century of wickets.

    Subsequently, Naqvi accepted Najam’s request, hence Riaz will take oath after the PSL’s eighth edition, which is going to start on February 13.

    Wahab Riaz is the new Punjab sports minister

    Last month, Riaz was named as the sports minister.


    The left-arm bowler has 237 wickets in 156 matches across cricketing formats. It is important to note that the 37-year-old bowler played for his country in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy

  • PTA barred from block websites without consulting IT Ministry

    PTA barred from block websites without consulting IT Ministry

    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has to consult with The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications before blocking any website in the country, a ministerial committee meeting has decided.

    Syed Aminul Haque, the minister of information technology, served as the meeting’s chair. Following PTA’s blocking of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, the committee was created by the prime minister on February 6.

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    The Pakistan government on February 06 reversed the ban on Wikipedia after outrage on restricting the online encyclopedia.


    The ban was put in place by Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) due to “unlawful” content.

  • PM Shehbaz says Pakistan will never leave Turkey, Syria alone in these circumstances

    PM Shehbaz says Pakistan will never leave Turkey, Syria alone in these circumstances

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Friday announced that the federal government has allocated Rs10 billion to help Turkey’s earthquake relief efforts.

    The premier said that Pakistan will never leave alone Turkey in these circumstances, urging the nation to pray for the victims of the earthquake in Friday prayers today.

    “I believe that the people of Turkey and Syria will come out of this difficulty,” he said, adding that Pakistan assured Turkey of assistance on the very day the tragedy took place.

    “A committee has been formed to send funds to Turkey. 1,486 tonnes of relief goods are being sent to Turkey and Syria,” he added.

    The premier said that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will purchase relief items — such as tents, clothes, blankets and dry food — from the fund and dispatch them to Turkiye.

    “Destruction of such magnitude is seldom seen, where parents have lost their children and infants have become orphans […] there are dreadful visuals everywhere,” he noted.

    However, the prime minister asserted that under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the people of Turkiye would emerge out of the crisis. “And so will our brothers in Syria,” he said.

    More than 21,000 people have died in Turkiye after an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck the region in the early hours of Monday morning. The hope of pulling out survivors from underneath the rubble diminishes as the days pass and freezing temperatures continue unabated.

  • US sees TTP as a threat to Pakistan

    US sees TTP as a threat to Pakistan

    Counselor of the United States (US) State Department, Derek Chollet, has said that his country sees the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a threat to Pakistan.

    While talking to ARY, Chollet said, “We have seen [TTP] in a terrible way a threat to Pakistan. The US considers any terrorist act as unexpectable.”

    The Counselor will pay an important visit to Pakistan during the ongoing week to explore possibilities of coordinating efforts to combat terrorism.

    He was also of the view that there is a great opportunity to further improve the relationship between Washington and Islamabad.

    The US diplomat said that Pakistan and US are working together to deal with the threats of terrorism.

    Since government talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks across Pakistan including attacks on the police.

    According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018.

    Most recently, more than 100 people lost their lives during a suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines. The TTP initially claimed responsibility for the attack, however, it later backtracked and claimed that they did not perpetrate the bombing.