LAHORE: Pakistani Islamist militant Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, pleaded not guilty on Friday in a second case on charges of financing terrorism, a government prosecutor and a defense lawyer said.
Saeed, who was indicted on similar charges in another case on Dec 11, was presented in an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, prosecutor Abdur Rauf Watto told Reuters.
Defense lawyer Imran Gill said the second case was related to Saeed’s charity operations. “The militant charities the accused ran collected illegal funds,” Watto said.
Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or the Army of the Pure, a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the four-day Mumbai siege in which 160 people were killed. Foreigners, including Americans, were among the dead.
Pakistan’s counterterrorism police arrested Saeed in July, days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The indictments came ahead of a meeting of world financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) early next year that will decide whether to blacklist Pakistan for its failure to curb terror financing.
The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed, who has been arrested and released several times over the past decade.
Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations.
The Islamist has denied any involvement in the Mumbai attacks and says his network, which spans 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.
Pakistani Islamist leader pleads not guilty on terrorism financing charges
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Pakistani Islamist leader pleads not guilty on terrorism financing charges
- Hafiz Saeed is facing charges of financing terrorism
- The US has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to his conviction
Pakistan calls Gaza aid system ‘a death trap,’ urges restoration of UN-led relief channels
- Israel dismantled UN-run aid sites, set up a system where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed
- Pakistan urges global action as Gaza is ‘starved and shattered’ amid failing aid delivery mechanisms
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday criticized the current humanitarian aid delivery mechanism in Gaza, saying it had “morphed into a death trap” for civilians, as hundreds of people have been killed while trying to access basic supplies like food and medicine.
Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, raised alarm over the dismantling of the earlier UN-coordinated aid system and its replacement by a restricted structure under the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which he said lacked both scale and neutrality.
“The current aid mechanism is clearly failing those it claims to serve,” Ahmed said. “According to the UN Human Rights Office, 798 aid-related killings have occurred since late May, 615 of them at or near distribution sites.
The prior UN-coordinated system of more than 400 well-networked distribution points has been dismantled. In its place, a heavily restricted system under the GHF now operates with just a handful of designated aid sites.”
The Pakistani diplomat noted the situation was forcing desperate civilians to traverse active combat zones in search of basic necessities.
“While some aid has trickled into Gaza, the volume is vastly inadequate,” he added. “Its implementation is flawed, and it falls far short of the standards demanded by international humanitarian law. Most gravely, the system has morphed into a death trap.”
The remarks came amid growing international concern over the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where more than 58,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands wounded since the start of Israeli military operations in October 2023.
Aid groups and UN agencies have warned that fuel, food and medical supplies are nearing critical shortages, while bureaucratic hurdles and border closures continue to delay relief deliveries.
Ahmed urged the Security Council to back the restoration of “full, unhindered and impartial humanitarian access” through UN-led channels, including the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and to push for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
“The world cannot stand by as Gaza is starved and shattered,” he said. “Let us not grow numb to the daily toll: it is not just another headline, another ticker, another statistic. Behind each number is a life: a person with a story, a dream extinguished a family torn apart.”
US to destroy Pakistan and Afghanistan bound food aid in UAE after Trump-era freeze
- Nearly 500 metric tons of fortified biscuits to be incinerated or landfilled in UAE
- Supplies intended for Pakistan, Afghanistan could have fed 27,000 people for a month
With 1,100 metric tons of emergency food rations nearing expiry in a US government warehouse in Dubai after President Donald Trump’s aid freeze, it took a warning of “wasted tax dollars” for a top US official to eventually agree to a deal for the supplies to be used, sources told Reuters.
The deal saved 622 metric tons of the energy-dense biscuits in June, but 496 metric tons, worth $793,000 before they expired this month, will be destroyed, according to two internal US Agency for International Development memos reviewed by Reuters, dated May 5 and May 19, and four sources familiar with the matter.
The wasted biscuits will be turned into landfill or incinerated in the United Arab Emirates, two sources said. That will cost the US government an additional $100,000, according to the May 5 memo verified by three sources familiar with the matter.
The delays and waste are further examples of how the freeze and then cutbacks, which led to the firing of thousands of USAID employees and contractors, have thrown global humanitarian operations into chaos.
A spokesperson for the State Department, which is now responsible for US foreign aid, confirmed in an email to Reuters that the biscuits would have to be destroyed. But they said the stocks were “purchased as a contingency beyond projections” under the administration of former President Joe Biden, resulting in their expiration.
Trump has said the US pays disproportionately for foreign aid, and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden.
His administration announced plans to shut down USAID in January, leaving more than 60,000 metric tons of food aid stuck in stores around the world, Reuters reported in May.
