Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moqaddam has said that the United States may create obstructions in the payment procedure of Pak-Iran gas project, however, both countries could find a solution to this.
The Ambassador’s statement came after US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, in a congressional hearing, gave caustic remarks regarding the gas pipeline project and emphasized that the US would try to halt the mega project.
“I fully support the efforts by the US government to prevent this pipeline from happening,” he said during a congressional hearing on 19 March. “We are working toward that goal.” “We are tracking this planned pipeline between Iran and Pakistan … Honestly, I don’t know where the financing for such a project would come from. I don’t think that many international donors would be interested in funding such an endeavor,” the US official added, highlighting that the White House “will uphold both in letter and spirit all sanction laws related to Iran.”
The Iranian envoy pointed out that Iran had already completed its side of the agreement by constructing a 1,000 kilometers gas pipeline on its side and Pakistan had yet to start it. “The Iranian gas pipeline is in the wider interest of people of both countries,” he added.
Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Chairman of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), issued a stern warning to leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), cautioning them against airing internal grievances publicly.
Raza’s remarks came in response to PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat’s statement, where he criticized the decision to ally with the SIC, attributing it to the loss of 80 seats.
Marwat said the first major mistake was committed when party founder Imran Khan gave instructions for a political alliance with the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Sherani and the second major mistake was the announcement of the inclusion into the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, adding that some people gave a sectarian colour to the issue and gave threatening messages to the PTI leadership.
Expressing strong disapproval of Marwat’s comments, Raza advised PTI to resolve its internal issues internally, underscoring that the decision to collaborate with the SIC was endorsed by PTI founder Imran Khan.
Raza wrote on X (former Twitter), ” It is better that PTI friends resolve the matters internally and Imran Khan made the decision of Sunni Ittehad Council, I didn’t make any request. From electoral symbol to reserve seats I have so much to tell that if I say something in a talk show then these people won’t be able to show their faces.”
In a statement made during the Geo News talk show ‘Naya Pakistan with Shahzad Iqbal Kay Sath,’ PTI leader Senator Barrister Ali Zafar shed light on the decision-making process regarding alliances for reserved seats.
Zafar revealed that initially, the plan was to merge with Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), but it was later altered in favor of the SIC following discussions with Imran Khan.
Expressing his astonishment on the development, Zafar said: “When I asked Imran Khan about this, he said he had not changed the decision.”
Ali Zafar, however, emphasised: “The decision will have to be revised no matter how it was taken; it was our mistake; as to where and how this miscommunication was committed.”
He conceded that Sher Afzal Marwat was right.
“At first, a decision was made to join the MWM. Prior to that, a decision was also made to unite with Maulana Sheerani’s party as Sheerani’s group also participated in the election and had also given a list of reserved seats.”
Zafar emphasized the need for clarity in decision-making, noting discrepancies in interpreting constitutional provisions and the Elections Act.
He indicated that the matter may need adjudication by the Supreme Court to resolve conflicting opinions.
The Supreme Court has to decide whether our interpretation is correct or the verdict of the ECP or the Peshawar High Court.
“We also referred to the Election Commission’s decision to give specific seats to the BAP party in the court. To which, the ECP said that they do not know why they gave reserved seats to the BAP, so this decision cannot be used as an example here,” he said.
A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, in which it was decided that a free WiFi project will be launched in 10 different places in the provincial capital in two weeks while free WiFi points will be set up at 516 places in the city.
Also finalised today: 100000 houses Free Wifi for Lhr First IT city Waste Management companies for all districts. https://t.co/DaGYdIQz4e
21-storey Arfa Karim Tower-2 will be built in Lahore: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif
Lahore, 12 March 2024: “IT, Education and Film City projects to start in Lahore at the earliest,” said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif while presiding over a meeting on IT City and Lahore… pic.twitter.com/ynvN0yy03r
While briefing the meeting, it was said that the IT, Education and Film City project will start soon; while Microsoft, Oracle and other big companies have expressed their willingness for IT City.
Maryam Nawaz has also directed authorities to invite Chinese IT companies to build offices, adding that the best IT companies of the world will be provided business opportunities in the IT City.
