Pakistan’s Rayyan Zaman wins Under-9 title at Redtone International Junior Squash Championship

Pakistan’s Rayyan Zaman wins Under-9 title at Redtone International Junior Squash Championship
Pakistan’s Rayyan Zaman (center) poses for a picture after winning the Under-9 title at the 16th Redtone International Junior Squash Championship 2024 held in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 8, 2024. (Radio Pakistan)
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Updated 09 December 2024
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Pakistan’s Rayyan Zaman wins Under-9 title at Redtone International Junior Squash Championship

Pakistan’s Rayyan Zaman wins Under-9 title at Redtone International Junior Squash Championship
  • Zaman defeated Malaysia’s Sai Nideesh 3-0 to secure the win
  • The tournament was held in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia on Dec. 3-8

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash player Muhammad Rayyan Zaman has clinched the Under-9 title at the 16th Redtone International Junior Squash Championship 2024 held in Malaysia, Pakistani state-run media reported on Monday.

This year’s tournament was held in Kaula Lampur from Dec. 3-8. The Asian Squash Federation organizes the annual junior squash tournament featuring players from different countries.

Zaman, grandson of squash legend Qamar Zaman and son of Mansoor Zaman, defeated Malaysia’s Nideesh 11/7, 11/5, 11/7 in the final, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.

“Zaman’s victory in the Under-9 category is a significant achievement and it highlights his potential to become a top-ranked squash player in the future,” the report read.

The tournament brought together some of the best squash players from Asia, the report said, adding that Zaman’s win reflected the hard work and dedication of his coaches, trainers and family members.

In September, Pakistani squash veteran Group Captain (retired) Irfan Asghar won the 6th Asian Master Squash Championship 2024 in Macau, China by defeating Ryun Hoe Koo 3-0. The victory marked Asghar’s second triumph in the Asian Master Squash Championship after his previous title win in 2010.


Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift

Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift
Updated 40 sec ago
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Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift

Pakistani politicians see field marshal rank as affirmation of army chief’s influence, not a power shift
  • The government elevated Army Chief Asim Munir to field marshal on Tuesday, making him only the second officer to attain the title in the country
  • The promotion came over a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, killing around 70 people on both sides

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani politicians and analysts have said that the country’s top military commander Asim Munir’s promotion to the field marshal rank, which followed Pakistan’s recent standoff with India, would not further affect the political landscape as he already held “great influence.”

The Pakistani government elevated Army Chief Munir to the rank of field marshal on Tuesday, making him only the second military officer after Ayub Khan to attain the title in the history of the South Asian country.

The promotion came more than a week after Pakistan declared victory in a four-day military conflict with India, which saw the archfoes trade missile, drone and artillery strikes, killing around 70 people on both sides.

The office of the army chief is widely seen as the most powerful position in Pakistan, a country where the military has directly ruled for nearly half its history and wields considerable influence in matters of national significance even during civilian rule.

“It will, God willing, have no [further] impact on political space or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI),” Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a spokesperson of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan-led PTI party, told Arab News this week.

“He already held all the influence.”

 Khan’s PTI has been at loggerheads with the military since the downfall of its administration in 2022 and on May 9, 2023, hundreds of people carrying its flags had attacked government and military installations over the ex-premier’s arrest in a graft case. The attacks followed hundreds of arrests and dozens of Khan supporters were even tried in military courts.

The PTI denies it instigated its followers to violence and accuses the military and its political rivals of a nationwide crackdown on its supporters. The Pakistani government and the military deny the accusation.

Bukhari called Munir’s promotion an “internal matter” of the army.

“It’s generally an internal matter for the army as a result of a victory against India,” he said, adding that the entire nation celebrated that victory and ceasefire.

“We hope that with this promotion, an internal ceasefire is also reached.”

For National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who is also the vice president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, the promotion was not only a recognition of an individual’s capability, but also an acknowledgment of the sacrifices and professional competence of the Pakistani armed forces.

“Field Marshal Munir thwarted the enemy’s nefarious designs with great courage and strategy,” he said, adding the decision of his elevation would further boost the morale of the military and promote national unity.

On Thursday, Pakistan’s top political leadership conferred the baton of field marshal on Army Chief Munir at a ceremony in Islamabad. PM Shehbaz Sharif praised him for his “unflinching courage” and the army for responding with speed and precision to Indian military strikes.

The strikes were triggered by an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), maintained the promotion of the army chief was a “merit-based decision” by the government as he fully deserved it.

“This move has no political angle, neither has been done to harm anyone. So, all should appreciate it,” he told Arab News.

Liaqat Baloch, a senior member of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, said it was the government’s prerogative to make such promotions.

“I think now Field Marshal Munir should work for the supremacy of the constitution,” he said, adding it would further elevate his status among people.

Baloch said the move would not have much impact on political parties, including the PTI or any other opposition group.

