Pakistani security forces kill 19 militants in separate shootouts
Troops killed nine militants in the first overnight raid in Bajaur district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
Police said officers also shot and killed 10 militants in Mianwali, a district in the eastern Punjab province
Updated 2 min 1 sec ago
AP
PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces faced off with insurgents in three separate shootouts, killing 19 militants, officials said Thursday.
Troops killed 9 militants in the first overnight raid in Bajaur, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said in a statement without providing further details. Weapons and ammunition were seized from a hideout in Bajaur which used to be a base for militants until many were killed or forced out in multiple security operations.
Meanwhile, police said an intense exchange of fire was still ongoing in another district, Dera Ismail Khan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in the volatile northwestern region that borders Afghanistan, is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban.
Also on Thursday, police said in a statement officers shot and killed 10 militants in Mianwali, a district in the eastern Punjab province. No details about the slain insurgents were shared.
Pakistani Taliban in recent months have repeatedly attacked officers in Mianwali.
The TTP is a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban takeover next door has emboldened the
Pakistani Taliban who have stepped up attacks on Pakistani forces.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office this week issued an advisory warning its citizens who intend on traveling to Iraq to exercise “extreme caution” after Turkiye struck alleged militant targets in the country and Syria.
The foreign office’s statement came hours after Turkiye’s Air Force said it struck Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria in apparent retaliation for an attack on a state-run defense company that killed five people and wounded more than 20 in Ankara on Wednesday.
“In the developments in the region, Pakistani nationals planning to travel to Iraq are advised to exercise extreme caution until the situation stabilizes and airline operations return to normal,” the foreign office said in a statement on Thursday.
“For further information and facilitation, Pakistan Embassy in Baghdad can be contacted at the following contact numbers: +964-783 495 0311, +964- 772 997 7773.”
The latest surge in hostilities in the Middle East is a continuation of spiraling tensions in the region following Israel’s military campaigns in Palestine and Lebanon.
The Jewish state has killed over 42,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023 and also launched its full-scale military campaign against Hezbollah almost a year later. Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has fired rockets into northern Israel in support of Palestinians.
More than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel’s fresh assaults, including 1,900 in the past five weeks, according to the country’s health ministry. Israeli authorities say 59 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani superstar Fawad Khan has ventured into two new upcoming projects, a crime thriller series and a dark comedy film, renowned American magazine Variety reported this week.
Khan enjoys heartthrob status in both Pakistan and India and has played the lead in Bollywood hits “Khoobsurat” (2014) and “Kapoor & Sons” (2016). He also starred in “Ms. Marvel” (2022) and “The Legend of Maula Jatt” (2022), Pakistan’s biggest hit of all time.
“Behind the Scenes, a newsroom thriller, is being developed by producers Bilal Sami, Raza Namazi and Suri Gopalan of Film Lab++, in collaboration with Khan,” Variety reported on Tuesday, adding that the announcement was made at the Tasveer Film Market in Seattle.
The dark comedy will feature Mehreen Jabbar (Jackson Heights), Sarmad Khoosat (Joyland) and Mohammed Ali Naqvi (Insha’Allah Democracy) behind the camera, Variety said.
Khan’s second project is a crime thriller series for the production company Awedacious Originals. The series is based on Omar Shahid’s bestseller, “The Prisoner,” in which he will play one of two daring cops who embark on a covert mission to topple Karachi’s powerful mafia-like political party.
The drama has been created by Parisa Siddiqi and Ahmer Khan.
Khan was last seen as the lead of the hit Zindagi series “Barzakh,” which debuted at Series Mania in 2023.
Smith, late wickets rescue England in third Pakistan Test
England fight back to reduce Pakistan to 73-3 after being bowled out for 267
Thirteen wickets fell on day one of dry and spin-friendly pitch at Rawalpindi
Updated 24 October 2024
AFP
RAWALPINDI: England fought back to reduce Pakistan to 73-3 on the first day of the series-deciding third Test in Rawalpindi Thursday, after off-spinner Sajid Khan took six wickets.
Sajid finished with 6-128 and left-arm spinner Noman Ali took 3-88 after a rearguard 89 by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith enabled England to recover to 267 from a precarious 110-5 at lunch.
At the close, Pakistan captain Shan Masood and Saud Shakeel were both unbeaten on 16, with the home team trailing by 194 and the match in the balance.
On a dry and spin-friendly Rawalpindi pitch, 13 wickets fell on day one with all but one going to spin bowlers.
In the final session, England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir dismissed Abdullah Shafique for 14 and left-armer Jack Leach accounted for Saim Ayub who had made 19.
Gus Atkinson was the only fast bowler to take a wicket, dismissing Kamran Ghulam for three.
Pakistan’s Sajid Khan celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England’s Rehan Ahmed during the third Test between England and Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 24, 2024. (REUTERS)
“The pitch helped us for the first 25 overs, but when the ball got softer it was difficult to spin the ball,” said Sajid, who took nine wickets in the second Test victory in Multan.
“Smith played a brilliant knock otherwise we could have got them out for under 200. We need a good first-innings lead to win this Test,” admitted Sajid.
England were in huge trouble at 118-6 after they lost captain Ben Stokes in the third over of the second session, caught by Sajid for 12.
But Smith, who reached his fifty off 94 balls, and Atkinson (39) added 105 for the seventh wicket to rescue their side.
