DG ISI’s extension for purpose of ‘continuity’ of policy, Pakistani PM says

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Updated 10 November 2023
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DG ISI’s extension for purpose of ‘continuity’ of policy, Pakistani PM says

  • In interview to Arab News, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar says “nothing unusual and abnormal” about extensions 
  • DG ISI Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum was appointed on Nov. 20, 2022 and was due to retire late this month

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has said the term of the head of Pakistan’s main intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had been extended to preserve “continuity” of policy at a time the country faces increasing militant attacks.

This is the first time a Pakistani official has publicly commented on the extension of Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, director general of the ISI, who was due to retire late this month. The military has not yet announced Anjum's extension formally but there has been weeks-long speculation in Pakistani media that it had been granted.

The DG ISI is one of the most important positions in Pakistan, operating at the intersection of national politics and foreign relations. The agency oversees efforts to combat militants and is also feared by civilian politicians for its role in past military coups and managing political affairs.

The last DG ISI to get an extension was Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, whose tenure coincided with major anti-militant offensives in the country’s northwest.

The extension for Anjum also comes during a major uptick in militancy by groups such as Daesh, as well as Pakistan’s own indigenous Taliban movement, the TTP, which Islamabad says has been emboldened by the coming to power of the Afghan Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

“Try to understand the point on continuity [of policy]. Any system prefers and supports the idea of continuity,” Kakar told Arab News in an interview this week, when asked why Anjum was given an extension.

“You want to have a continuation of the process, and for you the continuation of that process is important so that idea or practice or brand gets entrenched,” the PM added, without disclosing specific details of the policies the government and military wanted Anjum to continue to implement.

“So, in that context at times in many institutions, you do feel, or the political dispensation feels, that some individual has to continue for any security benefit or otherwise, and they [the state] have got the discretion to do that [grant extension]. There’s nothing unusual and abnormal about it.”

Anjum was appointed DG ISI on November 20, 2022. Little over a week later, the TTP said it would no longer abide by a months-long cease-fire with the Pakistani government, urging its fighters to resume attacks against a continuous military campaign against them. Since then, the group has launched attacks on police compounds, security convoys and other military and civilian targets.

A report published by the Islamabad-based independent Center for Research and Security Studies in September said at least 700 security officials and militants had been killed in Pakistan in the first nine months of the year. Scores more have been killed since in attacks across the country.

And as campaigning steps up for general elections due in January, bombings across Pakistan have also stoked fears of violence at political rallies that can draw tens of thousands of people in the country of over 230 million.

Kakar told Arab News he did not want to link the rise in militancy to a possible delay in the election.

“They [militants] keep on changing their tactics, we have to respond accordingly,” the PM said. “So that’s why I’m saying that I’m not linking it [rise in attacks] or our government is not linking it with the electoral process.”

“LEVEL PLAYING FIELD”

 

 

Kakar, who runs a caretaker government constitutionally mandated to oversee general elections, also has other challenges, including widespread allegations of political persecution by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of now jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Political parties as well as independent analysts say Kakar’s government and the military establishment have a soft corner for the Pakistan Muslim League (PMLN) of three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif. Both deny this.

Sharif, convicted on corruption charges in two cases after his ouster as prime minister in 2017, returned to Pakistan from self-exile on Oct. 21 to lead his party in elections.

Ahead of his return, Sharif got protective bail against arrest from a court, and has since secured bail in two corruption cases. In one of the cases, the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference in which Sharif was sentenced to seven years in jail in 2018, the former PM’s sentence was suspended by the caretaker administration in the Punjab province, which is widely considered to be close to the military establishment. The army denies it has any political affiliations.

The suspension of the sentence has led to widespread speculation that the way is being paved for Sharif’s return to power for a fourth time and a number of political parties, including the PTI and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of the Bhutto dynasty, have openly complained of the lack of what has popularly come to be called a “level playing field” — a euphemism for fair competition in elections.

“As we will be approaching to the electoral day, this kind of rhetoric would further increase and for very obvious, understandable reasons and that [is that] every political party wants to create a perception in my opinion with its voters and its support base that they are the victim of the administration and to attract that sympathy and translate to into vote support,” Kakar said, rebuffing accusations of unfair competition.

“I don’t see that there is a government policy of the caretaker to encourage or discourage one or other political group.”

Responding to allegations by the PTI of a widespread crackdown against the party, and by Khan that over 100 legal cases against him were politically motivated, the PM said all parties had the right to seek remedies through courts.

Khan, like Sharif, is also disqualified from the election because of an August graft conviction, which he has appealed.

“They should exhaust all the legal options if they are being legally barred from the electoral process,” the PM said.