The Chief Minister of Punjab has set a deadline for the plan of the establishment of Lahore Knowledge Park and IT City.
In the entertainment world, women often get treated unfairly because of their age. Now, model Iffat Omar is speaking out against ageism, posting a video on Instagram wearing a lovely pink saree. In the caption, she wrote, “I’ll do what I want at my age, so you do your thing and stop telling me how to behave.” Known for her independence, she’s showing that it’s perfectly fine to be yourself, no matter your age.
Iffat has also shared her views on feminism and politics in Pakistan, as well as her experiences in the media industry. She has also talked about the culture surrounding Urdu dramas in Pakistan. The ‘Berukhi’ actor mentioned facing criticism in Karachi for her Punjabi accent, limited Urdu skills, and not being fluent in English.
Moscow, Russia – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died Friday in the Arctic prison colony where he was serving a 19-year-term, Russia’s federal penitentiary service said.
Western governments immediately attacked the Kremlin over the death of the most outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin.
Navalny lost consciousness after a walk and could not be revived by medics, the prison service said.
“Navalny felt bad after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. Medical staff arrived immediately and an ambulance team was called,” it said.
“Resuscitation measures were carried out which did not yield positive results. Paramedics confirmed the death of the convict. The causes of death are being established.”
The 47-year-old was Russia’s most prominent opposition leader and won a huge following with his criticism of corruption in Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into the death.
Navalny’s press secretary Kira Yarmysh said his team had not been informed of his death.
“Alexei’s lawyer is now flying to Kharp,” where his prison colony is, she said in a post on social media.
Citing his spokesman, Russian news agencies reported that Putin had been informed of Navalny’s death.
Western governments and Russian opposition figures on Friday said the Kremlin was responsible for his death.
Latvia’s president said he had been “brutally murdered by the Kremlin”.
“The Russian government bears a heavy responsibility,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
France’s foreign minister said Navalny had paid with his life for resisting oppression.
Opposition leader
Navalny’s exposes, posted on his YouTube channel racked up millions of views and brought tens of thousands of Russians to the streets, despite Russia’s harsh anti-protests laws.
He was jailed in early 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he was recuperating from a near-fatal poisoning attack with Novichok, a Soviet-era nerve agent.
In a string of cases he was sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges widely condemned by independent rights groups and in the West as retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin.
His return to Russia despite facing jail put him on a collision course with Putin, after Navalny blamed the poisoning attack in Siberia on the Kremlin.
“I’m not afraid and I call on you not to be afraid,” he said in an appeal to supporters as he landed in Moscow, moments before being detained on charges linked to an old fraud conviction.
His 2021 arrest spurred some of the largest demonstrations Russia had seen in decades, and thousands were detained at rallies nationwide calling for his release.
In prison, Navalny’s team said he had been harassed and repeatedly moved to a punitive solitary confinement cell.
He said guards had subjected him and other inmates to “torture by Putin”, making them listen to the president’s speeches.
From behind bars he was a staunch opponent of Moscow’s full-scale military offensive against Ukraine.
The Kremlin moved to dismantle his organisation, locking up his allies and sending dozens of others into exile.
Late last year he was moved to a remove Arctic prison colony in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region in northern Siberia.
The last post on Navalny’s Telegram channel, which he managed through his lawyers and team in exile, was a tribute to his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, posted on Valentine’s Day.
Democratic standards across the world fell in 2023 amid the spread of wars, authoritarian crackdowns and declining levels of trust in mainstream political parties, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said on Thursday.
While the number of countries categorized as democracies increased by two last year, the global average index score fell to 5.23 in 2023 from 5.29 the year before, its lowest level since the first study was published in 2006.
“The world has entered an age of conflict, and the contours of a future major war are already visible,” said the study titled “Age of Conflict.”
“Today’s wars are concentrated in countries where democracy is absent or in trouble.”
Western Europe was the only region to improve its score, moving ahead of North America. The study said it was the first time that North America has not placed as the world’s highest-scoring region.
