Pakistani minister boots opposition on live TV for supporting army act

Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda showing military boot to mock opposition leaders in a live TV show on Jan 14, 2020. (Courtesy: Screen grab of live TV show on ARY News)
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Updated 16 January 2020
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Pakistani minister boots opposition on live TV for supporting army act

  • The minister ridicules opposition parties for supporting the Army Act
  • Critics find the theatrics distasteful, blame Vawda for politicizing the country’s armed forces

ISLAMABAD: While appearing on a local news channel, Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda pulled out a military boot and placed it on the table to insult the opposition parties who ostensibly went against their narrative of civilian supremacy by supporting the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Act 2020 in parliament.

The legislation was introduced to provide legal cover to the extension of the army chief’s tenure in office, a move that was hotly debated across the country and had a polarizing impact of its political landscape.

Vawda kicked up drama on Tuesday while appearing on a television talk show with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, Qamar Zaman Kaira, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart, Senator Javed Abbasi.

The federal minister slammed the boot onto the table while discussing Nawaz Sharif, saying: “In order to save your plunder and escape the country, you stooped and gave respect to the boot.”

Kaira demanded to know if Vawda was implying that the army had forced the opposition parties to vote in favor of the legislation before saying that the whole stunt was highly disrespectful to the armed forces of the country and calling it “a mockery of the army.”

At one point, the talk show host tried to lighten up the situation, asking Vawda where he had acquired the boot from. The minister used the question to slam the opposition again, gesturing to his co-guests and saying, “Ask them.”

Kaira and Abbasi left the show in protest, and it was not long before opposition members began condemning Vawda’s move.

“This can’t be normalized, no matter what the point of the parody,” PPP’s Sherry Rahman tweeted. “Disappointed and disgusted that public discourse has sunk to this level. It is everyone’s right to critique another’s actions but this, this plumbs new depths. Cheap thrills just got a whole lot cheaper.”
 


“Faisal has disgraced the institution [of the military] by bringing the shoe into controversy in [an] otherwise popular talk show,” wrote senior journalist Mazhar Abbas. “He has not only exposed himself but the [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] party as well. Let see how the PM will react and above all how the Institution will take it.”


Journalist Talat Hussain also took issue with Vawda’s move, writing to his 3.3 million Twitter followers: “PM Imran’s cabinet minister brings an army boot in a tv show, displays it on the table, keeps it next to him throughout to prove that everyone in the parliament including the opposition fell at army’s feet in order to please them. Haven’t seen a more lowly act on tv recently.”


PTI supporters have defended the minister’s actions, though no senior leader of the ruling party has released a statement on the incident. There has also been no official response from the army.

 

 

 


Pakistan says 6 army, 5 air force, 40 civilians killed in latest India standoff

Updated 5 sec ago
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Pakistan says 6 army, 5 air force, 40 civilians killed in latest India standoff

  • Pakistan and India engaged in four days of fighting last week before agreeing to a ceasefire on Saturday
  • Pakistan military says 121 civilians, 78 armed forces personnel injured in attacks conducted by India

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military’s media wing said on Tuesday 11 members of the armed forces and 40 civilians had been killed in the latest military confrontation with India, vowing that future attacks would be met with a “swift, full-spectrum and decisive” response.

India and Pakistan engaged in four days of armed conflict last week, the worst between them since 1999, pounding each other with fighter aircraft, missiles, drones and artillery fire. The conflict erupted after weeks of tensions over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement.

India struck multiple Pakistani cities on Wednesday with missiles, claiming it had targeted “terrorist” camps in response to the April 22 attack. Islamabad vowed to retaliate, saying it had shot down five Indian fighter jets. Things came to a head on Saturday morning when Pakistan said India had attacked three bases, and it struck back with attacks on multiple bases in India, including a missile storage site in India’s north.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced he had brokered a ceasefire between the two states, calming fears of an all-out war.

“These barbaric strikes resulted in the martyrdom of 40 civilians — among them 7 women and 15 children — while 121 others sustained injuries, including 10 women and 27 children,” the army said, referring to India’s first strikes on Wednesday early morning.

“While defending the motherland with exemplary valor, 11 personnel of the Pakistan Armed Forces embraced martyrdom and 78 were wounded.”

The casualties in the army included six non-commissioned officers, while a squadron leader and four technicians in the Pakistan Air Force were also killed.

“Let there be no ambiguity: any attempt to challenge Pakistan’s sovereignty or territorial integrity, ever again, shall be met with a swift, full-spectrum, and decisive response Inshallah,” the military’s media wing concluded in its statement.

Both countries claimed victory as the fragile ceasefire came into force, with Pakistan saying it targeted several Indian military sites on Saturday and destroyed an S-400 missile defense system as part of its retaliatory ‘Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos’ operation, which translates to “Wall of Lead” in Arabic, in response to India attacking three air bases.

India has also released new satellite images showing serious damage to air strips and radar stations at what Indian defense officials say are multiple Pakistani military bases crippled by massive Indian airstrikes.

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.