When asked if he was prepared, as head of the caretaker government, to create a “level playing field” by suspending Khan’s sentence so he could contest elections, as the Punjab administration had done for Sharif, Kakar said:

“We will deliberate in that situation if [it arises] … If it comes to that, we will deliberate that what are the options and what needs to be done and we will decide accordingly.”


No truce in India-Pakistan disinformation war

Updated 5 sec ago
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No truce in India-Pakistan disinformation war

  • On social media, citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation
  • Now that ceasefire has been declared, analysts warn hate speech “will once again refocus on religious minorities”

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan have announced a ceasefire after coming close to all-out conflict, but on social media citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation.
Platforms such as Facebook and X are still awash with misrepresented footage of the attacks that killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing. AFP fact-checkers have debunked many of the clips, which actually show the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the war in Ukraine.
Indian and Pakistani media outlets have also amplified misinformation, including false or unverifiable claims of military victories that experts say have exacerbated tensions and contributed to a flood of hate speech.
“It’s complicated to establish the military facts because, in addition to the reality of strikes that are difficult to ascertain, there’s a communication war going on,” said General Dominique Trinquand, an international relations analyst and former head of the French military mission to the United Nations.
Disinformation peaked when India launched deadly air strikes on Wednesday targeting “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, two weeks after a deadly attack on the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir.
New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing the April 22 attack near the tourist town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people — almost all of them Hindu men. Pakistan denies the claim.
After the first round of Indian air strikes, the Pakistani military shared footage that had previously circulated in reports about a 2023 Israeli air strike in Gaza. The clip quickly appeared on television and social media but was later retracted by numerous media outlets, including AFP.
AI-generated imagery has also muddied the waters, including a video that purportedly shows a Pakistan Army general saying the country lost two of its aircraft. AFP fact-checkers found the clip was altered from a 2024 press conference.
“We have seen a new wave of AI-based content in both video and still images due to increased access to deepfake tools,” said Joyojeet Pal, an associate professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan.
Both India and Pakistan have taken advantage of the information vacuum to raise alarm bells and promote their own claims and counter-claims.
Pakistan appears to have lifted a more than one-year-old ban on X the same day of the Indian strikes, according to an AFP analysis of data from the nonprofit Open Observatory of Network Interference.
“In a time of crisis, the government needed its people’s voice to be heard all around the world and not to be silenced anymore like it was before for domestic political purposes,” said Usama Khilji, a digital rights expert and activist in Pakistan.
The country’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) on May 8 issued an alert about “increased cyberattacks and misinformation via emails, social media, QR codes, and messaging apps.”
Both Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Karachi Port Trust later said their X accounts had been hacked.
A post from the latter account said the port — one of South Asia’s busiest — was attacked by the Indian military. The page was later restored and the port authority said no attack had taken place.
India, meanwhile, has executed a sweeping crackdown targeting the social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations.
The government ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts and banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading “provocative” content, including news outlets.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check, a government-run website, has also refuted more than 60 claims about the ongoing crisis, many having to do with supposed Pakistani military victories.
The avalanche of disinformation online has been accompanied by a spike in hate speech offline.
A report from the US-based India Hate Lab documented 64 in-person hate speech events between April 22 and May 2. Most were filmed and later shared on social media.
“There is a cyclical relationship between offline hate speech and the rise of harmful online content,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, executive director of the Center for the Study of Organized Hate.
He said the Pahalgam attack sparked in India a “significant surge in rallies where far-right leaders weaponized the tragedy to incite hate and violence against Muslim Indians and Kashmiris.”
Several clips online show people dressed in Hindu garb calling for economic boycotts of minority Muslims. Rallies in the northern Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have seen similar incendiary speeches.
Now that a ceasefire has been declared, Naik warned that hate speech “will once again refocus on religious minorities.”
“The war machine may have paused, but the hate machinery never stops. I worry it might return with a greater force.”


Pakistan says committed to ceasefire after Modi warns of more strikes 

Updated 52 min 11 sec ago
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Pakistan says committed to ceasefire after Modi warns of more strikes 

  • Modi has said will hit “terror hideouts” in Pakistan in case of new attacks on India, won’t be deterred by “nuclear blackmail“
  • Foreign office says India’s portrayal of Pakistan as seeking a ceasefire in “despair and frustration is yet another blatant lie”

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad said on Tuesday it was committed to a recent ceasefire deal with New Delhi and taking necessary steps toward de-escalation, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned he would target “terrorist hideouts” across the border if there were fresh attacks on India.

