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Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting

Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting
In this handout photo, taken and released by Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan's Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar (left) meets Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 18, 2023. (Photo courtesy: PMO)
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Updated 18 January 2024
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Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting

Pakistan PM, Saudi FM review ‘regional developments’ at Davos meeting
  • The meeting comes hours after Pakistan airstrikes targeted ‘terrorist hideouts’ inside Iran 
  • The cross-border attacks by Iran, Pakistan this week add to multiple crises across Middle East 
Updated 18 January 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Davos, PM Kakar’s office said on Thursday, adding the two figures reviewed “regional developments” at the meeting.
The meeting between the Saudi foreign minister and PM Kakar took place on the sidelines of the 54th World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, according to PM Kakar’s office.
It occurred hours after Pakistan said it had targeted “terrorist hideouts” in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province after Tehran this week conducted an airstrike against alleged militants in Pakistan’s southwest.
“The Prime Minister underlined the strategic importance of close brotherly relations between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, rooted in common cultural heritage and shared interests. He emphasized that Pakistan’s desire to deepen bilateral engagement including through trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges,” PM Kakar’s office said in a statement.
“The two sides also reviewed regional developments. Prime Minister Kakar noted that close brotherly relations between the two countries were a factor of regional stability.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have deep cultural, defense and economic ties, deeply rooted in history and religion.
PM Kakar appreciated the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and underlined the highest esteem the people of Pakistan held for the leadership and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his office said.
The Pakistan premier arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to attend the 54th WEF summit, where he was scheduled to attend three thematic events, including ‘Preventing An Era of Global Conflict,’ ‘Restoring Faith in the Global System,’ and ‘Preventing Economic Fracture.’
But, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the prime minister had cut short his visit and would return to Islamabad by Thursday night.
“He has decided to cut short his visit in view of the ongoing developments,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at a press briefing.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan and the neighboring Iran are both battling simmering insurgencies along their sparsely populated border regions.
The cross-border attacks add to multiple crises across the Middle East, with Israel waging a war against Hamas in Gaza and Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Topics: Pakistan Saudi Ties

Pakistani authorities deny detaining 800 Afghans, say only repatriating illegal immigrants

Pakistani authorities deny detaining 800 Afghans, say only repatriating illegal immigrants
Updated 31 sec ago
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Pakistani authorities deny detaining 800 Afghans, say only repatriating illegal immigrants

Pakistani authorities deny detaining 800 Afghans, say only repatriating illegal immigrants
  • Afghan embassy recently said Islamabad administration was making arrests, targeting registered refugees
  • Pakistani authorities announced in November Afghan nationals would require NOCs to stay in Islamabad
Updated 31 sec ago
Fatimah Amjad

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration on Tuesday rejected claims by Afghanistan’s diplomatic mission it had detained approximately 800 Afghan citizens, asserting it was only repatriating illegal foreign nationals in accordance with the law.

Pakistan, which hosted over four million Afghan refugees after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, registered these individuals with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). They were issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards and Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) to allow legal residence and access to services such as health care and banking.

Another wave of Afghan refugees arrived after the Taliban’s capture of Kabul in 2021 amid the withdrawal of US-led international forces. Confronted with economic challenges and a surge in militant violence perpetrated by groups reportedly operating from Afghan territory, Pakistan initiated a crackdown against “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghans, citing security concerns.

Pakistani officials said in 2023 that some Afghan nationals had been involved in attacks, including suicide bombings, targeting civilians and security forces, a claimed denied by the administration in Kabul.

The Afghan embassy in Pakistan said on Monday authorities in Pakistan’s federal capital had detained about 800 Afghan nationals, including individuals registered with the UNHCR.

“It is clarified that only the illegal foreign nationals are being repatriated as per law of the land,” the ICT administration said in a statement.

“With regard to Afghan nationals, it is being clarified that those holding valid documentation— such as Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC), visas, or those listed for third-country resettlement— are not being repatriated,” it added. “Islamabad Civil Administration remains committed to safeguarding the rights of all documented individuals.”

The statement further noted that search and combing operations were also conducted in compliance with the law, offering undocumented foreign nationals the chance to validate their status.

It also confirmed that in 2025, Islamabad authorities deported 183 illegal foreign nationals, while two were still in holding areas. Officials stressed that those deported lacked any legal documentation and reiterated that actions are taken strictly against undocumented individuals.

“The civil administration reaffirms its commitment to ensuring fair and humane treatment of all individuals while strictly adhering to legal requirements,” the ICT statement said, urging foreign nationals to carry valid documentation to avoid inconvenience.