Political analysts believed the promotion will further strengthen army chief’s commanding position in the power structure of the country.

“Field Marshal Munir now holds a central and commanding position within the power structure, especially in light of the current weakness and disunity among civilian political leaders,” Mushahid Hussain Syed, a seasoned politician and political commentator, told Arab News.

Even before the standoff with India, he said, all major political forces were already convinced of the establishment’s central role in Pakistan’s power dynamics.

“All the mainstream political forces are convinced that the path to Islamabad passes through Rawalpindi [home to army headquarters],” he added.

But Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), said the top military commander’s promotion would not “further shrink political space for the opposition,” including Khan’s party.

“I do not think this promotion would lead to greater influence in the government affairs than he [Asim Munir] already has,” he added.

Defense analyst and author, Ayesha Siddiqa, called the promotion a “political decision” by the ruling PML-N party to “appease” the most powerful individuals within the country.

“It is a political decision because the basis on which this title is given [the standoff with India] was not even an all-out war,” she told Arab News.

“This is possibly a move by the PML-N to ensure that the army chief stays happy and does not consider too seriously any major [rapprochement] vis-a-vis [the jailed former premier] Khan.”


Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN

Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN
Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN

Pakistan says will present evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan school bus bombing at UN
  • India has denied any involvement in the attack that killed six people, including four school children
  • Pakistan’s UN envoy says many countries have expressed concern over India’s suspension of IWT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will raise the recent militant attack on a school bus in the southwestern Balochistan province at the United Nations (UN) and present evidence of Indian involvement to the international community, said the country’s top diplomat at the UN on Thursday.

At least six people, including four children, were killed on Wednesday when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device targeted a school bus en route to an army-run school in the Khuzdar district.

Balochistan has witnessed a separatist insurgency for decades, though it has intensified more recently, with groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carrying out high-casualty attacks on civilians and security forces.

Pakistan says such militant outfits are backed by India, though New Delhi denies the claim. The Indian administration also distanced itself from the Khuzdar school bus bombing, attributing such acts of violence to Pakistan’s “internal failures.”

“This was a heinous terrorist act directed against children, against students, [which is] totally unacceptable and condemnable,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told Arab News in an interview.

“Pakistan is going to share the evidence [of Indian involvement] with the members of the international community, including in the UN,” he continued.

Ahmad said Pakistan had also provided evidence of India’s involvement in “terrorist activities” in the past, adding it was going to do it again.

He maintained New Delhi had been committing “terrorism” in Pakistan both directly and through its proxies.

He informed Pakistan would present a dossier to the UN and its member states to highlight a clear pattern of Indian involvement in militant violence aimed at destabilizing Pakistan, particularly Balochistan.

“The dossier will contain information about who is involved [and] what are the linkages,” he added.

The envoy said Pakistan had, in the past, proposed the listing of Indian nationals involved in orchestrating violent activities in Pakistan.

“Some of the members of the Security Council … did not act responsibly and in fact they block such listings,” he informed, adding it was the collective responsibility of all UN members to assess the situation objectively and not protect India unnecessarily.

Asked about India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the ambassador said Pakistan had already raised the issue at the Security Council, as the move was highly escalatory and posed an existential threat to the country.

“We discussed this … during the meeting of the Security Council that was held on 5th of May, where a number of members of the Security Council expressed concern because it is clearly viewed by the international community as a violation of international law,” he said.


Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks

Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks
Updated 23 May 2025
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Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks

Pakistan defends nuclear safety after former US national security adviser warns of risks
  • John Bolton tells an Indian media outlet Pakistan’s nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands
  • Pakistan says the world should be more concerned about India’s ‘extremists’ controlling nuclear arms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it was fully confident in the safety and security of its nuclear weapons after former US National Security Adviser John Bolton expressed concern they could fall “into the hands of terrorists or irresponsible commanders” in an interview with an Indian media outlet.

Bolton’s remarks came days after Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh called for Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal to be placed under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, citing concerns about their safety.

Responding to a media query, foreign office spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan had a robust nuclear command and control system and a comprehensive security regime in place.

“It is ironic that John Bolton’s remarks were prompted by a statement from Rajnath Singh, a leader affiliated with a Hindu extremist organization, known for repeatedly issuing threats of aggression against Pakistan,” he said.

“In reality, the international community should be more concerned about India’s nuclear arsenal being controlled by individuals like Rajnath Singh, who harbor well-documented hostility toward Pakistan and Muslims, and exhibit dangerous delusions of grandeur,” he added.

Khan further warned of broader risks stemming from India’s domestic political trends.

“The escalating radicalization of India’s political landscape, media and segments of its society raises legitimate nuclear security concerns,” he said.

“These concerns are further exacerbated by the persistence of a nuclear black market in India, highlighting serious deficiencies in its nuclear security framework, as evidenced by recurring incidents of theft and illicit trafficking of sensitive nuclear materials.”

