ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday promised to gather “a sea of people” in front of the parliament building in Islamabad one day ahead of the no-trust voting against him at the National Assembly while addressing a public rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Dir region.
The opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against Khan earlier this week while hoping to bring down his administration and take the country toward fresh general elections.
The prime minister held meetings with his coalition partners soon after the development, though his senior cabinet members maintained the government still had the majority in the house.
Addressing the gathering on Friday, the prime minister bitterly criticized top opposition leaders while saying they had plundered the country and stashed all their wealth abroad.
“The whole nation will witness a sea of people on D-Chowk [facing the parliament building] one day ahead of the no-confidence session,” he told a roaring crowd of his party followers.
While the no-trust motion has been initiated against the prime minister, the National Assembly session to process it has not been announced yet.
Referring to the heads of three opposition parties — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) — that filed the no-confidence motion, he said: “The reason why I am asking people to come out ahead of the no-trust voting is to show these three stooges that this nation is still alive.”
Khan added the people of Pakistan were capable of distinguishing between good and evil.
He even went on to say that he was praying to God for the opposition to bring the no-trust motion against him.
“Now I can make all three wickets fall with a single bowl,” the prime minister, a former cricket great, said amid a huge round of applause.
Responding to his speech, president of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance Maulana Fazlur Rehman asked the election commission how the prime minister could hold such public rallies when a no-confidence motion had been filed against him.
“He used to say ideal things [ahead of the last general elections],” he told a news conference in Islamabad. “Now his narrative is not going to work since he has been tried and exposed.”
Rehman also criticized the prime minister for using “coarse language” against him and other opposition leaders, saying a man like Khan did not deserve to be the prime minister of the country.
PM Khan promises ‘sea of people’ in front of parliament a day before no-trust vote
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PM Khan promises ‘sea of people’ in front of parliament a day before no-trust vote
- The prime minister calls heads of opposition parties ‘three stooges’ who plundered the nation
- Head of the PDM opposition alliance tells Khan he has been ‘tried and exposed’ after the last elections
Punjab says received 38 percent less rainfall in last four months, warns of drought
- Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, plays leading role in country’s agricultural production
- Pakistan’s Met Department this week warned of possible drought in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s eastern and most populated Punjab province on Thursday warned that it may face a drought in the near future as it has received 38 percent less rainfall in the last four months compared to the usual amount, a statement from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s Meteorological Department (PMD) warned that the existing drought situation in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan provinces may “exacerbate and intensify” in the coming months due to below-normal rainfall, rising temperatures and acute shortage of stored water in the country’s dams.
The situation is particularly alarming for Punjab, which plays a leading role in Pakistan’s agricultural production. The province contributes about 68 percent to the annual food grain production in Pakistan and has 51 million acres of cultivated land, as per official figures.
“In the last four months, Punjab has received 38 percent less rainfall which is threatening a possible drought,” the PDMA said in a statement.
A meeting was held under the chairmanship of DG PDMA Punjab Irfan Ali Kathia to deal with the possible drought in Cholistan in southern Punjab.
“Additional funds will be provided to the relevant districts to deal with the possible drought,” the PDMA said.
Participants of the meeting were informed in the briefing that due to a lack of rain last winter, the country’s reservoirs are facing a water shortage.
“Water supply is being ensured in all areas. Water is being provided to remote areas through pipelines and water bowsers,” it said.
The PDMA urged all relevant departments to be on alert, with Kathia instructing all departments to make provision of basic medicines to deal with possible drought.
“Possible steps are being taken to deal with heat wave and possible drought,” the statement said.
Pakistan has the fourth-highest rate of water consumption in the world. The country’s agriculture sector uses the most amount of freshwater than any other sector. Rainfall has steadily declined over the past few decades and experts have been warning for years the country will approach “absolute scarcity” of water by 2025.
The results of the latest census in 2023 counted 241.49 million people across Pakistan with a growth rate of 2.55 percent. Linked to that, per capita water availability has been on a downward trend for decades.