Joan Hoey, the editor of the report, said scores fell for “not only those nations prosecuting wars (Azerbaijan and Russia), but for those on the receiving end (Armenia and Ukraine).”
“However, growing democratic resilience and consolidation in EU member states in Central Europe, as well as in Balkan and Baltic countries, ensured that the overall regional score did not significantly fall,” Hoey added.
“The narrative of democracy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia can be best summed up as a tale of resilience.”
The London-based analysis group pointed to intensifying anti-immigration sentiment in many countries, saying the political landscape in the Americas and Europe has become increasingly polarised.
“Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a rollback of freedoms around the globe, the results for 2023 point to a continuing democratic malaise and lack of forward momentum.”
“More countries are experiencing declining levels of trust in mainstream political parties and leaders, and succumbing to ‘culture wars’ of the sort that have long characterised the U.S.,” the study said.
“Western Europe is plagued by low levels of trust in government.”
The 27-nation EU holds elections for its European Parliament later this year and polls suggest the far-right could rise to become the third-biggest grouping in the legislature.
The report said that Ukraine’s battle to repel Russia’s two-year invasion was taking a toll on its democratic institutions and practices, while Russia continued its steady slide toward “outright dictatorship.”
Only 7.8% of the global population reside in a “full democracy” and substantially more than one-third live under authoritarian rule.
The number of democracies increased by two in 2023, with Paraguay and Papua New Guinea being upgraded from “hybrid regimes” to “flawed democracies.”
Greece became a “full democracy” while Pakistan was downgraded to an “authoritarian regime.” The United States remains a “flawed democracy.”
The top three places in the index are occupied by Norway, New Zealand and Iceland, while the final three countries are North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
In a surprising move, PPP’s Zardari has set his sights on the Prime Minister chair for his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif told his party leaders that Zardari wants the PM slot and major ministries, if PMLN wants PPP’s support.
According to The News’ sources, Shehbaz told party leaders that if they gave Zardari what he wanted, the PPP would support PML-N to make its government in Punjab.
WHAT PML-N OFFERED PPP
ARY sources claim that PML-N offered three positions to the PPP to gain its support. PPP has been offered the presidency, speaker of the National Assembly and Senate chairman, while PML-N also agreed to give the slot for chief minister Balochistan to the PPP.
MQM AND PML-N JOIN HANDS
After a meeting in Lahore Sunday morning, PML-N and MQM have reached a decision to work together on basic points for cooperation in the best “interest of the nation and country”.
PMLN’s Marriyum Aurangzeb, while announcing the news, did not say what the two parties had agreed upon but said that an alliance between them was in affect.
With the PPP, a decision on whether to give Bilawal Bhutto the Prime Minister chair is yet to be made.
SHOCKING
Party sources have told GEO News that, the PML-N leadership was in a shock as the election results did not meet their expectations at all. Sources said that Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and other PML-N leaders were overconfident, the party leadership didn’t pay much attention to public rallies, door-to-door campaigns, mass public campaigns and direct contact with voters.
Sources claimed that if there was a fallout with the PPP, PML-N would make a coalition government with MQM, JUI-F and other smaller parties, including independents and electable. They further claimed that in this scenario, PML-N will make Shehbaz Sharif the prime minister and Maryam Nawaz the Chief Minister of Punjab.
In the PML-N meeting when Maryam Nawaz’s name was finalised for Chief Minister punjab, according to ARY sources, all members agreed and said she had done a commendable job campaigning for the party. They also said that it would be a first for Pakistan to have a female chief minister for Punjab.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief organizer Maryam Nawaz has urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters to stop indulging in what she described as politics of hate. “Today I want to say that I am ready to forget all the oppression against us,” Maryam said. “I promise today and invite everyone to put an end to all this once and for all,” she said at a rally in Kasur. “I want a Pakistan where the government concentrates on serving people instead of avenging the past,” she said.
In a tragic turn of events, Rehan Zeb Khan, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and independent candidate from NA-8 Bajaur, was fatally shot by unidentified assailants in the Siddiqabad Phatak Bazar area on Wednesday.
The district police officer and SHO Rashid Khan have confirmed the news of the PTI leader’s murder.
