Category: Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the Kashmir dispute, which holds the 1.4 billion people of South Asia hostage, could be settled if the United States showed a ‘resolve and will’. “This festering can ease if the US has the resolve and will. This can be sorted out,” he said in an interview with Jonathan Swan of ‘Axios on HBO’ aired on Monday. The ‘Kashmir dispute’ was put on top agenda by the prime minister as the interviewer asked him about the priorities of discussion when he meets US President Joe Biden in future. Imran Khan said, “Almost 1.4 billion people in the Sub-continent are held hostage with one dispute of Kashmir”, and the United States being a powerful nation of the world had a big responsibility in that regard. The Kashmir dispute, he said, needed a settlement as per the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council that called for a plebiscite to let the Kashmiris decide about their own future. Asked about Pakistan’s “growing nuclear capability”, he said Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was “simply for its own defence” in the scenario of a country seven times of its size. He expressed the belief that the resolution of the Kashmir issue would lead the two countries towards peace. “The moment there is a settlement on Kashmir, I believe Pakistan and India will live as civilized neighbours without nuclear deterrence,” he said. On the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, he stressed that there must be a prior “political settlement” as military solution was not the viable option. He hinted at the possibility of a civil war if the US troops pulled out without a political settlement, which, he explained, as the “coalition government with Taliban and others as stakeholders”. Asked whether Pakistan would like to welcome the Taliban into the comity of nations, he said, “As far as Pakistan is concerned, whoever is representing the people of Afghanistan, we would deal with them. ” Imran Khan categorically said that Pakistan would “absolutely not” allow any bases and use of its territory for any sort of action inside Afghanistan. “Absolutely not. There is no way we are going to allow any bases, any sort of action from Pakistani territory into Afghanistan. Absolutely not,” he said, in response to the question if he would allow the American government to have CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) conduct counter-terrorism missions in Pakistan against Al-Qaeda, ISIS or the Taliban. “We will be partners in peace, not in conflict,” he said.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday disposed of a petition challenging arrest of famous TikToker Kashif Zameer, after terming it ineffective in the light of police report. Justice Ali Zia Bajwa heard the petition filed by the wife of the TikToker. At the start of proceedings, the police produced Kashif Zameer before the court. A law officer on behalf of the police authorities submitted a report in connection with the arrest of Kashif Zameer. He submitted that Kashif Zameer was arrested for using a fake number plate on his car and impersonating himself as a government official. He submitted that Race Course police had also registered a case against the accused over cheating Turkish actor Engin Altan Duzyatan, who rose to global fame for his role as Ertugrul in hit TV series “Dirilis:Ertugrul”. He further stated that the police had registered various cases across the Punjab against the accused. He submitted that there was no truth in the allegations of illegal custody. Subsequently, the court held that the Police arrested the accused as per law and disposed of the petition after terming it ineffective. The petitioner had claimed that the CIA Ichhra police had detained Kashif Zameer without registration of any case. She pleaded with the court to issue directions for release of Kashif Zameer from illegal police custody.

 

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar will chair the 46th provincial cabinet meeting in his office here on Tuesday at 11:00 am to review a 17-point agenda. Ministers, special assistants, advisors, chief secretary and others will attend the meeting.

ISLAMABAD: Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next 24 hours. According to Met office Islamabad, rain-thunderstorm is expected in Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and its adjoining areas. Continental air is prevailing over most parts of the country. Maximum temperature’s recorded in(°C): Sibbi 44, Dadu and Turbat 43.

LARKANA: PPP Monday marked the 68th birth anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to pay homage and show reverence for her. In this connection Qura”an Khawani was held in the Naudero and other places of the Larkana and Kamber-Shahdadkot districts. A ”Cake Cutting Ceremony” was also held at the Nusrat Bhutto Library Larkana on the eve of her birth anniversary. PPP President Sindh Nisar Ahmed Khuhro was presiding over the function while PPP President Larkana district MNA Khursheed Ahmed Junejo, Khair Muhammad Shaikh and others also addressed the occasion. Nisar Khuhro said it was Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who stood against all odds and fought with dictators for the restoration of democracy. Her services for democracy and country would always be remembered, he added. A large number of PPP leaders and prominent workers attended the function.