The renewed war of words between the two countries follows a sharp military escalation earlier this month.

The two nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10, but diplomatic tensions have remained high, with both sides continuing to trade barbs over militant violence, water sharing and nuclear security.


Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding

Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding
Updated 22 May 2025
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Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding

Pakistan says open to water talks with India but insists Indus treaty remains binding
  • Pakistan’s attorney general says India recently wrote to propose changes to the Indus Waters Treaty
  • He says Islamabad considers the treaty fully operational as Modi threatens to block water flows

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is willing to discuss water-sharing concerns with India, the country’s top legal official said on Thursday, though he maintained the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty remained legally binding on both countries and could not be unilaterally suspended.

Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan shared his country’s perspective with Reuters over the issue in an exclusive interview after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reiterated his threat to block water flows to Pakistan.

India has said it would suspend the treaty as part of a series of measures following a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denies the allegation and says any attempt to disrupt water access would be a breach of international obligations with severe consequences.

“Pakistan is willing to talk about or to address anything, any concerns they [the Indians] may have,” Awan said during the interview.

He said India had written to Pakistan in recent weeks, citing population growth and clean energy needs as reasons to modify the treaty. But he said any discussions would have to take part under the terms of the treaty.

Islamabad maintains the treaty is legally binding and no party can unilaterally suspend it, Awan said.

“As far as Pakistan is concerned, the treaty is very much operational, functional, and anything which India does, it does at its own cost and peril as far as the building of any hydroelectric power projects are concerned,” he added.

Modi on Thursday ramped up pressure during a public event in Rajasthan, a state bordering Pakistan, saying: “Pakistan will not get water from rivers over which India has rights.”

“Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack … Pakistan’s army will pay it. Pakistan’s economy will pay it,” he added, referencing the April 22 attack that left 26 people dead.

The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, allocates water from six rivers shared by the two countries. It guarantees Pakistan access to waters that irrigate nearly 80 percent of its farmland.

Awan said Pakistan would oppose any attempts to alter the treaty outside of its legal framework.

The nuclear-armed neighbors had earlier engaged in their most intense military confrontation in decades before agreeing to a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars since gaining independence in 1947, two of them over Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer in part. India accuses Pakistan of supporting Kashmiri separatists in the disputed region, a charge Pakistan denies.

Tensions further escalated on Wednesday between the two countries when a suicide bombing targeted a school bus in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, killing six people, including four children.

Pakistan’s government and military accused “Indian terror proxies” of orchestrating the attack, an allegation India rejected.

In the fallout from the April attack, both countries have halted trade, closed borders and suspended most visa processing, deepening diplomatic and economic strains.


Pakistan PM says Hong Kong conglomerate key to introducing advanced tech at Karachi Port

Pakistan PM says Hong Kong conglomerate key to introducing advanced tech at Karachi Port
Updated 22 May 2025
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Pakistan PM says Hong Kong conglomerate key to introducing advanced tech at Karachi Port

Pakistan PM says Hong Kong conglomerate key to introducing advanced tech at Karachi Port
  • Hutchison Ports announced in March to invest $1 billion to uplift Pakistan’s port infrastructure
  • The top conglomerate official Eric Ip met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss future plans

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday applauded a Hong Kong-based conglomerate for playing an important role in modernizing Karachi Port by introducing advanced technologies like modern scanners for customs assessments, said an official statement.

The statement was issued after a Hutchison Ports delegation, led by Chief Executive Officer Eric Ip, met Sharif, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry and Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema to discuss the company’s operations in Pakistan.

Hutchison Ports, a subsidiary of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, has been operating two terminals in Pakistan, contributing over $804 million in government revenues and providing employment to 5,000 individuals.

“Modern technology is being introduced at ports in Pakistan, with Hutchison Ports playing an important role,” the PM Office quoted Sharif as saying. “Hutchison Ports’ services will prove valuable in establishing modern scanners for customs assessment at domestic ports.”

Sharif said the investments made by Hutchison Ports in Pakistan for three decades were “a reflection of confidence in Pakistani economic policies.”

On the occasion, the CEO of Hutchison Ports said the company was taking steps to introduce modern technology at Karachi Port and expressed a desire to invest more in Pakistan in the future.

In March, Hutchison Ports said it planned to invest $1 billion in Pakistan to improve its port infrastructure. Later the same month, Pakistan’s maritime affairs minister and a Hutchison Ports official discussed the “swift execution” of the proposed investment.

Pakistan has been working to boost foreign trade while seeking international partnerships to expand maritime activities.

On Jan. 22, South Korean shipping company HMM launched the India North Europe Express (INX) weekly shipping service in Pakistan, providing the country with direct access to Europe.

Earlier, Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation, launched a feeder service to transport shipping containers from Dubai to Karachi.

Pakistani officials and DP World have also finalized terms for a freight corridor project from Karachi Port to the Pipri Marshalling Yard in southern Pakistan.