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Tag: Pakistan

  • Kashmir crisis: Taliban urge Pakistan, India to choose peace over violence

    Kashmir crisis: Taliban urge Pakistan, India to choose peace over violence

    As tensions soar after India revoked the special status of held Kashmir, Taliban have urged both Islamabad and New Delhi to refrain from taking any steps that could pave way for violence in the region.

    Pakistan has downgraded diplomatic ties with India and also suspended bilateral trade after the Indian parliament approved abrogating Article 370 of its constitution.

    The move that takes away autonomy from Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), can lead to Muslim genocide in the disputed territory as people from all over India can now purchase properties there — resulting in major demographic changes.

    In a statement issued Thursday, Afghan Taliban expressed deep sadness over IoK’s special status being revoked and advised Pakistan and India to choose peace, stating that they themselves have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict.

    “Taliban have gained bitter experiences from war and conflict and urges peace and use of rational pathways to solve regional issues,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahed said.

    The statement further said that linking the issue of Kashmir with that of Afghanistan by some parties will not aid in improving the crisis at hand because the issue of Afghanistan is not related nor should Afghanistan be turned into the theater of competition between other countries.

    It came after the leader of the opposition in National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, compared Kashmir and Afghanistan in the parliament.

    “What kind of a deal is this that the Afghans enjoy and celebrate peace in Kabul, but in Kashmir, blood is shed? No, this is not acceptable for us,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had said.

    However, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul has clarified that the Kashmir crisis would not affect the peace drive in Afghanistan.

  • Italy to invest Rs3.6 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan

    Italy to invest Rs3.6 billion in Gilgit-Baltistan

    The government has signed with Italy an agreement under which the latter would invest 20.5 million euros (Rs3.63 billion) for economic development in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the country, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) has reported.

    According to reports, the investment will be used for infrastructural support, capacity building and technical assistance to benefit rural areas of Gilgit-Baltistan.

    The objective of the Economic Transformation Initiatives (ETI) is the growth of irrigated crop areas, production and improved connectivity with markets through investments in economic infrastructure.

    It will improve incomes and reduce poverty, malnutrition in rural areas of the region while benefitting around 100,000 rural households.

    The Italian government has also joined hands with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under the initiative, which is providing $76 million over a period of seven years.

  • Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    Pakistan makes its first move, ‘to close airspace for India again’

    As tensions soar on either side of the border ever since India abrogated Article 370 of its constitution, which makes way for ethnic cleansing in Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), Pakistan has reportedly finally made its first move.

    According to local media reports, Islamabad is set to close its airspace for Indian flights for the second time this year, a decision that earlier cost India a whopping $80.1 million (Rs12,800,000,000).

    Pakistan opened its air space for all types of civil traffic in July. It had been fully closed since February when Pakistan shot down two intruding Indian Air Force (IAF) jets.

    Over 800 flights use the Pakistani and Indian airspace to transport passengers from South Asia, South East Asia to Europe and North America.

  • PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    PCB sacks Mickey Arthur as head coach

    The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced its decision to not renew the contracts of head coach Mickey Arthur, bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, batting coach Grant Flower and trainer Grant Luden.

    The board’s decision to end its association with the team’s coaching staff comes following a review process undertaken in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup, where Pakistan even failed to reach the semi-finals.

    “I am thankful to the PCB Cricket Committee for submitting their recommendations following an exhaustive and detailed review process. The committee comprised of individuals who possess tremendous acumen, experience and knowledge,” PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, who approved the changes, was quoted as saying.

    “The unanimous recommendation of the committee was that it was time for new leadership and a fresh approach. I am happy to accept their strong recommendations.”

    “On behalf of the PCB, I want to sincerely thank Mickey Arthur, Grant Flower, Grant Luden and Azhar Mahmood for their hard work and unwavering commitment during their tenures with the national men’s team. We wish them every success in their future endeavors,” the press release read.

    According to BBC, Mickey Arthur is one of the names being considered as a replacement for England team coach Trevor Bayliss when the latter leaves at the end of summer.

  • VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    VIDEO: 23yo Pakistani’s sajda after ‘World’s Best Tekken Player’ title will give you goosebumps

    A 23-year-old youngster from Lahore has been crowned the world’s best Tekken 7 player at 2019 Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in Las Vegas.

    According to the details, Arslan Siddiqui aka Arslan Ash, who was relatively unknown in the competitive circuit a year ago, has edged out Jae-Min Bae aka Knee in the grand finals of one of, if not the biggest, fighting game tournament series in the world.

    He was also awarded a cash prize of around $14,000.

    According to VICE, it’s the third time Siddiqui has bested South Korea’s Jae-Min, who many from the gaming community considered a “god” of the game. It’s a monumental win, considering the former was virtually unheard of a year ago.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The 23-year-old had previously also won the second Evo Japan in February, becoming the first-ever unified EVO champion.

    EVO hosted nine official fighting games this year, including Tekken 7, whose competitive scene is centered around a few countries: Japan, the United States (US), and South Korea.

    This year’s top eight consists of players from those very same countries: four players from Japan, two players from South Korea and one player from the US, however, Siddiqui is the exception.

  • New Zealand’s Neesham responds to Pakistani fan’s biryani invitation

    New Zealand’s Neesham responds to Pakistani fan’s biryani invitation

    New Zealand’s cricketing stalwart Jimmy Neesham has responded to a Pakistani’s biryani invitation, which has made his fans in Pakistan love him even more.

    As per the details, Jimmy had last weak turned to Twitter to ask for recommendations for a good place to have dinner in Toronto where he is currently playing the Global T20 League.

    Being one of the most popular cricketers on Twitter, it wasn’t later that the micro-blogging network started flooding with suggestions for Neesham.

    Among the many responses attracted by his tweet, was that of a Pakistani fan who invited him for the “best dish in the world”, biryani.

    https://twitter.com/AhsanNooNari2/status/1155897258086412288

    It wasn’t later that the 28-year-old batsman responded with:

    “Probably a bit too far to go for dinner tonight mate [sic],” he wrote.

  • Sri Lankan cricket team likely to visit Pakistan for test series in October

    The Sri Lankan circket team is likely to visit Pakistan in October to play a two-match test series, Cricket Pakistan has reported.

    According to reports, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed the dates of their security delegation’s arrival in Pakistan on a three-day visit. The delegation will begin its evaluation with a trip to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on August 7, 8 and 9, respectively.

    It will assess the security situation in the country ahead of providing its recommendations to the SLC.

    They will visit the stadiums and hotels in the three major cities and will be briefed by local security officials as well. SLC, on the basis of those recommendations, will decide whether to tour Pakistan or not.

    “I’m confident that the delegation will be satisfied with the security arrangements in Pakistan and hopefully we will soon see red-ball cricket on home soil,” reports quoted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani as saying.

    Pakistan, since the unfortunate attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009, has not hosted any test series.

  • Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Both Pakistan and India claim victory, but who really won?

    Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Both Pakistan and India claim victory, but who really won?

    With the International Court of Justice (ICJ) pronouncing the long-awaited verdict in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, both Pakistan and India have claimed victory.

    The narrative in Indian media paints a different picture of the judgment than the one shown by Pakistan. But how is that even possible?

    PAKISTAN’S WIN:

    According to the ICJ, Jadhav’s conviction and sentence by a military court were not to be regarded as a violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention, which India had claimed.

    “As regards India’s claim based on the Vienna Convention, the court considers that it is not the conviction and sentence of Jadhav which are to be regarded as a violation of the provisions of the Vienna Convention,” read the verdict.

    Article 36 states that foreign nationals who are arrested or detained be given notice without delay of their right to have their embassy and consulate be notified of the arrest and have consular officers visit them.

    Among other Indian demands were the annulment of the military court’s decision and permitting Jadhav a safe passage to India. However, the same was denied.

    But what exactly is that India is celebrating?

    INDIA’S WIN:

    India had also demanded that Jadhav be tried once again by a civilian court after giving him consular access. No retrial was granted, however, Pakistan was ordered to grant the convicted spy consular access.

