ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday congratulated India’s Narendra Modi on the runaway election win of his Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a victory achieved on the plank of a tougher stand on national security, including ties with arch-rival Islamabad.
The two nations have had tense relations in recent months following a confrontation that saw them carry out an aerial bombing mission against each other earlier this year, and even fight a brief dogfight, before tensions subsided.
“I congratulate Prime Minister Modi on the electoral victory of BJP and allies,” Khan said in a Twitter post. “Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia.”
Official data from India’s Election Commission showed Modi’s BJP ahead in at least 300 of the 542 seats available, well over the 272 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament. This gives it the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984.
While tackling economic problems at home, Modi will also keep a close eye on relations with Pakistan during his second term as prime minister.
Pakistan on Wednesday signaled a willingness to open talks, with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi saying after briefly meeting his Indian counterpart Shushma Swaraj at the sidelines of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek: “We never speak bitterly, we want to live like good neighbors and settle our outstanding issues.”
“I told Sushma that we are still firm on the statement of Prime Minister Imran Khan that if India takes one step forward, Pakistan would reciprocate with two,” Qureshi added.
Despite the foreign minister’s reconciliatory tone, as it became clear on Thursday that Modi was set to win the massive, multi-stage poll, Pakistan’s army test fired a surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons in what was seen as a veiled warning to India.
“Pakistan will be in a position to present the new Indian government with a historic opportunity to frame a new deal for this region and its prosperity,” Mosharraf Zaidi, columnist and foreign policy analyst, told Arab News, commenting on prospects for peace between India and Pakistan following India’s landmark poll.
Zaidi said all issues including Kashmir could be resolved through dialogue and urged political consensus within Pakistan before proceeding with negotiations with India.
“None of these issues are unresolvable. But at least within Pakistan, a serious effort at detente and normalization with India demands a wide spectrum of political ownership,” Zaidi added.
In an interview with Independent Urdu on Wednesday, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria also expressed hope for dialogue between both the nuclear-armed neighbors after the Indian election.
“Both the countries will have to take small steps to bridge the trust deficit,” Bisaria said, adding that “proxy wars” [by both India and Pakistan] for terrorism should come to an end.”
Quaid-e-Azam University professor Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, was skeptical the right-wing, ultra-right BJP party would work for peace with Pakistan.
“Given its election campaign trail, the BJP-led government doesn’t seem to be in a position to initiate any serious and consistent effort for dialogue with Pakistan,” Akhtar said.
Pakistan’s Khan congratulates India’s Modi on runaway election win
Pakistan’s Khan congratulates India’s Modi on runaway election win
- PM says looking forward to working with Modi for “peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia”
- Pakistani analysts between hope and despair that new Indian administration will provide opening to fix tense ties
Pakistan to hold by-elections on 21 national, provincial assembly seats on Sunday
- Polling will be held on seats vacated by candidates or where polling was postponed due to various reasons
- Polling will take place on seats vacated by PM Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Ministers Maryam Nawaz and Ali Amin Gandapur
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will conduct by-elections on 21 national and provincial seats on Sunday, state-run media reported on Saturday, marking the country’s first major electoral exercise since the contentious general elections of Feb. 8.
The by-elections would be held on the national and provincial assembly seats that were vacated by candidates following the Feb. 8 elections.
Polling on Sunday is scheduled to be held on five National Assembly seats, 12 Punjab Assembly seats, two Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly seats and two Balochistan Assembly seats.
“Polling will start at 8:00 in the morning and it will continue till 5:00 p.m. without any break,” Radio Pakistan said.
Polling for NA-8 Bajaur and PK-22 Bajaur were postponed on Feb. 8 after the murder of a candidate, Rehan Zeb Khan. Polling will also be held in NA-44 Dera Ismail Khan, where the National Assembly seat was vacated by Ali Amin Gandapur, who retained his provisional assembly seat to become KP’s chief minister.
Similarly, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif vacated her NA-119 seat in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, choosing instead to keep the PP-159 constituency that she also won.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif won elections on two provincial and National Assembly seats. He left the NA-132 Kasur and Lahore’s PP-158 and PP-164 seats vacant, preferring to retain the NA-123 Lahore constituency.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari won two National Assembly seats. He retained the NA-194 Larkana constituency, leaving the NA-196 seat in Qamber Shahdadkot vacant.