PSL matches to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

Updated 12 min 30 sec ago
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PSL matches to resume on May 17 after India-Pakistan ceasefire

  • PCB initially decided to move remaining eight PSL games to United Arab Emirates
  • Last week PCB said it had postponed PSL matches on advice of PM Shehbaz Sharif

KARACHI: The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday matches of the Pakistan Super League would resume from May 17 after being disrupted in the wake of conflict with archrival India.

The PCB initially decided to move the remaining eight PSL games to the United Arab Emirates, but last week said it had postponed the matches on the advice of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

India and Pakistan have clashed since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan last week that it said were “terrorist camps” in retaliation for a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, in which it said Islamabad was involved. Pakistan denied the accusation but both countries exchanged cross-border firing and shelling, sent drones and missiles into each other’s airspace and left dozens of people dead.

A fragile ceasefire was holding between the neighbors after the agreement was reached on Saturday, following diplomacy and pressure from the United States.

“HBL PSL X picks up from where it left off! 6 teams,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi wrote on X.

“Get ready for 8 thrilling matches starting 17th May, leading up to the Grand Final on 25th May.”

On Monday, Indian cricket authorities also announced that the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, suspended for a week amid fighting between India and Pakistan, would resume on May 17.


Pakistan says US pushed India ceasefire over fears latest fighting could become ‘filthy’ war

Updated 13 May 2025
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Pakistan says US pushed India ceasefire over fears latest fighting could become ‘filthy’ war

  • India and Pakistan engaged in four days of fighting last week, pounding each other with fighter aircraft, missiles, drones, artillery fire
  • Following ceasefire, Deputy PM Ishaq Dar says Islamabad wants to take “process forward in honorable way, with dignity for both sides”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said this week Washington had pushed for a ceasefire between Pakistan and India over fears the latest military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors could turn into a “filthy” all-out war. 

India and Pakistan engaged in four days of armed conflict last week, the worst between them since 1999, pounding each other with fighter aircraft, missiles, drones and artillery fire. The conflict erupted after weeks of tensions over an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denies involvement.

India struck multiple Pakistani cities on Wednesday with missiles, claiming it had targeted “terrorist” camps in response to the April 22 attack. Islamabad said 31 civilians were killed in the assault and vowed to retaliate, saying it had shot down five Indian fighter jets. Things came to a head on Saturday morning, when Pakistan said India had attacked three bases, and it struck back with attacks on multiple bases in India including a missile storage site in India’s north.

Hours later, US President Donald Trump announced he had brokered a ceasefire between the two states, calming fears of an all-out war.

Speaking to American news channel CNN in his first interview since the ceasefire, Dar said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him on May 10 that India was ready to stop the fighting.

“After having seen our escalation, rather our counter-escalation in defense, I think certain capitals, particularly the US, realized it could be a really filthy next moves,” Dar said in the interview which aired on Monday night.

When asked what drove India to agree to a ceasefire, Dar said New Delhi must have realized “how serious the damage was on their side” after Islamabad dealt heavy losses to the Indian military in air combat and on the ground. 

“I’m sure they would have realized that they had miscalculated,” he added. 

Pakistan’s military has said it targeted several Indian military sites on Saturday and destroyed an S-400 missile defense system as part of its retaliatory ‘Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos,’ which translates to “Wall of Lead” in Arabic. 

Speaking about the Indus Waters Treaty, which India has unilaterally suspended during the latest tensions, Dar reiterated Islamabad’s position that it would be considered an “act of war” if India diverted or stopped its flow of waters.

Brokered in 1960 by the World Bank, the IWT grants Pakistan rights to the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab — for irrigation, drinking, and non-consumptive uses like hydropower, while India controls the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej — for unrestricted use but must not significantly alter their flow. 

India can use the western rivers for limited purposes such as power generation and irrigation, without storing or diverting large volumes, according to the agreement.

When asked whether the two countries would go to war again if the water-sharing treaty was not resolved, Dar said:

“There are certain times when you have to take some very serious decisions,” he said. “Now, let’s look forward positively. We want to take the whole process forward in an honorable way and with dignity for both sides.”

Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. They have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region split between them, since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both acquired nuclear weapons in 1998.


Trump’s mediation offer renews global focus on Kashmir after India-Pakistan escalation

Updated 13 May 2025
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Trump’s mediation offer renews global focus on Kashmir after India-Pakistan escalation

  • Analysts say Trump’s offer brings global spotlight on Kashmir conflict, “a diplomatic coup for Pakistan”
  • India has always insisted Kashmir is India’s internal issue and opposed any third-party intervention

SRINAGAR, INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR: A series of military strikes last week by India and Pakistan brought the nuclear-armed rivals closer to a broader war. The possibility of a nuclear conflagration seemed real and the fighting only stopped when global powers intervened.

Experts say the crisis deepened the neighbors’ rivalry as both crossed a threshold with each striking the other with high-speed missiles and drones. The tit-for-tat strikes also brought Kashmir again into global focus, as the US President Donald Trump offered mediation over the simmering dispute that has long been described as the regional nuclear flashpoint.

Paul Staniland, South Asia expert and a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, said the four days of fighting shows that “India now feels substantial space to directly target Pakistan, as well as that Pakistan is willing to escalate in response.”