Khan, who was contesting as an independent, was also a candidate for the provincial assembly seat PK-22. Reports suggest that he had tried to get a PTI ticket but had been refused by the party.
Rehan zaib, a fabulous young & passionate upcoming PTI leader was martyred today by so called unknowns. He was threathned so many times but he never backed down.
The official candidate for PTI from NA 8 is Gul Zafar Khan, as per a reply from Imran Khan’s Facebook page message, “Halqa: NA-8, Bajaur, Candidate: Gul Zafar Khan, Symbol: SHOWER شاور”
The incident occurred when Khan was at Siddiqabad Gate, engaging in canvassing activities for the upcoming general elections. The assailants targeted him while he was in his vehicle, marking a disturbing incident of violence against a political figure.
This unfortunate incident comes on the heels of another attack on PTI’s electioneering within the past 24 hours. A day earlier, a bomb detonated at a PTI rally in Sibi, claiming the lives of at least four people and injuring five others, as reported by both police and witnesses.
Saddam Tareen, the PTI candidate for the National Assembly constituency of NA-253, who was leading the rally on Jinnah Road in Sibi, fortunately escaped unharmed. The injured individuals were promptly transported to the Sibi district headquarters (DHQ) hospital for urgent medical attention.
Unidentified Persons shot dead Awami National Party (ANP) local leader Zahoor Ahmed and injured another in a firing raid attacking the ANP office, in Chaman district, Balochistan as per officials.
ALERT: Unidentified Persons shot dead Awami National Party (ANP) local leader Zahoor Ahmed and injured another in a firing raid attacking the the ANP office, Chaman district, Balochistan: Officials pic.twitter.com/46VOK044Kf
At least three were injured in a grenade attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) election office in Quetta, ARY News reported.
According to police officials, the attack occurred on Saryab Road Quetta where a hand grenade attack was launched on the PPP election office that injured three people.
At least 3 injured in a grenade attack on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) election office in Quetta. According to media reports, the attack occurred on Saryab Road Quetta where hand grenade attack was launched on PPP election office that injured 3 people.https://t.co/RpD3Ssy1CE
Reacting to the incident, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took notice of the attack and sought a report from the chief secretary and IG Balochistan.
The ECP spokesperson said that suspects involved in such incidents will be tried under the election laws.
The incidents underscore the growing concerns over the safety of political candidates and campaigners as the general elections approach.
Following Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar, Pakistan and Iran have mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries will return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024 and the Iranian Foreign Minister is going to visit on January 29, 2024.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the Foreign Office said that at the invitation of Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian will undertake a visit to Pakistan on January 29.
In a post on X, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Iran Mudassir Tipu said he was “so delighted that leaderships of both Pakistan and Iran so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track”.
I am so delighted that leaderships of both and so deftly handled a challenging moment astutely- swiftly putting relations back on track. We have great potential ahead & both brotherly countries must collectively promote peace & development in region .
Along with that the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday that Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian would visit Pakistan on January 29.
The visit comes days after tensions escalated between the two countries following an Iranian air strike in Pakistan, leading Islamabad to strike terrorist hideouts in the neighbouring country’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.
“Following the telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, it has been mutually agreed that ambassadors of both countries may return to their respective posts by January 26, 2024,” the FO said in a statement.
The FO said that the Iranian foreign minister would travel to Pakistan on Jan 29 at the invitation of FM Jilani.
: PR NO. 2️⃣3️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣
Joint Press Statement of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran
Previously, Pakistan has targeted terrorist hideouts inside Iran in response to the violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that killed two children and injured three girls.
Hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army and Balochistan Liberation Front were successfully struck in an intelligence based operation, code name ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, ISPR has stated in a recently released statement.
According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), a number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’. Meanwhile, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported that nine people, including seven “non-Iranian nationals”, were killed in the strike targeting a village near the city of Saravan.
The Khorasan Diary reported, that “7 BLF millitants involved in attacks in Pakistan have been killed/injured in Pakistan’s strikes in Iran.”
