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Iran says 10 guards killed during clash with militants in province bordering Pakistan

Iran says 10 guards killed during clash with militants in province bordering Pakistan
In this file picture, taken on February 25, 2020, Pakistani soldiers stand guard at the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan. (AFP/File)
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Updated 28 October 2024
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Iran says 10 guards killed during clash with militants in province bordering Pakistan

Iran says 10 guards killed during clash with militants in province bordering Pakistan
  • Armed gangs clashed with border police patrol in Taftan located in Sistan-Baluchestan province, says Iranian state media
  • Pakistan and Iran are often at odds over instability on shared porous border, blaming each other for not rooting out militants
Updated 28 October 2024
SAADULLAH AKHTER
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ISLAMABAD: Ten Iranian border guards were killed in Taftan city, located in the country’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province bordering Pakistan, during clashes with militants, Iran’s state media reported on Saturday.
One of Iran’s poorest regions, Sistan-Baluchistan on the border with Pakistan has long been plagued by unrest involving drug-smuggling gangs, rebels from the Baloch minority and religiously motivated militants.
“Sistan and Baluchestan police information base announced in a statement that a few hours ago, armed gangs clashed with the border police patrol in Goharkoh, Taftan city, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, and killed 10 border guards,” state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said in a post on its website.
The state media said Iran’s minister of interior appointed a team to investigate the “dimensions of this incident.”
Pakistan and Iran have had a history of rocky relations despite a number of commercial pacts, with Islamabad being historically closer to Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Pakistan and Iran are also often at odds over instability on their shared porous border, with both countries routinely trading blame for not rooting out militancy.
The militant group Jaish Al-Adl (Army of Justice) has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Iranian forces in Sistan and Baluchestan. 
Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s countries. Both sides have since then undertaken peace overtures and restored bilateral ties.

Topics: Pakistan Iran border

Paramilitary soldier killed in attack targeting Levies checkpost in Pakistan’s southwest

Paramilitary soldier killed in attack targeting Levies checkpost in Pakistan’s southwest
Updated 25 sec ago
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Paramilitary soldier killed in attack targeting Levies checkpost in Pakistan’s southwest

Paramilitary soldier killed in attack targeting Levies checkpost in Pakistan’s southwest
  • Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemns attack, vows to defeat militancy in country
  • Southwestern Balochistan has long faced a low-level insurgency by Baloch militants
Updated 25 sec ago
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned a “terrorist attack” that targeted a Levies checkpost in southwestern Pakistan and resulted in the killing of one paramilitary soldier, his office said. 

The casualty occurred in southwestern Balochistan’s Kalat district where a checkpost of the paramilitary Levies force was targeted in an attack, Sharif’s office said. As per local media reports, two other Levies personnel were injured. 

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a Levies post in Kalat,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. “The prime minister pays tribute to martyred officer Ali Nawaz.”

Sharif also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel, saying that “terrorists” were enemies of Balochistan’s progress and development. 

“Will not allow the nefarious objectives of terrorists to succeed,” Sharif was quoted as saying by the PMO. 

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources, such as gold and copper, while neglecting the local population.

Pakistan’s government denies these allegations, saying it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.

Earlier this month, 18 soldiers were killed and five, including two civilians, were injured after separatist militants launched overnight attacks in Balochistan’s Mangochar town. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.

Indian cricketers arrive in Dubai for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

Indian cricketers arrive in Dubai for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
Updated 42 min 43 sec ago
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Indian cricketers arrive in Dubai for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy

Indian cricketers arrive in Dubai for Pakistan-hosted Champions Trophy
  • India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on Feb. 20
  • Dubai will host India’s Champions Trophy matches due to tensions with Pakistan
Updated 42 min 43 sec ago
Fatimah Amjad

ISLAMABAD: India’s national cricket squad arrived in Dubai this week to take part in the Champions Trophy 2025 cricket tournament hosted by Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed this week. 

Led by skipper Rohit Sharma, India will begin their campaign to win the trophy on Feb. 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai. 

India’s government refused to send its team to Pakistan for the tournament due to political tensions and security concerns. As a result, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed that India will play all of its matches in Dubai as a form of a hybrid model. 

“Touchdown Dubai,” BCCI wrote on its Instagram profile on Saturday. “Indian cricket team has arrived for Champions Trophy 2025.”

A video uploaded by the BCCI shows Indian cricketers Sharma, Virat Kohli and others embarking their tour bus and arriving at their hotel. 

India will take on Pakistan in Dubai on Feb. 23 in what is being touted as one of the most anticipated cricket clashes of the year.

India’s matches with Pakistan draw thousands of spectators to stadiums across the globe while millions tune in from their homes.

Defending champions Pakistan beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 by 180 runs to lift the trophy.

Pakistan share Group A with India, New Zealand and Bangladesh. They take on New Zealand in the southern port city of Karachi on Feb. 19. 

Topics: Champions Trophy 2025 ICC Pakistan Dubai Team India

Pakistan’s Punjab launches campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore to curb smog

Pakistan’s Punjab launches campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore to curb smog
Updated 16 February 2025
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Pakistan’s Punjab launches campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore to curb smog

Pakistan’s Punjab launches campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore to curb smog
  • Punjab to plant 634,000 trees along banks of River Ravi in Lahore, says provincial minister
  • Provincial government has already planted 105,000 trees over 44 acres of land, she says 
Updated 16 February 2025
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has launched a campaign to plant 634,000 trees in Lahore in its bid to curb smog in the eastern city, a minister of the provincial government said on Sunday. 