Modi, who also said India would not be deterred by what he called Islamabad’s “nuclear blackmail,” was speaking two days after the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to a ceasefire, reached after four days of intense exchanges of fire as the old enemies targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians.

The military confrontation began on Wednesday, when India said it launched strikes on nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, with Pakistan retaliating by downing five Indian fighter jets. The escalation was triggered by tensions over an attack on Hindu tourists by militants in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi has said Pakistan was involved in. Islamabad has denied any links to the attack and called for a neutral investigation.

In a statement released by the foreign office, Pakistan rejected the “provocative and inflammatory assertions” made by Modi, saying they signaled a “dangerous escalation rooted in misinformation, political opportunism, and a blatant disregard for international law.”

“This statement also reflects a propensity to fabricate misleading narratives to justify aggression,” the foreign office said. 

“Pakistan remains committed to the recent ceasefire understanding and taking necessary steps toward de-escalation and regional stability.”

The FO said the ceasefire was achieved through the mediation of several friendly countries and the portrayal of Pakistan as seeking a ceasefire in “despair and frustration is yet another blatant lie.”

On Tuesday morning, the Pakistan army put out figures for deaths in the latest confrontation, saying 11 armed forces personnel and 41 civilians, including women and children, had been killed. 

“Indian actions set a dangerous precedent for aggression, dragging the entire region to the brink of disaster. This reflects the mindset of a revisionist actor that seeks to upend strategic stability in South Asia without regard for consequences,” the foreign office added.

“Moreover, India is justifying the cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians, mostly women and children, as well as its highly irresponsible brinkmanship as the new normal for the region.

“Make no mistake, we will closely monitor India’s actions and behavior in this regard in the coming days. We also urge the international community to do the same.” 
 
The statement ended by saying any future aggression would be met with “full resolve” and called on India to prioritize regional stability and the well-being of its citizens “over narrow, politically motivated jingoism.”

Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both nations are nuclear-armed, raising global alarm every time an armed conflict breaks out between them.

“If there is a terrorist attack on India, a fitting reply will be given... on our terms,” Modi had said in Monday’s speech in Hindi in a televised address. “In the coming days, we will measure every step of Pakistan... what kind of attitude Pakistan will adopt.”

“India will strike precisely and decisively at the terrorist hideouts developing under the cover of nuclear blackmail,” he said, and listed New Delhi’s conditions for holding talks with Islamabad and lifting curbs imposed after the Kashmir attack.

“India’s position is clear: terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together and water and blood cannot flow together,” he said, referring to a water sharing pact between the two countries New Delhi unilaterally suspended after the April 22 militant attack. 

- With inputs from Reuters


Pakistan certifies aviation security officers under UK-led training, aims for stronger global compliance

Updated 13 May 2025
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Pakistan certifies aviation security officers under UK-led training, aims for stronger global compliance

  • Officials of Pakistan’s aviation security directorate have been trained by ICAO-qualified instructors
  • The training will help aviation security inspectors increase compliance with international standards

KARACHI: Pakistan’s civil aviation regulator on Tuesday said all officers in its aviation security directorate have been internationally certified as security inspectors, following a UK-sponsored training program conducted by instructors qualified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The certification, delivered by the UK Department for Transport (DfT), marks a key step in boosting Pakistan’s compliance with global aviation security standards. Officials said the move is expected to strengthen oversight, improve regulatory capability and bolster Pakistan’s standing under ICAO’s global audit regime.

“This training will play a pivotal role in enhancing the capabilities of our national aviation security inspectors and help increase compliance with international standards,” the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement.

The training, conducted in Pakistan by ICAO-qualified UK instructors, officially recognizes all officers in the CAA’s Directorate of Aviation Security as certified Aviation Security Inspectors, a designation that enables them to conduct safety and compliance assessments in line with international protocols.

Pakistan has previously ranked high in South Asia on ICAO’s Effective Implementation Rating, a global benchmark that measures a country’s adherence to international aviation safety and security practices.

The assessment is conducted under ICAO’s Universal Security Audit Program (USAP), which evaluates how well member states implement aviation security oversight systems.

The PCAA informed it was also expanding safety inspector training through international academic placements, adding two officers had been selected for fully sponsored postgraduate programs in France and South Korea, secured through ongoing coordination with both countries’ civil aviation authorities.


Pakistan’s top court adjourns Zahir Jaffer’s appeal in Noor Mukadam murder case until May 19

Updated 13 May 2025
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Pakistan’s top court adjourns Zahir Jaffer’s appeal in Noor Mukadam murder case until May 19

  • Jaffer, a Pakistani-American, was sentenced to death in 2022 for killing and beheading Mukadam
  • He filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in April 2023, seeking to overturn the punishment

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of an appeal filed by Zahir Zakir Jaffer, a Pakistani-American convicted of murdering the daughter of a former diplomat, until May 19, according to local media reports.