7 BLF MILITANTS INVOLVED IN ATTACKS IN PAKISTAN HAVE BEEN KILLED/INJURED IN PAKISTANS STRIKES IN IRAN.
A top Pakistani security official told The Khorasan Diary that 7 militants wanted to Pakistan have been killed or injured in the strike in Shamesar, Iran.
In a video posted, it can be seen the damage caused by Pakistani Strikes in approximately 200 kilometres away from PAK-Iran border.
TKD MONITORING: A video uploaded by news outlets of Saravan city at dawn shows at least one site hit by Pakistan early this morning. Multiple bodies are under the debris it states. Saravan city in Sistan wa Balochistan province of Iran is approximately 200 kilometres from… pic.twitter.com/LrLr58iMBO
Publication The Khorasan Diary also claimed that Jaishul Adal, the same militant group, Iran claimed to have targeted has taken the responsibility for the attack on Saravan Corps of Sistan Wa Baluchistan province, Colonel Hossein Ali Javadanfar, adding that the security official was assassinated along with two of his guards.”
ALERT: The deputy commander of the Saravan Corps of Sistan Wa Baluchistan province, Colonel Hossein Ali Javadanfar, was shot dead when he was returning from an administrative mission on the Khash-Zahedan road, Iran. Iranian state media reported. Jaishul Adal, a militant group… pic.twitter.com/LiizDcCVFT
Previously, The Iranian strikes were part of a series of attacks carried out by the country in recent days in Syria and Iraq as a response to recent terrorist attacks on its territory. They have heightened concerns about regional stability, particularly amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’, says the official statement released by the Foreign Office of Pakistan.
“Last night’s unprovoked and blatant breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty by Iran is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement on Wednesday.
A context to the response by the Foreign Office
Foreign Ofiice of Pakistan provided a detailed context to Operation Marg Bar Sarmachar.
“Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves Sarmachars on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists. However, because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities by these so called Sarmachars,” the statement read.
The Foreign Office described the action as a part of its resolve to “defend its national security against all threats.” Moreover it mainatianed that “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest which is paramount and cannot be compromised.”
Strict monitoring of Air Space
Geo News’ Azaz Syed quotes Civil Aviation Authority that amid the escalation of tensions in Islamabad-Tehran ties, Pakistan has started strict monitoring of all flights from the West including Iran.
Meeting of Foreign Minister with Iranian Counterpart
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani Wednesday told his Irani counterpart that no country should follow its path of launching an attack on a neighbouring nation’s soil against the menace of terrorism unilaterally.
“No country in the region should tread this perilous path,” Jilani told Iran’s FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a telephone call hours after Tehran claimed it had targeted “terrorists” in Pakistan.
Iranian response
There is a group called Jaishal Adal, which is an Iranian terrorist group that have taken refuge on Pakistan-Iran border. Several times we have talked to Pakistani security officials that this group killed our security personnel and we responded by killing Iranian terrorist on Pakistani soil. I have spoken to my Pakistani counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, we do respect the sovereignty of Pakistan but we don’t allow our national security be compromised and be played with. We have no hesitations when it comes to our national interest and those terrorist groups inside Pakistan and those affiliated with Israel” the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said while speaking in Davos at The World Economic Forum.
WE RESPECT PAKISTANS SOVEREIGNTY BUT WILL NOT COMPROMISE ON OUR NATIONAL SECURITY SAYS IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER
There is a group called Jaishal Adal, which is an Iranian terrorist group that have taken refuse on Pakistan-Iran border. Several times we have talked to Pakistani… pic.twitter.com/NHLrTyCwqn
India India in a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “This is a matter between Iran and Pakistan. Insofar as India is concerned, we have an uncompromising position of zero tolerance towards terrorism. We understand actions that countries take in their self-defence.”
China, close partners of Iran and Pakistan, urged restraint, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying both should “avoid actions that would lead to an escalation of tension”.
United States of America
The United States, meanwhile, condemned the Iranian strikes in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, with State Department spokesman Matthew Miller saying Tehran had violated the “sovereign borders of three of its neighbours in just the past couple of days”.