Pakistan’s Saim Ayub jumps but fails to take a catch of England’s Jamie Smith on the boundary edgeduring the third Test between England and Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 24, 2024. (AP)
Smith fell 11 runs short of his second Test century after enabling England to add 149 for their last four wickets.
Smith smashed six towering sixes and five fours in his 119-ball knock before he was caught off a miscued slog against spinner Zahid Mahmood in the last over before tea.
“I want to be someone who does well in all conditions, not just at home,” said Smith, who is playing his first Test series overseas.
“To come out here and to put in that performance is quite pleasing.”
Pakistan’s Zahid Mahmood celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England’s Jamie Smith, caught out by Mohammad Rizwan during the third Test between England and Pakistan at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 24, 2024. (REUTERS)
After tea, Sajid removed Rehan Ahmed for nine to complete his third five-wicket haul before also dismissing Leach for 16.
The morning session was dominated by second Test heroes Sajid and Noman who bowled unchanged for 42 overs at the start of England’s innings.
After England won the toss and opted to bat, Pakistan opened with the spin duo, who benefited from the parched pitch offering turn and low bounce from the first ball.
It was only the fourth time in Test cricket history the new ball on the first morning had been taken by two spinners and the first time in Pakistan.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett raced to 56 in a confident start but England lost Crawley (29), Ollie Pope (three) and Joe Root (five) for just 24 runs to be 80-3.
Noman had Crawley caught off a miscued drive while Sajid removed Pope and Root leg before.
Duckett, who completed a half-century off 76 balls, was trapped lbw by Noman for 52 after hitting four fours and a six to leave England 98-4.
That became 98-5 five balls later when first Test triple centurion Harry Brook was bowled behind his legs by Sajid for five attempting a sweep.
Both teams included three spinners on a grassless pitch which the hosts dried with fans and heaters in the build-up.
Sajid and Noman shared all 20 wickets in Pakistan’s second Test win to level the series at 1-1 after England won the first by an innings, with both matches taking place in Multan.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari on Thursday met his counterpart from Iran and Chinese energy officials to discuss cross-border collaboration and energy cooperation, the Power Division said in a statement.
Pakistan has suffered from a prolonged energy crisis that stems largely from a gap in the energy the country’s energy supplies and electricity demand.
Cash-strapped Pakistan lacks adequate resources to run its oil- and gas-powered plants and imports most of its energy needs. The country’s energy crisis has taken a toll on its economy as it struggles with a chronic balance of payments crisis, inflation and currency devaluation.
Leghari met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Ali Abadi on the sidelines of the Third Belt & Road Ministerial Conference held in Qingdao, China.
“Minister Awais Leghari underscored the importance of cross-border energy projects in boosting connectivity and trade,” the Power Division said. “Both sides discussed future collaboration, particularly focusing on the development of electricity projects in Gwadar, Balochistan.”
Both stressed the importance of strengthening energy cooperation in power plant operations and maintenance, the statement said, adding that they emphasized the need for regular coordination and communication.
Separately, Leghari held separate meetings with Yao Huan, vice president of Power China and Ni Zhen, the general manager of Energy China, in Qingdao.
“Recalling historic visit of Premier Li Qiang to Pakistan, Minister for Power conveyed Pakistan’s desire to modernize power dispatch and transmission systems, aimed at cutting lines and other losses,” the Power Division said.
In the meeting with Huan, both sides discussed establishing a state-of-the-art research and development center in Pakistan to facilitate the integration of advanced technologies and best practices into the country’s energy framework.
With Zhen, both representatives discussed enhancing the energy mix and advancing new technologies into power generation and dispatch systems, the Power Division said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir on Thursday witnessed the Indus Shield regional aerial warfare exercises in Rawalpindi, the military’s media wing said, expressing satisfaction over the national air force’s combat readiness and modernization.
Indus Shield-2024 is the largest multinational regional exercise in which air forces from 24 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkiye and others are taking part. The exercise aims to foster interoperability and training through state-of-the-art facilities.
Pakistan frequently holds exercise drills with its regional allies, including those from the Middle East, to strengthen defense ties and bolster regional security.
“COAS expressed his satisfaction over the combat readiness of Pakistan Air Force and the progress made through various modernization and up-gradation programs,” the army’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
In this handout photograph, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on October 24, 2024, Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir watches aerial exercise during the Indus Shield-2024 in Rawalpindi. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)
Munir was briefed about the PAF’s modernization efforts to stay abreast with security challenges, the ISPR said, adding that he also witnessed exercise operations with the static display of various technologies.
“COAS also interacted with the aircrew and appreciated the resolve of PAF personnel to safeguard the aerial frontiers of Pakistan,” the ISPR said. “He emphasized the critical role of inter-service collaboration, which he believes is essential for achieving operational success.”
In this handout photograph, taken and released by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on October 24, 2024, Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir meets security personnel at the Indus Shield-2024 in Rawalpindi. (Photo courtesy: ISPR)
Air Chief Marshal Sidhu briefed Munir about the modernization and indigenization drive being undertaken by the PAF by inducting state-of-the-art weapons.
“While speaking at the occasion, the air chief highlighted that the ongoing exercise Indus Shield-2024 will go a long way in bolstering interoperability among the participating nations and will train their air & ground crews to face contemporary warfare challenges,” the military’s media wing concluded.
