ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has granted temporary registration to Starlink, a satellite Internet service by SpaceX that promises high-speed connectivity, particularly in underserved areas, state media reported on Friday.
The move comes as the international company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, applied to secure a full operating license in Pakistan, where demand for improved Internet access remains high.
Musk, who has drawn global attention for his proximity to US President Donald Trump and controversial political stances, has pushed to expand Starlink’s footprint globally despite regulatory hurdles in several countries.
“With the consensus of all security and regulatory bodies, Starlink has been issued a temporary No Objection Certificate (NOC),” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency said while quoting an official statement.
APP said the decision was described by Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja as part of the government’s initiative to enhance the country’s Internet infrastructure.
“Starlink’s registration is a major step forward in this journey,” she continued.
The IT minister said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) would oversee compliance with fee payments and other licensing requirements by the company.
“Modern solutions like satellite Internet will greatly enhance connectivity, particularly in underserved and remote areas of the country,” she added, calling the approval a milestone.
Khawaja highlighted the Pakistani administration adopted a “whole-of-government” approach, working in close collaboration with all relevant institutions to facilitate Starlink’s registration process.
She also acknowledged the respective roles played by cybercrime and security agencies, the PTA and the country’s space agency in this regard.
The minister expressed optimism that Starlink’s entry into Pakistan would formally launch satellite Internet services and bridge the digital divide.
Elon Musk’s Starlink gets temporary go-ahead to boost Internet access in Pakistan
https://arab.news/86qc5
Elon Musk’s Starlink gets temporary go-ahead to boost Internet access in Pakistan
- Country’s IT minister calls it a ‘milestone’ development that will enhance Pakistan’s Internet infrastructure
- Shaza Fatima Khawaja says the decision was taken with the consensus of all security and regulatory bodies
Pakistan’s top court allows military trials of civilians accused of attacking army sites — media
- Decision follows a legal battle sparked by violent protests on May 9, 2023, by ex-PM Khan’s party
- The court has directed the government to legislate within 45 days to provide a right of appeal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Wednesday reinstated the Army Act in its original form and overturned its earlier ruling that had blocked military trials for civilians accused of attacking military installations, according to the local media reports.
The decision follows a legal battle sparked by violent protests on May 9, 2023, when supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan stormed military facilities across Pakistan and set some of them on fire after his brief arrest on graft charges.
Subsequently, dozens of people were arrested and prosecuted in military courts, triggering constitutional challenges from rights groups and activists, as Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party vocally opposed the trials.
“The Supreme Court of Pakistan has reinstated the Pakistan Army Act in its original form and declared its earlier verdict from October 23, 2023, null and void,” Geo News reported.
“The apex court delivered the verdict with a 5-2 majority,” it added. “Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Naeem Akhtar Afghan dissented.”
The ruling restores previously nullified clauses of the Army Act that allow civilians to be tried in military courts under certain circumstances.
The court also directed the government to legislate within 45 days to provide a right of appeal for any convictions handed down by military courts, Geo News said.
Khan’s PTI, whose supporters were among those arrested after the May 2023 protests, condemned the ruling.
“The constitutional bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan has just given the government’s petition a go by allowing military trial of civilians,” the party said in a statement. “The purpose of military law is to maintain discipline within the armed forces. It was never designed to be applied to civilians.”
The previous Supreme Court ruling in October 2023, delivered by a five-judge panel, had declared that trying civilians in military courts violated constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process. That decision was welcomed by rights groups and legal experts as a step toward strengthening judicial independence and limiting the military’s influence over civilian legal matters.
The government and the defense ministry appealed the verdict, citing national security concerns and the need to hold accountable those who attacked military installations.
Residents of Pakistani Kashmir say they fled into hills during Indian strikes
- Mosque loudspeakers told people to seek shelter as ground shook, sounds of explosions reverberated, residents say
- Many people gathered after sunrise near a mosque that had been hit in the strikes, its roof smashed and minaret toppled
MUZAFFARABAD: Residents of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, said they fled their homes and ran into surrounding hills as India launched airstrikes early on Wednesday in a part of the city.
Mosque loudspeakers told people to seek shelter as the ground shook repeatedly and the sounds of explosions reverberated, they said.
“We came outside,” said Muhammad Shair Mir, 46, describing the events of the night. “Then another blast happened. The whole house moved. Everyone got scared, we all evacuated, took our kids and went up (the hill).”