Unlike in past years, when fighting was largely limited to Kashmir, the two armies last week fired missiles and drones at each other’s military installations deep inside their cities and exchanged gunfire and heavy artillery along their frontier in Kashmir.

Dozens of people were killed on both sides. Each claimed it inflicted heavy damage on the other and said its strikes met the country’s objectives.

 

 

Trump touts a possible ‘solution’ for Kashmir

The fighting began Wednesday after India retaliated for last month’s attack that killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, in Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed in entirety by both nations. India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers, an accusation Islamabad denied, saying no evidence was shared.

The Indian military said it could again strike Pakistan if it felt threatened. Pakistan’s military also warned against any violation of the country’s sovereignty and vowed to respond.

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over Kashmir and the specter of two nuclear-armed foes once again trading blows over the region alarmed the international community. Trump on Saturday broke news that the two countries had agreed to stop fighting after US-led talks. 

On Sunday, Trump once again offered to help and said he will work to provide a “solution” regarding the dispute over Kashmir.

Pakistan thanked the US and Trump for facilitating the ceasefire. India, however, has not said anything about Trump’s mediation offer and only acknowledged the ceasefire was reached after military contacts with Pakistan.

Trump’s Kashmir offer also provoked criticism against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has insisted Kashmir is India’s internal issue and had opposed any third-party intervention, arguing it was fighting “Pakistan’s proxy war.”

Pakistan is trying to raise Kashmir as global issue

Pakistan’s position is that divided Kashmir is an internationally recognized dispute and must be solved according to the UN resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman called Trump’s offer “a diplomatic coup for Pakistan.”

“A core and consistent Pakistani foreign policy goal is to internationalize the Kashmir issue. And that’s exactly what has happened here, much to the chagrin of an Indian government that takes a rigid position that the issue is settled and there’s nothing to discuss,” he said.

Meanwhile, people on both sides of the border have heaved a sigh of relief after the ceasefire but some insisted a lasting peace will only be possible if Kashmir dispute is solved.

Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said “the two countries have to give Kashmiris a chair at the table of negotiations for a more durable peace process and faster resolution of the problem.” 

He said Kashmiris have lost more lives due to the conflict than government forces on both sides.

“They always have more to lose … in the absence of mechanisms that resolve the Kashmir dispute,” Donthi said.

For residents in Kashmir, the dispute is not just about India and Pakistan, or mere geopolitics and diplomacy, but about survival and peace.

“Let’s be honest, India and Pakistan are fighting over Kashmir. So let it be resolved once and forever,” said student Shazia Tabbasum.


Pakistan to get $1 billion IMF tranche today, no large fiscal impact of India standoff — finmin

Updated 13 May 2025
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Pakistan to get $1 billion IMF tranche today, no large fiscal impact of India standoff — finmin

  • IMF last week approved fresh $1.4 billion climate loan, $1 billion under bailout program 
  • Successful review approval brings disbursements to $2 billion within $7 billion loan program

KARACHI: Pakistan is expected to receive a $1 billion loan disbursement from the IMF today, Tuesday, as part of a larger $7 billion bailout agreement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has said.

The IMF last Friday approved a fresh $1.4 billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and approved the first review of its $7 billion program, freeing about $1 billion in cash. The review approval brings disbursements to $2 billion within the $7 billion program. 

In a statement released after a virtual meeting on Monday between Aurangzeb and Johana Chua, head of emerging markets economies for Citigroup Global Markets, the finance ministry confirmed that Pakistan would receive the latest IMF tranche on Tuesday.

“The Minister also apprised the participants of the successful conclusion of a Staff Level Agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), with the next tranche expected to be received tomorrow [Tuesday],” the statement said. 

“He further mentioned the approval of the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), calling it a milestone achievement for Pakistan.”

The loan disbursement comes amid a military standoff with arch-rival India, though Aurangzeb told Reuters in an interview on Monday the conflict would not have a large fiscal impact on Pakistan.

The finance minister described the conflict as a “short duration escalation” with minimal fiscal impact, stating it can be “accommodated within the fiscal space which is available to the government of Pakistan.”

When questioned about potential increased military spending in the upcoming budget, Aurangzeb deferred comment, saying it was premature to discuss specific plans. However, he said: “Whatever we need to do in terms of ensuring that our defense requirements are met will be met.”

Aurangzeb said he expects the Indus Water Treaty, which India unilaterally suspended, to be reinstated and rolled back to where it was.

He said there is not going to be any immediate impact from India’s suspension and Pakistan does not “even want to consider any scenario which does not take into account the reinstatement of this treaty.”

Tensions between India and Pakistan began mounting after the April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on Hindu tourists that killed 26 people, sparking the worst clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbors in more than two decades.

On Saturday, a ceasefire in the Himalayan region was announced by US President Donald Trump, following four days of fighting and diplomacy and pressure from Washington.

Pakistan’s federal budget for the next fiscal year, starting July, will be finalized within the next four weeks, with scheduled budget talks with the IMF to take place from May 14-23, according to the finance ministry. 


With inputs from Reuters