Pakistan’s Feb. 8 elections were marred by delayed results, a countrywide shutdown of mobile phone services and rigging allegations. Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) accused Pakistan’s election regulator of manipulating the results of the elections, claiming in reality it had won over 180 National Assembly seats.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected the PTI’s allegations, saying polling results were delayed due to the shutdown of mobile phone services countrywide. Pakistan’s caretaker administration had said the mobile services were suspended due to security reasons, rejecting rigging allegations by Khan’s party.
Independent candidates backed by Khan secured the highest number of seats in the National Assembly. However, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerged as the largest party in the National Assembly, as a court decision prevented Khan-backed candidates from contesting polls with the PTI’s symbol.
Death toll from heavy rains in northwestern Pakistan rises to 46
- Forty-six casualties include 25 children, 12 men and nine women, says Provincial Disaster Management Authority
- Heavy rains and lightning strikes have killed at least 36 people in Pakistan’s Punjab and Balochistan provinces since April 12
Peshawar: The death toll from rain-related incidents in northwestern Pakistan rose to 46 on Saturday, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Saturday, while the number of injured climbed to 60.
“As many as 25 children, 12 men and nine women are among those who died in rain-related incidents during the last eight days,” the report said about heavy rains that began in the province last Friday, April 12.
The number of injured has risen to 60, which includes 33 men, 16 children and 11 women, the PDMA said.
The current spell of showers is likely to continue till April 21, the PDMA said this week. The provincial government has released Rs110 million to be distributed among the affected families and dispatched aid, including tents, kitchen kits, blankets, hygiene kits, mosquito nets and mattresses, to the affected areas, according to the authority.
As the rains are expected to continue intermittently until April 21, the PDMA said it had already a letter to all district administrations to remain alert and take precautionary measures.
In the southwestern Balochistan province, heavy rains have killed 15 people since Friday and triggered flash floods in several areas, according to provincial authorities.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said climate change had become a “challenge” for the provincial government.
“Current rains are unusual which were never reported in a thousand years,” he told reporters on Friday. “The government has been helping the masses with available resources and our teams have reached all districts to help the people affected by rains and floods.”
Pakistan has received heavy rains in the last three weeks that have triggered landslides and flash floods in several parts of the South Asian country.
The eastern province of Punjab has reported 21 lighting- and roof collapse-related deaths, while Balochistan, in the country’s southwest, reported 10 deaths as authorities declared a state of emergency following flash floods.
In 2022, downpours swelled rivers and at one point flooded a third of Pakistan, killing 1,739 people. The floods also caused $30 billion in damages, from which Pakistan is still trying to rebuild.
US sanctions four international companies for aiding Pakistan’s missile program
- US State Department announces sanctions against three Chinese companies and one based in Belarus
- State Department says companies supplied missile-applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic, long-range missile programs
ISLAMABAD: The US State Department announced this week it has imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies and one Belarus-based company for supplying items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program.
As per a press release, the State Department announced sanctions against China-based companies Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited, Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co. Ltd, Granpect Company Limited and the Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.
“These entities have supplied missile‐applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, including its long-range missile program,” a press release issued late Friday stated.
The State Department said Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant had worked to supply special vehicle chassis to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program.
“Such chassis are used as launch support equipment for ballistic missiles by Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC), which is responsible for the development of Missile Technology Control Regime Category (MTCR) I ballistic missiles,” it said.
Washington alleged Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited supplied missile-related equipment, including a filament winding machine, to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program that was also destined for NDC.
“Filament winding machines can be used to produce rocket motor cases,” the State Department said.
It said the Tianjin Creative Source International Trade Co. Ltd. supplied missile-related equipment to Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missile program, including stir welding equipment.
It said the company’s supplies were likely destined for Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which develops and produces Pakistan’s MTCR Category I ballistic missiles.
It further said Granpect Company Limited worked with SUPARCO to supply equipment for the testing of large-diameter rocket motors.
“In addition, Granpect Co. Ltd. also worked to supply equipment for testing large-diameter rocket motors to Pakistan’s NDC,” it added.
The sanctions mean all property and interests in property of the companies in the US or in possession or control of American citizens are blocked and must be reported to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the State Department said.