Many people gathered after sunrise near a mosque that had been hit in the strikes, its roof smashed and minaret toppled. Security forces had cordoned off the area.
The district commissioner, a senior local official, said three people were killed near the collapsed mosque. In total, Pakistan’s military said 26 people were killed and 46 wounded in Indian attacks across Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, which is called Azad Kashmir.
India launched the strikes early on Wednesday, saying it was targeting “terrorist camps” that served as recruitment centers, launchpads, and indoctrination centers, and housed weapons and training facilities.
Pakistan called it a “blatant act of war” as tensions spiraled between the nuclear-armed rivals after a deadly attack by Islamist gunmen on tourists in Indian Kashmir. It said none of the targeted areas were militant camps.
District officials said that at the Line of Control that divides Pakistani and Indian Kashmir, mortar and light arms fire between the two armies continued into the morning and had killed at least six civilians on the Pakistani side.
Police in Indian Kashmir said at least 10 people were killed and nearly 50 injured there.
In Muzaffarabad, hospitals were operational and some small businesses opened in the morning but schools were closed and examinations canceled, according to local authorities.
Shair Mir said he and his family spent four hours in the open. Some of his neighbors had gone to hospital with injuries and the rest were shaken, he said.
“This is wrong ... poor innocent people, our poor mothers are sick, our sisters are sick .. our houses were rattled, our walls have cracked,” he said.
UAE, Turkiye among world powers urging restraint after India-Pakistan military clash
- President Trump calls the escalation ‘a shame’ but hopes it will end ‘very quickly’President Trump calls the escalation ‘a shame’ but hopes it will end ‘very quickly’
- China calls India’s military action ‘regrettable,’ asks both countries for restraint
ISLAMABAD: World leaders on Wednesday urged restraint and pressed for a peaceful resolution after India launched strikes in Pakistan, triggering retaliatory attacks and raising fears of a broader military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The international reaction came as tensions soared following Indian attacks on six locations inside Pakistan, which Islamabad said killed at least 26 civilians and injured 46.
In response, Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets and struck Indian military posts along the Line of Control.
UNITED STATES
US President Donald Trump condemned the escalation, expressing hope that the fighting would end quickly.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. I hope it ends very quickly.”
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was monitoring the situation closely and would continue to engage with the leadership of both countries for a “peaceful resolution.”
CHINA
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said India’s actions were “regrettable,” urging both countries to exercise restraint and refrain from further complicating the situation, Reuters reported.
“China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable. We are concerned about the ongoing situation,” the spokesperson said. “We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation.”
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan called on Pakistan and India “to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace,” Emirates News Agency-WAM reported.
“He reaffirmed that diplomacy and dialogue remain the most effective means of peacefully resolving crises, and achieving the shared aspirations of nations for peace, stability, and prosperity,” it added.
QATAR
A statement from the Pakistani prime minister’s office said he spoke by telephone to Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, on Wednesday afternoon.
While thanking Qatar for its solidarity and support to Pakistan at this difficult time, the Prime “The Prime Minister of Qatar expressed condolences for the loss of precious lives. He appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to fostering peace in
South Asia and said that Qatar wanted to play its role in de-escalating the prevailing situation in the region,” Sharif’s office said.
TURKEY
Turkiye urged India and Pakistan to act with common sense amid the military escalation between them, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, saying India’s latest military action created the risk of an “all-out war.”
In a statement, the ministry reiterated its support for Pakistan’s call for an investigation into an Islamist militant attack that killed 26 in the Indian-administered side of the Himalayan region on April 22.
UNITED NATIONS
The spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief called for “maximum military restraint” from both countries, Reuters reported.
“The Secretary-General is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border,” the spokesperson said. “He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries. The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.”
FRANCE
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot aurged Pakistan and India to show restraint.
“We understand India’s desire to protect itself against the scourge of terrorism, but we obviously call on both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint to avoid escalation and, of course, to protect civilians,” he said in an interview on TF1 television of France.
UNITED KINGDOM
The UK is ready to support both India and Pakistan to de-escalate tensions, Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday, following the worst violence between the nuclear-armed arch-foes in two decades.
