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Pakistani minister visits Turkiye to discuss security, prevention of human trafficking

Pakistani minister visits Turkiye to discuss security, prevention of human trafficking
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi (2nd right) at an international conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 22, 2024. (Radio Pakistan)
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Updated 5 min 33 sec ago
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Pakistani minister visits Turkiye to discuss security, prevention of human trafficking

Pakistani minister visits Turkiye to discuss security, prevention of human trafficking
  • Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Istanbul on Erdoğan’s invitation to attend an international conference
  • Both countries share close diplomatic ties, strengthened by mutual support on global issues
Updated 5 min 33 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Turkiye on Tuesday to discuss a range of issues, including security and the prevention of human trafficking, with officials on the sidelines of an international conference in Istanbul, according to an official statement issued in Islamabad.
The two countries have expressed growing concerns over the rise in human trafficking, particularly involving vulnerable migrants attempting to cross into Europe illegally. Many Pakistanis, driven by economic uncertainty, have fallen victim to traffickers, with some losing their lives while crossing seas on unsafe boats.
As Turkiye remains a key transit route for people trying to reach Europe without using official channels, both sides have worked to strengthen cooperation on this issue. Security remains another critical area of collaboration, particularly in countering transnational militant networks that threaten regional stability.
“Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will participate in an important international conference in Istanbul, which he is attending on the invitation of Turkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,” the interior ministry announced on social media after Naqvi’s arrival in Istanbul. “The minister will represent Pakistan at the international conference and will meet with Turkiye’s cabinet ministers and top leadership.”
“During the visit to Turkiye, discussions will focus on promoting bilateral cooperation on a sustainable basis,” the statement added. “Talks will also be held with Turkiye’s ministers and leadership on enhancing cooperation in areas like border management, security and the prevention of human trafficking.”
Turkiye and Pakistan also share close diplomatic ties, strengthened by mutual support on regional and international issues.
Their defense collaboration includes significant joint ventures, such as Turkiye’s modernization of Pakistan’s submarines and the construction of MILGEM-class corvettes for the Pakistan Navy.
These projects have enhanced Pakistan’s maritime capabilities, reflecting a deepening strategic partnership.

Topics: Mohsin Naqvi

Pakistan PM says constitutional amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge will bring speedy justice 

Pakistan PM says constitutional amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge will bring speedy justice 
Updated 11 sec ago
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Pakistan PM says constitutional amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge will bring speedy justice 

Pakistan PM says constitutional amendment empowering parliament to pick top judge will bring speedy justice 
  • The amendment allows for the establishment of constitutional benches to ease burden of cases on judiciary
  • Pakistanis often wait for long before their cases are fixed for hearings as the judiciary complains of a lack of judges
Updated 11 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday the 26th Constitutional Amendment, passed by parliament with two-thirds majority, would prove to be a “milestone” for the country’s political and economic stability and public welfare, Pakistani state media reported.
The statement came a day after the government approved a set of constitutional changes, allowing the formation of constitutional benches, empowering parliament to choose the country’s chief justice from a panel of three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, and setting a Jan. 1, 2028 deadline for the elimination of “Riba” or interest among other things.
While members of PM Sharif’s coalition government have hailed the amendment as a historic development aimed at benefitting the commoners, opposition parties and prominent lawyers have alleged the new legislation aims to curtail the independence of the country’s judiciary.
Speaking at a meeting of the federal cabinet, Sharif noted the 26h Constitutional Amendment was passed after in-depth consultations among the coalition members and with opposition parties in the country, the state-run APP news agency reported.
“The new legislation would surely bring ease for the common man who had to suffer owing to inordinate delays in seeking justice,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the APP.
Pakistani litigants often have to face prolonged delays before their cases are fixed for hearings, while the judiciary has complained in the past of a lack of judges to decide a plethora of pending cases.
At the same time, Pakistani politicians have also complained of judicial overreach into matters of governance, stoking tensions between the judiciary and the legislature.
Speaking further at the meeting, PM Sharif thanked his coalition partners as well as independent candidates for helping the amendment pass with two-thirds majority in both house of parliament.
“The tireless efforts led to the successful legislation which also manifested a true spirit of consultation,” he added.