Last year in November, Pakistani authorities announced that Afghan nationals would need no-objection certificates (NOCs) to stay in Islamabad. The decision followed the detention of several Afghan nationals who reportedly participated in a political rally by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which turned violent, resulting in casualties.

The Afghan embassy expressed concern over alleged “unwarranted arrests, home searches, and extortion targeting Afghan nationals,” highlighting the reported detentions, including 137 who, it said, were temporarily registered with the UNHCR and had applied for visa extensions.

Topics: Afghan refugees Pakistan Islamabad

Women, children among six killed in road crash in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Women, children among six killed in road crash in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Updated 08 January 2025
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Women, children among six killed in road crash in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Women, children among six killed in road crash in Pakistan’s Balochistan
  • The crash occurred in the mountainous Zhob district after speeding car lost control
  • Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed
Updated 08 January 2025
Saadullah Akhtar

QUETTA: At least six people, including women and children, were killed after a speeding car crashed into a trailer in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday night, officials said.
The vehicle was en route to the provincial capital of Quetta from the Zhob district, according to Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Ahmed.
The speeding car lost control on a mountainous curve on N-50 Quetta-Islamabad Highway and crashed into the trailer coming from the opposite direction in Badinzai area, some 20 kilometers from Zhob city.
“Six people, including two women and two children, were killed in the fatal accident and seven others injured,” AC Naveed Ahmed told Arab News, adding speeding vehicles often results in accidents at dangerous curves along the Quetta-Zhob highway.
Muhammad Shahjahan, in-charge of the Zhob Trauma Center where the bodies and injured were taken, told Arab News that four critically wounded persons had been shifted to Quetta.
“The bodies have been identified and handed over to the heirs, while three other injured are out of danger now,” he added.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads, particularly in rural and mountainous areas, are in poor condition. Such accidents are frequent in Balochistan where single-carriage roads connect various cities, and even some highways lack modern safety features.
On Dec. 30, at least 18 passengers were killed in two separate road accidents in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces, authorities said.
 

Topics: Pakistan Zhob car accident

Three Pakistani soldiers, 19 militants killed in clashes in restive northwest

Three Pakistani soldiers, 19 militants killed in clashes in restive northwest
Updated 07 January 2025
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Three Pakistani soldiers, 19 militants killed in clashes in restive northwest

Three Pakistani soldiers, 19 militants killed in clashes in restive northwest
  • The clashes took places in Peshawar, Mohmad and Karak districts of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
  • Islamabad has frequently blamed the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies allegation
Updated 07 January 2025
NAIMAT KHAN

ISLAMABAD: Three Pakistani soldiers and 19 militants were killed in separate clashes in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Tuesday.
Security forces killed eight militants in an intelligence-based operation in Matani area of KP’s Peshawar district, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
Another eight militants were killed in an operation in the Mohmand district. A third engagement resulted in the killing of three militants and three soldiers in KP’s Karak district.
“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Kharji [militant] found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.
Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in militant attacks in recent months, particularly in KP and the southwestern Balochistan province.
In 2024 alone, the military reported that 383 soldiers and 925 militants were killed in various clashes.
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are one of the most prominent militant groups that have regularly targeted security forces in KP along with separatist militants operating in the restive southwest.
Islamabad has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. Afghan officials deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.

Topics: militancy in Pakistan KP militancy

Ex-PM Khan’s party demands ‘unfettered’ access to him for talks with Pakistan government to succeed

Ex-PM Khan’s party demands ‘unfettered’ access to him for talks with Pakistan government to succeed
Updated 07 January 2025
Usama Iqbal Khawaja
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Ex-PM Khan’s party demands ‘unfettered’ access to him for talks with Pakistan government to succeed

Ex-PM Khan’s party demands ‘unfettered’ access to him for talks with Pakistan government to succeed
  • The government last week said it had facilitated meetings with Khan, but his party remained ‘indecisive’ about formalizing its demands
  • The two sides have held two rounds of negotiations since last month to end a political deadlock, but have failed to make a headway
Updated 07 January 2025
Usama Iqbal Khawaja