“Our message would be that we are a friend, a partner to both countries. We stand ready to support both countries. Both have a huge interest in regional stability, in dialogue, in de-escalation and anything we can do to support that, we are here and willing to do,” he told BBC radio.
The Foreign Office advised British nationals against travel within eight kilometers (five miles) of the India-Pakistan border, within 16 kilometers of the Line of Control — a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts that represents the de facto Kashmir border — and all travel to the southwestern Balochistan province of Pakistan.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. British nationals should stay up to date with our travel advice and follow the advice of local authorities,” it added.
RUSSIA
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep concern” over the escalating military confrontation between Pakistan and India, urging both nations to exercise restraint.
Russia added that it condemned all forms of terrorism, according to a statement by the Russian foreign ministry.
GERMANY
Germany said on Wednesday that an “escalation must be prevented” amid the most serious military confrontation between India and Pakistan in two decades.
“Responsible action is urgently needed from both countries,” said the foreign ministry in a statement on X, adding it was convening a crisis meeting and German officials were in contact with both sides.
ITALY
Italy’s Minister for Interior Mr. Matteo Piantedosi paid a courtesy call on Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
“Minister Piantedosi expressed concern at the escalation of the already tense situation and offered condolences for the innocent lives lost in Pakistan. He called for restraint on both sides,” a statement from Dar’s office said.
With inputs from Reuters and AFP
Pakistan says armed forces authorized to undertake ‘corresponding actions’ after India strikes
- India says struck nine sites that served as militant recruitment centers, launchpads and indoctrination centers
- Pakistan army says at least six locations across its territory targeted, with 26 civilians killed and 46 injured
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday the country’s top national security body had authorized its armed forces to take “corresponding actions” in response to Indian strikes inside Pakistani territory in which 26 civilians were killed overnight.
In the sharpest military escalation in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed rivals, the Indian government said it struck nine Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” sites involved in planning a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22. The assault took place on the tourist hill station of Pahalgam in the part of Kashmir governed by India, with 26 men killed.
The Pakistani military said six locations across its territory — Ahmedpur East, Muridke, Sialkot, Shakargarh in the eastern province of Punjab and Kotli and Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir — were targeted. Azad Kashmir is the part of the disputed Kashmir valley that is administered by Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said five Indian planes and one combat drone that had attacked Pakistan were shot down, naming three Rafales and an MiG-29 and Su-57 each.
“In consonance with Article-51 of the UN Charter, Pakistan reserves the right to respond, in self-defense, at a time, place, and manner of its choosing to avenge the loss of innocent Pakistani lives and blatant violation of its sovereignty,” PM Sharif’s office said in a statement after he chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee, referring to the right of self-defense according to Chapter VII, Article 51, of the UN Charter.
“The Armed Forces of Pakistan have duly been authorized to undertake corresponding actions in this regard.”
The statement added that India, “against all sanity and rationality, has once again ignited an inferno in the region,” saying the responsibility for ensuing consequences lay squarely with New Delhi.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the Chargé d’Affaires had been summoned “to receive Pakistan’s strong protest over the unprovoked Indian strikes.”
“The Indian side was warned that such reckless behavior poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.”
“TERRORIST CAMPS”
In New Delhi, two Indian military spokespersons told a briefing Indian forces had attacked facilities linked to militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistani officials say India only hit civilian infrastructure.
The strikes targeted “terrorist camps” that served as recruitment centers, launchpads, and indoctrination centers, and housed weapons and training facilities, the Indian spokespersons said.
They said Indian forces used niche technology weapons and carefully chose warheads to avoid collateral damage to civilians and civilian infrastructure, but did not elaborate on the specifics or methods used in the strikes.
“Intelligence and monitoring of Pakistan-based terror modules showed that further attacks against India were impending, therefore it was necessary to take pre-emptive and precautionary strikes,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the top official in its external affairs ministry, told the briefing.
The joint briefing by the Indian military and foreign ministry listed past attacks in India blamed on Pakistan, with Misri saying Pakistan had not done anything to “terrorist infrastructure” after the Pahalgam attack, which triggered the latest standoff.
Pakistan had denied involvement in the attack and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had offered to be part of any credible and transparent investigation.
Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both rule it in part and claim it in full and have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training militants involved in a separatist insurgency in its part of Kashmir since 1989, which Islamabad denies, saying it offers only moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.
