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Pakistan says Indian ships were attempting to spy on naval exercise on southern coast

Pakistan says Indian ships were attempting to spy on naval exercise on southern coast
In this picture taken on February 13, 2023, Pakistan's Naval Ship Taimur and Sea King helicopters take part in the multinational naval exercise 'AMAN-23' in the Arabian Sea near Pakistan's port city of Karachi. (AFP/File)
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Updated 15 February 2024
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Pakistan says Indian ships were attempting to spy on naval exercise on southern coast

Pakistan says Indian ships were attempting to spy on naval exercise on southern coast
  • Exercise Seaspark 2024 being held at sea, in creek areas on coastal belt of Sindh and Balochistan provinces 
  • Pakistan and India, both nuclear-armed, have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947
Updated 15 February 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan army said on Thursday the country’s navy had detected ships from neighboring India attempting to “covertly observe” an exercise taking place at sea and in its creek areas on the coastal belt of the Sindh and Balochistan provinces. 

The army said this in a statement after Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf undertook a visit to oversee Exercise Seaspark 2024 and meet participating troops. The maritime exercise by the Pakistan navy is held every two years to plan and conduct operations as per wartime procedures and check operational readiness and mobilize and coordinate between various elements of the navy to enhance its ability to undertake complex operations.

“During operations at sea PN warships and aircraft also detected Indian Navy ships, submarines and aircraft, attempting to covertly observe the exercise and interpret PN war plans,” the Pakistan military’s statement said. “Accordingly necessary safeguards were taken by PN.”

Pakistan and India, both nuclear-armed countries, have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over the disputed Himalayan Kashmir region. 

Ties between the two rivals have been on ice since a suicide bombing of an Indian military convoy in Kashmir in 2019 that Delhi said it had traced to Pakistan-based militants and that led to India sending warplanes to Pakistan.

Topics: Pakistan India Ties Pakistan India Pakistan Navy Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns

Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns
Updated 42 sec ago
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Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns

Pakistan, Russia call for regional collaboration on Afghanistan amid shared security concerns
  • The call comes as Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan visits Pakistan for a day
  • Despite security issues, Afghanistan’s neighboring states view its stability as vital for progress
Updated 42 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Thursday called for greater collaboration among regional states to address the situation in Afghanistan, amid shared concerns over militant violence emanating from the war-torn country.
The call came during a visit by Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Zamir Kabulov, who met with Pakistan’s foreign secretary, Amna Baloch, and held detailed discussions with the additional secretary, Ahmad Naseem Warraich, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
“The two sides exchanged views on relations with Afghanistan and called for enhanced coordination among regional countries for a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan,” the foreign office said. “The two sides agreed to remain engaged toward this end.”
The talks come as both nations grapple with security threats linked to Afghanistan. Russia has voiced alarm over Daesh and its attacks, including a concert bombing in Moscow earlier this year that was linked to militants with ties to Afghanistan.
While the Afghan Taliban and Daesh are sworn enemies, Pakistan accuses the Afghan administration of facilitating the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a proscribed militant network blamed for cross-border attacks, an allegation Kabul denies.
Pakistan’s approach to Afghanistan has grown increasingly confrontational since last year as it pressures Kabul to rein in the TTP. By contrast, Russia announced last month it would remove the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, signaling a step toward normalizing ties with Afghanistan’s rulers.
Beyond security, Russia is keen to retain its influence in Central Asia and engage in Afghanistan’s economic reconstruction, particularly in energy and infrastructure projects.
Initiatives such as the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline and the Trans-Afghan Railway remain key priorities for Moscow, though persistent security challenges have delayed progress.
For Pakistan also, Afghanistan is critical for regional connectivity. Islamabad has offered landlocked Central Asian nations access to its ports, aiming to facilitate trade with global markets via sea routes.
Despite security concerns shared by Afghanistan’s neighboring countries, its stability is viewed as vital to unlocking the economic potential of regional projects.
 

Topics: Pakistan Russia Ties Pakistan Afghanistan Ties

PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities

PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities
Updated 14 November 2024
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PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities

PM Sharif urges nation to perform rain prayers as toxic smog chokes Pakistani cities
  • Shehbaz Sharif urges Islamic scholars to play their role in organizing ‘Istisqa’ prayers across the country
  • Toxic smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore, and 17 other districts of Punjab province
Updated 14 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the nation to perform prayers for rainfall, calling on Islamic scholars to take the lead in organizing “Istisqa” prayers, his office announced on Thursday, as worsening air quality continues to endanger the health of millions.
The Istisqa prayer is a special Islamic ritual performed to seek rain, primarily during times of drought or severe water shortages. It symbolizes the community’s humility, repentance and reliance on divine mercy for sustenance.
Toxic smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore, and 17 other districts in Punjab since last month. Health officials report that more than 40,000 people have sought treatment for respiratory illnesses, prompting Punjab authorities to close schools until November 17 to safeguard children’s health.
“PM Sharif appeals to the nation to offer Istisqa prayers for rain,” his office announced in a statement. “Scholars should especially play their role in organizing Istisqa prayers.”
The prime minister noted the rainfall would improve the environment apart from aiding in getting rid of diseases.
“Istisqa prayers should be organized in all mosques under the auspices of the federal government and the provinces,” he was quoted as saying. “In the current situation, there is a dire need for rain.”
A day earlier, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department forecast light rains from Nov. 14-16 in most districts of the country’s populous Punjab province.
The UN children’s agency has warned that the health of 11 million children in Punjab is in danger due to air pollution.
South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, gets shrouded in intense pollution every winter as cold air traps emissions, dust, and smoke from farm fires.
Pollution could cut more than five years from people’s life expectancy in the region, according to a University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute study last year.
 