    India also demanded the relief of “review and reconsideration” for its spy, which ICJ has granted, but by means of Pakistan’s own choice.

    It means that Islamabad is now required to judicially review Jadhav’s trial and assess if denial of consular access prejudiced his trial.

    FOREIGN MEDIA:

    Meanwhile, international media reports focused on the ICJ’s directive to Pakistan to review its death sentence to Kulbhushan Jadhav.

    “World Court Orders Review of Pakistan Death Sentence for Indian Convicted of Spying”, The New York Times‘ headline said. The Washington Post story on the judgment said: “Alleged Indian spy on death row in Pakistan wins reprieve from execution”.

    British media also focussed on the part of the ICJ judgment which went in India’s favour. “UN court orders Pakistan not to execute Indian man accused of spying” The Guardian said in its report.

    KULBHUSHAN JADHAV:

    Commander Jadhav — an Indian Navy officer working for Indian covert agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) — was arrested on March 3, 2016, from Balochistan after he entered Pakistan from Iran.

    Jadhav was tried in a military court that sentenced him to death for espionage and subversive activities. In a reaction to the move, Pakistan’s relations with neighbouring India tensed and New Delhi approached the ICJ to hear the case.

    On May 18, 2017, the ICJ had ordered Pakistan to halt the execution of Jadhav until a final decision was made.

  • Huawei to invest $170 million in Pakistan this year

    Huawei to invest $170 million in Pakistan this year

    Chinese tech giant Huawei Group has unveiled an $170 million investment plan to set up its regional headquarters and upgrade technical support centre in Pakistan, a private media outlet reported.

    Huawei Group Vice President Mark Xueman said on Wednesday that his company would invest around $100 million in Pakistan this year.

    “Huawei will also set up a regional headquarters in Islamabad at a cost of $55 million that will create job opportunities for young engineers in Pakistan,” he said while talking to Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar.

    Huawei’s official further informed the minister that the company would also invest $15 million more in its technical support centre and it will also hire more workforce for the centre, taking the number of its staff to 800 from 600 this year.

    “Huawei is eager to initiate more projects in Pakistan on grant funding from the Chinese government,” Xueman said; responding to which the minister assured him of all cooperation in future joint ventures.

    Pakistan is a fast-growing telecom market with subscribers of mobile phones having crossed the 160 million mark compared with the country’s population of 210 million. Of total subscribers, 68 million use 3G/4G. There are 70 million broadband subscribers.

    The country imports millions of dollars of mobile phones to meet the local requirements with manufacturing and assembling of handheld devices not present in the country.

    According to the government, Huawei has a 25 per cent share in the country’s mobile industry and is also the top tax paying Chinese company in the country.

  • $60,000 to be spent on PM Imran’s US visit unlike Nawaz’s $460,000

    $60,000 to be spent on PM Imran’s US visit unlike Nawaz’s $460,000

    Members of the federal cabinet have been informed that around $60,000 will be spent on Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s forthcoming visit of to the United States (US), unlike ex-PM Nawaz Sharif’s $460,000.

    As per the details, PM Imran on Tuesday chaired a meeting of his cabinet wherein the members were informed about the $400,000 cut.

    They were also provided details of over Rs27 billion expenditure incurred on security, camp offices and foreign visits of former presidents Asif Ali Zardari and Mamnoon Hussain, former PMs Nawaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf besides ex-Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    Addressing a post-meeting press conference, Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed said that more than Rs4.3 billion had been spent on security, camp offices and travels of Nawaz, Rs3.16 billion on Zardari, Rs8.72 billion on Shehbaz, Rs350 million on Abbasi, Rs245 million on Gilani, Rs32 million on Ashraf and Rs300 million on Mamnoon back when they were in power.

    He added that an amount of Rs8.3 billion was spent on the security of the Sharif family members within the past 10 years, while over Rs2 billion was spent on renovation and other expenditures of the Sharif family’s Raiwind residence, Jati Umra.