The current confrontation is reminiscent of the last major military standoff between the two nations in 2019, when an Indian airstrike in the northwestern town of Balakot was followed by Pakistani retaliatory action, including the downing of an Indian fighter jet and the capture of its pilot, who was later released in a gesture of goodwill.
On Wednesday morning, the South Asian neighbors also exchanged intense shelling and heavy gunfire across much of their de facto border called the Line of Control, which divides disputed Kashmir between them.
The shelling across the frontier in Kashmir killed 10 civilians and injured 48 in the Indian part of the region, police there told media. At least six people were killed on the Pakistani side, Reuters reported, quoting officials.
Four local government sources in Indian-administered Kashmir told Reuters three fighter jets had crashed in separate areas of the Himalayan region during the night. Indian defense ministry officials have not officially confirmed the report.
– With inputs from Reuters
Pakistan calls emergency meeting to review market resilience, financial security amid India standoff
Pakistan calls emergency meeting to review market resilience, financial security amid India standoff
- KSE-100 opened down 5.8 percent, largest drop in a month, bringing total losses since April 22 to 10 percent
- Stocks started rebounding as investors expected “no major escalation” with India going forward, analysts said
KARACHI: The Pakistani finance minister on Wednesday convened an emergency meeting “to review market resilience and financial security,” the ministry said, as stocks plunged about six percent at the open after India carried out strikes on Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
The market reaction followed India targeting six locations inside Pakistan, in which the Pakistan army said at least 26 civilians were killed. Islamabad said it had responded by targeting Indian fighter jets and striking military posts along the Line of Control that divides the two sides of the disputed Kashmir region.
The benchmark KSE-100 Index dropped 6,560 points to 107,007 as trading began at 9:32 AM at the country’s equity market in Karachi, according to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) website.
“Today’s was the heaviest daily loss since April 7 when the index fell 7.3 percent,” Muhammad Waqas Ghani, head of research at JS Global Capital, told Arab News.
The stock index opened down 5.8 percent but is “now recovering,” Mohammed Sohail, chief executive officer at Topline Securities, said in a note to clients.
The finance ministry meanwhile said an emergency meeting had been called “to assess the current financial landscape in light of escalating regional tensions.”
“The Finance Minister reiterated that Pakistan’s financial system remains stable and secure, and that all relevant authorities are working in close coordination to uphold national economic integrity in the face of emerging challenges,” a statement said.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) also “assured market stability,” a statement by the regulator said.
“SHARP REBOUND”
The latest standoff comes as Pakistan’s government treads a tricky path to economic recovery, bolstered by a $7 billion IMF loan.
The South Asian nation’s stock index had surged more than 80 percent last year, mainly due to IMF-backed economic stability, with interest rates halving to 11 percent since June and inflation easing to a record 0.3 percent in April.
However, equities began declining after April 22, the day 26 tourists were killed in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. The attack triggered the latest standoff between the longstanding enemies, with New Delhi blaming Islamabad of involvement, a charge Pakistan denied.
The renewed geopolitical tension caused the market to fall about 10 percent by Wednesday morning, though it began recovering and pared losses to 1.2 percent by 10:45 AM, reflecting the strong macroeconomic fundamentals of the country’s stabilizing economy.
“The sharp rebound of 4,500 points reflects underlying market confidence, driven by strong economic fundamentals,” said Ghani.
Investors, he added, were also encouraged by a statement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing hope that the situation would de-escalate “quickly.”
Analyst Amreen Soorani, head of research at Al Meezan Investment Management, said Pakistan’s past escalations with archrival India had “historically presented headwinds for equities.”
She said while Pakistan’s economy carried higher sensitivity to prolonged conflict, nuclear deterrence between the neighboring countries remained a critical factor limiting major escalation.
Similar events in the past, Soorani said, suggested a pattern of eventual de-escalation, helping restore investor confidence.
“Given prevailing attractive valuations and the anticipated positive impact of IMF developments on investor sentiment, positive sentiments may remain intact in the longer term,” she added.
Topline Securities CEO Sohail said stocks were rebounding as investors expected “no major escalation” going forward.
“Investors seem optimistic about the upcoming IMF board meeting which will decide on the loan tranche for Pakistan,” he added.
The IMF’s executive board is scheduled to meet on May 9 to approve the release of about a $1 billion tranche for cash-strapped Pakistan as it seeks to boost its dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
