Pakistan’s KP province to recruit over 1350 new cops to tackle surging militancy

ISLAMABAD: Military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Wednesday there was “absolutely no concern” within Pakistan’s military establishment that Pakistan could become the “next target” for attacks on its nuclear facilities, following last month’s conflict between Israel and Iran.

In June, Israel and the United States launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites after Tel Aviv claimed Tehran was close to developing nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denied. Pakistan condemned the Israeli and American strikes at the time, calling them a violation of international law. Islamabad has repeatedly assured the world that its nuclear assets are secure and intended solely for deterrence.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Chaudhry was asked if there were concerns Pakistan could be targeted next in light of recent developments in the Middle East.

“There is absolutely no concern, whatsoever, in the military, that Pakistan can become the next target,” Chaudhry responded.

He said Pakistan was an established and declared nuclear power, adding that the world had never attempted a “misadventure” against a nuclear state.

“And if such a misadventure is taken or attempted, then it will lead to horrific consequences which the world may not be able to endure,” he warned.

The army spokesperson reiterated that seeking conflict with a nuclear-armed country was “absurd, sheer stupidity and inconceivable.”

His comments come amid heightened regional tensions and renewed focus on nuclear security following the Israel-Iran conflict. 

In early May, India and Pakistan engaged in their worst fighting in decades after Delhi blamed Islamabad for supporting an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in April, an allegation Pakistan denied. The clashes included missile strikes, fighter jet operations, artillery fire and drone attacks, leaving more than 70 dead on both sides before a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

Though the ceasefire has held, tensions remain high. India has since put a decades-old water-sharing agreement on hold, with Islamabad warning that any attempt to divert or stop its waters would be treated as an “act of war” and met with full force.

KARACHI: A Saudi aviation team will conduct a security audit of seven Pakistani airports in August, a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

The security audit will cover airports in Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Multan cities, PCAA spokesperson Shahid Qadir said.

He said the director-general of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has approached Pakistan’s DG PCAA, Nadir Shafi Dar, to conduct the aviation security audit. 

“A Saudi aviation security team will visit Pakistan in the coming month and will conduct this audit in August and onwards,” Qadir told Arab News. 

The Saudi aviation team is coordinating closely with the PCAA’s Directorate of Aviation Security (AvSec), which will host the visiting delegation, Qadir said. The PCAA’s director general has designated the AvSec director to oversee the audit process, he added. 

This marks the second such audit by Saudi aviation authorities, who conducted their inaugural security assessment of Pakistan in 2023. The Saudi team later expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s aviation security procedures, which involve multiple stakeholders such as the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA), the Airport Security Force (ASF), airlines, cargo handlers and catering companies.

The development takes place as Pakistan’s civil aviation sector shows marked improvement in international benchmarks.

Following the separation of the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) from the PCAA and the enactment of the Civil Aviation Authority Act, Pakistan has achieved a score of 86.73 percent in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP). 

As per the PCAA, this rating is higher than the global average of 71 percent and India’s 73 percent.

Separately, a two-member team from the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport (DfT) began its aviation security assessment of the Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday.

The team, accompanied by a representative of the British High Commission, will review airport security procedures, catering, and flight operations over its three-day visit.

“All aviation security stakeholders, including PAA officials, ASF personnel and representatives from PIA, British Airways, Air Blue, Kitchen Cuisine, Ras Menzies and others attended the initial briefing,” a PCAA handout said.

The PCAA said Pakistan has previously performed well in the UK’s DfT audits, saying that officials are optimistic about the outcome of the latest assessment. 

The PCAA said its director general has also initiated engagement with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in pursuit of direct flight operations to the US.

The development follows Pakistan’s national carrier resuming flights to Europe in January after the European aviation safety agency lifted its four-year ban on the airline.

Pakistan International Airlines has also approached UK authorities for permission to resume its services to the country. 

PIA was banned by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), UK and the US after Pakistan opened an investigation into the validity of pilots’ licenses following a PIA plane crash in Karachi in May 2020 that killed 97 people.