The food aid stuck in Dubai was fortified wheat biscuits, which are calorie-rich and typically deployed in crisis conditions where people lack cooking facilities, “providing immediate nutrition for a child or adult,” according to the UN World Food Programme.
The WFP says 319 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity worldwide. Of those, 1.9 million people are gripped by catastrophic hunger and on the brink of famine, primarily in Gaza and Sudan.
FOOD SECURITY
After Jeremy Lewin and Kenneth Jackson, operatives of the budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, were appointed acting deputy USAID administrators and began terminating food security programs, USAID staff were barred from communicating with aid organizations that were asking to take the biscuits, two sources said.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was “entirely false” that USAID staff were barred from communicating with aid groups, and that “there was no direction given ... not to engage.”
Reuters, however, reported that a January 25 email sent by Jackson emphasizing a “complete halt” to all foreign assistance banned USAID staff from any communications outside of the agency unless approved by their front office.
“Failure to abide by this directive...will result in disciplinary action,” said the memo reviewed by Reuters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on May 21 that no food aid would be wasted, as USAID staff were waiting for Lewin to sign off on a deal to transfer the 622 metric tons of biscuits to the WFP for distribution before they began expiring in September.
That agreement was approved in June after weeks of waiting, according to five sources familiar with the matter, and the May 19 memo verified by two of the sources.
Both sources told Reuters that Lewin, who now runs the State Department’s Office of Foreign Assistance, did not respond to the request for weeks.
The State Department official said the memo had to go through revisions and edits before Lewin could sign it on June 2.
Eventually, USAID staff sent a memo to Lewin warning him that the biscuits had a limited shelf-life and that the agency would have to pay an estimated $125,000 to have them destroyed, resulting in “wasted tax dollars,” unless an agreement was struck with WFP to take them, both sources said.
Lewin finally signed it, clearing the way for USAID staff to save the 622 metric tons of biscuits, valued at just under $1 million, now destined for Syria, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, according to the memo.
Lewin did not respond to requests for comment.
The State Department official said Lewin cleared the transfer in a “timely manner,” and that consideration had to be given to finding shipping options that were not several times more expensive than the value of the biscuits.
Both sources said it took until early July to begin sending the stocks because generally it requires weeks of work to rearrange shipments after supply chains are disrupted.
A WFP official said it had signed an agreement to receive the biscuits.
The supplies slated for destruction could have fed around 27,000 people for a month, according to a Reuters analysis using figures from WFP. Those stocks were originally intended for USAID partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera, the director of nutrition at Action Against Hunger UK, said: “We knew the suspension of USAID funding would have immediate consequences, and the destruction of emergency food, at a time when acute hunger is at its highest on record, underscores the unintended consequences of such funding cuts.”
The United States is the world’s largest humanitarian aid donor, amounting to at least 38 percent of all contributions recorded by the United Nations. It disbursed $61 billion in foreign assistance last year, just over half of it via USAID, according to government data.
The Trump administration notified Congress in March that USAID would fire almost all of its staff in two rounds on July 1 and September 2, as it prepared to shut down.
In a statement on July 1 marking the transfer of USAID to the State Department, Rubio said the US was abandoning what he called a charity-based model and would focus on empowering countries to grow sustainably.
“We will favor those nations that have demonstrated both the ability and willingness to help themselves and will target our resources to areas where they can have a multiplier effect and catalyze durable private sector, including American companies, and global investment,” he wrote.
Pakistan’s Punjab reports 63 deaths in 24 hours as monsoon toll rises to 103
- Heavy rains continue to lash the most populous province, injuring nearly 400 and damaging homes
- Authorities have declared a rain emergency in Rawalpindi after 230 millimeters of rain in 15 hours
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s most populous province of Punjab said on Thursday 63 people were killed and 290 injured in the last 24 hours due to heavy monsoon rains, as downpours continued across parts of the country including the federal capital Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, which has declared a rain emergency.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) of Punjab said in a statement the deaths were reported from multiple districts, including 15 in Lahore, nine in Faisalabad, nine in Okara, five in Sahiwal and three in Pakpattan.
Many of the casualties occurred in roof and building collapses, particularly in older or poorly constructed homes.
“So far, 103 people have died and 393 have been injured due to monsoon rains this year,” the PDMA said. “In the last 24 hours alone, 63 people have died and 290 have been injured due to monsoon-related incidents.”
The statement added that 128 homes had been damaged and six livestock animals killed.
Authorities have urged residents to vacate unsafe structures, avoid flood-prone areas and keep children away from exposed electric infrastructure.
Medical care is being provided to the injured, with the provincial administration of Punjab saying families of those killed would receive financial compensation under its relief policy.