Two killed in attack on police van in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
- Police van was targeted near a crowded market in Quetta, injuring 17 people including policemen
- No group claimed responsibility for attack in Balochistan, site of a decades-long separatists insurgency
QUETTA: Two civilians were killed and more than a dozen injured on Thursday after a police van was targeted with a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) blast at a busy street in the southwestern Pakistan city of Quetta, a police official said.
Footage seen by Arab News showed a damaged police mobile van standing on a crowned double road in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan province, as residents attempted to remove a burning motorbike parked close to the vehicle. The blast happened near a crowded market where people were busy with shopping ahead of the religious festival of Eid Al-Fitr, which begins next week.
“An improvised explosive device (IED) fitted inside a motorbike exploded when a police van was passing through the double road area in Quetta,” Muhammad Baloch, senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations in Quetta, told Arab News.
“Two civilians were killed in the latest attack on the police force and 17, including three policemen, were injured,” he added.
Baloch said as per initial investigations, the explosion was caused by a remotely controlled IED fitted inside a motorcycle.
He said that the bomb disposal squad is assessing the quantity of the explosive material used in the attack.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack in Balochistan, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), the largest and strongest of several ethnic Baloch insurgent groups which have been fighting for decades to win independence for the mineral-rich province, home to major China-led projects including a port and gold and copper mines.
The attack on the police van comes a day after gunmen killed at least six people in “coordinated” attacks in Balochistan that largely targeted bus passengers based on their ethnicity, police said on Thursday.
“We have received two dead bodies of civilians and 17 injured including four policemen,” Waseem Baig, the spokesman for the Civil Hospital in Quetta, told Arab News. “Five injured are in critical condition and being treated at the trauma center of the hospital.”
Earlier this month, ethnic Baloch separatists attacked a train with 450 passengers on board, sparking a two-day siege during which dozens of people were killed.
Days later, at least five paramilitaries were killed in a vehicle-borne suicide attack. Both assaults were claimed by the separatist BLA.
The group also launched coordinated attacks last year that included taking control of a major highway and shooting dead travelers from other ethnic groups, stunning the country.
The militants have additionally targeted energy projects with foreign financing, most notably from China, accusing outsiders of exploiting the resource-rich region while excluding residents in the poorest part of Pakistan.
Last year was the deadliest year in a decade in Pakistan, following a trend of rising militancy since the Taliban took control in Afghanistan in 2021.
With inputs from AFP
Pakistan says will hold counter-terrorism dialogue with US in June
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker discuss bilateral ties, counter-terror cooperation
- Meeting takes place amid surge in militant attacks in recent weeks in Pakistan’s western provinces of KP and Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad and Washington will hold a counter-terrorism dialogue in June this year, a statement from Pakistan’s interior ministry said on Thursday amid efforts by both countries to forge closer ties and cooperation to battle militancy.
Pakistan and the US have a history of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, particularly during the “War on Terror” following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Despite periods of strained relations, Pakistan has captured and handed over several Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to US authorities.
Acting US Ambassador Natalie Baker called on Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in Islamabad, the interior ministry said. Both sides discussed Pakistan-US relations, matters of mutual interest and bilateral cooperation, it said.
“Both sides also discussed to enhance mutual cooperation in the field of counterterrorism efforts,” the ministry said. “It was agreed to hold a counter-terrorism dialogue in June this year.”
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump acknowledged Pakistan for helping America arrest a senior Daesh operative implicated in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US service members.
Baker strongly condemned the recent “terrorist attack” involving the Jaffar Express train, in which 31 people were killed this month after militants stormed it in southwestern Balochistan province earlier this month.
Hundreds of passengers were held hostage before the military rescued them after a day-long standoff.
Naqvi urged the global community to work together to combat “terrorism,” describing it as an international issue, the ministry said.
“He further said that the Government of Pakistan is taking strong action against terrorists and a comprehensive policy is being formulated related to counter-terrorism,” the statement said.