They also mean that all transactions by American citizens, or those within (or transiting) the US that involve any property or interests in property of the companies, are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt.
Pakistan has so far not responded to the US State Department’s action.
Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir sets sights on T20 World Cup after comeback
- Amir played his first T20 international match for Pakistan on Thursday after a nearly four-year hiatus
- Pacer says he feels his body is fitter compared to 2019 when he last played for Pakistan in a World Cup
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir said this week he has set his sights on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, as he gears up to mark his return to international cricket after a nearly four-year hiatus.
The 32-year-old pacer played his first match on Thursday against New Zealand in Rawalpindi but did not bowl a single delivery as rain suspended play during the first over of the match.
Amir, one of Pakistan’s most prolific fast bowlers, retired in December 2020 after being dropped from the side. He changed his mind last month and decided to restart his career, which had also been stalled by a spot-fixing ban in 2010.
“The way the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management brought me back, it is for a short-term goal, the [T20] World Cup,” Amir told PCB Digital in an interview on Friday. “And that is the biggest goal.”
The left-arm pacer pointed out that Pakistan had played in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2021 and competed in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, it had failed to “cross the line” and become world champions on both occasions.
“If that happens [Pakistan win the World Cup] it would be a huge achievement for me, to be a part of that team,” he said.
Amir said he feels he is much fitter compared to 2019 when he last represented Pakistan in a World Cup tournament.
“See, you cannot express yourself properly in the ground until you’re fit,” he said. “So I feel the way my body feels fresh right now, I can chip in more and prove beneficial to the team via my performance.”
The pacer credited his wife and children for helping him stay positive.
“She makes sure that all my focus is on cricket,” he said. “I think that always gives me energy and helps me to face whatever I have to.”
Pakistan face New Zealand in the second T20 fixture of the five-match series in Rawalpindi today, Saturday. The two sides will lock horns in Rawalpindi on April 21 before meeting for the remaining two fixtures in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
Teams:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi
New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (captain), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
Pakistan’s finmin discusses energy, tax reforms with senior World Bank official
- Pakistan has vowed to broaden its tax base, reform energy sector and privatize loss-making state-owned entities
- Pakistan’s finance minister is in Washington to attend spring meetings by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb underlined the government’s resolve to carry out reforms in the energy and tax sectors in his meeting with a senior World Bank official this week, the finance ministry said on Saturday, as Islamabad grapples with an economic crisis amid surging inflation and low foreign exchange reserves.
Reeling from a macroeconomic crisis, Pakistan has assured international financial institutions and bilateral partners it would take concrete measures to broaden its tax base, carry out reforms in the energy sector and overhaul loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
Aurangzeb has been in Washington since last week to participate in spring meetings organized by the IMF and World Bank. His tour is an important one for the South Asian country as Pakistan’s ongoing nine-month, $3 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund designed to tackle its balance-of-payments crisis, expires this month.
Aurangzeb met Martin Raiser, the World Bank’s regional vice president for South Asia, on Friday to discuss the government’s economic reforms.
“Underlined the reform thrust of the government in the areas of energy, tax reforms and SOEs,” the finance ministry said. “Informed that government was pursuing short and long-term goals in these sectors.”
Aurangzeb said the World Bank’s focus on climate change, digitalization and human development aligns with Islamabad’s priorities, highlighting the government’s vision to realize the country’s true potential for economic growth.
“Agreed on the need for reforms in the agriculture sector, water management and waste-water treatment,” the ministry said.
Aurangzeb met World Bank’s President Ajay Banga on Tuesday during which he spoke about the government’s reforms in tax and energy sectors and highlighted Pakistan’s progress on privatization of government entities.
In an interview on Monday, the Pakistani finance minister had said Islamabad would seek a fresh three-year IMF program, adding that the government plans to continue with necessary policy reforms to rein in deficits, build up reserves and manage soaring debt servicing.
In a separate statement, the finance ministry said Aurangzeb met China’s Finance Minister Lan Fo’an on Friday. During the exchange, the Pakistani finance chief thanked his Chinese counterpart for Beijing’s regular rollovers which helped plug Pakistan’s external financing gaps.
“Informed that Pakistan was entering into a larger and extended program with IMF and looked forward to the support of China,” the ministry said, adding that he highlighted the government’s economic reforms in various sectors during his meeting with the Chinese official.