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s party on Tuesday demanded the government provide it “unfettered” access to the jailed ex-premier, saying it was the only way to demonstrate “seriousness” to end an ongoing political impasse in the country.
Khan’s ouster in a parliamentary no-trust vote in 2022 has plunged Pakistan into a political crisis, particularly since he was jailed in August 2023 on corruption and other charges. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has regularly held protests to demand his release, with many of the demonstrations turning violent.
The two sides kicked off negotiations last month and have held two rounds of talks to end the political deadlock, but have failed to make a headway. The PTI and the government’s last round of talks on Jan. 2 ended inconclusively after Khan’s party demanded more time to meet and consult the ex-PM before submitting their demands in writing.
A government spokesperson last week said the government had facilitated Khan’s party by arranging its meetings with the ex-premier in jail, but the PTI remained “indecisive” about formalizing their demands despite written assurances made in joint declarations issued after talks between both sides.
“In the second and last session of our negotiations committee, we had clearly conveyed to the government that our unmonitored, unfettered meeting be arranged with [former] prime minister Imran Khan, in which there is no monitoring in that room,” PTI leader Omar Ayub said at a presser on Tuesday, adding their meetings with Khan were held in a small room, with cameras and other monitoring devices installed.
“In that environment, discussions can’t be held freely.”
Ayub said the government committee had promised to facilitate such a meeting, but they had been no development since.
“We have not received any information [about the meeting] so far from the government,” he said, adding the government’s arrangement of a meeting with Khan in an “unfettered environment, without restrictions,” would demonstrate its seriousness for talks.
Last week, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a member of the government’s negotiation committee, said the talks could encounter “serious hurdles” due to the PTI’s failure to submit its demands in writing at the next meeting.
“If the PTI does not submit its demands in writing as promised, the negotiation process may face serious hurdles,” Siddiqui was quoted as saying by the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
“Even after 12 days, no significant progress has been made.”
The two sides held the first round of talks on Dec. 23. Khan’s party has previously stated two demands: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, which the government says involved Khan supporters, accusing them of attacking military installations and government buildings.
The talks between the two sides opened days after Khan threatened a civil disobedience movement, and amid growing concerns he may face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9, 2023 protests.

Topics: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government PTI talks

PM Sharif, Gen. Munir among several Pakistanis make it to list of 500 Most Influential Muslims for 2025

PM Sharif, Gen. Munir among several Pakistanis make it to list of 500 Most Influential Muslims for 2025
Updated 07 January 2025
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PM Sharif, Gen. Munir among several Pakistanis make it to list of 500 Most Influential Muslims for 2025

PM Sharif, Gen. Munir among several Pakistanis make it to list of 500 Most Influential Muslims for 2025
  • The list includes honorary mention of former PM Imran Khan as well as several Pakistani religious scholars
  • Malala Yousafzai, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Abida Parveen and Prof. Dr. Adibul Hasan Rizvi have also been named
Updated 07 January 2025
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Asim Munir, former PM Imran Khan, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani and several other Pakistanis have been listed among 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2025.
‘The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims’ is an annual publication, first published in 2009, that ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center in Amman, Jordan.
It ascertains the influence some Muslim figures have on the Ummah culturally, ideologically, financially, politically or otherwise to make a change that will have a significant impact on Muslims around the world.
This year, the publication has named several Pakistanis, from civilian and military rulers to philanthropists and people known for their exceptional work in various disciplines of life.
“Shehbaz Sharif became the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan in March 2024, having served as the 23rd Prime Minister (2022-23) after a no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister Imran Khan,” the publication wrote about the Pakistan premier.
“Sharif is the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and has himself had a long political career, being the President of the Pakistan Muslim League and serving as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times (1997, 2007 and 2013).”
The list included the name of Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir.
“A descendant of a religious and scholarly family, Asim is also known as the first army chief in the history of Pakistan to be a Hafiz Qur’an (memorized the entire Qur’an),” the publication wrote.
“He served as chief of both premier military intelligence agencies of Pakistan.”
The Muslim 500 had an honorary mention of former PM Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 on a slew of charges.
“Imran Khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018 amid huge expectations that he could bring the country forward on issues of governance, accountability and reduction of corruption. He endured a tough time before being ousted in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion,” it said.
“Khan still maintains massive popular support in the country as well as with the large and powerful Pakistani diaspora.”
The publication included names of Pakistani religious figures Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Maulana Tariq Jameel, Maulana Nazur ur-Rahman and Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri among the most influential Muslims around the world.
Other Pakistanis mentioned on the list were Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, an internationally acclaimed journalist, filmmaker and activist, ‘Queen of Sufi mystic singing’ Abida Parveen, Na’atkhuwan Owais Raza Qadri and humanitarian Professor Dr. Adibul Hasan Rizvi.
“Dr. Rizvi is one of Pakistan’s leading humanitarians, having established the largest free health organization in Pakistan. He works as a doctor and an administrator at SIUT (Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation) in Karachi, which was founded in 1971 as an eight-bed unit but is now the largest health organization in Pakistan,” the publication wrote.
“SIUT provides free and comprehensive services in urology, nephrology, transplantation, and liver-related diseases. He is the recipient of many awards for his life’s work.”

Topics: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims The Muslim 500 Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan

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