Topics: 26th Constitutional Amendment

Ex-PM Khan aide says party will hold Pakistan-wide protests against constitutional amendment

Ex-PM Khan aide says party will hold Pakistan-wide protests against constitutional amendment
Updated 22 October 2024
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Ex-PM Khan aide says party will hold Pakistan-wide protests against constitutional amendment

Ex-PM Khan aide says party will hold Pakistan-wide protests against constitutional amendment
  • Khan’s PTI party, legal fraternity say government’s amendment aims to curtail independence of judiciary 
  • Ali Amin Gandapur says “continuous” and “final” protest will continue till government is not sent packing
Updated 22 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s close aide and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday said his party was planning to launch a “final” anti-government protest against the ruling coalition’s contentious constitutional amendments related to judicial reforms. 

Pakistan’s parliament passed the 26th amendment to the constitution on Sunday night with a two-thirds majority amid protests from the opposition and the country’s legal fraternity, who both allege the government intends to exercise power over key judicial appointments through them. Pakistan’s government denies the allegations, saying that the amendments establish the parliament’s supremacy and will enable speedy justice for the people. 

Khan’s party led protests in Punjab and Pakistan’s capital Islamabad against the constitutional amendments earlier this month. The protest triggered clashes with Pakistani police in Islamabad after authorities sealed off the capital’s main arteries with shipping containers, beefed up security and cut off mobile phone services. The clashes caused the death of one police constable and injuries to other cops. 

“This time we will make another final plan to protest which will be carried out across Pakistan,” Gandapur told reporters in the northwestern Peshawar city. “People will come forth from all over Pakistan and where they cannot advance [to Islamabad] due to restrictions, they will carry on the protest there, and will be joined by others.”

Without sharing any date for the protest, Gandapur said it would be a continuous one. 

“This protest will now continue till we do not rid ourselves of this government because it is now taking decisions for its selfish interests and not for 250 million people,” the chief minister said. 

PAKISTAN’S COMMITTEE TO NOMINATE TOP JUDGE

Pakistan’s National Assembly speaker on Tuesday formed a 12-member parliamentary committee, in line with the new constitutional amendment, to nominate the next chief justice from a panel of the three most senior judges of the apex court. The committee includes eight members from the treasury benches and four from the opposition, including PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Senator Ali Zafar. 

In a message to reporters, however, the party said its members will not participate in a meeting of the committee to pick the new chief justice. 

The committee has been formed to pick a new chief justice as Pakistan’s incumbent top judge, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is set to retire on Friday. 

Khan’s PTI has accused Justice Isa of being aligned with the government and says the amendment was passed to grant him an extension in office. The government has rejected these allegations.

Under the previous law, Justice Isa would have been automatically replaced by the most senior judge behind him, currently Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who has consistently issued verdicts deemed favorable to Khan and the PTI.

Sharif’s government has passed the bill, which it says ensures the parliament will not remain a rubber stamp one, in the wake of its tensions with the judiciary that have been on the rise since the February national election.

In July, Pakistan’s top court ruled that the country’s election commission was wrong to have sidelined Khan’s party in the election campaign by forcing its lawmakers to stand as independents due to a technical violation. It also awarded Khan’s party a handful of non-elected reserved parliamentary seats for women and religious minorities, which would give Khan’s party a majority in parliament, angering the government.

Khan, who was ousted from office after a parliamentary vote in April 2022, remains popular among the masses. He has since waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the country’s powerful military, which is thought to be aligned with the government. Khan has been languishing in prison since August 2023 after being convicted on several charges ranging from corruption to treason that he says are politically motivated. 

Topics: Pakistan Imran Khan PTI Ali Amin Gandapur

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Pakistan uses fans, heaters to prepare spin-friendly pitch for England Test decider in Rawalpindi

Pakistan uses fans, heaters to prepare spin-friendly pitch for England Test decider in Rawalpindi
Updated 22 October 2024
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Pakistan uses fans, heaters to prepare spin-friendly pitch for England Test decider in Rawalpindi

Pakistan uses fans, heaters to prepare spin-friendly pitch for England Test decider in Rawalpindi
  • Captain Shan Masood says he wants to see an ‘uncharacteristic Rawalpindi pitch’ for the Test match
  • Pakistan beat England in the second Test through spin, with two bowlers taking all 20 England wickets
Updated 22 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been preparing a cricket pitch to assist spinners in the final match and Test series decider against England by using “industrial-sized fans, windbreakers and outdoor heaters” to dry out the surface, reported a leading cricket website on Tuesday.

The South Asian nation beat England in the second Test, following Pakistani spinner Sajid Khan’s seven-wicket haul, assisted by spinner Nauman Ali. Both bowlers shared all 20 wickets as England was bowled out for 144 in their final innings.

