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‘Sacrifice won’t go to waste,’ Pakistan PM says as five soldiers killed in IED blast 

‘Sacrifice won’t go to waste,’ Pakistan PM says as five soldiers killed in IED blast 
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) and army chief attend the memorial service of Pakistan Army's sepoy Haroon William at the Saint Paul's Church, Rawalpindi, on June 22, 2024. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)
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Updated 22 June 2024
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‘Sacrifice won’t go to waste,’ Pakistan PM says as five soldiers killed in IED blast 

‘Sacrifice won’t go to waste,’ Pakistan PM says as five soldiers killed in IED blast 
  • IED blast targeted vehicle carrying security forces in Kurram district in northwestern province
  • Top officials attend funeral of Sepoy Haroon William, Christian soldier who was killed in latest blast 
Updated 22 June 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the sacrifice of Pakistan army soldiers killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in northwestern Pakistan this week wouldn’t go to waste, as he vowed to continue the South Asian nation’s ‘war against terrorism.’
The IED blast targeted a vehicle carrying security forces personnel in Kurram district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistan army’s media wing said in a statement. 
The blast comes amid a rise in terror attacks mostly claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, an ally of the Afghan Taliban but a separate group, which has stepped up its assaults in the region since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan says the TTP uses Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan, a charge that Kabul denies. 
On Saturday, Sharif and other top government and military officers including the army chief attended the funeral prayers in Islamabad of Sepoy Haroon William, a Christian soldier who was killed in the Kurram IED blast. 
“The army’s history is filled with such sacrifices. In yesterday’s unfortunate incident, Haroon William sacrificed his life for the motherland,” Sharif said as he addressed the funeral service. “Me, army chief and everyone hail their sacrifice for the nation, I believe this sacrifice will not go to waste.”
A day earlier, Sharif had vowed to continue “the war against the menace [of terrorism] till its complete elimination.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent years, predominantly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In January 2023 militants killed at least 101 people, mostly police officers, when a suicide bomber disguised as a policeman attacked a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar. In another major attack, five Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing on their convoy in March.
Earlier this month, a report by the provincial counter-terrorism department (CTD) said 65 police officials were killed and 86 wounded in 237 incidents of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past five months. Police had killed 117 militants and arrested 299 others in a series of operations, the report added. 
Pakistani authorities often say Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are providing shelter to TTP fighters across the two nations’ shared border. The Afghan Taliban government insists it doesn’t allow anyone to use Afghan soil for violence in another country. The TTP has also said it is not using Afghan soil to target troops in Pakistan.

Topics: Pakistan Army militancy in Pakistan

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

Pakistan fined, docked 5 points for slow over rate against South Africa

Pakistan fined, docked 5 points for slow over rate against South Africa
Updated 07 January 2025
AP
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Pakistan fined, docked 5 points for slow over rate against South Africa

Pakistan fined, docked 5 points for slow over rate against South Africa
  • Pakistan was ruled to be five overs short of target after time allowances were taken into consideration
  • South Africa swept Pakistan 2-0 in the series with a 10-wicket win inside four days in the second Test
Updated 07 January 2025
AP

DUBAI: The ICC has fined Pakistan players 25 percent of their match fee and also docked the team five World Test Championship points for maintaining a slow over-rate against South Africa in the second Test at Newlands.
South Africa, which will take on Australia in the WTC final at Lord’s in June, swept Pakistan 2-0 in the series with a 10-wicket win inside four days in the second Test.
The ICC said in a statement that match referee Richie Richardson of the West Indies imposed the sanction after “Pakistan was ruled to be five overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.”
According to the ICC code of conduct, players are fined five percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time. The teams are also penalized one WTC point for each over short.
The ICC also said that Pakistan captain Shan Masood accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
Pakistan is at No. 8 in the points table just above last-placed West Indies.

Topics: Pakistan vs South Africa Pakistan cricket team

Pakistan to hire consultant in few weeks for regulatory framework on satellite-based Internet

Pakistan to hire consultant in few weeks for regulatory framework on satellite-based Internet
Updated 07 January 2025
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Pakistan to hire consultant in few weeks for regulatory framework on satellite-based Internet

Pakistan to hire consultant in few weeks for regulatory framework on satellite-based Internet
  • Pakistan, a country of more than 240 million, has witnessed up to 40 percent drop in Internet speeds in the last few months
  • The country is in talks with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite Internet provider, plans to link up with 2Africa submarine cable
Updated 07 January 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be hiring a consultant to finalize regulations regarding satellite-based Internet services in the country, its information technology (IT) ministry said on Monday.
The statement came after State Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja chaired a meeting in Islamabad to review progress on licensing of Starlink Services, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, and regulatory frameworks for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
Pakistan, a country of over 240 million, has witnessed up to 40 percent drop in Internet speeds in the last few months, according to the Wireless and Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).
The drop came as the federal government last year moved to implement a nationwide firewall to block malicious content and protect government networks from cyberattacks, with IT associations saying the slowdowns have resulted in significant losses.
“During the meeting, it was decided that consultant hiring will be completed in a few weeks, for regulations,” the Pakistani IT ministry said.
“The minister emphasized the need for aligning Pakistan’s policies with global standards to unlock satellite technology’s full potential for national growth.”
Pakistan suffered a total of $1.62 billion losses due to Internet outages and social media shutdowns in 2024, according to a report by global Internet monitor Top10VPN.com, surpassing losses in war-torn countries like Sudan and Myanmar.
The report, released on Jan. 2, said Pakistan experienced 9,735 hours of Internet disruptions that affected 82.9 million users, with elections and protests cited as the primary causes.
The IT state minister last month confirmed that Pakistan was in talks with Musk’s Starlink to bring satellite Internet services to the country.
“Discussions [at Monday’s meeting] focused on expediting these processes to ensure a robust regulatory framework for LEO satellites, enhancing connectivity, and driving technological innovation,” the IT ministry added.
Pakistan also plans to enhance its Internet speeds and connectivity by linking up with the 2Africa submarine cable later this year, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), which regulates Internet in the South Asian country.
2Africa, one of the world’s largest submarine cable systems, spans 45,000 kilometers and connects 46 locations across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, offering speeds of up to 180 Tbps.

Topics: Pakistan internet Starlink satellites

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