Topics: Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Pakistan rain Pakistan rains Pakistan Smog

Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience

Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience
Updated 14 November 2024
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Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience

Pakistan signs four-year pact with Global Green Growth Initiative to boost climate resilience
  • The agreement will help Pakistan’s transition to a green economy, address water scarcity and deforestation
  • Pakistan has ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, with its cities engulfed in smog
Updated 14 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has signed a four-year country program framework agreement with an international green economy organization to advance its sustainable development goals by enhancing climate resilience through green growth initiatives, according to an official statement released on Thursday.
The agreement was signed by Pakistan’s Climate Change Ministry Secretary, Aisha Humera Moriani, and the Global Green Growth Initiative’s (GGGI) Deputy Director-General, Helena McLeod, during a formal ceremony at the United Nations-led Global Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Pakistan ranks as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, catastrophic floods claimed over 1,700 lives, affected more than 33 million people, and caused economic losses exceeding $30 billion.
While international donors pledged over $9 billion last January to help Pakistan recover from the devastating floods, officials report that little of the pledged amount has been disbursed so far.
“The Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination and GGGI has signed a four-year Country Programme Framework agreement to advance Pakistan’s sustainable development goals through targeted climate action and green growth interventions,” said the official statement.
On the occasion, McLeod said her organization aimed to facilitate Pakistan’s transition to a green economy through collaboration with national stakeholders to address water scarcity, deforestation and energy challenges “compounded by climate change effects.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Coordinator on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam thanked the GGGI for engaging with Pakistan to “mobilize green finance, support climate action frameworks and promote investment” to achieve climate resilience.
Pakistan also regularly faces other climate change-induced effects such as droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms and heatwaves.
Currently, record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in the eastern city of Lahore and other cities in the populous Punjab province, which has been enveloped in thick, toxic smog since last month.
A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by agricultural stubble burning, blanket Lahore and its surroundings each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds.
The city of 14 million people stuffed with factories on the border with India regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, but it has hit record levels this month, as has New Delhi.
 

Topics: COP 29 Ministry of Climate Change Pakistan Arab News Pakistan

Army officer, soldier killed in southwest Pakistan clash that leaves three militants dead

Army officer, soldier killed in southwest Pakistan clash that leaves three militants dead
Updated 14 November 2024
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Army officer, soldier killed in southwest Pakistan clash that leaves three militants dead

Army officer, soldier killed in southwest Pakistan clash that leaves three militants dead
  • Incident in Balochistan occurred after security forces reacted to militant presence in Harnai district
  • A Pakistan army major and a havildar lost their lives when an improvised explosive device blew up
Updated 14 November 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER

QUETTA: An army officer and a soldier lost their lives in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday, according to a statement from the military’s media wing, during an encounter that also left three militants dead.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for over two decades. In August, ethnic nationalist militants carried out several coordinated attacks on civilian and military targets in the province, killing more than 50 people on August 25-26.
Most of the assaults were claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the leading separatist group operating in the province, which is home to key China-led infrastructure projects, including a port and a gold-copper mine.
“On 14 Nov 2024, on reported presence of terrorists, planning to target innocent civilians in Harnai District, security forces under Major Muhammad Haseeb were immediately mobilized to sanitize the area,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) informed.
“Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and resultantly three terrorists were sent to hell,” it continued. “However, during the operation, an improvised explosive device exploded on the leading vehicle of security forces, resultantly, Major Muhammad Haseeb (age: 28 years, resident of District Multan), a brave officer, who was leading his troops from the front, along with Havildar Noor Ahmed (age: 38 years, resident of District Barkhan), having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat [martyrdom].”
The incident comes just four days after a deadly suicide bombing at the Quetta railway station killed dozens of people, including army soldiers, and wounded several others.
A day earlier, security forces killed eight militants and injured six others during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
KP has been predominantly targeted by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, who have carried out attacks on security forces’ convoys and check posts, as well as killing and kidnapping officials and civilians in recent months.
The TTP leadership is reportedly based in neighboring Afghanistan, straining ties between Kabul and Islamabad, as Pakistani officials accuse the Afghan Taliban of “facilitating” cross-border militant attacks.
Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Pakistan to address its security challenges internally.
 

Topics: militancy in Pakistan Balochistan Attacks

Pakistani security forces kill eight militants in restive northwest

Pakistani security forces kill eight militants in restive northwest
Updated 14 November 2024
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Pakistani security forces kill eight militants in restive northwest

Pakistani security forces kill eight militants in restive northwest
  • Army says six militants also injured during operation in Miran Shah area of North Waziristan
  • South Asian nation blames surge in militancy on TTP fighters operating out of Afghanistan
Updated 14 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed eight militants while six others sustained injuries during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted in the Miran Shah area of North Waziristan district.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed several attacks by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who have targeted security forces’ convoys and check posts, besides killing and kidnapping officials and civilians in recent months.
“Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in general area Miran Shah, North Waziristan District on the reported presence of khwarij [militants],” the ISPR said.
“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij’s location, as a result of which, eight khwarij were sent to hell, while six khwarij got injured.”
A “sanitization operation” was also conducted in the area to eliminate any other militants, it added.
Earlier this month on Nov. 10, Pakistani security forces killed four militants in two separate encounters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Prior to that, four Pakistani soldiers and five militants lost their lives in a gunbattle in South Waziristan’s Karama area.
The TTP leadership is said to be based in neighboring Afghanistan, affecting the ties between Kabul and Islamabad since the Pakistani officials have accused the Afghan Taliban of “facilitating” cross-border militant attacks.
Afghanistan denies the allegation and has urged Pakistan to resolve its security challenges internally.
 

Topics: TTP Pakistan Taliban Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan Inter Services Public Relations militancy in Pakistan

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