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, where the final match will be played, has one of the flattest pitches in the country. Last month, Bangladesh offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 10 wickets at the same venue in a 2-0 win against Pakistan.

“Pakistan have stepped up attempts to prepare a spinning pitch for their Test series decider against England, using industrial-sized fans, outdoor heaters and windbreakers in a bid to dry out the surface at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium,” ESPNcricinfo said in a report.

It quoted Pakistani Captain Shan Masood as saying he would like to see an “uncharacteristic Rawalpindi pitch” for the decider beginning Thursday.

England Head Coach Brendon McCullum predicted that the pitch would be “the antithesis of a green seamer.”

Commenting on the pitch, the leading wicket-taker of the series, Jack Leach, told the BBC a day earlier that he did not know what to expect as he had not seen anything like this before.

“We’ll go to training and have a look at it. I feel quite clear about what I’m doing, and that doesn’t change depending on the wicket. We’ll see what it is.”

England’s 3-0 whitewash on their last trip to Pakistan in 2022 was the first clean sweep by any visiting team in the country and plunged the hosts into a slump that left them winless in 10 home Tests until the last one in Multan.

Topics: fan Multan Pakistan v England

Ahmed recalled as England pick spin-heavy team for third test against Pakistan

Ahmed recalled as England pick spin-heavy team for third test against Pakistan
Updated 22 October 2024
Reuters
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Ahmed recalled as England pick spin-heavy team for third test against Pakistan

Ahmed recalled as England pick spin-heavy team for third test against Pakistan
  • England play Pakistan for decider Test in Rawalpindi on Oct. 24
  • Pakistan are expected to create similar turning track for third Test
Updated 22 October 2024
Reuters

England have included three spinners in their team for their third and final test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, with Rehan Ahmed being recalled, the England and Wales cricket board (ECB) said on Tuesday.

England won the first test by an innings and 47 runs, before Pakistan levelled the series with a 152-run victory in Multan on a surface that offered plenty of turn — with spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan taking all 20 wickets.

Pakistan are expected to create a similar pitch for the final test match and Ahmed will feature alongside fellow spinners Shoaib Bashir and Jack Leach, while fast bowler Gus Atkinson was also brought in.

“We know it’s probably not going to swing and seam and do all sorts in the first session, so we look at the pitch and work out what the best team is going to be,” England batter Harry Brook told the BBC.

Ahmed, 20, played his first test match in 2022 during England’s tour of Pakistan, taking a five-wicket haul on his debut as the visitors completed a 3-0 sweep of the series.

“He’s an outstanding cricketer. It’s not just his bowling, but his batting and fielding. He’s a young lad so he has a lot of time to come,” Brook said.

“He got five-for in the last test here, so hopefully he can do that again.”

England quicks Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts miss out.

England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir. 

Topics: England v Pakistan Pakistan Multan Rehan Ahmed Arab News Pakistan

World March for Peace and Non-Violence to visit Pakistan from October 26 to 31

World March for Peace and Non-Violence to visit Pakistan from October 26 to 31
Updated 22 October 2024
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World March for Peace and Non-Violence to visit Pakistan from October 26 to 31

World March for Peace and Non-Violence to visit Pakistan from October 26 to 31
  • The march was first launched in 2009 and has since become a powerful platform for international peacebuilding
  • The marchers will make stops in Karachi and Lahore where civil society members are expected in large numbers
Updated 22 October 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Members of the World March for Peace and Non-Violence will visit Pakistan from October 26 to 31, making stops in Karachi and Lahore, the two biggest cities in the country, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

The march, a global initiative promoting peace, nonviolence and disarmament, was first launched in 2009 and has since expanded to become a powerful platform for building international solidarity, with previous marches covering hundreds of cities worldwide.

The current, third edition of the march began from San José in Costa Rica on October 2, 2024, and will conclude at the same place on January 5, 2025, after traveling across five continents.​

“The members of the march will visit Pakistan from 26 to 31 October and will visit Karachi and Lahore,” said the statement circulated by the interior ministry. “Members from Pakistan will join the march in Karachi. Civil society and activists for peace are likely to join in large numbers.”

The first world march, organized in 400 cities across the globe in 2009, aimed to promote a culture of peace and disarmament.

The second edition spanned 51 countries and 122 cities, further expanding the movement’s reach. This third edition is expected to have an even larger impact, with Pakistan being a significant stop on its route.

Pakistan has also contributed to conflict prevention and management by joining United Nations peacekeeping missions across the world.

Topics: World March for Peace

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