Jaffer was sentenced to death in 2022 for the brutal killing of 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, whose beheaded body was found in July 2021 at a residence in Islamabad’s upscale F-7/4 sector.

The case sparked nationwide outrage and became one of Pakistan’s most widely followed trials involving violence against women.

Last year, the Islamabad High Court upheld Jaffer’s death sentence, originally handed down by a sessions court. Subsequently, he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court in April 2023, seeking to overturn the punishment.

“The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of Zahir Jaffer’s appeal against his death sentence in the Noor Mukadam murder case until 19 May, following consensus from both parties,” Geo News reported.

Earlier in the day, a three-member bench led by Justice Hashim Kakar heard the case, alongside Justices Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Ali Baqar Najafi. Both defense lawyer Salman Safdar and prosecution counsel Shah Khawar appeared before the court.

The defense requested more time to file additional documentation. Justice Kakar reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the delay, while Justice Najafi advised the prosecution to formally respond only after the defense had submitted the application.

The appeal hearing was preceded by a social media post from Justice for Noor, an advocacy page on Instagram run by Mukadam’s friends.

The post maintained that the defense had attempted to delay court hearings in the past, though it also expressed faith in the country’s judicial system.

“Stand with us,” it urged its followers. “Stand for justice.”

The court adjourned the hearing until May 19, instructing both sides to come fully prepared.


Kohli, Rohit Test exits leave India facing uncertain new era

Updated 13 May 2025
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Kohli, Rohit Test exits leave India facing uncertain new era

  • Batting great Kohli and captain Rohit both retired from Tests in the past week
  • Shubman Gill has been left as front-runner to lead a new-look India in England

NEW DEHLI, INDIA: Indian cricket will enter an uncertain new era next week when selectors name a Test squad without all-time greats Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in more than a decade.

Batting great Kohli and captain Rohit both retired from Tests in the past week, leaving Shubman Gill as the front-runner to lead a new-look India in England.

The retirement last year of veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin leaves India without the backbone of the side that was formerly number one in the world Test rankings.

Top-order batsman Gill is favorite to be given the task of starting India’s rebuild with the five-Test England series, which begins on June 20 at Headingley.

“Gill looks like the heir apparent but his record overseas hasn’t looked too great,” veteran cricket journalist Ayaz Memon told AFP.

The 25-year-old Gill has scored 1,893 runs at an average of 35.05 in 32 Tests since his debut in 2020, with five hundreds.

But in 13 Tests away from home his average is only 29.50.

Gill is likely to move up the order to open alongside the 23-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal, with big-hitting Shreyas Iyer in the frame to replace Kohli at the fall of the second wicket.

Others who could be charged with the almost impossible task of following in all-time great Kohli’s footsteps are Sarfaraz Khan, Rajat Patidar and Dhruv Jurel.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has also been mentioned as a future captain, but his current poor form and less-than-inspiring leadership of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL are counting against his immediate elevation.

Leading pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah was Rohit’s deputy in Australia and led the team in two Tests, winning one, and was seen as another candidate for captain.

But Bumrah has only recently returned to action after suffering a back injury during the final Test at Sydney in January.

The five Tests in England are crammed into six weeks, meaning India will need to manage the workload of their pace attack by resting bowlers for one or more matches, effectively ruling Bumrah out of the captaincy debate.

Memon, who called Kohli’s retirement “a big moment in Indian cricket,” said there was enough strength in depth to fill the void left by Kohli, opener Rohit and Ashwin.

“There are senior pros like (Mohammed) Shami, if he is in form and selected, and (Ravindra) Jadeja,” said Memon.

“The new crop of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, maybe Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj look good.

“They could be looking for a young spinner, maybe Washington Sundar because Ashwin is not there.”

Off-spinner Ashwin called an abrupt halt to his international career after playing the second Test in Adelaide last year.

He ended his career with 537 wickets in 106 matches, eighth on the all-time list and behind only Anil Kumble for India, who had 619 dismissals.

India’s 1983 World Cup-winning all-rounder Sandeep Patil believes the new-look India could come out stronger after a period of transition.

“The two stalwarts, the two pillars of Indian cricket, have gone,” Patil, who was chief selector when Kohli became captain in 2015, told The Times of India.

“It is time to rebuild. It will be a challenge for the national selectors, but I am sure we will find a solution.

“If one player exits, the next one is ready.”