Thanking Trump for acknowledging Pakistan’s help in battling “terrorism,” Naqvi said Islamabad would extend “full cooperation” in the repatriation of illegal Pakistani immigrants residing in the United States.
The meeting between the two sides took place amid a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan’s western provinces bordering Afghanistan, especially Balochistan, where ethnic Baloch militants have long carried out attacks targeting law enforcers.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh sign ‘landmark’ agreement to strengthen capital market cooperation
- Initiative aims to create new opportunities for investors and market participants across the region, PSX says
- MoU establishes formal platform for dialogue and joint initiatives, with working groups to implement cooperation framework
KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), PSX said on Thursday, describing it as a “landmark move” to strengthen regional capital market cooperation.
The agreement signed in Colombo aims to establish an exchange forum to facilitate technology development and sharing, human resource sharing, product development, regulatory collaboration, investor protection, and knowledge exchange across the three markets.
“This initiative will foster deeper regional cooperation among the three South Asian nations while creating new opportunities for investors and market participants across the region,” the PSX said in a statement.
Joint initiatives in system development and digital transformation, cross-exchange training programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives, collaborative development of new financial instruments, harmonization of market oversight and investor protection frameworks, exploration of cross-border listing opportunities to expand investor access and facilitation of broker partnerships and institutional connectivity were listed in the PSX statement as the key areas of collaboration under the MoU.
“This strategic partnership marks a significant step forward in regional market integration. By combining our strengths, these three exchanges can drive innovation, enhance market resilience, and create new opportunities for investors across South Asia,” said Akif Saeed, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), who was present at the ceremony.
Farrukh H. Sabzwari, MD & CEO of PSX, said the agreement represented a “transformative chapter” in regional capital market cooperation.
“Through this partnership with our counterparts in Colombo and Dhaka, we aim to elevate market standards, foster sustainable growth, and deliver greater value to all market participants,” he added.
The MoU establishes a formal platform for ongoing dialogue and joint initiatives, with working groups to be formed to implement the cooperation framework.
This alliance is expected to enhance market liquidity and product diversity, strengthen regulatory frameworks across the region, facilitate cross-border investment flows and promote technological innovation in market infrastructure, the PSX statement said.
Islamabad criticizes US export restrictions on Pakistani firms, calls them ‘politically motivated’
- The US imposed export restrictions on 70 companies from five countries, including 19 from Pakistan
- Pakistan welcomes US-brokered limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday criticized the recent United States export restrictions on Pakistani companies, arguing they unfairly targeted the country’s commercial entities without any evidence.
The US Department of Commerce imposed export restrictions this week on 70 companies from Pakistan, Iran, China, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, saying their “activities were contrary to US national security and foreign policy.”
According to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the list includes 42 firms from China, 19 from Pakistan, four from the United Arab Emirates, three from South Africa and two from Iran.
Due to these restrictions, US suppliers will be prohibited from sending goods to the sanctioned entities without obtaining a special license.
“The recent imposition of export restrictions by the United States unfairly targets Pakistan’s commercial entities without any evidence whatsoever,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters during his weekly media briefing in Islamabad.
“Such biased and politically motivated actions are counterproductive to the objectives of global export controls and obstruct the legitimate access to technology for socio-economic development,” he added.
The spokesperson also commented on the outcome of Russia-Ukraine negotiations, saying Pakistan welcomed the recently agreed limited ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine prohibiting attacks on energy infrastructure and ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea.
The US had been engaging in diplomatic efforts in Saudi Arabia to mediate between Ukraine and Russia, seeking a peaceful resolution to the three-year-long war through negotiations.
“We appreciate the active engagement of the US administration and its leadership in securing the agreement between Russia and Ukraine,” the spokesperson said, adding Pakistan remained optimistic that the new momentum generated by these initial steps would eventually lead to a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.
Khan said Pakistan’s position on the Ukraine conflict has been consistent, as it enjoys friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
“We have always advocated dialogue and diplomacy, immediate cessation of hostilities, and peaceful resolution of this conflict,” he added.