Air pollution or smog choked Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, particularly Lahore, for weeks in November 2024, sickening nearly two million people and shrouding vast swathes of the province in a toxic haze.

The intense air pollution forced Punjab to close schools and offices, ban outdoor activities and shorten timings for restaurants, shops and markets last year in a bid to control the smog. Lahore also consistently ranked among the world’s most polluted cities in the world. 

Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that the provincial government has launched the tree plantation project on 978 acres of land on the banks of River Ravi in Lahore. 

“A tree plantation campaign in Lahore is essential to end air pollution and extreme heat,” Aurangzeb said. “A green belt on 978 acres on the banks of the Ravi River will provide fresh oxygen and clean air to citizens.”

She urged citizens to join the government in its efforts to erect “a wall of trees” in Lahore to ensure a smog-free Lahore, adding that 105,000 trees have already been planted on 144 acres of land near River Ravi. 

Punjab’s battle against smog led it to install Pakistan’s first locally designed smog cleaning tower in Lahore in December 2024. Smog towers are large-scale air purifiers designed to reduce pollution by filtering out fine particulate matter and other harmful pollutants. 

Using fans, the towers draw in polluted air, which passes through high-efficiency filters to capture PM2.5 and PM10 particles, which pose severe health risks. The cleaned air is then released back into the surrounding area, improving local air quality.

Topics: Pakistan Lahore

Pakistan to launch highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament in Lahore today

Pakistan to launch highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament in Lahore today
Updated 16 February 2025
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Pakistan to launch highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament in Lahore today

Pakistan to launch highly anticipated Champions Trophy tournament in Lahore today
  • Key figures from ICC, PCB, other boards, foreign envoys and cricket legends to attend event at Lahore Fort
  • Defending champions Pakistan will play first match of the tournament on Feb. 19 against New Zealand 
Updated 16 February 2025
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will launch the highly anticipated Champions Trophy cricket tournament at the iconic Lahore Fort today, Sunday, state-run media reported as participating teams other than India arrive in the host country. 

Defending champions Pakistan are the hosts of the Champions Trophy 2025 edition, an eight-nation 50-over cricket tournament. The first match will be played from Feb. 19-Mar. 9 when Pakistan face New Zealand in the southern port city of Karachi. 

The ceremony will be attended by key figures from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and ICC member boards. Foreign envoys, former cricketers and Pakistan’s political leadership will also attend the event. 

Some captains of competing teams are also likely to attend the event at the sprawling lawns of the fort.

“The ceremony at the Lahore Fort will officially launch the tournament,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Saturday.

Despite Pakistan hosting the tournament, four matches, including the first semifinal, will be co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan.

The UAE was inducted as the co-host after the Indian cricket board refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan to play in the tournament due to political tensions and security concerns. 

The Indian team will play its group matches against Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Dubai Cricket Stadium while the first semifinal will also be played at the same venue.

The final of the tournament will also be played in Dubai if India qualify for it. The traditional captains’ photoshoot will not take place ahead of the trophy due to the absence of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. 

New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, England and Afghanistan have already reached Pakistan. Only two warm-up matches are scheduled in Pakistan while the third and last one will be played in the UAE between Pakistan Shaheens and Bangladesh.

Pakistan won the Champions Trophy tournament in 2017 under former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed’s leadership, beating India in the final by 180 runs in a one-sided contest. 

Topics: Champions Trophy 2025 Lahore

Pakistan finance minister to attend Emerging Market Economies conference in Saudi Arabia today

Pakistan finance minister to attend Emerging Market Economies conference in Saudi Arabia today
Updated 16 February 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 
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Pakistan finance minister to attend Emerging Market Economies conference in Saudi Arabia today

Pakistan finance minister to attend Emerging Market Economies conference in Saudi Arabia today
  • Muhammad Aurangzeb to take part in panel discussion moderated by IMF’s managing director, says state media 
  • Nine-session conference will be attended by 200 participants, 36 speakers from 48 countries, says Radio Pakistan
Updated 16 February 2025
Shahjahan Khurram 

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will represent Pakistan at the two-day Emerging Market Economies Conference today, Sunday, in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla city, state broadcaster reported. 

The conference is being held from Feb. 16-17 in AlUla in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Kingdom’s Ministry of Finance.

The nine-session conference would be attended by 200 participants and 36 speakers from 48 countries. The event will bring together emerging market finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers, public and private sector leaders, international institutions and academics.

“He [Aurangzeb] is scheduled to participate in a high-level panel discussion, moderated by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, on the topic of ‘The Path to Emerging Markets,’” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

Aurangzeb is attending the conference at the invitation of his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan. The two ministers met ahead of the conference on Saturday, stressing the importance of unlocking the full potential of their economic relationship. 

Their discussions highlighted opportunities for enhancing bilateral trade, investments and financial collaboration, Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday, with both ministers expressing their dedication to unlocking the full potential of their countries’ strategic partnership. 

Pakistan is navigating a fragile economic recovery under a $7 billion IMF loan program secured in September 2024, after implementing austerity measures and policy reforms to avert a sovereign default in 2023.

To facilitate Pakistan’s economic recovery, Saudi Arabia signed 34 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth $2.8 billion last October to boost private sector investment in key areas, including energy, infrastructure and technology.

The global conference takes place at a time when the world economy is facing persistent shocks, trade tensions between major world powers, geopolitical instability and tight financial conditions. 

Topics: Emerging Market Economies conference Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb

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