In Rawalpindi, city authorities declared a rain emergency after more than 230 millimeters of rain fell over the past 15 hours, according to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials.
“The water level in Nullah Leh is rising rapidly,” the managing director of the agency, Muhammad Saleem Ashraf, said in a statement, noting water flows of 20 feet at Katarian and 19 feet at Gawalmandi.
Heavy machinery and emergency teams have been deployed in low-lying areas, and residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary movement.
In Islamabad, intermittent rainfall has continued for several hours.
Sanitation teams have been carrying out drainage operations in waterlogged areas.
Pakistan, which contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, is among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns and shifting monsoon cycles have made extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains and glacial melt triggered catastrophic floods that killed more than 1,700 people, displaced millions, and submerged large parts of the country.
Recovery efforts are still ongoing, as climate-linked disasters continue to strain Pakistan’s infrastructure and economy.
Pakistan flexes aerial reach with JF-17 jets deployment to UK air show after India clash
- Military says the deployment and midair refueling demonstrate operational capability beyond borders
- UK’s Royal International Air Tattoo is one of the world’s most prestigious military aviation exhibitions
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has deployed its latest JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets to the United Kingdom for the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), said an official statement on Thursday, marking a high-profile demonstration of airpower weeks after a brief but tense military standoff with neighboring India.
The aircraft landed at Royal Air Force Base Fairford in southern England ahead of RIAT 2025, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious military aviation exhibitions. Held annually, the three-day event attracts air forces from around the world, offering a platform for aerial demonstrations, aircraft displays and military diplomacy.
This year’s show includes participation from over 60 nations and is themed “Eyes in the Skies,” highlighting advances in airborne surveillance and global security.
“Contingent of the Pakistan Air Force comprising state-of-the-art JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter aircraft and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, has landed at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford, United Kingdom, to participate in the prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo – 2025,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“Pakistan Air Force’s JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighters executed successful Air-to-Air Refueling operations en route to United Kingdom with the support of a PAF IL-78 aerial refueling tanker,” it continued. “The intricate refueling operation demonstrated PAF’s long-range operational capabilities and the proficiency of its air and ground crew in conducting extended operations beyond national borders.”
The JF-17 Block-III is a 4.5-generation, multi-role fighter equipped with an AESA radar and long-range beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile capability. Co-developed by Pakistan and China, the aircraft has become the centerpiece of Pakistan’s indigenous airpower strategy.
The deployment is part of PAF’s broader effort to highlight its modernization and operational readiness.
The statement also noted heightened interest in the JF-17’s arrival, particularly among defense observers and aviation enthusiasts following the recent India-Pakistan conflict, during which the PAF downed several Indian fighter jets.
El Salvador, Pakistan sign Bitcoin knowledge-sharing pact in crypto diplomacy push
- Both countries sign a Letter of Intent during Pakistan’s Minister of State for Crypto Bilal Bin Saqib’s visit
- El Salvador, a Central American country, became the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021
KARACHI: Pakistan and El Salvador have agreed to establish a formal channel for knowledge exchange and cooperation on Bitcoin-focused initiatives, following a meeting between Bilal Bin Saqib, Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain and CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in San Salvador.
The agreement, formalized through a Letter of Intent signed between the Bitcoin Office of El Salvador and the Pakistan Crypto Council, will lead to technical cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.
The focus includes exploring public sector applications of Bitcoin, promoting blockchain-based financial inclusion and supporting policy innovation in emerging economies.
El Salvador, a Central American country, became the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021. Its experience is being closely watched by governments exploring the use of digital assets to expand financial access and reduce reliance on traditional monetary systems. Pakistan, for its part, is working to develop its own virtual asset economy through a structured regulatory approach.
“El Salvador’s bold Bitcoin experiment has inspired governments around the world,” Saqib said after the meeting, according to an official statement. “This visit marks the beginning of a strategic relationship rooted in innovation, inclusion and shared learning.”
The statement added the meeting was the first official engagement between a Pakistani government representative and the Salvadoran head of state.
It focused exclusively on digital asset collaboration, a move described as an example of “Biplomacy,” a term combining Bitcoin and diplomacy.
Pakistan expects the agreement to help both countries explore avenues for sovereign digital asset management and foster public-private dialogue on regulatory frameworks.
The State Bank of Pakistan said earlier this month it plans to complete a pilot project for a digital currency within the current fiscal year.
The announcement followed the establishment of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) through a presidential ordinance to regulate the country’s crypto market, curb illicit finance and promote responsible innovation.
According to financial analysts, the initiative is also expected to bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the formal tax net.