KARACHI: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi refrained from calling Osama bin Laden a terrorist in an interview with Afghan media

When the interviewer quoted Prime Minister Imran Khan as calling Osama bin Laden a `martyr`, Mr Qureshi said: `Well, again. Out of context. He [the PM] was quoted out of context. And, a particular section of the media pair it up. Asked if he would disagree, the foreign minister paused for a while and then said: `I will let it pass.

Asked if he was against a Taliban military takeover, he said: `We have never said, we have never supported or advocated a takeover of Kabul by force…. See, what I have said is it is for you, the people of Afghanistan, to decide what you want.

Mr Quershi made it clear that Pakistan wanted to see an independent, sovereign, prosperous, democratic Afghanistan.

Responding to a question if Afghanistan was heading to civil war again, the foreign minister said: `I hope not. I hope not. Please, that`s why Pm saying, please sit together and carve out a way forward, you know, which is coexistence, reconciliation. Accept each other. You have to accept each other. You know, the people and government in Afghanistan and the Taliban that have been fighting for decades now, they`re both Afghans. You have to reconcile, and you have to find a way forward. We`re concerned because God forbid, if there is civil war…. It depends on you, depends on the Afghan leadership, depends on the ability of the Afghan leadership to carve a way forward. If you fail, if the Afghan leadership fail, then yes, we are heading for a civil war. And God forbid, if there is one, then you suffer and we suffer as well.

The minister regretted that when things were not moving in the right direction, one looked for the scapegoats. `And the favorite scapegoat you have is Pakistan. When there`s failure within [Afghanistan], you blame Pakistan for that. Pakistan is not responsible for the failure within.

Pakistan is not responsible for the squabbling that is going on in Afghanistan. Pakistan is not responsible if the Afghan leadership cannot sit and work out a peace deal. We`re not responsible for that. It`s yours. We`re saying we want to be helpful.

While rejecting the idea of giving military bases to or sharing intelligence with the US for operations inside Afghanistan from Pakistani soil, the minister said Pakistan was willing to help in pushing the peace process forward.

`We`re willing to help in Afghanistan`s reconstruction, rehabilitation. We`re willing to partner with Afghanistan, with the US, on countering terrorism. Yes, we will be partners for peace.

LAHORE: The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police arrested on Sunday religiou leader Mufti Azizur Rehman from Mianwali for his involvement in a sexual abuse case and also picked up his two sons for threatening to kill the complainant.

The North Cantonment police had on June17registered a case undercharges of sexual assault and criminal intimidation against Mufti Rehman, his sons Altafur Rehman and Atiqur Rehman and three accomplices on the complaint of a student of Jamia Manzoorul Islam, Cantonment.

The studenthadshared avideoclipof the sexual assault as a proof some days ago with police and the administration of the seminary. The clip took social media by storm with growing calls for strict action.

Senior police ofhcials referred the case to CIA for investigation and arrest of the suspects.

CIA`s SSP Shoaib Khurrum Janbaz constituted a team led by Model Town CIA DSP Hasnain Haider which conducted raids in Lahore but the suspects evaded arrest. Finally, police arrested them from Mianwali and brought them here.

Punjab`s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Inam Ghani said police would take it as a test case. `We want our kids protected from such people and… our society safe,` he tweeted.

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has refused to give his assent to the Sindh Protection of Journalists and other Media Practitioners bill, which was passed by the Sindh Assembly recently, and returned the bill to the legislature for reconsideration because it lacked a `mechanism for monitoring funds of the commission concerned`.

Reliable sources told media on Sunday the governor had also made an observation that there was a `perceived contradiction` in the bill.

The governor pointed out in his summary that the bill proposed formation of a government-funded commission, but envisaged `neither any finance committee to supervise income/spending nor any mechanism for third party audit of government funding`. Therefore, he suggested, the bill include `an appropriate mechanism for the purpose`.

In addition, Governor Ismail took exception to a clause which allows the commission to formulate its own rules and regulations, contending that it seemed to contradict another section of the bill stating that the government would make rules and make them public through gazette notification.

On the basis of these observations, the governor called upon the Sindh Assembly to reconsider the bill.

A spokesman for the provincial government lashed out at Governor Imran Ismail for refusing to give his assent to the bill.

But Murtaza Wahab, the spokesman, said at a press conference `we will nevertheless get the bill passed from the assembly`.

`Media representatives worked hard on the bill.

After approval from the Sindh Assembly, the governor went against it and rejected it,` Mr Wahab said.

`These are the people who champion freedom of expression, but what they have done contradicts their words.