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Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000

Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000
Diplomats and Pakistan’s disaster management authority officials dispatch relief goods to Gaza via cargo ship from Karachi on February 25, 2024. (NDMA)
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Updated 26 February 2024
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Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000

Pakistan dispatches seventh consignment of relief goods for Gaza as death toll from Israel’s war tops 30,000
  • Israel’s relentless bombing and ground assaults continue despite ceasefire calls from rights groups and governments
  • Pakistan’s latest assistance, sent via cargo ship, contains 300 tons of blankets, tents, medicines and tinned food items
Updated 26 February 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday dispatched a seventh consignment of relief goods for Palestinians in Gaza, the country’s disaster management authority said, amid continuing air and ground assaults by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Thousands more have been injured as Israel continues to ignore calls for a ceasefire from rights groups and governments around the world, amid warnings from the United Nations (UN) of an outbreak of disease and starvation.

To mitigate the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) dispatched another consignment of relief goods through a cargo ship, which would be delivered via Port Said in Egypt.

“The government of Pakistan has dispatched the seventh batch of relief goods to the people of Gaza by a cargo ship,” the NDMA said in a statement. “The relief package consists of 300 tons of essentials, including blankets, basic food, and other essential items.”

Officials of the Pakistani foreign ministry, NDMA, and the Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan, Ahmad Jawad Rabei, attended the sending-off ceremony at the South Asia Pakistan Terminal in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi.

The South Asian country has previously sent six flights, carrying 330 tons of relief goods, including blankets, tents and food items, for Palestinians in Gaza.

“Pakistan will continue to support and help its brothers and sisters in times of trouble,” the NDMA said.

Topics: Gaza Palestine Pakistan Arab News Pakistan

Pakistan court rules out Imran Khan acquittal in new state gifts case, will frame charges

Pakistan court rules out Imran Khan acquittal in new state gifts case, will frame charges
Updated 26 sec ago
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Pakistan court rules out Imran Khan acquittal in new state gifts case, will frame charges

Pakistan court rules out Imran Khan acquittal in new state gifts case, will frame charges
  • Case involves jewelry worth over €380,000 gifted to ex-first lady by foreign dignitary when Khan was PM from 2018-2022
  • Huband-wife duo is accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository
Updated 26 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A trial court has dismissed an acquittal petition and will frame charges against jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife in a case relating to gifts acquired from a state repository, the ex-premier’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Thursday.

The reference, popularly called the new Toshakhana case, was filed in July and involves a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022. The couple is accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository.

Before the new case was filed, the ex-premier, who has been in jail since last August, was convicted in four cases. Two of the cases have since been suspended, including an original one relating to state gifts, while he was acquitted in the remaining two.

“The trial court has dismissed the acquittal petition of Imran Khan & Bushra Bibi from Toshakhana Case 2. On Nov. 18, the court will frame charges,” the PTI said in a statement to reporters. 

“This case doesn’t merit proceedings as the prosecution admitted that Imran Khan did not gain any personal benefit from the case, neither do the proceedings meet the law.”

Khan’s convictions had ruled the 71-year-old out of the Feb. 8 general elections as convicted felons cannot run for public office under Pakistani law.

Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says the cases against him are “politically motivated” and aimed at keeping him from returning to power. Pakistani authorities deny this.

The ex-premier is also facing multiple cases relating to May 9, 2023 protests, which saw his supporters attack government and military installations over his brief arrest in another graft case.

On Wednesday, the PTI announced that Khan had called a ‘long march’ protest movement to the capital, Islamabad, over alleged rigging in general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary.

The PTI is demanding that the government rollback recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment that it says are an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. 

The party is also calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, and a return of “the public mandate” following what it believes was a rigged general election. 

Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment and its election commission denies the elections were rigged. The government also says the recent amendments related to the judiciary are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.

Topics: Imran Khan PTI Bushra Bibi

Pakistan says UAE eyeing investments in Sindh’s desalination, transport, construction sectors

Pakistan says UAE eyeing investments in Sindh’s desalination, transport, construction sectors
Updated 14 November 2024
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Pakistan says UAE eyeing investments in Sindh’s desalination, transport, construction sectors

Pakistan says UAE eyeing investments in Sindh’s desalination, transport, construction sectors
  • UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trade partners and main source of foreign investment
  • UAE-Pakistan trade volume rose to $7.9 billion in 2023, up by 12 percent from 2022
Updated 14 November 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: A spokesman for the chief minister of Pakistan’s southern Sindh province said on Thursday the UAE was interested in investing in a desalination plant in the port city of Karachi as well as in transport and construction projects.

The announcement came after a meeting between CM Murad Ali Shah and the UAE Consul General in Karachi, Bakhit Atiq Al Rimithiki, on the occasion of the National Day of the Emirates. 

The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE ministry of foreign affairs. The UAE-Pakistan trade volume rose to $7.9 billion in 2023, up 12 percent from 2022.

“Discussions were also held on the investment of UAE companies in various projects in Karachi,” the CM’s office said. “UAE companies are interested in investing in Karachi’s desalination plant, transport and road and bridge construction sectors.”

The spokesman said Shah was also arranging meetings between the provincial investment department and relevant officers of the UAE.

In May this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the UAE had committed $10 billion to invest in promising economic sectors in Pakistan.

Earlier this month, Pakistan signed four MoUs with the AD Ports Group, a major investor in Pakistan, to explore opportunities in the maritime, air and rail sectors as well as in logistics and digital services.

With UAE partner Kaheel Terminals, AD Ports Group is already developing, operating, and managing container, bulk, and general cargo operations at the Port of Karachi, Pakistan’s major port, where it has agreed to invest almost $400 million over 15 years. 

The joint venture has agreed to invest $75 million over the next two years in superstructure and equipment, followed by $100 million within five years to increase efficiency and capacity by 75 percent, enabling the terminal to handle up to 14 million tones per annum.

Pakistan has been pushing for foreign investment in recent months in a bid to shore up its $350 billion economy as it navigates a tough reforms agenda mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Topics: Pakistan UAE ties desalination

Premature blast kills suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan, harms no one else — police 

Premature blast kills suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan, harms no one else — police 
Updated 14 November 2024
AP
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Premature blast kills suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan, harms no one else — police 

Premature blast kills suicide bomber in northwest Pakistan, harms no one else — police 
  • Suicide bomber riding a motorcycle set off an explosive device prematurely on a deserted road in Charsadda district 
  • Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, often target security forces in KP province with suicide bombings
Updated 14 November 2024
AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle set off an explosive device prematurely on a deserted road in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, killing himself but harming no one else, police said.

Local police official Masood Khan said the blast happened in Charsadda district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, where Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents often target security forces.

Khan said the intended target was unclear and bomb disposal experts and police were still investigating whether the man was wearing the explosives or they were attached to his motorcycle.

The Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, often target security forces in the province with suicide bombings and other violence. 

TTP are separate from the Afghan Taliban but have been emboldened by the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

Topics: Pakistan attack Charsadda Arab News Pakistan

20 million Pakistanis daily attempt to access porn sites, telecoms authority says

20 million Pakistanis daily attempt to access porn sites, telecoms authority says
Updated 14 November 2024
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20 million Pakistanis daily attempt to access porn sites, telecoms authority says

20 million Pakistanis daily attempt to access porn sites, telecoms authority says
  • Latest figures from PTA come as it introduced a new portal for the registration of VPNs earlier this week 
  • Digital experts say government trying to block vital tools that allow users to bypass restrictions amid digital crackdowns
Updated 14 November 2024
Aamir Saeed

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said on Thursday around 20 million Pakistanis were daily attempting to access pornographic websites, which authorities have banned since 2011.

In November 2011, the PTA announced it was in the process of banning the 1,000 most-frequented porn websites in Pakistan. In 2016, the government ordered Internet Service Providers to block more than 400,000 websites which contained pornographic content, while in 2019, around 800,000 additional porn sites were banned by the PTA. 

“There are approximately 20 million daily attempts from within the country to access pornographic websites which are blocked at the international gateway,” the PTA statement said. 

“However, users bypass restrictions via VPNs and access porn contents. PTA remains fully committed to curbing this issue, taking all necessary measures to block this content effectively.

“So far PTA has blocked a total of 100,183 blasphemous URLs and 844,008 pornographic websites.”

The latest figures from the PTA come as it introduced a new portal for the registration of VPNs on Tuesday, a move that is being widely seen as an attempt by the government to block vital tools that allow users to bypass government restrictions amid a wave of digital crackdowns. 

Pakistan has already blocked access to social media platform X since the February general elections, with the government saying the blocking was to stop anti-state activities and due to a failure by X to adhere to local Pakistani laws. Rights activists say the blocking is designed to stifle critical voices and democratic accountability in the country, which the government denies. 

VPN users in Pakistan reported significant disruptions to services last weekend (Nov. 9-10), with issues relating to connectivity and restricted access. Downdetector reported disruption to TunnelBear VPN and VPN Unlimited but none of the best VPNs appeared to be affected.

The Proton VPN Observatory, run by the developers of one of the most secure VPNs, Proton, reported a spike in VPN usage in Pakistan on Nov. 9 and recorded a 350 percent increase in VPN sign-ups in Pakistan over Nov. 9-10. 

There are also reports Pakistan is imposing a national firewall, which the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) has said could cost the economy up to $300 million. In August, the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) warned that frequent Internet disruptions and low speeds caused by poor implementation of the firewall had led many multinational companies to consider relocating their offices out of Pakistan, with some having “already done so.”

Digital rights activists say Islamabad is implementing the Internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms, but the government denies the firewall is meant for censorship purposes. 

Topics: Porn sites Pakistan

Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028

Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028
Updated 14 November 2024
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Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028

Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028
  • Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole, known for its challenging terrain, by China in 2028
  • Pakistan’s rover will conduct scientific experiments such as lunar soil study and conduct tests for human presence
Updated 14 November 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency announced this week its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028, describing the development as a “significant milestone” for the South Asian country. 

The Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole by China, expected to launch in 2028. The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the country’s space program, said its rover will land on the lunar south pole in 2028 as part of the Chang’ E 8 mission. The south pole of the moon is known for its challenging terrain and potential scientific discoveries. 

In May, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

“SUPARCO’s rover, with an approximate weight of 35 kilograms, will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission, which is part of the larger International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project,” SUPARCO said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space program, as SUPARCO’s indigenous rover will be part of the mission to explore the lunar surface.”

SUPARCO said the mission would involve scientific experiments such as lunar soil study, lunar surface mapping and testing new technologies for human presence on the moon. It highlighted that the rover, equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, would play a pivotal role in collecting data.

“This collaboration with China highlights the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and their shared vision for space exploration,” it concluded.

Topics: suparco Pakistan space mission pakistan china space program

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